Manga Influence: Rankings - Favorite Manga in 2025

Hello everyone, 

Welcome to Manga Influence, similar to Gaming Influence, but primarily featuring my thoughts on specific manga and series, with a fun mix of manga-related content included.

For this edition of Manga Influence, I'll be ranking my favorite manga in 2025. 

Before I start, my rankings will only be based on manga that were either released in 2025 or chapters that were released in 2025. Also, my rankings will not include light novels, manhwa, and manhua. In addition, if your favorite manga in 2025 doesn't make it on my rankings, that doesn't mean I dislike the manga; it's just that I haven't read it or am not interested in it, so keep that in mind.

Anyway, let's get started!

Before I start the actual rankings, if you want to see my favorite manga of last year, check out the link here: Manga Influence: Rankings - Favorite Manga in 2024

Here are some honorable mentions that I enjoyed, but didn't make it on the list:

Honorable Mentions: Undead Unluck, Hunter x Hunter, A Sign of Affection, Medalist, Blue Period,  Don't Call It Mystery, Magus of the Library, Heavenly Delusion, Gokurakugai, Astro Royale, The Elusive Samurai, One-Punch Man, Hirayasumi, RuriDragon, Kagurabachi, Kindergarten Wars, Smoking Behind the Supermarket with You, Detective Conan, World Trigger, Four Knights of the Apocalypse, The Ancient Magus' Bride, Berserk, To Your Eternity, Soara and the House of Monsters, Wind Breaker, Grand Blue Dreaming, Toilet-Bound Hanako-kun, Uma Musume: Cinderella Gray

Now, let's start with my #20 favorite manga in 2025:

Sono Bisque Doll wa Koi wo Suru, or My Dress-Up Darling in the West, is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Shinichi Fukuda, as it was serialized in Square Enix's Young Gangan from January 2018 to March 2025.

This manga is back on my favorite manga of 2025 after being gone for two years straight. To me, this is one of the romance comedy series that I do enjoy due to its characters and the relationship between the protagonists. The series did officially end this year, where the ending was good, but it felt like it could've been paced out better if given more time. Regardless, still enjoyed the series and I'm happy with the ending as well, so no complaints from me.

Here's my #19 favorite manga in 2025:

Skip to Loafer, or Skip and Loafer in the West, is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Misaki Takamatsu, as it was serialized in Kodansha's Monthly Afternoon from August 2018, and it is still ongoing.

This manga has been mentioned through my honorable mentions of my favorite manga, but it never made it to the top twenty until this year in 2025. This series is about a small-town girl named Mitsumi Iwakura, who moved to Tokyo to plan to change the world, but her uncertainty when moving to a new city haunted her, as she would have to overcome those fears by actually adapting to the new city life. This is an enjoyable slice-of-life manga as Mitsumi Iwakura is trying to adjust to her new life in the city, as I feel like anyone who has ever moved to a different location that they're unfamiliar with can relate to. If you do enjoy reading slice-of-life, I would recommend reading Skip and Loafer.

Here's my #18 favorite manga in 2025:

Gachiakuta is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Kei Urana, as it was serialized in Kodansha's Weekly Shōnen Magazine from February 2022, and it is still ongoing.

This is another manga series that I've mentioned in the honorable mentions, but never made it to the top twenty until this year, in 2025. This series is about a sum-dweller named Rudo, who lives in a floating city where he despises the rich for throwing trash, including people, to the abyss below. Rudo eventually got into a situation where he was thrown to the abyss himself, without it being his fault, where he had to fight to get back to the surface as well as get his revenge on the rich for their troubles. This series has incredible action, an intriguing story, fun characters, and a nice art style. The anime of this series really helped gain the attention of this series, and I hope it continues to get better heading into 2026.

Here's my #17 favorite manga in 2025:

Hikaru ga Shinda Natsu, or The Summer Hikaru Died, is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Mokumokuren, as it was serialized in Kadokawa Station's Young Ace Up from August 2021, and it is still ongoing.

This was a manga series that was one of my favorite manga of 2023, but it was removed from the top twenty in 2024 before returning this year in 2025. The anime of this series really helped the manga in terms of sales and more attention, as it's currently getting more interesting with the Hole Closing Arc. Really curious to see where the manga goes from here, heading into 2026.

Here's my #16 favorite manga in 2025:

Akane-banashi is a Japanese manga series written by Yuki Suenaga and illustrated by Takamasa Moue. It was serialized in Shueisha's Weekly Shōnen Jump in February 2022, and it's still ongoing.

This year, Akane-banashi went from #19 to #16 of my favorite manga of 2024. Yep, this series has gone up for me a bit this year as the current arc with the Isshokai Arc has been very enjoyable, and I'm curious to see if Akane will succeed or not in the Isshokai event. Plus, with the anime of this series releasing in 2026, this series can get more people to read the series, so hoping for the best for Akane-banashi heading into next year.

Here's my #15 favorite manga in 2025:

Sakamoto Days is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Yuto Suzuki, as it was serialized in Shueisha's Weekly Shōnen Jump from November 2020, and it is still ongoing.

This year, Sakamoto Days went from #11 to #15 of my favorite manga of 2024. Even though the series continues to get better in each chapter, especially with the New JAA arc, the way they added too many characters and the underdeveloped plots kind of brought it down for me a bit, despite still enjoying the series as a whole. Regardless, this series still has a chance to turn things around and we'll see if they'll be able to accomplish that heading into 2026.

Here's my #14 favorite manga in 2025:

Blue Box is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Kouji Miura, as it was serialized in Shueisha's Weekly Shōnen Jump from April 2021, and it is still ongoing.

This is a manga series that I've mentioned in the honorable mentions, but never made it to the top twenty until this year in 2025. The series is about a badminton player, Taiki Inomata, who has a crush on a basketball star, Chinatsu Kano, but the moment they got close to each other due to Taiki Inomata and Chinatsu Kano, their relationship took an unexpected turn where Taiki Inomata's friend, Hina Chono, got involved, as they have to deal with a love triangle as well as focusing on making it to the national championships. It's pretty much a sports and romance manga where you're curious to see where the relationship is going between everyone involved. The anime of the series definitely helped the manga as well, and I'm curious to see how the manga will do heading into 2026.

Here's my #13 favorite manga in 2025:

Blue Lock is a Japanese manga series written by Muneyuki Kaneshiro and illustrated by Yusuke Nomura, as it was serialized in Kodansha's Weekly Shōnen Magazine in August 2018 and is still ongoing.

This year, Blue Lock went from #16 to #13 as my favorite manga of 2024. Yep, Blue Lock is slowly getting back up in the rankings in my favorite manga compared to last year, and it's now in the top fifteen. The U-20 World Cup Arc is definitely heating up, where it's currently in as the matches continue to be fun to see, and I'm curious to see how the arc will continue heading into 2026.

Here's my #12 favorite manga in 2025:

Tongari Bōshi no Atorie, or Witch Hat Atelier in the West, is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Kamone Shirahama. It has currently serialized in Kodansha's Monthly Morning Two magazine since July 2016 and is still ongoing.

This year, Witch Hat Atelier went from #14 to #12 of my favorite manga of 2024. The manga continues to improve from last year, as the current story arc, the Silver Eve Arc, that is happening within the series, is quite interesting, and it's darker every time it keeps going. With an anime of this series being released in 2026 (originally it was supposed to be released in 2025 but got delayed), I expect this series to rise in popularity and hope it continues to grow from here.

Here's my #11 favorite manga in 2025:

Kingdom is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Yasuhisa Hara. It was serialized in Shueisha's Weekly Young Jump in January 2006 and is still ongoing. 

This year, Kingdom went from #13 to #11 as my favorite manga of 2024. Finally, after so long, Kingdom finally has an official localization for the manga series in the West, and it's awesome. Kingdom continues to be quite interesting with the current arc it's in, and hopefully, this will lead to more people reading the series from here on out. Hope Kingdom continues to do well heading into 2026.

Now, we're in the top ten. Here's my #10 favorite manga in 2025:

Kaoru Hana wa Rin to Saku, or The Fragrant Flower Blooms with Dignity in the West, is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Saka Mikami. It was serialized in Kodansha's Magazine Pocket from October 2021, and it is still ongoing.

This is another manga that I mentioned in the honorable mentions, but never made it to the top twenty until this year in 2025, and yes, it's in the top ten for me this year. This manga is about a tough-looking, but gentle boy named Rintaro Tsugumi, who is in love with a bright girl from the elite named Kaoruko Waguri, but their differences between each other in terms of their schools, social status, appearances, as well as prejudices among other people about their love, made them have a hard time getting into an actual relationship as they tried to overcome those odds to be together with each other. This is pretty much a modern take on Romeo and Juliet, and it's done tremendously well. The anime of this series definitely helps the manga as well, and I'm curious to see if the protagonists will get with each other at the end, and curious to see where the manga goes in 2026.

Here's my #9 favorite manga in 2025:

Kaijuu 8-gou, or Kaiju No. 8 in the West, is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Naoya Matsumoto. It was serialized in Shueisha's Shōnen Jump+ from July 2020 to July 2025.

This year, Kaiju No. 8 went from #4 to #9 on my favorite manga of 2024. Even though I'm quite mixed on the ending due to being a bit rushed as well as a bit anticlimactic in my opinion, I still enjoyed the series as a whole due to its intense fights and great character development among the characters within the series. Despite being disappointed in the ending, I still enjoyed the series, but the ending definitely made me drop the series down on this list. I'm curious to see what Naoya Matsumoto does next after this, and hope he bounces back from this after the questionable ending with Kaiju No. 8.

Here's my #8 favorite manga in 2025:

One Piece is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Eiichiro Oda. It was serialized in Shueisha's Weekly Shōnen Jump in July 1997, and it is still ongoing.

This year, One Piece went from #10 to #8 as my favorite manga of 2024. Yes, one of the most popular shōnen manga in the world is still in the top ten for me. One Piece is at its end with its final arc going on, and with the current direction that the Elbaf Arc is going in during this time, I'm very curious to see how it all ends. The chapters for this year have been great, and we'll see if they continue heading into 2026.

Here's my #7 favorite manga in 2025:

JoJo no Kimyou an Bouken Part 9: The JOJOLands or JoJo's Bizarre Adventure Part 9: The JOJOLands in the West is based on the ninth story arc of the Japanese manga series, JoJo no Kimyou an Bouken, or JoJo's Bizarre Adventure in the West, written and illustrated by Hirohiko Araki as it was serialized in Shueisha's Ultra Jump in February 2023, and it is still ongoing.

This year, JoJo's Bizarre Adventure Part 9 went from #9 to #7 in my favorite manga of 2024. Even though, as of now, The JOJOLands is not my favorite part of the whole JoJo's Bizarre Adventure series, Part 9 continues to be a treat. It currently has a good pace, awesome characters, and the fights within the manga so far have been well done. I'm very curious to see how it'll continue heading into 2026.

Here's my #6 favorite manga in 2025:

Spy x Family is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Tatsuya Endo. It was serialized in Shueisha's Shōnen Jump+ in March 2019 and is still ongoing.

This year, Spy x Family went from #2 to #6 on my favorite manga of 2024. Even though it has gone down a bit from my list this year of my favorite manga this year, the Current Arc that is happening is really great, and I'm enjoying what I've read so far in terms of character development on the side characters. However, due to me enjoying other manga more this year, it went down a bit, but still a great read this year regardless.

Now, we're in the top five. Here's my #5 favorite manga in 2025:

Chainsaw Man is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Tatsuki Fujimoto. It was serialized in Shueisha's Weekly Shōnen Jump from December 2018 to December 2020, before switching to Shōnen Jump+ for the second part, which began in July 2022 and is still ongoing.

This year, Chainsaw went from #7 to #5 as my favorite manga of 2024. Yep, it went up two spots from last year. So far, the current arc in the manga is not the best compared to other arcs. Despite that, the Current Arc still has its hype moments. With the manga possibly ending next year, if they can end the series with a bang, it'll be fine. However, it all depends on the direction they're going with the ending of the Current Arc, and we'll see how that turns out heading into 2026.

Here's my #4 favorite manga in 2025:

Vinland Saga is a Japanese historical manga series written and illustrated by Makoto Yukimura. It was serialized in Kodansha's Weekly Shōnen Magazine from April 2005 to October 2005 before switching to Monthly Afternoon in December 2005 to July 25, 2025.

This year, Vinland Saga went from #8 to #4 as my favorite manga of 2024. Yep, it has gone up this year as the manga just finally ended earlier this year, and what a journey it has been. The final arc with the Vinland Arc was amazing, and the ending was well done, which I was quite surprised that a lot of people didn't talk about, surprisingly enough. Regardless, what a journey Thorfinn has gone through, and if you haven't already, read Vinland Saga. You won't regret it.

Here's my #3 favorite manga in 2025:

Sousou no Frieren or Frieren: Beyond Journey's End in the West is a Japanese manga series written by Kanehito Yamada and illustrated by Tsukaba Abe. It's been serialized in Shogakukan's Weekly Shōnen Sunday since April 2020 and is still ongoing. 

This year, Frieren: Beyond Journey's End went from #1 to #3 as my favorite manga of 2024. Even though it went two spots for me this year, the series is still amazing as the Foundation Festival Arc continues to be one of the best arcs in the series currently and possibly even the best depending on how it ends. The reason why it went down a bit this year is due to me enjoying other manga more this year, but Frieren: Beyond Journey's End is still awesome. 

Here's my #2 favorite manga in 2025:

Kusuriya no Hitorigoto, or The Apothecary Diaries in the West, is a Japanese manga series written by Natsu Hyūga and illustrated by Touko Shino. It was serialized in Square Enix's Monthly Big Gangan in May 2017 and Shogakukan's Monthly Sunday Gene-X in August 2017, as both are still ongoing.

This year, this manga went from #6 to #2 in my favorite manga in 2024. I love my mystery manga, and this series continues to get better with each chapter in terms of intrigue and suspense, as I want to see what happens. As usual, the anime helped boost the popularity of this series, and I feel like it's only going to grow from here, as I'm looking forward to seeing where it goes in 2026.

Now, here's my #1 favorite manga in 2025:

Dandadan is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Yukinobu Tatsu. It was serialized in Shueisha's Weekly Shōnen Jump+ in April 2021, and it's still ongoing.

This year, Dandadan went from #3 to #1 as my favorite manga of 2024. Yep, this series managed to reach #1 on my favorite manga in 2025 as the series continues to get better from last year. The continuation of the anime this year once again helped boost the series in Japan and the West. Even though the Current Arc that is happening currently in the manga has a questionable start in my opinion, it's starting to pick up again, and I'm curious to see how it'll continue heading into 2026. If you haven't done so already, please give Dandadan a read; you'll enjoy it.

Those are my favorite manga in 2025.

What are your favorite manga in 2025?

Let me know in the comments below.

Thank you for reading.