Below are our staff’s selections for manga that we recommend to Christian readers. While often relegated to second-hand status beside anime, as with novels as compared to movie adaptations, manga readers know that the source material often outshines its more visual counterpart, and can be every bit as moving and meaningful. While the list below is just a start, it presents some of our staff’s selections for manga that Christians may particularly enjoy. The list is ever-growing, and we invite you to give your own recommendations in the comment section below.
Manga Majesty (Manga Majesty)
Aria (Aria)
Barakamon (Barakamon)
Fruits Basket (Furuutsu Basuketto)
Kingdom Hearts (Kingudamu Hātsu)
The Legend of Zelda (Zeruda no Densetsu)
Rurouni Kenshin (Rurouni Kenshin)
Silver Spoon (Gin no Saji)
Your Lie in April (Shigatsu wa Kimi no Uso)
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Manga Majesty: The Revelation of the End Times!
Manga Majesty: The Revelation of the End Times!
The Book of Revelation has captured the imagination of Christians and non-believers alike for millennia, which its prophecy of the end times. Manga Majesty illustrates the prophecy and brings it to life in an authentic, manga-style, providing both an engaging read and a highly accessible resource for study of the gripping and necessary letter penned by the apostle John.
Read if you:
(+) Want to learn more about scripture
(+) Are interested in a creative depiction of Revelation
(+) Look for accuracy in biblical adaptation
Skip if you:
(-) Are offended by manga depictions of the Bible
(-) Feel anxious about end-time prophecy
Biblical themes:
(+) Emphasis on the ideas of victory, hope, and grace
(+) Reference scripture on each page
Read articles about Manga Majesty. Available for purchase on Amazon.
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Aria
Aria
It’s the year 2301, and Aqua, the planet once known as Mars, has been terraformed to support human life. In the city of Neo-Venezia, Akari Mizunashi strives to become an Undine, as the beautiful gondoliers of the town are called. It takes years and hard work to become a fully-fledged Undine, but Akari treasures every moment of it, and takes the time to build memories with her friends and discover the wonders of the planet along the way.
(2002-2008, 12 volumes)
Read if you:
(+) Enjoy calming slice-of-life
(+) Enjoy exploring interesting settings
(+) Enjoy heartwarming coming-of-age stories
Skip if you:
(-) Want a fast-paced plot
(-) Want something serious and realistic
Biblical themes:
(+) Places value on treasuring the beauty of life
(+) Frequently explores themes like kindness and patience
(+) Reflects on the idea of finding purpose, meaning, and joy in life, even when it seems mundane.
Content to look out for:
(-) Supernatural elements (Akari encounters a fox spirit, a cat fairy, a ghost, etc)
(-) Some might find the idea of humans terraforming a planet to be as beautiful as earth to be offensive.
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Barakamon
Barakamon
Seishuu Handa is an up-and-coming young calligrapher whose most recent work won a major award, but when a famous curator criticizes his work for being too by-the-books and lifeless, he responds by punching him in the face. This obviously being not a good thing to do, he gets sent to live on the remote Gotō Islands to cool his mind off and perhaps find some inspiration for his work. His life gets much more hectic when he finds out that the house he lives in is also the secret base of the hyperactive six-year-old girl Naru, who comes and goes as she pleases even if he locks the door. However, with help from her and the other villagers, Seishuu adjust to countryside life and learns how to bring life into his work.
(2009-current ~ 11+ volumes)
Read if you:
(+) Enjoy slice-of-life
(+) Enjoy stories about rural settings
(+) Want a story about character growth focusing on a young adult (rather than a middle/high-schooler)
Skip if you:
(-) Absolutely must have action-packed battles, angsty drama, or appealing girls in your manga
(-) Find kids, fictional or otherwise, utterly intolerable
Biblical themes:
(+) Grace and learning to recover after a fall
(+) Growing even when when you think you’ve already “matured”
(+) The power and value of community
Content to look out for:
(-) Some use of rituals and elements (i.e. shrines) from other religions
(-) One girl is basically a yaoi (guy-on-guy love) fangirl in denial
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Fruits Basket
Furuutsu Basuketto
Honda Tohru, orphaned and now homeless, moves in with the Sohma family, which oddly consists mostly of pretty boys. But this is not your typical reverse harem story. Those who read to the end will be rewarded with a compelling and eloquent tale about undying hope for a better future leading to a terrible family curse being broken forever. Be advised that the anime version, while excellent, ends at around volume seven of the manga.
(1998-2006 ~ 23 volumes)
Read if you:
(+) Enjoy series that are moving
(+) Like those good old retro anime series
(+) Like pretty boys
Skip if you:
(-) Prefer a more female-dominated cast
(-) Prefer ugly boys to pretty ones 🙂
Biblical themes:
(+) Sacrificial love
(+) Faith put into action
(+) The unacknowledged but real God who breaks curses
Content to look out for:
(-) Occasional sexual innuendo or jokes
(-) Some scary or violent scenes not suitable for children
(-) Inclusion of supernatural elements based in Asian religions
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Kingdom Hearts
Kingudamu Hātsu
A boy named Sora becomes the wielder of the legendary Keyblade and must travel to various Disney universes to defeat the consuming Darkness and seal away the worlds from harm. Based on the best-selling series by Disney and SQUARE ENIX, the Kingdom Hearts manga follows its video game inspiration while packing in totally original content and scenes. If you’re a fan of the franchise, and don’t mind a good deal of creative liberty with the original plot, you’ll love re-visiting your favorite characters, worlds, and storylines in manga form. Also an incredibly clean manga series with only the smallest of content concerns, this is the first manga I’d recommend to parents whose youngsters want to begin reading the genre. So far, four of the games have been adapted into manga form—Kingdom Hearts, Chain of Memories, 358/2 Days, and Kingdom Hearts II (which is ongoing).
(2005-current ~ 10+ volumes)
Read if you:
(+) Are a fan of the original Kingdom Hearts game
(+) Believe Disney and SQUARE ENIX are the best combination since bread and butter
(+) Enjoy franchises with heart-felt messages about friendship and love (My Little Pony, etc.)
(+) Like your manga without any profanity, graphic violence, or sexual content
Skip if you:
(-) Don’t like Disney
(-) Aren’t a child at heart
Biblical themes:
(+) The power of love and friendship
(+) Redemption and forgiveness
(+) Finding fulfillment and purpose
(+) The value of life
(+) Overcoming sin
Content to look out for:
(-) Some emotional moments (character deaths, etc.) that may upset younger readers
(-) Some dark themes (one character is an assassin who puts an end to his teammates, etc.)
(-) Some obscure spiritual content about the “universal heart” and how it can be reborn
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The Legend Of Zelda
Zeruda no Densetsu
One of the greatest video game franchises ever is available in manga! There are 10 volumes in the complete box set, which provides a manga version for the following games: Ocarina of Time, Majora’s Mask, Oracle of Seasons, Oracle of Ages, Four Swords, Minish Cap, Link to the Past, and Phantom Hourglass. Many of these were not translated to English officially nor were for sale in the United States for a long period of time, so it’s very convenient to have them all packaged together in a beautiful box. There are many Christian references scattered throughout, from the Triforce being a symbol of the biblical Trinity (Father, Son, Holy Spirit) to Link having to pray to open the Desert Palace in Link to the Past. Light and Darkness play a key role in every story, with Link being a sort of Christ-like figure who is called upon by Hyrule to save its land from the evil Ganondorf (or other foes) that want to conquer and rule them with an iron fist. Zelda, seen several times praying for Link’s safety, is often the damsel in distress whom it is Link’s duty to protect reflecting Christ’s love for His bride, the church. The artwork is well-done, making it an enjoyable read for die-hard fans and newcomers alike!
(1998-2009 ~ 10 volumes)
Read if you:
(+) Love The Legend of Zelda
(+) Are a gamer
(+) Enjoy fantasy/adventure titles
Skip if you:
(-) Are not into the hero saving the damsel in distress
(-) Prefer more character development over plot
Biblical themes:
(+) Courage, faith and hope in the power of good over evil
(+) Several indirect Christian references throughout the story
Content to look out for:
(-) Monsters and other similar dark creatures attacking people
(-) Magic used by the enemies throughout the series
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Rurouni Kenshin
Rurouni Kenshin
Nobuhiro Watsuki’s most enduring work tells the tale of Kenshin Himura, an infamous assassin of the Meiji Revolution who becomes a wanderer in order to repent of his killings. The story opens ten years after the Boshin War with Kenshin meeting Kaoru Kamiya, the assistant master of the Kamiya Kasshin style of kenjutsu, and helping defend her from a bloodthirsty former student. Kenshin becomes a boarder at her dojo, which soon gains other interesting tenants through Kenshin’s adventures using a reverse blade sword to smite malefactors without killing them. However, will Kenshin be able to keep his vow against killing as villains from his past attempt to take his life and the lives of those he holds dear?
(1994-1999, 28 volumes)
Read it if you enjoy:
(+) Historically accurate settings
(+) Suspenseful sword fights
(+) Slapstick humor
(+) Superhuman warriors
Skip it if you dislike:
(-) Long dialogue
(-) Occasional bloody violence
Biblical themes:
(+) Culture of life
(+) Repentance
(+) Anti-revenge
Content to look out for:
(-) It has some Buddhist, Taoist, and Shintoist themes and images, but morals antithetical to Christianity are not promoted by the work.
(-) Violence
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Silver Spoon
Gin no Saji
When Yuugo Hachiken begins his high school years at Ooezo Agricultural High School, he’s unprepared for the physical, mental, and emotional rigors of agricultural life. But through the honest endeavors of farming life, and the people who live it, Yuugo begins to learn much more about the world around him – and about himself.
(2011-current ~ 13 volumes)
Read if you:
(+) Are a fan of character development
(+) Enjoy media with a quiet charm
(+) Like nostalgic, calming, and romantic tones
(+) Enjoy learning while reading
Skip if you:
(-) Are strongly against the raising of animals for consumption
(-) Need heavy action to be present to enjoy a show
(-) Have difficulty keeping up with a large cast of characters
(-) Don’t like piglets and ponies
Biblical Themes:
(+) Emphasis on humility and putting aside pride
(+) Significance of character and integrity
Content to Look Out For:
(-) Some coarse language used by characters
(-) Relatively graphic displays of animal butchering process
(-) Some chapters feature ceremonial practices at Shinto shrines
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Your Lie in April
Shigatsu wa Kimi no Uso
A peerless piano protégé named Kousei Arima loses his ability to hear his own music after a family tragedy, but when a free-spirited violinist drags Kousei back on stage as her accompanist, Kousei is introduced to the true beauty of music… and true love.
(2011-2015 ~ 11 volumes)
Read if you:
(+) Enjoy music or are a musician yourself
(+) Enjoy innocent love stories
(+) Enjoy poetic or arts-centered manga
(+) Enjoy manga that engages your emotions
Skip if you:
(-) Dislike tragedies
(-) Dislike music or the arts
(-) Dislike cats
Biblical themes:
(+) Love and friendship
(+) Transformation
(+) Courage
(+) Finding fulfillment
(+) Grace
Content to look out for:
(-) Scenes depicting physical, childhood abuse by parental figure
(-) Dark, emotional moments that may be upsetting to younger readers
(-) Some mild language and occasional instances of blood (sometimes for comedic effect)