1997 Manga

Gol D. Roger, a man referred to as the King of the Pirates, is set to be executed by the World Government. But just before his demise, he confirms the existence of a great treasure, One Piece, located somewhere within the vast ocean known as the Grand Line. Announcing that One Piece can be claimed by anyone worthy enough to reach it, the King of the Pirates is executed and the Great Age of Pirates begins. Twenty-two years later, a young man by the name of Monkey D. Luffy is ready to embark on his own adventure, searching for One Piece and striving to become the new King of the Pirates. Armed with just a straw hat, a small boat, and an elastic body, he sets out on a fantastic journey to gather his own crew and a worthy ship that will take them across the Grand Line to claim the greatest status on the high seas.

In an enormous steel labyrinth riddled with horrifying creatures, humanity is forced to isolate itself in small enclaves while living in constant fear of its annihilation. In this dystopia, only a strange young man known as Killy is brave enough to traverse its unforgiving territories. Possessing superhuman strength and a rare Graviton Beam Emitter, Killy fights off bloodthirsty beasts and other fiendish forces in his desperate search for a human with the Net Terminal Gene—genetic information that holds the potential to restore the corrupt world. The dark world of Blame! follows Killy as he meets new people, sheds more blood, and draws closer to finding the Net Terminal Gene. Through these exploits, the true nature of the world is slowly pieced together.

For centuries, many secret organizations have taken part in exterminating various types of dangerous monsters. One of them is the England-based Hellsing, run by its cunning leader, Sir Integra Fairbrook Wingates Hellsing. Her greatest hunter, and trump card, is Alucard, an unbeatable vampire genetically modified by her father. Despite him being one of "them," he swore to be her protector and servant. A new crisis begins and with the help of Seras Victoria, his recently turned vampire partner, Alucard has to uncover the truth behind the mysterious vampire attacks. Not every human is bound to be his ally in this battle, and he will not hesitate to kill anyone who stands in his way.

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. Twenty 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 (some of them former Propater operatives) 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.

Red is just a normal kid living in the rural Pallet Town, when he decides to go out on his own adventure, along with his rival, Green. In this world of Pokémon, he makes many friends, humans and Pokémon alike. However, all is not well. Team Rocket is trying to capture Mew, a very rare Pokémon, and is performing experiments on other Pokémon, trying to increase their power. Red and his friends must battle against Team Rocket to stop their cruel experiments and unlock the secrets of Pokémon.

Much of the damage attributed to "Vash" is caused by the activities of bounty hunters who are after the 60,000,000,000$$ (sixty billion "double dollars") reward on Vash's head for the destruction of a city called July. Vash does not clearly remember the destruction of July, and only wants "love and peace", as he puts it; though he is a gunfighter of inhuman skill, he uses his weapons only to save lives wherever he can. As the series progresses, more is gradually learned about Vash's mysterious history and the history of the human civilization on Gunsmoke, the desert planet the series is set on. The series is often humorous in tone, but at the same time it involves very serious character development and especially in later episodes it becomes quite emotionally intense. Vash is occasionally joined by a priest, Nicholas D. Wolfwood, who is almost as good a gunfighter as Vash himself, and later is targeted by a band of assassins known as the Gung-Ho Guns for reasons which are mysterious at first. Trigun evolves into a very serious discussion of the nature of morality, posing questions such as: What is the nature of morality? Can we judge different moral codes? If a person is forced to betray their moral code, does that betrayal invalidate that moral code, and can the person still try to live up to that moral code? Can the person find redemption from their wrongs, and if so, how?

Ichitaka Seto is a 16-year-old high school student who is hopelessly in love. He is smitten with Iori Yoshizuki, a classmate who recently became famous after featuring in a magazine. However, Ichitaka has been unable to convey his affection, hung-up on a brutal rejection in the past. As luck would have it, Ichitaka finds himself paired up with Iori in the Freshman Welcoming Ceremony. Despite some mishaps, things go well between the two. But when Ichitaka's childhood friend, Itsuki Akiba, comes crashing into his place, things take a drastic turn, and the three individuals' relationship gets off to a complicated start.

It's nearly the end of the century, and one girl has been breaking the news: Kaitou Jeanne, a phantom thief supposedly sent by God, has been stealing paintings all around the city. Her real identity is Maron Kusakabe, a 16-year-old rhythmic gymnastics enthusiast and student at Momokuri Academy— something unknown to all, even her best friend Miyako Toudaiji, who is in charge of the police chase for Jeanne. Hidden inside the paintings Maron steals are demons sent by the demon lord, who plans to weaken God's power by having his minions possess human hearts. Assisted by the minor angel Finn Fish, it is up to Maron as the reincarnation of Jeanne d'Arc to assume her alter ego, hunt down the cursed paintings, and seal the vile demons away. However, the tough job of balancing this duty with her lonesome high school life only proves more challenging when a mysterious new phantom thief makes his appearance—Kaitou Sinbad.

Meet Mon, a violent killer faithful only to his own eruptive desires, and his timid companion Toshi, a demolition-devil with a fanatical thirst for destruction. Their killing-spree across Japan is destined to intersect the path of the enormous "Higumadon", a mysterious beast on a Godzilla-like rampage from Hokkaido to Tokyo.

Since its creation, Tougenkyou has been a place where both humans and youkai live in peace. However, following the breach of a taboo in an attempt to revive the villainous youkai Gyuumaou, the "Minus Wave" unleashes throughout the land. With this ghastly force at large, the youkai begin to lose their self-consciousness, causing them to devour the townspeople. Tasked by the Three Aspects—the messengers of the heavens—to stop Gyuumaou's resurrection and restore peace, Sanzou Genjou rounds up three old comrades, none of which resemble the definition of ordinary. Being half-human, Gokuu Son, Hakkai Cho, and Gojou Sha are the only youkai with the power and spirituality to withstand the Minus Wave. Despite being skeptical about trusting them due to their mixed blood, Sanzou heads to the west with his companions to eradicate the growing threat.

Mai Taniyama's school has an ancient, abandoned, and allegedly cursed building. Whenever it is about to be torn down, a series of unsettling deaths occur and halt the demolition. To prove it is haunted, Mai and her friends try to summon a specter by telling ghost stories. No ghosts appear, but the group encounters Kazuya Shibuya, a 17-year-old transfer student. Though her friends are charmed by Kazuya's attractive looks and great manners, Mai does not trust him. Following a mishap, Mai discovers Kazuya's real identity as the president of Shibuya Psychic Research, a group hired by the school principal to investigate the building's rumored paranormal activity. As a consequence of her actions, Mai must temporarily help Kazuya if she does not want to pay him damages. Joined by other individuals experienced with the supernatural—former Buddhist monk Houshou Takigawa, self-proclaimed Shinto priestess Ayako Matsusaki, famous medium Masako Hara, and Catholic priest John Brown—Mai and Kazuya must uncover the mystery surrounding the building before any more innocent lives are lost.

The spin-off focusing on Kishibe Rohan, an eccentric mangaka with the ability to read people's memories, an ability called "Heaven's Door." He seeks out the supernatural to see for himself what his mysterious ability is all about. Volume 1 1. Episode #16: Zangeshitsu (At a Confessional) 2. Episode #02: Mutsukabezaka (Mutsukabe Hill) 3. Episode #05: Fugou Mura (Millionaire Village) 4. Episode #06: Mitsuryou Kaigan (Poaching Seashore) 5. Kishibe Rohan Gucci e Iku (Rohan Goes to Gucci) Volume 2 1. Episode #04: Mochizuki-ke no Otsukimi (The Harvest Moon) 2. Episode #07: Getsuyoubi: Tenki - Ame (A Rainy Monday) 3. Episode #08: D.N.A 4. Episode #09: The Run Volume 3 1. Episode #10: Hot Summer Martha 2. Episode #11: Dripping Gahou 3. Episode #12: Bruschetta

Katou Narumi suffers from Zonapha Syndrome, a rare ailment that stops his breathing unless he makes people laugh. He's been forced to abandon his training in Chinese kenpo and return to Japan, where he now works as a clown. The only problem: he's not very funny. One day he meets Saiga Masaru, the recent inheritor of a huge fortune, who gives him the first laugh he's gotten all day. When he realizes Masaru is being pursued by assassins, he steps in to protect the boy, only to discover that instead of conventional weapons, the assassins wield huge, eerie puppets. They soon encounter the mysterious Shirogane, who controls a puppet of her own, and claims she was sent from France by Masaru's late grandfather to protect him. Their paths intertwine and diverge, splitting into two stories: Karakuri and Circus, puppets and performers, tears and laughter. The strange circus of living dolls that spreads Zonapha Syndrome, the human puppets known collectively as the Shirogane, and the puppeteers whose undying grudge set in motion both sides of this performance.

Makoto Amano wants to become an actor, but his stern father has decreed that the only way Makoto can pursue his dream is to spend the last two years of high school as a girl! He quickly makes friends with popular tomboy Ito Miura, another drama enthusiast at this new high school and the only student to find out his secret—but are they more than pals?

Fujishima Takara goes to high school and will start living in a dorm because he has lost all his family except for his father, who's always away for his work. Takara has to share a room with Kosaka Kyomine. Living together isn't easy, and many rows ensue. Kyomine is very introverted, while Takara is just the opposite. At first the two get on each other's nerves because of those differences, but things eventually start to turn towards friendship.

In the year 1863, a time fraught with violent social upheaval, samurai of all walks of life flock to Kyoto in the hope of joining the Mibu-Roshi—a band of warriors united around their undying loyalty to the Shogunate system. In time, this group would become one of the greatest (and most famous) movements in Japanese history... the Shinsengumi! Into this fierce milieu steps Seizaburou Kamiya, a young would-be warrior who, though lacking in combat experience, possesses a fiery enthusiasm to both aid the Mibu-Roshi in their mission and to avenge his wrongfully murdered family. One of the Mibu-Roshi's most gifted (and immature) swordsmen, the legendary Souji Okita, agrees to take Seizaburou under his wing. What no one suspects, least of all Souji, is that Seizaburou is actually a girl named Sei Tominaga in disguise!Included one-shot: Volume 45: Ooedo Shinsengumi!

Touma Sou is an MIT-graduated-student who comes back to Japan because he wants to know how it feels to be a high school student. Mizuhara Kana is a strong girl who loves sports. Together, they are partners in solving cases that happen around them.

A collection of short stories from the original Rockman universe.

In the previous "Kung-Fu Boy" series, Chinmi became the master of Kempo at Dairin temple, where he trained disciples. When they lose contact with Kyorinji, a temple of the same sect, Chinmi is dispatched to the Kanan Autonomous region to investigate. He tries to enter Kanan with Pushin, a swordmaster whom he met traveling to Kanan. But they are attacked after trying to enter Kanan and pursued by the Border Police who chase them into a waterfall. A fisherman saves them and aids their entrance into Kanan. The people of Kanan are forcibly oppressed by the government. Chinmi befriends the people and makes the big decision to free them with his Kempo. Sorabi Boru, Lieutenant of the Border Police and Jirai, the evil king of Kanan attack Chinmi...

In ancient China there exists an alternate dimension called Jusenkai, whose inhabitants, the Senkaijin, possess tremendous powers. One of them, YanLang, fled to Earth along with his rebel army after being defeated during his attempt to overthrow the Emperor. In order to capture the fugitives, the Emperor sent his elite soldiers to Earth after them. LiFang has been traveling alone to find his father’s murderer when he picks up a sick and injured man. That aloof man, TuoRen, turns out to be one of the imperial soldiers sent to earth to hunt and capture the Senkaijin rebels. While his comrades work in pairs, TuoRen prefers to be alone. That is, until the strangely powerful human, LiFang, decides to follow him on his quest…

A collection of four bittersweet high school romances.

Kota Fukuyama was an unfortunate man whose wife had just left him and who had just been fired from his job as a corporate executive. One day, designer Sheiko Hayashi, who was looking for a new job herself, was driving with her mother Torako, when their car smashed into Fukuyama's Benz! A tumultuous full-length love drama about two generations of couples. (Source: Shueisha, translated)