The seinen demographic of manga has spawned some of the most compelling stories in the medium. It's expected that the wide appeal of the shounen series including the likes of Jujutsu Kaisen and Demon Slayer take up most of the limelight, but manga like the revered Berserk and Vagabond achieved timeless status.

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The voting community at Ranker put together a list of their favorite seinen anime and manga series, which shows a good level of variety. Classics like the two aforementioned series unsurprisingly make the list, but more contemporary ones are included as well.

Golden Kamuy

Asirpa and Sugimoto in action poses for Golden Kamuy manga key art.

This period piece manga is perhaps one of the best ongoing seinen manga, as Satoru Noda's Golden Kamuy has maintained an impressive level of consistency in telling a tense story that keeps fans on their toes. Golden Kamuy is a historical fiction series that chronicles the treasure hunt of Saichi Sugimoto, Asirpa, and the rest of the diverse cast of characters they meet along the way.

Sugimoto embarks on this quest to honor and provide for a fallen childhood friend and fellow Russo-Japanese war soldier's widow. It's a deeply personal story from the beginning, and Golden Kamuy has been acclaimed for it and how the story weaves in a slew of fascinating -- and morally ambiguous -- characters while exploring heavy themes of survivor's guilt, honor, and the way governments discard the people they tasked to fight for them.

Elfen Lied

Lucy under the control of her childlike personality in Elfen Lied key art.

On its face, the cover art for Lynn Okamoto's Elfen Lied looks like conventional teenage anime fanfare. However, what lies underneath is a  shocking supernatural horror manga. The plot takes on a darkly warped version of E.T.'s premise, as the young protagonist, Lucy, is a unique breed of human called Diclonius with short horns and telekinetic abilities.

This circumstance of birth leads to a tragic childhood of inhumane government experimentation, compelling Lucy to break out and leave a bloody trail behind her. Two college students take her in thinking she's an abandoned child, unknowing that an accident she suffered along the way left her with two sides to herself: one docile, one hyperviolent. Elfen Lied cleverly takes a classic premise and flips it on its head with a subversive art style and a gory, horror-themed take.

Vagabond

Musashi looking peacefully at the sky with water puddles on the ground behind him.

Takehiko Inoue can be arguably put in the same conversation as Berserk's Kentaro Miura for being one of the medium's elite writers and artists. Vagabond is masterful from both creative perspectives, but the manga is so strong in the art department that the series perhaps could never be adapted into an anime while doing Inoue's work justice.

The story is a historical fiction depicting a fictionalized version of the legendary ronin Musashi Miyamoto's journey. He garners a bloody and renowned reputation on his quest to be the "strongest under the sun," though, the story evolves into a richly introspective one of what that phrase truly means -- and if it can make one feel whole. Vagabond, unsurprisingly, also ranks highly among MyAnimeList's seinen manga.

Kingdom

Kingdom promo art with a determined Li Xin in the foreground and Lei Qiang in the background.

Fans of Makoto Yukimura's Vinland Saga could find similar things to like when it comes to historical fiction in Yasuhisa Hara's acclaimed Kingdom manga. The latter takes place in the 400s BC era of China during the Warring States period.

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Kingdom follows the ventures of war orphan Xin as he vows alongside his friend to become the country's greatest general and unite China for the first time in centuries. On top of its long-running and immersive character-focused storytelling, Kingdom is praised for how Hara's striking artwork excels in conveying emotion.

Tokyo Ghoul

Ken Kaneki showing his red ghoul eye in Tokyo Ghoul cover art.

While the anime adaptation of both it and its sequel, Tokyo Ghoul:re, were met with disappointing critical receptions, Sui Ishida's Tokyo Ghoul manga is a worthwhile read. It's an especially great manga to check out for horror fans, as the impressive worldbuilding blends the genre with this medium to create a thrilling and grotesque action-horror story with humanized characters.

Tokyo Ghoul's story follows the mild-mannered college student Ken Kaneki after he somehow survives a ghoul attack and becomes a human-ghoul hybrid in the process. This leads him spiraling down a wildly different -- and terrifying -- life path that's characterized by turf wars against other ghouls as well as Japan's Commission of Counter Ghoul.

Trigun

Vash aiming his gun with Trigun's supporting cast in the background of Trigun cover art.

Though the '90s anime adaptation of it is held in higher regard compared to Yasuhiro Nightow's manga, the source material still retains its charm and creative genre mashup. Trigun is about a world-class gunman named Vash who's, ironically enough, a pacifist constantly having to dodge the bounty hunters after his head.

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The colossal bounty placed on his head came from a destructive event that he supposedly had a hand in, but Vash has no recollection of it. Trigun was well-received for its entertaining premise, characters, and clever mix of sci-fi and western genres.

One-Punch Man

A stern Saitama throwing a punch in One-Punch Man cover art.

Writer ONE and star artist Yusuke Murata's One-Punch Man is certainly one of the most popular seinen publishing -- and one of the best-selling manga of the 2010s. The manga is an adaptation of ONE's webcomic, with the inventive story being complemented by the latter's exceptional artwork.

One-Punch Man's praises come from a variety of places, with the cathartic action and Murata's expressive art being major highlights, but also for its satirical premise. It's a superhero story where the protagonist is already by far the strongest hero there is, and he's incredibly bored because of it. The narrative is simultaneously satirizing the superhero and shounen genres, stringing together a creative story out of oversaturated elements.

Monster

A grizzled Kenzo Tenma in Monster key art.

Monster is one of the most gripping seinen manga that could reasonably be adapted into an excellent live-action adaptation should an esteemed TV production company like HBO or FX take interest. Naoki Urasawa's crime thriller is a tense one that would fit the wheelhouse of HBO's drama programming, but studio Madhouse's adaptation is one of the greatest seinen anime as is.

The story is bleak, revolving around the chaotic life of Kenzo Tenma, a Japanese doctor in Germany. A child he risked his career to save returned years later as a twisted and elusive serial killer, fleshing out into an enthrallingly grim and psychological manhunt not far off from the atmosphere of True Detective season 1.

Vinland Saga

Thorfinn standing atop a mound of corpses in Vinland Saga cover art

Animation studio Wit -- of Attack on Titan seasons 1-3 fame -- deservedly put Makoto Yukimura's exceptional Vinland Saga under the mainstream spotlight in 2019. This Viking-themed odyssey is a deeply immersive one from its globetrotting adventures to its grounded and philosophically-compelling characters.

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Vinland Saga starts somewhat similar to Berserk, as protagonist Thorfinn Karlsefni grows up as a child hellbent on vengeance against the pirate Askeladd for murdering his father. As the story progresses, however, it turns into a journey of riveting and emotional self-discovery with its fair share of tense action.

Berserk

Guts and Griffith in Miura's art for Berserk vol. 34

It certainly seems to be the consensus among longtime manga fans, as the late mastermind behind Berserk is often lauded for crafting the finest dark-fantasy manga in the medium. Kentaro Miura will be sorely missed, but the legacy he leaves behind in his compelling storytelling and stunningly detailed artwork ensures he won't be forgotten around the world.

Berserk is admittedly a haunting series that will understandably not be for everyone, but Guts and Casca's grueling journey unravels to be far more than a revenge story. The many powerful themes of Berserk tell an inspiring tale of humanity's indomitable spirit, healing from trauma, and learning to let people in again while thoroughly wrapped in meticulous fantasy worldbuilding and thrilling action.

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