Dark fantasy isn’t for the faint of heart. It requires stepping outside the safety net of heroic tales and happy endings to a world where hope is bleak for the MC. But even these stories have their own charm. This is what Kentaro Miura’s Berserk taught its readers: that there is beauty in tragedy, and a captivating storyline can be brought to life from despair and pain. Fans of his work are often left with a deep void in their hearts that yearns for a similarly grim manga.
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Of course, Berserk has made such a mark in the dark fantasy world that few other manga surpass or even match it. The blend of ruthless violence, philosophical undertones, and Guts’ tragic life leaves a permanent scar on any reader. But the realm of dark fantasy does not end with Berserk. This list talks about some of the most compelling stories from the genre, where survival itself feels like a miracle. Read on to explore some of the best names in dark fantasy that will give you the same thrill as Berserk.
10) Blade of the Immortal
Blade of the Immortal is exactly what it sounds like – a cursed ronin whose past actions made him pay a heavy price. The story follows the life of a former criminal, Manji, who had killed 100 samurai in the past, including his sister’s husband. As a result of his actions, an 800-year-old nun cursed him with bloodworms who wouldn’t let him die. These worms can heal any wound and even reattach severed limbs to keep Manji alive. To get himself out of this curse, Manji must kill 1000 evil men.
This quest may seem simple, but with every step, Manji confronts a more difficult challenge. When he allies with a young girl, Rin, he didn’t know her journey of revenge would affect his own path. And when the Mugai-ryu made an entry, Manji never suspected that they could be working for the shogunate. Blade of the Immortal is more than a disgraced samurai’s travels – it’s about the weight of immortality and the impact it has on an individual.
9) Ubel Blatt
Ubel Blatt tells the tale of betrayal and vengeance. Set in a medieval world, the story follows Koinzell, a mysterious young man with terrifying sword skills. 20 years ago, Koinzell was known as Aschriit and was among the chosen Fourteen Lancess who took part in a perilous mission against the nation Wischtech. But seven of his comrades betrayed and killed the victorious four and took all the credit for the successful mission. Aschriit miraculously survived and returned as Koinzell with the sole purpose of revenge.
What sets Ubel Blatt apart is how it utilizes the concepts of heroes and villains. The supposed heroes were actually corrupt, power-hungry traitors, while the real heroes were dead, and the sole survivor treads on a dangerous path of revenge. The manga blends gritty battles, political intrigue, and moral ambiguity, emphasizing the outcomes of revenge and how it can drive and scar someone at the same time.
8) Fire Punch
Fujimoto’s lesser-known work, Fire Punch is more chaotic than you might even think. Set in a frozen dystopian world, it follows the story of Agni, who lives with his sister Luna in a desolate village. Agni and Luna are among the few Blessed individuals who have supernatural abilities. Both of them have the power of regeneration, which they use to feed the village by chopping off their limbs.
Things take a dark turn when another Blessed, Doma, visits the village and burns everything to ashes. Doma’s fire doesn’t cool down until the target dies and since Agni regenerates, he now has a perpetual fire around him. Luna, however, is burnt to death, prompting Agni to set out on a path of revenge.
7) Chainsaw Man
Another masterpiece by Tatsuki Fujimoto, Chainsaw Man is a blend of dark fantasy and horror comedy. Fujimoto cleverly uses comedy with the horrors of a cruel world. The storyline follows a desolate, debt-ridden teenager, Denji, and his pet devil Pochita. The two do odd jobs to make ends meet, including for the Yakuza. But after being betrayed and killed, Denji merges with Pochita, coming back as the Chainsaw Man.
Denji is then hired by the Public Safety Division as a Devil Hunter. He joins forces with other experienced Devil Hunters and their leader, Makima. But while his life seems to be heading uphill, that later turns out to be far from the truth, with Denji’s pursuit of basic human comforts making Chainsaw Man a unique read.
6) Made in Abyss
Made in Abyss is exactly what the name suggests – a story woven in the abyss. Except that the abyss doesn’t necessarily have to be dark and grim. The manga narrates the story of an orphan girl named Riko who lives in a town surrounded by a deep, fog-covered pit where adventurers go out to seek relics. The Abyss contains everything beautiful, horrifying, and in between.
Riko wants to go into the Abyss to look for her mother with her pet robot, Reg. But as they step into the Abyss, it gets creepier and more dangerous, along with the peril of the Abyss’s curse. What makes this manga worthy of this list is the immaculate world-building. While it’s very different from Berserk, it offers readers a charming read into a colorful yet evil world where nothing and no one is what they seem.
5) Gantz
Gantz is a more brutal take on your typical video game isekai. It tells the story of two high school students, Kei Kurono and Masaru Kato, who die in a train accident while saving a drunk man. Next thing they know, both of them wake up in an empty room with other recently dead people.
They find a black sphere called Gantz in the room that gives them weapons and suits for their upcoming missions. These missions have various targets: aliens, temple guardians, and even city-level invasions. As they pass each mission, the participants are awarded points that can be used to buy freedom or revive someone from the dead.
4) Dorohedoro
If you’re looking for a body horror manga with a bizarre storyline, Dorohedoro is the perfect choice. Set in an industrial slum called Hole, Kaimen wakes up with the head of a lizard and a fully grown human inside his throat. But this is only the tip of the iceberg as Kaimen and his best friend Nikaido set out to find the sorcerer responsible for Kaimen’s misery.
They do this by shoving every sorcerer they find down Kaimen’s throat and asking them the ultimate question, “What did the man say?” Kaimen’s journey takes him places he’s never imagined as he fights foes much stronger than him. The series is everything you can ask for in a dark fantasy manga. It has time loops, body dysmorphia, a found-family saga, and complex metaphysical puzzles that boggle the mind.
3) Claymore
A female-centric manga, Claymore, explores themes of action, emotional depth, and moral ambiguity. The main characters are shown to struggle between their duties and their identities. The story takes place in a medieval world plagued by shape-shifting monsters known as Yoma. Since they can shape-shift, they easily blend in with society, feeding on humans at will. The only ones capable of hunting the Yoma are the Claymores – half-human and half-Yoma female warriors who are praised and feared at the same time.
The main character, Clare, is a low-rank Claymore destined to pursue Teresa’s legacy. But when Teresa is killed by the super Yoma Priscilla, Clare vows to avenge her, as she had started to look up to Teresa as a mother. As Clare travels, however, she faces the dark reality of her own existence. While the action sequences are brutal, Claymore is often compared with Berserk for its haunting exploration of what it means to fight while slowly losing yourself.
2) Vinland Saga
Imagine Vikings meet Berserk. That’s what you get when you start reading Vinland Saga. It may look like another revenge story, but it has way more complex themes. The story takes place in 11th-century Europe when the Vikings were at their peak.
Thorfinn, the son of a great warrior, witnesses his father’s murder as a child and vows to avenge him. For this purpose, he starts following around, and eventually serving under, his father’s killer, Askeladd. Living a life of raids and duels across an England where slavery and war can be found at every corner.
Vinland Saga might not be your typical dark fantasy, but its themes of violence, war, slavery, and morality make it worthy of its spot on this list. The clever character development and world-building are nothing less than genius. The author masterfully blends historical events with fiction to come up with a great story that is guaranteed to be remembered for years to come.
1) Vagabond
Vagabond tells the tale of a swordsman who knew only two things: to fight and to kill. And that’s exactly what made his villagers shun him. He escaped with another boy at the age of 17. But when Takezo Shinman took part in the battle of Sekigahara, he ran away when their side lost. Now branded as a criminal, Takezo’s saved by a monk who encourages him to find the meaning of his life and do better.
After taking the name of Musashi, he takes the role of a vagabond and embarks on a journey of self-awareness and identity while battling enemies left and right. What makes Vagabond truly special is the fact that the author, Takehiko Inoue, is greatly inspired by Kentaro Miura. This inspiration led him to create Vagabond, which is beautiful to look at and equally amazing to read.
Which of these dark fantasy manga reminds you the most of Berserk? Let us know in the comments down below, and join the conversation now in the ComicBook Forum!
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