Highlights
- Crime themes in Japanese manga vary, with some focusing on white-collar crimes and others diving deep into darker criminal elements.
- Unique crime manga like Kurosagi, Ryuko, and Jormungand offer intriguing plots, strong characters, and realistic portrayals of criminal activities.
- From fraud and swindling to arms dealing and mafia syndicates, these manga explore complex themes and ethical dilemmas with depth and intensity.
The crime trope is a recurring theme in Japanese action manga and anime. So much so that it’s even bled into other genres that technically have no real correlation to it. There are so many fun and adorable slice-of-life comedy yakuza anime and manga that seem to really take out the seriousness of its criminal elements. With that said though, most of these anime and manga are about organized crime and mafia, and are mostly centered around white-collar crimes. The ones with the more heinous crimes are comparatively less common and are always dealt with more carefully.
Nevertheless, there are some really great manga out there that dive deeper into the life of crime and showcase what it’s like to be on the other side of the law. Because the world is so used to seeing traditionally goody-two-shoe characters as protagonists, seeing a ‘bad’ person as one may come off as a surprise. In any case, these manga, given their unconventional settings, delve into some weighty topics and must be approached with caution.
8 Kurosagi
MyAnimeList Score: 7.39/10
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Author(s) |
Natsuhara Takeshi (Story), Kuromaru (Story & Art) |
|---|---|
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Status |
Completed |
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Genre |
Thriller |
Even among the myriad manga centered on criminal activities, the 2003 manga Kurosagi stands out as one that is explicitly about fraud and swindling—bad in its own right, but not as awful as some of the others on this list. On that note, it still has an oddly noble premise and is, to the best of its ability, wholesome to an extent.
It follows the story of Koshiro Kurosaki, a man whose life was shattered by a tragedy when his family fell victim to a white swindler (or a ‘Shirosagi’). In the Kurosagi world, swindling is divided into factions: white swindlers are known to swindle everyone they get their hands on, red swindlers are known to only steal from the opposite gender, and black swindlers—well, they’re the real deal who swindle from other swindlers and leave them in ruins. Driven by his traumatic past, Kurosaki becomes a black swindler in hopes of preventing others from going through what his family did.
7 Ryuko
Anime Planet Ratings: 3.74/5
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Author(s) |
Yoshimizu Eldo |
|---|---|
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Status |
Completed |
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Genre |
Action, Drama |
Ryuko, one of the most underrated crime thrillers of this day, is a 2010 manga that initially started off as a self-published project and was only recently picked up by an official publishing company. It’s one of the rare crime manga in the industry that features a hardcore, battle-scarred, and seasoned female protagonist. Ryouko’s character defies the typical “tough but cute” female lead stereotype that’s recently seen a surge in the manga world.
It’s centered around Ryouko, a high-ranking member of the Japanese Mafia, who is transferred to the fictional Kingdom of Forossyah to protect the King’s daughter after a brutal coup d’état. However, what begins as an ‘official mission’ turns extremely personal for Ryouko when she starts discovering long-hidden secrets about her presumed dead mother.
6 Jormungand
MyAnimeList Score: 7.79/10
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Author(s) |
Takahashi Keitarou |
|---|---|
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Status |
Completed |
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Genre |
Action |
Jormungand is a 2006 manga featuring a premise that, in spite of itself, showcases a uniquely realistic and unexaggerated side of illicit multinational arms dealing businesses—it’s like something one would witness on the big screen. It’s also another manga on this list that features a strong, level-headed female protagonist with an exceptionally hardcore history and reputation.
Koko Hekmatyar is an arms dealer and the head of an international shipping corporation. Most of her work, because of its illegitimacy, involves her traveling around the world, accompanied by a group of mercenaries she’s personally handpicked. The latest addition to her band of guards is a child soldier with a dark past and a burning hatred for arms dealing.
5 Brutal
MyAnimeList Score: 7.80/10
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Author(s) |
Koga Kei (Story), Izawa Ryou (Art) |
|---|---|
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Status |
Hiatus |
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Genre |
Drama, Psychological |
As of now, most of the entries on this list revolve around non-violent, white-collar crimes—but that narrative largely changes with Brutal. It is a 2019 manga that revolves around very heavy themes surrounding life, death, crime, punishment, and human morality. It has a very psychological aspect that definitely leaves its readers in a massive ethical dilemma.
This manga is centered around Hiroki Dan, a promising young detective with a seemingly perfect life. Blessed with good looks, professional success, and the advantage of being the son of a former commissioner, Dan has everything good going for him. However, beneath the guise of perfection, he harbors a dark, brutal secret. He’s a ruthless, possibly sinister, man who has quietly eliminated numerous vile criminals, all of whom evaded justice because of legal loopholes and walked free from prison.
4 Gangsta
MyAnimeList Score: 8.06/10
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Author(s) |
Kohske |
|---|---|
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Status |
Completed |
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Genre |
Crime, Thriller |
Released in 2011, Gangsta is another manga on this list that focuses on organized crime, but there’s a catch. It distinguishes itself from other organized crime manga by blending its themes with fantasy elements. One could even consider it a more mature iteration of Psycho-Pass, catering to a more adult demographic with its dark undertones.
The manga is set in the fictional city of Ergastulum, where crime is rampant and there’s not a lot of accountability. The reins of the city are held by four elite mafia families and they use its ever-growing, unrestrained crime rate to control its people. However, underneath all that lies a darker reality for the citizens of Ergastulum. In actuality, the city is essentially a large prison, built as an excuse to imprison a large population of ‘superhumans,’ known as twilights.
3 Sanctuary
MyAnimeList Score: 8.24/10
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Author(s) |
Ikegami Ryouichi (Art), Buronson (Story) |
|---|---|
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Status |
Completed |
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Genre |
Drama, Political |
Sanctuary is an old, classic manga that was released in 1990 and gained traction for its mature portrayal of politics and Japanese mafia syndicates. It’s one of those rare manga that is recognized for its sophisticated and complex storyline while remaining within the boundaries of realism. It could even be considered reminiscent of a Martin Scorsese or Quentin Tarantino film.
It follows the story of two friends, Akira Hojo and Chiaki Asami, with an intertwined past marked by trauma, brutality, and the resilience to survive. They’ve seen the worst of the world and are determined to fix it by any means necessary. How do they do it? By playing a game of rock-paper-scissors to decide their fate. Hojo becomes a mob boss, and Asami jumps into the political world.
2 Black Lagoon
MyAnimeList Score: 8.29/10
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Author(s) |
Hiroe Rei |
|---|---|
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Status |
Ongoing |
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Genre |
Action, Thriller |
Black Lagoon is a 2002 ongoing manga that has had quite a fan following because of its unconventional premise and highly complex characters. Even within the realm of crime manga, Black Lagoon stands out as different because of how much depth it has. In other words, it’s thankfully devoid of ‘brainless’ action sequences that go on forever without rhyme or reason.
It follows a group of mercenaries who unexpectedly end up taking a salaryman from Japan into their unlikely bandit group. Rokuro Okajima happens to be in the wrong place at the wrong time when the ship he’s on gets hijacked by a band of ruthless pirates. Faced with the grim realization that he’s the least likely person to be saved during this ordeal, Okajima makes the daring decision to join the very mercenary group that has taken him hostage.
1 Banana Fish
MyAnimeList Score: 8.61/10
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Author(s) |
Yoshida Akimi |
|---|---|
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Status |
Completed |
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Genre |
Drama, Thriller |
Banana Fish is a timeless crime thriller that was first released in 1985 and eventually reached its conclusion in 1994. Set primarily in the streets of the United States during the 1980s, the manga beautifully captures the gritty essence of that era. However, as nice as Banana Fish sounds, it’s a turbulent emotional rollercoaster that leaves its readers feeling completely overwhelmed—so, having a tissue box nearby doesn’t sound like a bad idea here.
The story of Banana Fish follows the tragic tale of a beautiful but unfortunate seventeen-year-old gang leader known as Ash Lynx. Ash has not had a very colorful past, and its shadows continue to haunt him. Now, as a slightly more grown-up version of himself, he starts to uncover some dark secrets that send him spiraling down a rabbit hole of organized crime.
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