Best Action Manga of 2022

Living in the slums of a wealthy town, Rudo and his foster father Regto try to coexist with the rest of the town's residents, but Rudo despises the wastefulness of the upper class. Ignoring the warnings from those around him, Rudo regularly rummages through the town's garbage in search of anything useful or valuable to save from the "Abyss"—a massive hole where anything considered trash is dumped, including people. Rudo's biological father was one such person, having been thrown into the Abyss after he was accused of murder. One day, after running into a mysterious figure on the way home, Rudo returns to find Regto's dying body on the floor. He is immediately found at the scene by the authorities and is charged with murder. No one believes his claims of innocence, and he is thrown into the Abyss. Instead of dying, however, he finds himself in a strange, foul-smelling place surrounded by monsters made out of trash. When Rudo is attacked by said monsters, he is saved by a man named Enjin, who reveals himself to be a "Cleaner"—someone who uses special weapons called Vital Instruments to combat these creatures. In order to get his revenge on the one who killed Regto, Rudo reluctantly becomes a Cleaner to fight his way back up and out of the Abyss.

Maga—dangerous and powerful creatures resurrected from the corpses of people and animals—are behind mysterious disappearances every day. Humans and the lower-class beastmen who possess both human and animal characteristics reside in the bustling Gokuraku district, where the situation is no different; in fact, it is strangely becoming worse. In the district lies a peculiar office, used by the Gokurakugai Troubleshooter Agency. Cool-headed leader Tao and intuitive young Alma, its only two members, take on any job that requires them to look into private incidents or even track down missing people—if their clients can afford it, that is. But the two hide a secret: their main objective is to investigate the disturbing cases caused by maga and eradicate every single one of them.Included one-shot: Volume 2: Gokurakugai Sanban-doori no Ken

1-Star heroes are just fodder for learning a boss' attack patterns. That was Seojin Han's philosophy when playing the notoriously difficult game Pick Me Up. But after being transported into the game as one of those 1-star heroes, he's got no choice but to rise in rank and defeat the player controlling him and his party. Can a gacha game character hope to defeat a player akin to being his god?

Jin Runcandel was destined to become the head of his swordmaster clan. But despite his best efforts, he's banished for his shoddy swordsmanship. Though Jin eventually makes a contract with the god Solderet and is freed from the curse that hindered his abilities, he meets a rather unfortunate end. In the next moment, however, he awakens as a baby, long before his tragedy began. Armed with a second chance and some new powers, Jin swears to fulfill his destiny and become the ultimate swordmaster.

Abandoned at birth in a stable, Shirone was raised by commoners. As a child, he had gifted insight and had learned how to read. After visiting the city, he finally saw the workings of magic, which he was immensely curious about. This inspired Shirone's dream of becoming a mage. However, the city was a place with a cruel and rigid social hierarchy. Here, Shirone discovered the hidden side of the world before he even reached adulthood... Will Shirone be able to achieve his dream of becoming a mage in this twisted world?

In the web novel Three Ways to Survive the Apocalypse, people are forced to fight monsters and each other for coins, food, and—ultimately—survival. While mysterious "Constellations" watch the unwilling participants for their own entertainment, one man emerges as the protagonist: Yoo Joonghyuk, who repeatedly lives and dies in an endless struggle to close the book on this indiscriminate torture. Kim Dokja has lived a challenging and action-packed life through Joonghyuk for over a decade. While other readers abandoned the story early on, Dokja has remained its sole reader until the very last chapter. At that time, he receives a puzzling message from the author, and the novel's inhumane world suddenly becomes reality. As the only person aware of what lies ahead, Dokja realizes that he must utilize his omniscience to navigate the deadly scenarios and stay alive. Dokja was never meant to play a main part, but in defiance of those who wish to spell his fate, he might just have to take the lead in writing his own conclusion.

The warrior Hamel went on an adventure with his companions to defeat the Demon Kings, but after dying just before the final battle with the Demon Kings... "Waaah." "What the fuck!" He was reincarnated as the descendant of his fellow warrior, Vermouth. Hamel—no, Eugene Lionheart was reborn with the blood of the Great Vermouth. "My previous body held enough talent to be mistaken for a genius, but this one... there's just no comparison." With a body that had higher specs right from the start, he showed explosive growth that far surpassed what he had achieved in his previous life. Along with the unknown reasons for his reincarnation came the uneasy reality of having to coexist with demons. He was faced with a world that made him question everything he had believed in. Gifted with this extraordinary body since birth, as Eugene, he begins walking down the unfinished path from his previous life.

Wouldn't it be a dream to wake up in a world of your own creation? For Hajin Kim, it's nothing short of a nightmare. With no clue how or why he's been transported into his web novel—as a mere extra, no less!—Hajin has little choice but to see his story through until the end. Lucky for him, as the author, he knows this perilous world like the back of his hand. But when discrepancies in the plot begin popping up left and right, Hajin soon realizes that things aren't quite so simple, after all...

Kindergarten Noir is widely known as the world's safest kindergarten. Attended by the children of wealthy and notable figures, its defenses are seemingly impenetrable, even though assassination attempts are a big part of the daily routine. However, the teachers of the kindergarten are far from ordinary—they are all convicted criminals trying to reduce their sentences. The recently joined legendary assassin named Rita is no different. According to her contract, she must work as a teacher for a full year to be released. Rita quickly proves her worth with unmatched combat skills, but even the notorious assassin has a weakness: she longs for a handsome boyfriend, which leaves her vulnerable in combat when faced with a particularly attractive opponent. Rita and her colleagues continue to ensure the children's safety to gain freedom, but Rita never stops looking for the man of her dreams.

Pyo Wol was an orphan who wandered around the continent until he bumped into a mysterious man and lost consciousness. When he wakes up, he finds himself in a dark, confined space with only one iron door for an exit. Wol survives the next several grueling months, trying to keep a cool head and stay in shape. When the iron door finally opens, he discovers he's not the only one in this miserable situation. A group of masked people has kidnapped 300 children to train them into human weapons. Wol must fight and kill the others, for only a handful of the strongest will be selected. Will Wol be able to become one of the chosen and find a way to free himself from his captors?

In Arboral Year 1294, the world is dominated by nine massive towers known as the Spires, remnants of an ancient civilization. Filled with lost secrets and powerful knowledge, nations struggle to possess them. Luca is a bugler in a mercenary company who wants nothing more than to leave the battlefield behind and become a true musician, a maestro. But marked as one of the enigmatic Branch-hexed, and gifted with the strange ability to see the sound of his instrument, Luca finds himself drawn reluctantly into a war of epic proportions!

When the war between the aboveground and underground ended, humanity was joined by so-called "dungeon babies," those gifted with supernatural abilities and an obsession with the labyrinths below ground. Despite being a dungeon baby, Jinwoo Kim suppressed his instincts, choosing to live an ordinary life as a guide and caring for his family. But when an expedition goes wrong and he somehow ends up becoming the new owner of a labyrinth, he discovers that he cannot ignore his instincts forever...

Centuries ago, humanity's natural enemy, Demons, invaded the world and defeated humanity. The Great Demon Lord and his generals have since dominated the world, while the human race lives on in fear. In desperation, a group of 47 people gathered from around the world undertake a last-ditch effort to save humanity from ultimate annihilation. These heroes swear to defeat the demon army and win back humanity's freedom, but they have no idea the desperate measures that this battle will drive them to embrace...

"Protect the Empire" was considered unbeatable for over a decade until streamer extraordinaire "Mr. Gamer Geek" comes along and defeats the game on its hardest mode. But just when he's about to rest on his laurels, he's sucked into the world of the game by some mysterious figure and thrust into Prince Ash's body! Ash now realizes that every click and command he had mindlessly sent out had real, gruesome costs—including his teammates' lives that he sacrificed for the sake of victory. To make up for his previous actions, Ash promises to keep his whole team alive this time while using his wits and knowledge to survive the hellish onslaught of monsters. But who brought him to this world in the first place, and why? Ash may soon find the answers to these questions—if he can survive the bloody battlefield first!

After "outboxer009" wakes up in the body of Yuder Bayel from Legend of Heroes 2, he soon discovers that his rival "sandstorm" has also entered the game world as Cordelia Chace. These top-two-ranked old pros come to realize that navigating this game world is much harder than just pointing and clicking. With the apocalyptic conclusion of the game looming before them, they'll have to combine his quick wit, her foul mouth, and both their gamer mindsets to make a new, less cataclysmic ending.

For as long as he can remember, Woonhwi So has been the black sheep of his family and clan. Because his spirit core has been destroyed, he has no choice but to serve as a third-rate spy for the Blood Cult. One day, during his mission to find the legendary Blade Scroll, he is killed and sent 10 years into the past. When Woonhwi regains consciousness, he realizes that he has been sent back to the day he was kidnapped by the Blood Cult, and that he has gained a mysterious ability to hear the voice of a dagger.

Raizou Takakura, who died of a heart attack, was reborn in another world as the third son of a penurious farmer. He is known as Walm in his second life and he has been living as a soldier for the Highserk Empire, a small country currently being invaded by the surrounding large countries. To survive, Walm was forced to spend his days killing people left and right. The Highserk empire decided to point their fangs toward their enemy and plotted a great invasion battle against the principality of Myard as well as the Ferrius Kingdom. This led to Walm being covered in blood and witnessing the dying breaths of comrades and enemies alike, as well as learning of the fine line between life and death.

When Urich's daring attempt to venture near the ominous Sky Mountains with his friends gets him kidnapped, he learns that there is a new world that exists beyond his own. After a hellish fight with his attackers, he frees himself and sets off on a journey to explore this new realm. There, he encounters allies and enemies alike, each meeting helping him learn more about the civilization and grow as a warrior. But even Urich has yet to find out where his quest will truly take him...

Moa Son, an ordinary office worker, wakes up in a dungeon in the middle of the night and awakens as a collecting hunter. After barely making it out alive, she falls into the same dungeon but gets rescued by the first-ranked hunter, Jihan Seo, and becomes bound up with him. Now he's offering to make her strong on this one condition—"Promise me you will do your best to kill the bosses of all the dungeons that exist in the world." Come again?

For these peaceful days―there's a secret behind it all. A secret organization that prevents crimes: "DA - Direct Attack." And their group of all-girl agents: "Lycoris." This peaceful everyday life is all thanks to these young girls. The elite Chisato Nishikigi is the strongest Lycoris agent of all time. Alongside is Takina Inoue, the talented but mysterious Lycoris. They work together at one of its branches―Café LycoReco. Here, the orders this café takes range from coffee and sweets to childcare, shopping, teaching Japanese to foreign students, etc. It's mostly tasks unbefitting of Lycoris. The free-spirited and optimistic pacifist, Chisato. And the cool-headed and efficient Takina. The chaotic everyday lives of this mismatched duo begin!

The Tokyo Manji motorcycle gang has carved out a reputation as the toughest band of delinquents in Tokyo. No matter who stands against them in a fight, no matter how bad the odds, Toman always emerges undefeated. Yet its members all carry the scars of "Bloody Halloween," the night when a showdown with a rival gang saw their First Division Captain, Keisuke Baji, get senselessly murdered. Months later, vice-captain Chifuyu Matsuno is still struggling to make sense of what happened. When he receives a letter from Keisuke Baji–written on the day of his death–it stirs up memories of all their years together...

The best hitman of the underworld, Owaru Endou, leads a dark and secretive life, constantly bathing in the blood of his targets. However, his life takes a brighter turn when he becomes a fan of Kaori "Kaorin" Minaboshi, an underground idol from Rosaceae whose concerts Owaru always attends. Feeling that his hands and dirty money are too stained to support Kaorin, Owaru decides to retire from his profession to earn a "clean" income and make himself worthy of his beloved icon. Unfortunately for him, old habits die hard; to protect what he holds dear, Owaru must return to his roots once more.

100 demon children fought to determine the new king of the demon world. Once the war ended, the new king was crowned, and the demon world was at peace... or so you thought! The shocking reality of the current-day demon world is now revealed—and deep in the maw of despair, three demon children make a dangerous gambit.

In a world where the Han Empire never fell, martial arts is a power used to squeeze people dry. So when a new continent is discovered, both good and evil men alike flee to settle there and escape the tyranny of the Emperor, opening up the era of a Martial Wild West. In the turbulent frontier, Zhang Qian is a man that reincarnated from our cushy, modern world, but his new world is nothing like the fantastical world he dreamed about from reading martial arts novels. While the martial arts in his new world are powerful, they are also too crude and lack elegance. And so Qian journeys along the continent for his dream of bringing true martial arts back to the new realm.

Yokohama's Suribachi district is a lawless zone swarming with all kinds of people. To protect each other, a group of teenagers created a self-defense organization called Sheep, with 15-year-old Chuuya Nakahara as their "King." Thanks to Chuuya's powerful ability to control gravity, few dare oppose the Sheep. However, worrying news spread around Suribachi: the Port Mafia's deceased leader has been witnessed roaming around. His successor, Ougai Mori, sends his protege Osamu Dazai to uncover the truth. While investigating, Dazai runs into Chuuya, and a fight erupts between the two. But before Chuuya can deal the final blow, the Port Mafia captures him. Mori offers Chuuya a deal: if the teenager helps unravel the mystery behind his predecessor's alleged resurrection, the Port Mafia will not harm any of Sheep's members. Backed into a corner, Chuuya reluctantly accepts. As he and Dazai are paired together, they must overcome their disdain for each other to save Yokohama. Unfortunately, the appearance of Arahabaki, the "God of Calamity," threatens to hinder their plans.

Ahreum Lee, who has precognitive dreams, started to recall the nightmares that she had already forgotten. In her notebook, she found things that she doesn't recall writing. "I never wrote anything like this! But... I'm sure this was my dream..." One by one, the monsters that she saw in her dreams, as well as people with special abilities, began to appear in reality.

When Yuuki wakes up in an unfamiliar manor wearing a maid uniform, she recognizes this as the start of a new death game. After assessing the situation, Yuuki begins to wander before discovering a room with five other maids. Each one is visibly anxious, and she learns from them that they are all new players who joined this lethal game for the prize money. But Yuuki is different: she is a death game veteran whose only goal is to achieve 99 consecutive wins. Tasked with navigating a manor filled with countless instruments of murder, Yuuki takes point as the only experienced player in an environment that is designed to actively work against her. Despite this, she is determined to reach the end of the game with as many people as possible—if it coincides with her final goal.

A few days ago, a disappearance occurred at a karaoke bar. Aoki Tokiya, who works there part-time, becomes embroiled in even more bizarre incidents. Meanwhile, Midorima, who is investigating the disappearance, has his eye on the culprit, but his identity remains a mystery... Members of the game commentator group "White Tails" appear in this story, depicting the battle between Tsukumo-shi and the yokai!! (Source: Kadokawa, translated)

The story centers on a gamer with the player name Zephyrus, who has played the legendary dungeon-crawl game Dungeon Shuukatsu no Susume (Encouragement for Job Hunting in Dungeons or Dan-katsu for short) for over 8,000 hours, but he suddenly loses all his save data and dies of shock. When Zephyrus wakes up, he realizes that he is reincarnated in the unconquered world of the Dan-katsu game. He immediately gets the classic, strongest job as a hero, and starts "a new game" in the world of Dan-katsu. (Source: Anime News Network, edited)