The world of manga has seen many great creators over the years, and the mangaka of the newer generation are thoroughly keeping up with the high standards set by their predecessors. These new artists have shown undeniable talent and are already creating formidable legacies with works that have garnered worldwide acclaim.

The series they herald offer complete entertainment, featuring both amazing storytelling as well as stunning art. They also feature innovative ideas that set them apart in an ever-expanding world of impressive works, where fan attention should not be taken for granted. Some have already become cultural phenomena, with the mangaka behind them growing just as famous.

10

Paru Itagaki (Beastars)

Paru Itagaki is a mangaka best known for her debut manga, Beastars, which began in 2016. It was serialized in Weekly Shonen Champion and is a successor to her collection of short stories titled Beast Complex. It was set in the same world and featured in the same magazine earlier that year.

She has also worked on other notable titles such as Sanda and Drip Drip, the former of which received an anime adaptation in October 2025. When appearing in public in an official capacity, she wears a chicken-head mask resembling one of her Beastars characters. She is also notably the daughter of Keisuke Itagaki, the legendary creator of the Baki manga.

9

Tatsuya Endo (Spy X Family)

Tatsuya Endo is the creator of the hit series Spy X Family, which began serialization on Shonen Jump+ in 2019. It is a lighthearted series centered on a peculiar make-believe family consisting of a spy, an assassin, and a telepath. They each have their own endearing quirks, and the story is told from all three of their perspectives.

Endo famously revealed that he initially had no interest in drawing a spy-themed manga, expressing a relative lack of attachment to the characters as a result. Nonetheless, it has grown to be one of the best-selling manga of all time. He also worked as an assistant to Hajime Isayama and Tatsuki Fujimoto, helping with Attack on Titan and Fire Punch.

8

Kaiu Shirai (The Promised Neverland)

Kaiu Shirai is the first on this list who mostly just handles the writing of his series. He is widely known for his work on The Promised Neverland, which began in August 2016 and was illustrated by the talented Posuka Demizu. The series remarkably originated from a 300-page draft brought to the Weekly Shonen Jump editorial department in 2013.

The story follows a special group of children who live peacefully and are closed off from the outside world in the Grace Field House. They soon discover the twisted truth about their seemingly blissful lifestyle, however, and embark on a journey to escape their prison and find their true place in the world.

7

Takeru Hokazono (Kagurabachi)

Takeru Hokazono is new even among the new-gens, with his hit manga Kagurabachi beginning serialization in Weekly Shonen Jump in 2023. It is a dark revenge story featuring enchanted swords and centered around a young man named Chihiro, who sets out to avenge his swordsmith father and protect his legacy.

Hokazono has stated that he always wanted to write a revenge story, as he grew up a fan of John Wick films. Kagurabachi won the 10th Next Manga Award in 2024 and is set to receive an anime adaptation in the spring of 2027. He also notably released a one-shot titled Enten in 2021, which won the 100th Tezuka award.

6

Yuto Suzuki (Sakamoto Days)

Yuuto Suzuki rose to fame thanks to his work on Sakamoto Days. It was originally published as a one-shot, following his other one-shots, Garaku and Locker Room, released in 2019. Come November 2020, it began serialization in Weekly Shonen Jump and found great success. It has also received an anime adaptation that premiered in January 2025.

The series features a retired legendary hitman who visibly lets himself go and chooses to focus on a quiet life with his family. He cannot, however, fully shake the demons of his past and is called back into action to protect his peace. It is famous for how well it balances comedy and intense action, also inspired by John Wick.

5

Kei Urana (Gachiakuta)

Kei Urana is both the writer and illustrator of the renowned Gachiakuta manga, which began serialization in Kodansha’s Weekly Shonen Magazine in 2022. Previously, she worked on the one-shots Nokase, released in 2018, and Shikidou, in 2019, the latter of which won the 103rd Newcomer Award and helped launch her professional career.

She worked as an assistant for the illustrious Atsushi Ohkubo on Fire Force and is a big fan of his other work, Soul Eater. Ohkubo even publicly named her as his successor, with his influence much apparent in her series. She also works closely with graffiti artist Hideyoshi Ando, who is responsible for the graffiti designs in Gachiakuta.

4

Yukinobu Tatsu (Dandadan)

Yukinobu Tatsu is a standout mangaka who gained recognition with the release of Dandadan. It began serialization in Shueisha’s Shonen Jump+ in April 2021 and also received an anime adaptation in October 2024, produced by Studio Science Saru. It is an action-packed manga featuring aliens, spirits, ghosts, and other supernatural phenomena.

It also centers on the amusing romance between the two protagonists, Momo Ayase and Ken Takakura. Tatsu’s work is characterized by stunning backgrounds with astounding detail, as well as unique, grotesque designs that bring his supernatural creatures to life. He is also known to have worked as an assistant on series like Chainsaw Man and Hell’s Paradise.

3

Koyoharu Gotouge (Demon Slayer)

Koyoharu Gotouge is the pen name of the famous yet largely anonymous creator of the best-selling Demon Slayer manga. Their real identity is unknown, even down to their gender, as they prefer to be referred to using gender neutral pronouns. They debuted with the one-shot Kagarigari, a story that laid the foundations for their first serialized work, Demon Slayer, in 2016.

It follows the protagonist, Tanjiro, on his quest to restore his sisters’ humanity after a demon attack on their home. It has garnered unparalleled acclaim since its release, with over 200 million copies in circulation and engendering record-breaking movie adaptations. Gotouge is also the first mangaka to be included in Time’s annual list of 100 Most Influential people.

2

Gege Akutami (Jujutsu Kaisen)

Gege Akutami is a mangaka also mainly known by their pen name, represented by a one-eyed cat, and once appearing in a full Mechamaru cosplay. They published multiple one-shots since 2014, and published their first short manga, Tokyo Metropolitan Curse Technical School, in 2017. This served as a prequel to the events of their world-renowned Jujutsu Kaisen.

It was serialized in Shueisha’s Weekly Shonen Jump from March 2018 until September 2024. It follows Yuji Itadori, a high schooler who ingests a cursed object and is forced to share a body with the terrifying Ryomen Sukuna. It is a dark fantasy series, and Akutami has cited works like Bleach, Hunter X Hunter, and Neon Genesis Evangelion as inspirations.

1

Tatsuki Fujimoto (Chainsaw Man)

Tatsuki Fujimoto is renowned for his highly acclaimed one-shots like Look Back and Goodbye Eri, alongside his major serialized works Fire Punch and Chainsaw Man. He rose to worldwide prominence with Chainsaw Man in December 2018, and the series has since received both a successful anime television series and a high-profile movie adaptation.

Set in a world where human fears manifest as devils, the protagonist Denji becomes the titular Chainsaw Man after fusing with the Chainsaw Devil. Fujimoto is a cinephile whose work features references to multiple classic films, both in anime and manga. He was voted Japan’s Most Influential Manga Artist of 2025, ahead of heavyweights like Eichiro Oda and Naoki Urasawa.

Release Date

2022 – 2022

Network

TV Tokyo, TV Osaka, TV Aichi, TVh, TVQ, TSC

Directors

Takeru Sato

Writers

Hiroshi Seko

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  Tomori Kusunoki

  Makima (voice)