A dystopia is, in literature, an often futuristic society that has degraded into a repressive and controlled state, often under the guise of being utopian. Dystopian literature has underlying cautionary tones, warning society that if we continue to live how we do, this will be the consequence. A dystopia, thus, is regarded as a sort of negative utopia and is often characterized by an authoritarian or totalitarian form of government. Dystopias usually feature different kinds of repressive social control systems, a lack or total absence of individual freedoms and expressions and constant states of warfare or violence. Dystopias often explore the concept of humans abusing technology and how humans individually and collectively cope with technology that has evolved too quickly such as the car, the flamethrower or the microwave. A dystopian society is also often characterized by widespread poverty and brutal political controls such as a large military-like police.
Top 19 Dystopia Manga to read
- 1. Berserk
- 2. Claymore
- 3. Wild Strawberry
- 4. Alma
- 5. Kowloon Generic Romance
- 6. Fire Punch
- 7. Innocent
- 8. NOiSE
- 9. Imawa no Michi no Alice
- 10. Hokuto no Ken
- 11. Eden: It's an Endless World!
- 12. Battle Royale
- 13. Gunnm
- 14. Shimoneta to Iu Gainen ga Sonzai shinai Taikutsu na Sekai: Manmaru-hen
- 15. Hataraku Saibou Black
- 16. 86: Eighty Six - Fragmental Neoteny
- 17. Gunnm: Last Order
- 18. C.O.P
- 19. Blame!: Denki Ryoushi Kiken Kaisou Dasshutsu Sakusen
1. Berserk

His name is Guts, the Black Swordsman, a feared warrior spoken of only in whispers. Bearer of a gigantic sword, an iron hand, and the scars of countless battles and tortures, his flesh is also indelibly marked with The Brand, an unholy symbol that draws the forces of darkness to him and dooms him as their sacrifice. But Guts won't take his fate lying down; he'll cut a crimson swath of carnage through the ranks of the damned—and anyone else foolish enough to oppose him! Accompanied by Puck the Elf, more an annoyance than a companion, Guts relentlessly follows a dark, bloodstained path that leads only to death...or vengeance.
Notes:
- Volumes 1-5 contain the 16 prequel chapters 0A - 0P.
- Chapter 83 was omitted from Volume 13 due to the author’s request.
- Volume 14 includes “Berserk: The Prototype”.
- Due to the author's passing, starting from Chapter 365, the manga is illustrated by Studio Gaga and supervised by Kouji Mori .
Berserk is currently publishing . It is also Known as: ベルセルク, Berserk: The Prototype
2. Claymore

In a world constantly haunted by demonic predators known as "Youma", the everyday life of humans is full of fear and suspicion, as these monsters easily blend into human society to hunt their hapless prey. However, in this world, there is also a mysterious organization, employing half-human, half-Youma warriors to effectively track down and kill the demons. Called "silver eyed witches" or "Claymores" after the huge Claymore swords they carry, these female warriors are eyed with suspicion and distrust by most because of their inhuman powers.
But there are many currents flowing in the shadows, from the mysterious machinations of the Claymore "Organization" and the twisted ambitions of the powerful "Abyssal Ones" to the hopes and desires of each Claymore warrior. This story follows the fate of Clare, one of the Claymore operatives as she sails deeper and deeper down the currents of conspiracies and revenge.
Note: 4 Extra chapters are included in the chapter count on this page.
Claymore is finished and has 27 Volumes and 159 Chapters. It is also Known as: CLAYMORE [クレイモア], Claymore
3. Wild Strawberry

Plants have evolved. They can now feed on humans and become terrible monsters known as Jinka. Kingo and Kayano do their best to survive in a Tokyo overrun by plants, but when Kayano becomes a Jinka, Kingo will do anything he can to get her back!
Wild Strawberry is currently publishing . It is also Known as: ワイルドストロベリー, Wild Strawberry
4. Alma

Ray and Trice grew up together in this post apocalyptic world. She was his only friend. But then one day... An unwelcome guest arrives and proclaims "Glory to Humans"...
Alma is currently publishing . It is also Known as: アルマ, Aruma, Alma (Shinji Mito)
5. Kowloon Generic Romance

Welcome to Kowloon Walled City: a dystopian townscape where the people are brimming with nostalgia, and where the past, present, and future converge. Amid the hidden emotions and extraordinary daily lives of the men and women working in its confines, a tale of romance begins to unfold for real estate agent Reiko Kujirai—one that feels as familiar as Kowloon itself…
Note:
- Nominated for the 14th Manga Taisho Award in 2021.
- Nominated for the 6th Tsugimanga Award in the Print Manga Category in 2020.
Kowloon Generic Romance is currently publishing . It is also Known as: 九龍ジェネリックロマンス, Kyuuryuu Generic Romance, Kūron Generic Romance
6. Fire Punch

In the not-too-distant past, the Ice Witch blanketed the world in snow, starvation and madness, leading the inhabitants to seek their salvation in fire. With that, an unusual destiny unfolds for two young orphans, Agni and Luna, blessed with the ability to regenerate. But will this ability prove to be more of a curse than a blessing?
Fire Punch is finished and has 8 Volumes and 83 Chapters. It is also Known as: ファイアパンチ, Fire Punch
7. Innocent

In the 18th century, seeking "freedom and equality", the event that became the starting point of modern French society, the French Revolution, began. There was one more protagonist that lived within the darkness, Henry Charles Sanson. He was the fourth generation family head of the Sanson Family, and executioner of Paris.
This is the historie of him nobly facing the harsh fate...
Innocent is finished and has 9 Volumes and 99 Chapters. It is also Known as: イノサン, Innocent
8. NOiSE

The Bible has its Genesis.
The Matrix has The Second Renaissance.
BLAME! has NOiSE.
Through the eyes of police force member Susono Musubi, this one-volume prequel gives readers a glimpse of the world before the Netsphere went haywire. Witness the events that threw the technologically advanced society into chaos: the cancerous growth of the Megastructure, the birth of the parasitic lifeforms called Silicon Creatures, and the development of the ruthless killing machines known as the Safeguards.
Also included in the compilation is Tsutomu Nihei's debut work BLAME which served as the prototype of the acclaimed 10-volume series, BLAME!.
NOiSE is finished and has 1 Volumes and 8 Chapters. It is also Known as: NOiSE, NOiSE
9. Imawa no Michi no Alice

The manga follows "another Alice," a female high school student who curses her everyday life. When by chance she loses her way on the "Borderroad," she is forced to participate in deadly survival games with other female high school students.
Alice on Border Road is finished and has 8 Volumes and 31 Chapters. It is also Known as: 今際の路のアリス, Imawa no Michi no Alice
10. Hokuto no Ken

The year is 199X. The Earth has been devastated by nuclear war. The seas have dried up and the land is cracked and desolate. Most living things on the planet have become extinct apart from the human race. In this new age violence rules as civilization is lost and the strong rule the weak in a world where food and water are the only thing wth value. At this time a mysterious man named Kenshiro appears with his deadly martial art, the 2000 year old Hokuto Shinken. With his deadly style eliminating the evil is he the saviour of the new era?
Fist of the North Star is finished and has 27 Volumes and 245 Chapters. It is also Known as: 北斗の拳, Fist of the North Star
11. Eden: It's an Endless World!

In the panic surrounding a worldwide pandemic which kills 15 percent of the population and cripples many more, a secret organization, the Propater, topples the UN and seizes control of much of the world. A boy and a girl, raised in an abandoned virology research center, immune to the virus, are attacked by the Propater and escape. 20 years later the boy is the most powerful drug lord in South America. He aids his son from behind the scenes as he evades and eventually with the help of mercenaries from Nomad fights the Propater. As the plot develops focus shifts away from the main character and develops many sub-plots dedicated to terrorism, Human-improvement, the struggle of the developing countries and the power battles between the drug cartels and Propater.
Based strongly on Gnostic mythology, all major characters are named after gnostic deities, and have analogous roles.
Warnings: Eden contains a lot of very graphic violence and some sex scenes.
Eden: It's an Endless World! is finished and has 18 Volumes and 127 Chapters. It is also Known as: EDEN ~It's an Endless World!~, Eden: It's an Endless World!
12. Battle Royale

Under the guise of a "study trip," a group of students from Shiroiwa Junior High School in the fictional town of Shiroiwa are gassed on a bus. They awaken in the Okishima Island School on Okishima, an isolated, evacuated island. They learn that they have been placed in an event called the Program.
According to the rules, every year since 1947, 42 third-year high school students are isolated, and each student is required to fight to the death until one student remains. Their movements are tracked by metal collars around their necks, which contain tracking and listening devices; if any student should attempt to escape the Program, or enter declared forbidden zones, a bomb will be detonated in the collar, killing the wearer. If no one dies in a 24 hour time period, there will be no winner and all collars will be detonated simultaneously.
Battle Royale is finished and has 15 Volumes and 119 Chapters. It is also Known as: バトル・ロワイアル, Battle Royale
13. Gunnm

In a dump in the lawless settlement of Scrapyard, far beneath the mysterious space city of Zalem, disgraced cyber-doctor Daisuke Ido makes a strange find: the detached head of a cyborg woman who has lost all her memories. He names her Gally and equips her with a powerful new body, the Berserker. While Gally remembers no details of her former life, a moment of desperation reawakens in her nerves the legendary school of martial arts known as Panzer Kunst. In a place where there is no justice but what people make for themselves, Gally decides to become a hunter-killer, tracking down and taking out those who prey on the weak. But can she hold onto her humanity as she begins to revel in her own bloodlust?
Battle Angel Alita is finished and has 9 Volumes and 53 Chapters. It is also Known as: 銃夢 GUNNM, Ganmu, Tsutsu Yume
14. Shimoneta to Iu Gainen ga Sonzai shinai Taikutsu na Sekai: Manmaru-hen

16 years after the "Law for Public Order and Morals in Healthy Child-Raising" banned coarse language in the country, Tanukichi Okuma enrolls in the country's leading elite public morals school and is soon invited into the Anti-Societal Organization by its founder, Ayame Kajou. As a member blackmailed into joining by Ayame, Tanukichi ends up taking part in obscene acts of terrorism against the talented student council president Anna .
Shimoneta to Iu Gainen ga Sonzai shinai Taikutsu na Sekai: Manmaru-hen is finished and has 4 Volumes and 23 Chapters. It is also Known as: 下ネタという概念が存在しない退屈な世界 マン●篇, A Boring World Where the Concept of Dirty Jokes Does Not Exist, ShimoSeka, A Boring World Where the Concept of "Dirty Jokes" Does Not Exist
15. Hataraku Saibou Black

In the manga's story, cells work in a "black" environment in the body of a human in poor health. The person drinks and eats too much, has insufficient physical activity, and has high stress.
Note: Chapter count includes 2 side stories.
Hataraku Saibou Black is finished and has 8 Volumes and 50 Chapters. It is also Known as: はたらく細胞BLACK, Hataraku Saibou Black
16. 86: Eighty Six - Fragmental Neoteny

The prequel story depicts how Shinei became a pilot.
86: Eighty Six - Fragmental Neoteny is finished and has 3 Volumes and 13 Chapters. It is also Known as: 86―エイティシックス― フラグメンタルネオテニー, 86: Eighty Six - Fragmental Neoteny
17. Gunnm: Last Order

The sequel to the Battle Angel Alita/Gunnm manga, ignoring the original ending.
When Doc Ido, a talented cyber-physician, finds Gally's head in a junk heap, she has lost all memory of her past life. But when he reconstructs her, she discovers her body still instinctively remembers the Panzer Kunst, the most powerful cyborg fighting technique ever known. In the postapocalyptic world of the Scrapyard, as the secrets of Gally's past unfold, each day is a struggle for survival.
Battle Angel Alita: Last Order is finished and has 19 Volumes and 124 Chapters. It is also Known as: 銃夢 Last Order, Gunnm: Last Order
18. C.O.P

In the near future, a renewable energy source called ‘Aphorium’ becomes the world’s leading power source. This energy revolutionises the fields of biomedical, material, pharmaceutical, and energy engineering and becomes a resource more valuable than gold. However, cartels begin to illegally export ‘Aphorium’ and control its market. Subsequently, the global company ‘Skycaston’ suggests the creation of the I.T.S: Instant Trial System - an android programmed to incarcerate cartel members without needing a trial. ‘Seo Woojin’, an investigator placed on disciplinary probation, if he can successfully become an educational navigator for the new ‘Magnum’ series of I.T.S military androids, he will be reinstated in his former position. Woojin accepts this offer. A story about an android with the power to prosecute suspects on the spot and a human detective.
Source: MU
C.O.P is finished and has null Volumes and 44 Chapters. It is also Known as: Court Of Puppet, Court Of Puppets, Kop — Inhyeong-ui babjeong, КОП: Правосудие марионетки, Правосудие робота-копа, Суд марионетки, 傀儡法庭, 인형인 법정
19. Blame!: Denki Ryoushi Kiken Kaisou Dasshutsu Sakusen

In the distant technological future, civilization has reached its ultimate Net-based form. An "infection" in the past caused the automated systems to spiral out of order, resulting in a multi-leveled city structure that replicates itself infinitely in all directions. Now humanity has lost access to the city's controls, and is hunted down and purged by the defense system known as the Safeguard. In a tiny corner of the city, a little enclave known as the Electro-Fishers is facing eventual extinction, trapped between the threat of the Safeguard and dwindling food supplies. A girl named Zuru goes on a journey to find food for her village, only to inadvertently cause doom when an observation tower senses her and summons a Safeguard pack to eliminate the threat. With her companions dead and all escape routes blocked, the only thing that can save her now is the sudden arrival of Killy the Wanderer, on his quest for the Net Terminal Genes, the key to restoring order to the world.
BLAME! Movie Edition: THE ELECTROFISHERS’ ESCAPE is finished and has 1 Volumes and 7 Chapters. It is also Known as: BLAME! 電基漁師危険階層脱出作戦, Blame!: Denki Ryoushi Kiken Kaisou Dasshutsu Sakusen