Manga Like Katana Series

Following the death of his parents, high school student Kimihiro Watanuki lives alone and possesses a unique ability to perceive supernatural beings that constantly target him. These spirits relentlessly torment him, and he longs to escape their influence. While fleeing from a group of these entities, he takes refuge in a peculiar shop where he meets Yuuko Ichihara, the shop's mysterious owner, who claims she can grant any wish at a cost. Kimihiro agrees to work for Yuuko to accumulate the payment needed for his wish. Guided by her, he must venture deeper into the world of spirits and the mystical to ultimately break free. Will he be able to navigate the strange and enigmatic experiences that await him?

At fourteen, delinquent Yusuke Urameshi spends his days skipping class and clashing with authority. He often gets into street fights with his rival, Kazuma Kuwabara, and teases his childhood friend, Keiko Yukimura. Struggling with inner turmoil and the burden of an alcoholic mother, Yusuke suddenly jumps in front of a speeding car to save a child, sacrificing his own life in the process. The spirit guide Botan intervenes, allowing Yusuke to see the impact of his death on those close to him, including his mother, Keiko, and even Kuwabara. Moved by their grief, Yusuke is given a second chance at life by Koenma, the son of the ruler of the Spirit World. Koenma recruits Yusuke as a "Spirit Detective," assigning him to resolve a series of escalating supernatural incidents. Through his battles and eventual alliances with demons like the refined Kurama and the fierce Hiei, Yusuke hones his fighting abilities. As dark forces rise from the Netherworld, Yusuke unites with his companions to protect what he once took for granted.

In "Lookism," 17-year-old Park Hyung Suk has spent his life at the bottom of the social ladder due to his short stature, weight, and unattractive appearance, enduring constant bullying and prejudice from his peers. To escape his tormentor Lee Tae Sung, he decides to transfer to Jae Won High School in Seoul, a vocational school known for its relaxed rules and laid-back student body. A few days before his transfer, Hyung Suk wakes up to find himself in a new body—tall, fit, and strikingly handsome, the complete opposite of his original form. Yet his old body remains beside him, with the two bodies switching consciousness whenever one falls asleep. Navigating this unusual situation, Hyung Suk enjoys his growing popularity at Jae Won High while also investigating the mystery behind his extraordinary second body.

Futaba Okeya is a 14-year-old boy who can see ghosts and always keeps a prominent birthmark on his left cheek hidden under a bandage. One day, a new student named Kouko Ishigami joins his class, marked by a scar on her forehead and followed by the spirit of a tall, friendly man. Futaba feels an instant attraction to Kouko, thinking it might be love at first sight. After a disturbing dream about her, he wakes up crying and senses a deep familiarity, which drives him to try to befriend her. However, a series of events leads Futaba to reveal his birthmark to Kouko, causing her to declare him her eternal enemy. Enraged, Kouko explains that they are connected through reincarnation, and the birthmark is a curse she placed on him in a past life to identify and ultimately defeat him. Kouko then summons a flaming circular device called the "spirit circle" and attacks Futaba, sending him tumbling down a staircase into the memories of one of his former lives. The story of Spirit Circle follows Futaba as he journeys through his various past lives, gradually uncovering the truth behind his conflict with Kouko.

Young Hikaru Shindou stumbles upon an old go board in his grandfather's attic, and through it, the spirit of Fujiwara no Sai, a legendary go master from the Heian era, is summoned. Though Hikaru has no interest in board games at first, Sai pushes him to learn the intricacies of go and execute strategic moves under his guidance. Despite his initial reluctance, Hikaru starts to develop a fondness for the game as he gets more involved. Guided by Sai's spectral knowledge and fueled by the competitive drive from his rival Akira Touya, Hikaru delves deeper into the challenging world of go. Over time, his growing passion and skill in the game lead him to seek recognition through his own abilities.

In Bakemonogatari, Koyomi Araragi is no stranger to the supernatural. During his third year of high school spring break, he unexpectedly becomes a vampire after an encounter with Kiss-Shot Acerola-Orion Heart-Under-Blade. Submerged in a realm of anomalies, Araragi finds himself aiding classmate Hitomi Senjougahara when he notices something peculiar after catching her falling down the school stairs. He learns that a mythical crab has been stealing her weight. Though she warns him off with harsh words, Araragi manages to convince her to accept his help. To address this bizarre problem, they seek out Meme Oshino, the mysterious wanderer who previously helped Araragi overcome his vampiric condition. This narrative explores the hidden monsters within each individual, raising questions about how deeply they are concealed within those Araragi meets.

Yuugi Mutou, a high school student frequently targeted by bullies, spends his nights absorbed in board games and puzzles within his room. His love for games stems from his grandfather, who runs the game shop where they both live. After solving the ancient Millennium Puzzle one night, Yuugi awakens a concealed, darker identity called Yami Yuugi. In moments of intense stress, Yuugi transforms into this bold and fearsome alter ego, assuming the role of a vengeful figure who challenges bullies and wrongdoers to high-stakes games, where losing brings severe repercussions. As Yuugi and his dark counterpart gain allies among those who once tormented him, they forge strong bonds with these new companions. However, the group soon faces enemies far more dangerous than school bullies—people who twist games for evil purposes, putting Yuugi and his friends' lives at risk.

At twelve years old, Mitsuki Kouyama is diagnosed with a rare form of throat cancer, sarcoma. Faced with the option to remove her vocal cords and potentially cure the disease, she refuses, driven by her dream to become a pop singer and honor a promise made to her childhood sweetheart, Eichi Sakurai, who moved to America. As her condition deteriorates, Mitsuki accepts her grim prognosis. One day, while escaping from her grandmother's house—where music is forbidden—to attend an audition, Mitsuki encounters two shinigami, Takuto Kira and Meroko Yui. Recognizing that she can see them, they inform her that she has only a year left to live. Moved by her circumstances, Takuto offers Mitsuki a way to pursue her dreams by transforming her into a healthy sixteen-year-old. With renewed hope, she successfully joins Seed Records and debuts under the stage name Full Moon, determined to fulfill her musical aspirations before her time runs out. Included one-shot: Volume 2: Full Moon wo Sagashite

On his first day of high school, Kyon, a cynical yet otherwise ordinary student, introduces himself to Class 1-5. When the girl behind him stands up, her declaration shocks everyone. Haruhi Suzumiya announces her disinterest in mundane humans and her search for the extraordinary, leaving a strong impression. Ignoring his classmates' warnings, Kyon's curiosity leads him to try befriending Haruhi. As she gradually opens up to him, Kyon realizes she is completely sincere. A casual conversation with Haruhi sparks a bold plan: dissatisfied with existing clubs, she decides to create her own. The SOS Brigade is formed, and Kyon finds himself thrown into a world of the bizarre. Taking over the Literary Club's space, Haruhi quickly gathers three additional members: the composed Yuki Nagato, the shy Mikuru Asahina, and the enigmatic transfer student Itsuki Koizumi. With this eclectic group, Haruhi launches various quests for adventure and the supernatural, much to Kyon's annoyance. Gradually, Kyon discovers that each member hides deeper secrets—and that Haruhi's desires might be more attainable than she thinks.

Every year, the Ushiromiya family gathers on Rokkenjima at the request of their eccentric patriarch, Kinzou, whose health is failing. Most relatives believe his time is running out. As a fierce typhoon batters the island, tensions over inheritance and succession escalate within the family. Battler, Kinzou’s grandson, returns after six years away, expecting a peaceful reunion. Instead, Kinzou devises a peculiar game, challenging the family to find his hidden treasure, with the winner gaining control of the family. The game takes a dark turn when participants are threatened as sacrifices to revive the legendary Millennial Witch, Beatrice. Despite being a staunch skeptic, Battler must confront the possibility of supernatural forces or a murderer among them as the body count rises.

Karin Maaka is a vampire, but unlike her family, she is active during the day and sleeps at night. She conceals her true nature in her small town to maintain a normal life. When new student Kenta Usui arrives and sees Karin biting someone, misunderstandings arise as he tries to confront her about the incident. Karin begins to avoid him, and Kenta becomes determined to clear up the confusion. Yet, every time he approaches her, Karin suddenly gets a nosebleed. This nosebleed stems from Karin's unique condition—instead of drinking human blood, she periodically produces an excess of blood inside herself, which causes these episodes if not addressed. Furthermore, her blood reacts strangely around Kenta. Now that the truth is out, can Kenta keep Karin's secret safe?

This narrative explores the consequences of choices, where admissions of feelings can result in either acceptance or rejection, and decisions often require sacrifice and sadness. Following his decision to save a blonde vampire and become entangled with the supernatural, Koyomi Araragi's humanity ends and he is reborn as a monster. However, this event is just one of many tragedies and critical choices he will encounter. He begins to understand that even his most resilient, painstakingly formed bonds are not eternal. As more strange occurrences unfold around him, he must grapple with difficult decisions—whether to sever ties with those he loves or remain in the realm of monsters and spirits, risking the destruction of the world. The choice to accept or reject a confession and to sacrifice everything for others also looms heavily. Both options may lead to heartache and separation. The story delves into Koyomi Araragi's realization of the gravity of his actions. This installment represents the second season of the Monogatari Series.

In "Shinobi Life," Beni, a spirited and defiant young woman, remains unconcerned about her own destiny as long as it brings shame to her arrogant father. One day, she encounters Kagetora, a ninja who falls from the sky and swears absolute loyalty to her as her guardian. Having time-traveled from a distant past, Kagetora is committed to protecting Princess Beni. Yet, he does not realize that this Beni is not the true princess. The narrative examines if true love and dedication can persist across centuries in the tumultuous modern era.

Seiji Sawamura is a 17-year-old whose reputation as a fierce fighter and his notorious "Devil's Right Hand" have made him widely misunderstood. Though he has a genuinely kind nature and wants to end his 17-year run of being alone, his intimidating image keeps potential romantic partners away. Everything changes when Seiji wakes up one morning to find a girl named Midori in place of his right hand, and it turns out she has been secretly admiring him since middle school.

In the afterlife, angels fight for their destiny. Yuri, head of the Shinda Sekai Sensen, rebels against the deity that condemned her to an unjust existence. Concurrently, Tenshi, the student council president of this afterlife realm, clashes with the SSS members. These members wield guns and various weapons against angels who possess supernatural abilities.

Renowned dollmaker Rozen created many distinct dolls over his career, each given a Rosa Mystica—a magical gem that gives them life. These dolls, called Rozen Maidens, must take part in a contest known as the Alice Game, where they fight each other. The winner becomes Alice, a perfect girl meant to reunite with Rozen. Jun Sakurada, a withdrawn middle school student, gets caught up in this conflict when a Rozen Maiden appears at his home. When he winds her with the provided spring, she comes to life and says she is Shinku, the fifth Rozen Maiden. Even though Jun finds her arrogant attitude annoying, they work together against a rival doll. Shinku then makes Jun her medium, letting her use his energy to overcome their enemies. As more Rozen Maidens join the fight and settle in Jun’s house, peace seems impossible because they are naturally bound to battle each other.

Mahiru Shirota, an energetic fifteen-year-old, has an ordinary life until he picks up a stray black cat and calls it Kuro. What seems like a normal cat startles Mahiru by turning into a human. Kuro is revealed to be an ancient vampire with a lazy nature, avoiding any kind of effort and refusing to drink blood. Without understanding the consequences, Mahiru speaks Kuro’s name out loud, unknowingly creating a connection that could make Kuro his servant vampire, or "servamp." After an attack by a vampire named Tsubaki, Kuro drinks Mahiru’s blood, solidifying their master-servant bond, with Mahiru becoming "Eve." Tsubaki reveals Kuro’s true name, Sleepy Ash, the oldest of seven siblings each representing a deadly sin, and the embodiment of sloth. Tsubaki, the melancholic eighth sibling, plans to start a war against both vampires and humans. To prevent the coming conflict, Mahiru and Kuro must warn the other servamps and their Eves before disaster occurs.

Kyon, a first-year high school student who prefers the ordinary, has his everyday life turned upside down on his first day of school when he meets the mysterious Haruhi Suzumiya. Haruhi openly declares her desire to encounter aliens, time travelers, and psychics, and she forms the SOS Brigade, a club dedicated to finding such extraordinary beings. Kyon, along with the quiet and bookish Yuki Nagato, the timid and curvy Mikuru Asahina, and the polite and friendly Itsuki Koizumi, becomes a member of this unusual group. By the end of the first volume, Kyon discovers that his fellow brigade members are actually agents from hidden organizations, including extraterrestrial and time-traveling groups, who are monitoring Haruhi because of her crucial role in an upcoming major event.

In "Millennium Snow," Chiyuki Matsuoka's name, meaning "thousand snow," reflects her parents' hope that she will always witness the year's first snowfall. Yet this wish seems unlikely due to her heart condition, which raises the risk of seizures and shortens her life. The doctor who delivered her predicted she might not even reach 15 years old. At 17, Chiyuki meets Touya Kanou, an unusual vampire who claims to hate drinking blood and refuses to take a human partner to prolong his immortality. By turning 18, Touya could live for a thousand years if he drank blood from a partner, allowing both to share that longevity. Despite knowing this, Chiyuki volunteers to become Touya's partner, but he pushes her away in disgust, inadvertently triggering a seizure that reveals her frail health. After this incident, Touya becomes gentler with her but still refuses her blood. Chiyuki begins to suspect there may be deeper reasons for his rejection. Will she have enough time left to uncover the truth? One-shot included: Volume 1: Isshunkan no Romance (A Romance of One Moment)

In "A Good Day to Be a Dog," Han Hana, a schoolteacher, carries a family curse that transforms her into a dog each night after she kisses someone. The only way to break the curse is to kiss the same person again while in her canine form. To avoid this, Hana has never kissed anyone in her life. But one drunken night, she kisses her seemingly hostile colleague, Jin Seon, triggering the curse and turning her into a small, white dog every evening. Breaking the curse appears simple—just a kiss—but the problem is that Seon has a deep, intense fear of dogs.

At a Buddhist university, five students—three men and two women—struggle to apply their unique skills in practical ways within modern Tokyo. Their abilities, including channeling, dowsing, and extrasensory perception, which were once considered irrelevant in the professional world, become essential for connecting with the dead, especially those spirits tied to their physical bodies and unable to move on to the afterlife. These individuals form the Kurosagi Corpse Delivery Service. Whether the death is due to suicide, murder, accident, or natural causes, their goal is to transport the deceased's body to the specific location needed for the spirit to be freed.

Ginji Amano, a calm and pragmatic blonde who can generate electric currents, partners with Ban Mido, a boisterous brunette with glasses and a mysterious "Evil Eye" that lets him create illusions in others' minds. As the GetBackers, they are famous for their unmatched retrieval skills, boasting a nearly flawless success rate in recovering lost items for their clients. However, they need to find new clients quickly if they want to avoid going broke. This energetic duo takes on challenges while keeping their lively and adventurous style of solving mysteries and reclaiming lost treasures.

Dowman Sayman's anthology presents a series of independent tales exploring varied subjects, including serial killers discovering romance, historical figures resurrecting, a fresh perspective on the 9/11 tragedy, yaoi fangirl ghosts dispensing guidance to the men they observe, and numerous other distinctive concepts.

In "Kokoro Connect," the Cultural Research Club consists of a wrestling enthusiast, a carefree airhead, a sarcastic cynic, a laid-back joker, and a hyperfeminine member. Their ordinary high school life is thrown into chaos when they suddenly begin swapping bodies with one another. At first amusing, these exchanges grow increasingly uncomfortable as personal boundaries are breached and hidden secrets come to light—secrets powerful enough to threaten their friendship. As they struggle with these changes, they must discover who or what is causing the body swaps, whether the phenomenon will stop, and if their club can survive such turmoil. Explore this acclaimed ensemble comedy-drama light novel written by renowned author Sadanatsu Anda!