A Curated List of 10 Manga I Discovered Recently (Which Are Mostly Unknown).

As the manga industry continues its relentless expansion, it's increasingly difficult to track every significant title. As always, the most popular series capture the spotlight, however, countless gems of undiscovered treasures ripe for exploration.

A particular delight for fans of the medium is finding a mostly obscure series buried in publication schedules and recommending it to friends. I present of the best lesser-known manga I've read in 2025, along with reasons why they're worthy of attention before they gain widespread popularity.

Several entries here lack a broad readership, especially as they are without anime adaptations. A few are trickier to read due to their publishing platforms. Sharing any of these grants you some serious bragging rights.

10. An Unassuming Salaryman Revealed as a Hero

• Authors: Ghost Mikawa, Yuki Imano, Akira Yuki, Raika Mizuiro
• Released by: Shueisha
• Available on: Manga Plus

This may seem like a strange choice, but hear me out. Manga can be silly, and it's part of the charm. I'll acknowledge that isekai is my guilty pleasure. While this series doesn't fully fit the genre, it embraces familiar conventions, including an unbeatable hero and a game-influenced setting. The charm, however, stems from the protagonist. Keita Sato is an archetypal exhausted salaryman who unwinds by sneaking into mysterious dungeons that appeared in the world, armed only with a baseball bat, to smash monsters. He's indifferent to treasures, power, or ranking; he only wants to maintain his double life, protect his family, and finish work early for a change.

There might be better isekai series, but this is one of the few published by a major house, and thus easily available to international audiences via a free service. Regarding online access, this publisher is still dominant, and if you're looking for a brief, enjoyable diversion, The Plain Salary Man is a great choice.

9. Nito's Exorcists

• Artist: Iromi Ichikawa
• Publisher: Shueisha
• Find it on: Manga Plus

Typically, the word "exorcist" in a manga title is enough to deter me due to the saturated market, but my opinion was altered this year. This series evokes the finest elements of Jujutsu Kaisen, with its creepy atmosphere, stylized art, and unexpected brutality. A random click got me hooked and was immediately captivated.

Gotsuji is a formidable practitioner who kills evil spirits in the hope of finding the one that murdered his mentor. He's accompanied by his mentor's sister, Uruka, who is more interested in protecting Gotsuji than aiding his quest for revenge. The premise sounds simple, but the portrayal of the cast is thoughtfully executed, and the visual contrast between the comedic design of foes and the bloody fights is a compelling layer. This is a series with real potential to become a hit — if it's allowed to continue.

8. Gokurakugai

• Author: Yuto Sano
• Publisher: Shueisha
• Find it on: Manga Plus; Viz

For readers who value visual splendor, then look no further. Yuto Sano's work on the series is spectacular, meticulous, and unique. The narrative hews close from classic shonen conventions, with heroes clashing with demons (though they're avoiding that specific term), but the characters are all quirky and the world is fascinating. The protagonists, Alma and Tao Saotome, run the Gokurakugai Troubleshooter agency, solving problems in a poor neighborhood where humans and beast-men coexist.

The villains, called Maga, are formed from human or animal corpses. For those from people, the Maga wields magic reflecting the way the human died: a suicide by hanging has the power to choke people, one who died from self-harm causes blood loss, and so on. It's a gruesome but interesting twist that gives weight to these antagonists. It might become a major title, but it's limited due to its slower publication rate. Starting in 2022, only five volumes have been released, which makes it hard to stay invested.

7. The Bugle Call: Song of War

• Writing Team: Mozuku Sora, Higoro Toumori
• Released by: Shueisha
• Find it on: Viz

This grim fantasy manga examines the ever-present fight narrative from a fresh perspective for shonen. Instead of centering on individual duels, it showcases large-scale medieval warfare. The protagonist, Luca, is one of the Branched—people with distinct abilities. Luca's ability enables him to convert audio into visuals, which helps him command armies on the battlefield, leveraging his musical skill and past in a brutal fighter company to become a formidable commander, fighting dreaming of a life beyond war.

The world feels a bit standard, and the addition of advanced concepts occasionally doesn't fit, but it still delivered bleak developments and shocking story pivots. It's a sophisticated series with a collection of odd personalities, an compelling ability ruleset, and an pleasing blend of strategy and horror.

6. The Cat Parent Adventures of Taro Miyao

• Creator: Sho Yamazaki
• Publisher: Shueisha
• Available on: Manga Plus

A calculating main character who idolizes Renaissance thinker Niccolò Machiavelli and advocates for ruthless pragmatism adopts a cute cat named Nicolo—reportedly for the reason that a massage from its small claws is a unique cure for his aches. {If that premise isn't enough|Should that not convince you|If the setup doesn't grab you