Best Horror Manga That Ended In 2023, Ranked

Highlights

• Castration: Rebirth explores the horror of a parallel world consumed by carnal desire, with a protagonist seeking to save his girlfriend.
• Gigantis combines horror with action, depicting a world where humans become prey to eldritch monsters and a family’s struggle for survival.
• Starving Anonymous Re:Velation is a ghoulish sequel that challenges the predestined fate of humans as sacrifices to divine beings, leading to chaos.

From petrifying panels to occult narratives, horror manga take on this universal genre with a ghastly touch of their own. Unlike other media formats, manga offers much more versatility in terms of incorporating otherworldly elements into the mix. The result is a macabre niche filled with all sorts of harrowing affairs, perfect for any avid horror fan.

While names like Junji Ito and Masaki Nakayama dominate the horror manga landscape, several newer mangaka have penetrated this prolific genre, and 2023 witnessed the conclusion of many of their works. Some feature bone-chilling stories while others instill fear through graphic entities, yet one element constantly remains in the backdrop – pure, unadulterated horror.

4 Castration: Rebirth

MyAnimeList Rating: 5.67/10

Castration: Rebirth’s horror is rooted in mankind’s primal instincts. Anezaki Satoru is sentenced to death after he kills 15 men, all involved in the rape and murder of his girlfriend. After his execution, however, Anezaki finds himself reincarnated in a parallel world, one ravaged by the very same carnal desire. The parallel world experienced an apocalyptic solar flare, melting the minds of all men and turning them into carnal beasts with only assault on their minds.

Anezaki joins the remaining survivors in a bid to salvage this parallel world, and possibly put an end to these monstrosities. There’s a twist, however, as Anezaki’s girlfriend is also somewhere in this parallel world, giving him hope to live once more. Castration: Rebirth takes on many themes, and while horror is present at the core of the narrative, these various adult subtexts add a bit of complexity to the manga.

3 Gigantis

MyAnimeList Rating: 6.45/10

Gigantis intermixes horror with action for a truly spine-tingling read, as this manga is set on the island of Tsushima, a place ravaged by eldritch monsters that one day appear out of the blue. For once, mankind becomes prey as these horrid creatures feast on any flesh they can find, be it humans or animals.

Gen, a resident of Tsushima, has his life upended by this harrowing event, forcing him to find refuge while taking care of his mother and ailing sister. The story revolves around Gen and his family’s struggle to survive in this apocalyptic world, and possibly put an end to this horror. Gigantis may embody the essence of body-horror, yet it also offers a compelling action narrative that has readers hooked right from the beginning.

2 Starving Anonymous Re:Velation

MyAnimeList Rating: 6.95/10

Starving Anonymous Re:Velation is a sequel to the manga Starving Anonymous, continuing the story in a ghoulish world off-set in the previous story. In this world, human beings are fed to horrifying creatures called ‘divine beings,’ and being sacrificed for their hunger is considered the highest honor among humans.

However, one boy questions this pre-set destiny of mankind, stating his own fear of death. His denial of these ‘divine beings’ sets off a chain of events, leading to all hell breaking loose. Starving Anonymous Re:Velation’s story is heavily tied to its prequel since the original manga explains the existence of these beings and the resulting new world order. However, it’s also perfect as a standalone manga for readers wanting to directly delve into the story.

1 Dobutsu Ningen

AniList Rating: 7/10

Dobutsu Ningen is rather short with just a total of one volume, though its limited chapters are certainly no hindrance to its exceptional horror narrative. With a supernatural take, the story revolves around a father-daughter duo that ends up in a horrible accident. Instead of waking up to the blaring sounds of an ambulance, the two are baffled to find themselves in a bizarre mansion, one inhabited by talking animals.

Entirely at these creatures’ mercy, the two must navigate through the oddities of this place while appealing to these anthropomorphic beings. Despite the manga being confined to only five chapters, the storyline doesn’t seem incomplete or rushed. Dobutsu Ningen is also one of 2023’s newest horror manga entries, though its short story and limited chapters led to its completion within mere months of its release.