Josei is a genre targeting an older female audience, often featuring more mature themes, relationships, and character development.

Why it’s popular: This is currently the gold standard for modern shonen. The animation by MAPPA is fluid, brutal, and cinematic. The manga is slightly ahead, featuring some of the most creative power systems (Cursed Energy) since Naruto .

Why watch/read: The visual effects are legendary, and the emotional core of the family bond is universal.

Dark, gritty supernatural battles with an intricate power system.

Shonen series focus on growth, camaraderie, and high-stakes battles. These picks offer incredible animation and gripping page-turners. Jujutsu Kaisen Ongoing, produced by MAPPA. Manga Status: Completed by Gege Akutami.

Widely considered the greatest dark fantasy manga of all time. It follows Guts, a lone mercenary branded for death, hunting down his former brother-in-arms turned demon deity. The manga features some of the most jaw-droppingly detailed, hand-drawn art in comic history, paired with a heartbreakingly beautiful story of human resilience. Vagabond Author: Takehiko Inoue

Some of the best stories are trapped on paper. These manga are massively popular but have poor or incomplete anime adaptations.

It subverts classic battle tropes with a dark magic system, brutal consequences, and some of the most fluid, visually stunning fight choreography in modern anime history. Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Anime Status: Ongoing, produced by ufotable. Manga Status: Completed by Koyoharu Gotouge.

Manga often offers even more detail and art than its anime counterparts. If you prefer the page to the screen, start here. : Widely considered the “king of manga,”