2022 appears to be the year of Tatsuki Fujimoto as he has returned to publication for part two of his most acclaimed work, Chainsaw Man. Not only that but this fall, the first part of Chainsaw Man is finally getting its anime adaptation.
It's taken two years for Chainsaw Man to finally have an adaptation in the works, despite its popularity, and it's not the only manga to suffer from this. There are some very popular and well-acclaimed manga still awaiting adaptations years after their conclusions.
Pluto
Redditor TatteredTongues suggested "Naoki Urasawa's" manga including his acclaimed work, Pluto. Based on the Astro Boy manga by Osamu Tezuka, one of Urasawa's biggest influences, Pluto is a reinterpretation of the aforementioned series with even the title being named after one of Astro Boy's villains.
The story follows Europol agent, Gesicht as he investigates a slew of murders of both humans and robots with all signs pointing to a robot being the killer. Akin to Blade Runner or I, Robot, Pluto is one of those tales that many appreciate for its deep storytelling and willingness to dive into philosophical values that many may not find in other manga.
Fire Punch
Ken_k11 suggested "Tatsuki Fujimoto's Fire Punch" as a "great" read. Before Chainsaw Man, Fujimoto's first work was Fire Punch, a far bleaker and far more violent story than its successor. Fire Punch is the tale of Agni as he travels through a frozen apocalyptic wasteland in search of vengeance for the man who set Agni aflame and massacred his village.
Fire Punch is a series chock-full of subverting expectations in either the most hilarious way possible or the bleakest, or sometimes both. While not as linear or "straightforward" as Tatsuki's other work Chainsaw Man, Fire Punch still delivers on his own brand of humor and violence for any fan to stand behind.
Solo Leveling
While not technically a "manga", Solo Leveling is a Korean manhwa but still has seen a positive reception amongst manga readers. Redditor orospuavcisi1 made the suggestion of Solo Leveling calling it "a really good manhwa." Solo Leveling is set in a world where humans known as "hunters" battle against deadly monsters with magical abilities to save them from extinction.
The art alone is a high watermark as many consider it god-tier in its display of action and character designs. Its popularity amongst readers has eventually garnered enough attention after its completion that it will receive an anime adaptation in 2023.
All You Need Is Kill
All You Need Is Kill is the manga that the Tom Cruise science-fiction drama, Edge of Tomorrow was based on, but many would agree that the older Cruise didn't click with readers of the beloved manga. Yet, there is no anime adaptation of the manga series, but that shouldn't deter anyone to give it a read.
Yuji0N suggested All You Need is Kill along with "Black Torch and Solanin." While Edge of Tomorrow may follow the same beats as All You Need Is Kill, they made creative liberties to the characters and story. The sci-fi manga is still enjoyable for any fan of the genre who finds themselves more attuned to the plight of Keiji Kiriya than they did with William Cage.
Oyasumi Punpun
In a post detailing why most should read the Berserk Manga instead of its various anime adaptations, TheDocMilezy also made a short list of Manga void of anime and included Oyasumi Punpun (Goodnight Punpun.) They described it as "pretty rough" with regard to the heavy themes it carries as it follows the coming-of-age story of the eponymous Punpun.
What makes this Manga stand out from most is not only its willingness to discuss deep topics such as mental health; but also the creativity to portray its main human character with the head of a bird without it being absurd. Oyasumi Punpun is considered to be one of the best Seinen dramas to ever be produced and as of late, there is no word on it receiving an anime adaptation.
Holyland
Holyland was written and illustrated by the late Kentaro Miura's best friend and current head supervisor of Berserk, Kouji Mori. Suggested by juice519 as an entry, despite its various "drama adaptations" as noted by angedelamort, the series works best as a Manga. Holyland is a coming-of-age Fight Club-esque drama that follows Yuu as he desperately seeks a place to fit in.
The story is lauded for its wonderful ensemble who envelop the night, as they duke it out in brutal bare-knuckle fights to exert dominance over the streets. Holyland is one of those rare cases to actually be considered an accurate depiction of its subject as it has been praised by professional fighting circles for its knowledge of various fighting styles.
20th Century Boys
Another TheDocMilezy recommendation and another entry that was created by Naoki Urasawa, 20th Century Boys is on the top of many lists on the board of the best Manga without an anime adaptation. Taking the title after the same name as the T-Rex song, the 60s & 70s references would not stop there.
Going back on how Urasawa was most inspired by the works of Osamu Tezuka, 20th Century Boys could be considered a homage/love letter to the latter, many have even compared to how it embodies many of Stephen King's bibliography as well. Redditor oneeyed2 suggested that "anything by Urasawa" is a must-read from Monster to 20th Century Boys.
Choujin X
After concluding his popular Tokyo Ghoul series back in 2018, mangaka Sui Ishida took a break for a bit before returning to publish his latest series, Choujin X. Instead of submitting himself to a weekly deadline, Ishida decided to take his new series at their own pace and thus as of now only 25 chapters have been released for readers.
The story could be viewed as having Tokyo Ghoul-like themes, but with a setting akin to the X-Men. Choujin X may only have a few stakes to claim while still in its first run, yet those stakes are monumental. Ishida's art style is still undeniably one of the best artists in the game and Choujin X has only shown how much better he has gotten. When listing it off, Ok-Responsibilty994 made the recommendation and told anyone considering it to "just read it!"
MW
Osamu Tezuka is considered to be one of the most influential mangakas of all time to the point he is labeled as the Japanese equivalent of Walt Disney. There's even a Manga award named after him. Astro Boy, Kimba the White Lion, and Dororo are usually brought up when discussing his most successful works, but he had over 100 titles accredited to him. B-dar listed one of his more unknown works, MW as a recommendation.
In their entry they cite MW as "a rather blunt thriller manga that really tears into Japanese politics of the 60s and 70s, all while criticizing the Japanese social norms of the era." Ahead of It's time, MW was also one of the first manga series to feature a homosexual man as its main character. Buried under the immense amount of works to his name, Osamu's MW is a title that shouldn't be disregarded but to be critically assessed for its representation in an industry where it was rare.
Vagabond
Takehiko Inoue is mostly known for his sports manga series like Slam Dunk and the still serialized, Real, but he is also known to have created one of the greatest Seinen Manga of all time, Vagabond. Aside from Slam Dunk, none of Inoue's other works have been adapted into an anime including Vagabond. Based on the famous 1935 epic, Musashi, Vagabond still has its fictional retelling of the famous swordsman, Miyamoto Musashi.
From Inoue's beautiful penmanship and knack for comedic timing comes a compelling tale of a warrior learning the way of the sword. It's one of the "greatest manga" to have never been adapted and until Inoue can complete it maybe it should stay that way. A sentiment that Redditor Oedipustrexeliot would readily agree with considering in the sub Reddit they exclaimed, "How is Vagabond not the top post?"