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Some manga are powerful, violent, deep. But what truly sticks with you is a character so overwhelming, they outshine everything else. Here are 10 seinen manga where a single character demands respect—or fear.
Prepare yourself for unforgettable encounters.
10. Levius
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Author: Haruhisa Nakata
Published: 2013–2014 (Ultra Jump) / Kana
Volumes: 3 (Season 1 complete)
Synopsis:
In a post-industrial world, cybernetic boxers clash in brutal steam-and-iron arenas. A unique style meets raw emotion.
Central figure: Levius Cromwell
Levius is the archetype of the silent hero shaped by trauma. Half-man, half-machine, he embodies hope in a world crushed by war and steel. This young cybernetic boxer fights not just to win, but to reclaim meaning in his existence. Scarred by the loss of his mother and mutilated as a child, Levius moves through the arena—and life—with precision, solitude, and endurance. His cold demeanor hides deep pain. In his gaze, his fists, and every motion, the question of humanity lingers: how far can one remain human inside a body rebuilt from metal?
9. Blame!
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Author: Tsutomu Nihei
Published: 1997–2003 (Afternoon) / Glénat
Volumes: 10 (complete)
Synopsis:
A silent and hostile cyberpunk labyrinth. Few words, much tension. Blame! is a graphic and existential experience.
Central figure: Killy
Killy is an enigma. He roams the endless megastructure like a ghost. Silent, nearly voiceless, he is defined more by his actions than his words. His mission: find a human with the "net terminal gene" to save what's left of humanity. He seems emptied of personal life—becoming a function, a vessel of survival in a dehumanized world. Yet behind this mechanical constancy lies an indomitable will to protect and endure. Killy is the man who walks endlessly, without apparent hope, but with divine-level determination.
8. Sun-Ken Rock
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Author: Boichi
Published: 2006–2016 (Young King) / Doki-Doki
Volumes: 25 (complete)
Synopsis:
Ken Kitano followed the girl he loved to Korea… and ended up leading a gang. A meteoric rise full of style and fistfights.
Central figure: Ken Kitano
Ken embodies the paradox of a gangster with a pure heart. He came to Korea for love and ended up ruling a criminal empire. Despite his role, he’s guided by a sincere, almost naive morality. His strength is brute, his sensitivity raw. He’s a shōnen hero in a seinen world—a symbol of loyalty in a world of betrayal. What makes Ken compelling is that he stays true to himself, never giving up on justice, even when walking the path of crime. Strength and innocence coexist in him—but it comes at a cost.
7. Gungrave
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Author: Yasuhiro Nightow (concept)
Published: 2003–2004 / Unreleased in France
Volumes: 3 (complete)
Synopsis:
Betrayed by his best friend, a man returns from the dead seeking revenge through a world of mafias, memories, and heavy weaponry.
Central figure: Brandon Heat / Beyond the Grave
Brandon is the embodiment of sacrifice. Reborn as an undead warrior of vengeance, he remains profoundly human. His loyalty to Harry—his friend turned nemesis—is at the heart of his tragedy. Even after betrayal, Brandon still loves. He speaks little, but his silences scream with grief. As Beyond the Grave, he becomes a stoic avenger whose bullets carry the weight of the past. He’s not just killing—he’s restoring a broken moral order.
6. Shigurui
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Author: Takayuki Yamaguchi
Published: 2003–2010 (Champion Red) / Panini
Volumes: 15 (complete)
Synopsis:
Two disfigured samurais face off in a deadly duel. A cold, brutal manga about honor, discipline, and madness.
Central figure: Fujiki Gennosuke
Fujiki is the embodiment of discipline pushed to the extreme. One-armed, stoic, and lethal, he represents feudal Japan’s unrelenting code of honor. He lives only for his final duel with Irako Seigen, his twisted mirror. His silence and composure hide not peace but unbearable self-control. He never yields—not to pain, not to absurdity, not to death. In his blank gaze, we see the full brutality of his time.
5. Berserk
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Author: Kentaro Miura
Published: 1989–2021 (Young Animal) / Glénat
Volumes: 41+ (ongoing, posthumous)
Synopsis:
In a medieval world ravaged by war, monsters, and betrayal, a lone warrior fights his fate. A brutal and deeply human dark fantasy masterpiece.
Central figure: Guts
Guts is one of the most powerful and complex characters in manga history. A cursed warrior and survivor of a cruel fate, he embodies raw will against a merciless world. Wielding the Dragon Slayer as both burden and purpose, he endures superhuman trials. But it’s his ability to love—despite everything—that makes him truly moving. His rage is not random; it was forged by betrayal, loss, and sacred violations. Guts is a lesson in resilience, a symbol of never surrendering to despair, even when hell is real.
4. Lone Wolf and Cub
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Authors: Kazuo Koike & Goseki Kojima
Published: 1970–1976 / Panini
Volumes: 28 (complete)
Synopsis:
In feudal Japan, a disgraced executioner turned rōnin roams the land with his young son. Vengeance, honor, and ruthless swordplay.
Central figure: Ogami Ittō
Ogami Ittō is a living blade. Once the Shōgun's executioner, now a wandering rōnin with his son Daigorō, his quest for revenge is surgical and emotionless. His parenting is harsh, training his child beside death. He is stoic, decisive, deadly—a man who acts as sword, judge, and father in one. In his silence lies a tension between tender fatherhood and merciless violence. He walks with cold purpose and unwavering precision.
3. Black Lagoon
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Author: Rei Hiroe
Published: 2002– / Kazé
Volumes: 12+ (ongoing)
Synopsis:
Piracy, mafia, smuggling, nonstop gunfights. Roanapur is a lawless modern jungle.
Central figure: Revy
Revy, known as "Two Hands", is a human explosion. Orphaned in New York’s slums, she's the result of systemic violence. She kills fast, drinks hard, curses louder—and still feels deeply. Her emotional vulnerability clashes with her brutal strength. Her bond with Rock reveals a fragile thread of hope. Revy is raw, volatile, magnetic. She’s proof that violence can also be a survival instinct.
2. Baki
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Author: Keisuke Itagaki
Published: 1991– / Meian
Volumes: 100+ (ongoing, multiple arcs)
Synopsis:
Extreme fights, absurd anatomy, testosterone on every page. A shōnen overdose—reimagined for adults.
Central figure: Yūjiro Hanma
Yūjiro is a monster in human form—the strongest creature alive. As Baki’s father, he’s the ultimate tyrant, a merciless force of domination. His creed: only the strong deserve life. He’s not a protector—he’s a conqueror. Exaggerated in every sense, Yūjiro is both fascinating and horrifying. His presence haunts every fighter, his legacy defines the series. He is power without restraint, without doubt, without empathy.
1. Vinland Saga
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Author: Makoto Yukimura
Published: 2005– / Kurokawa
Volumes: 27+ (ongoing)
Synopsis:
From a vengeful Viking boy to a man who renounces violence—this is a masterclass in redemption.
Central figure: Thorfinn
Thorfinn is a soul in constant transformation. A child blinded by revenge becomes a man pursuing peace. His initial violence is born of loss—his father murdered, his innocence stolen. But Thorfinn makes another choice, a slow and painful journey to break the cycle. His growth isn’t redemption—it’s an ethical battle against his own nature. He rises the day he refuses to remain a beast. He is the beating heart of a manga about war, peace, and freedom.
Keywords:
badass seinen, violent manga ranking, Guts, Ogami Ittō, Revy, Yūjiro Hanma, Thorfinn, Levius, Killy, Ken Kitano, Brandon Heat, Fujiki Gennosuke, dark manga, cult seinen
