10 best manga to read if you like Attack on Titan

With its exciting storyline, complex characters, and terrifying titans, Attack on Titan has become one of the most popular anime and manga series of the past decade. Fans are captivated by a post-apocalyptic world where humanity hides behind walls from man-eating Titans.

As the main protagonist, Eren Yeager joins the military's Scout Regiment to confront the Titan threat and reclaim the outer world, he and his allies uncover mysteries behind the Titans' origins, their own government's secrets, and the very nature of their walled-in reality that will change everything.

Fans seeking dark, action-packed manga with themes of humanity vs. monsters, moral dilemmas, and trauma will find many great series. Ranging from sci-fi thrillers to dark medieval fantasy epics, here are 10 of the best manga to pick up if you're a fan of Attack on Titan.

Disclaimer: The opinions expressed are solely those of the author.

10 must-read manga for fans of Attack on Titan

1. Claymore

Claymore by Norihiro Yagi (Image via Shueisha)

In an alternate medieval world, creatures called Yoma disguise themselves as humans while secretly feeding on human flesh. To combat the spread of Yoma, a mysterious group creates an army of half-human, half-Yoma hybrid warriors called Claymores, named after their trademark greatswords.

These warriors gain superhuman strength and regeneration to hunt the Yoma, but struggle against a darkness growing within them that threatens their precarious human side. Driven by duty and revenge, the Claymore warriors walk a tightrope between their hatred of Yoma and dread of what they may become.

Like the Survey Corps facing the towering Titans, Claymore's sword-wielding warriors battle to protect hapless humans from biologically enhanced monsters with mysterious origins and eerie, familiar intelligence just below the surface.

2. Berserk

Berserk by Kentaro Miura (Image via Hakusensha)

The dark medieval world of Berserk overflows with cruelty, violence, and a pervading sense of supernatural doom. It's a grim story that follows Guts, a lone wandering swordsman marked with a brand that draws nightmarish creatures to him.

Once a respected captain in a famous mercenary band, Guts is now defined by the loss of his comrades, humanity, and sense of purpose after a traumatic event that shattered his reality. Armed with his massive sword, Guts slays Apostles, corrupt clergy, and former allies in his bloody quest for vengeance.

Berserk's intense action, morally gray characters, and ever-present horrors make it a perfect match for Attack on Titan fans. Both series also feature seemingly hopeless wars against overwhelmingly powerful, human-devouring creatures plaguing their medieval European-esque worlds.

3. Seraph of the End

Seraph of the End by Takaya Kagami, Daisuke Furuya, and Yamato Yamamoto (Image via Shueisha)

In a post-apocalyptic world, humanity teeters on the brink of extinction after a mysterious virus kills off everyone over the age of 13, leaving only children alive. Vampires seize control in heavily guarded cities where human blood is farmed to sustain them.

After escaping this horrific fate, hot-headed teenager Yuichiro joins the Japanese Imperial Demon Army to exterminate vampires and take back the world for humankind. But behind the vengeance that drives him lies buried trauma from his tragic past.

Seraph of the End focuses on skilled teams working to eradicate vampire overlords who treat them like prey. It also features dark military fantasy action, apocalyptic stakes, and complex characters haunted by inner demons that fuel their motivations in ways sure to appeal to Attack on Titan fans.

4. Gantz

Gantz by Hiroya Oku (Image via Shueisha)

The last thing Kei remembers is getting hit by a subway train while trying to rescue a drunk homeless man from the tracks. He then awakens in an apartment filled with other newly revived people and must fight in gruesome alien battles as part of the "game" run by the mysterious black sphere named "Gantz."

While it leans more heavily into science fiction, Gantz matches Attack on Titan's intensity and unrelenting cruelty as it forces characters to fight for their lives with no warning. Secret alien horrors, inner battles, and the mystery of Gantz mirror key elements of Attack on Titan.

5. Ajin: Demi-Human

Ajin: Demi-Human by Gamon Sakurai (Image via Kodansha)

When a high school student discovers he is an "Ajin," a rare immortal humanoid. He becomes a hunted fugitive and must fight to survive those trying to capture him for scientific research.

Though rare, more Ajins start appearing around the world, and society grows increasingly hostile toward them. If Attack on Titan's moral ambiguity and Titan biology research intrigued you, Ajin's sci-fi thriller elements explore similar ethical questions around the treatment of a newly discovered humanoid species.

The government agencies ruthlessly hunting the story's protagonists also mirror the hidden conspiracies and corrupt factions within the government of Attack on Titan.

6. Blame!

Blame! by Tsutomu Nihei (Image via Kodansha)

In a dystopian future, Killy traverses vast technological labyrinths whose Safeguard forces aim to exterminate humans straying inside. As Killy searches for a human presence surviving in isolation, he gradually uncovers signs that the A.I. netropolis around him may be a living, expanding organism.

Blame! has a post-apocalyptic flavor similar to Attack on Titan's world, though with a much more minimalist style. The seemingly infinite towers Killy explores resemble the multi-walled cities confining humanity in Attack on Titan, though on a more physics-defying scale.

Both series also share the gradual mystery reveals about their world and massive threats to humanity's existence through the limited viewpoints of their wandering warriors.

7. Knights of Sidonia

Knights of Sidonia by Tsutomu Nihei (Image via Kodansha)

A galactic refugee ship traveling through deep space after Earth's destruction must fend off an alien race called the Gauna that is pursuing them to eradicate humankind.

Using mecha suits piloted by genetically modified humans capable of photosynthesis, they must fight against the shape-shifting Gauna's massive, horrific manifestations with all their might. Knights of Sidonia takes Attack on Titan's post-apocalyptic tone into deep space along with its gritty mecha action.

Both series grapple with genetically modified protagonists created in hopes of saving their people from extinction by merciless alien beings. The lost past and uncertain future of humanity in both stories leave readers perpetually awaiting answers about human and alien origins.

8. Made in Abyss

Made in Abyss by Akihito Tsukushi (Image via Takeshobo)

In a fantastical world built around a massive vertical chasm called the Abyss, filled with ancient relics and strange creatures, orphan Riko dreams of following in her explorer mother's footsteps.

She leaves her orphanage town at the island's edge to search the Abyss' depths for her mother, joined by Reg, a mysterious artifact from the Abyss whose true nature remains unclear. Made in Abyss combines combat and exploration with childlike innocence contrasted against dark Abyssal horrors.

Like Eren and Mikasa, Riko and Reg form an endearing bond while overcoming the nightmarish entities hidden beneath the island's surface and within the unfathomable Abyss below.

9. The Promised Neverland

The Promised Neverland by Kaiu Shirai and Posuka Demizu (Image via Shueisha)

A group of orphans living happily in an isolated compound has their world shattered when they discover they are being raised solely as food for demons.

Risking a nightmarish fate, the children led by Emma, Norman, and Ray aim to escape the confines of their walled-in world to save themselves and their fellow orphans. The Promised Neverland also centers around children having a horrifying truth revealed about their walled-off reality in a dark fantasy world.

While less action-oriented than Attack on Titan, its heavy atmosphere, mind games, and life-or-death stakes carry a strong sense of suspense and dread highly reminiscent of Attack on Titan.

10. Tokyo Ghoul

Tokyo Ghoul by Sui Ishida (Image via Shueisha)

After surviving an accident that results in organs from a ghoul being transplanted into him, college student Ken Kaneki finds himself transformed into a half-ghoul. Ghouls are predatory beings that can only eat human flesh.

Forced to abandon his human life, he enters the hidden world of ghouls as he struggles with his lost humanity and evolving, dangerous new appetites. Like Eren grappling with his Titan powers in Attack on Titan, Tokyo Ghoul explores its protagonist's lost humanity and transformation into the monster he once feared.

Gritty urban fantasy flavor paired with body horror around the lead character's gradual embodiment of the thing he once hated makes Tokyo Ghoul a solid choice for Attack on Titan fans.

Conclusion

Whether you enjoy Attack on Titan for its thematic complexity, exhilarating action, or general sense of doom and gloom, all 10 series capture those qualities in creative, genre-blending ways.

From Claymore's fierce warriors to Berserk's merciless dark fantasy to The Promised Neverland's nightmarish twists on childhood innocence, there's something sure to appeal to any Attack on Titan fan. So pick your poison and dive headfirst into humanity's struggle against its terrifying adversaries.