Top 5 Mangakas

TV & Film

Feb 28

Image Source: *Dragon Ball* Official Site

As anime continues to boom in popularity here in the U.S. and across the world, it is important to take a second to acknowledge the incredible mangakas that made them possible. A mangaka is a person who both writes and illustrates a manga stand-alone or series.

There are so many incredibly talented mangakas, but I decided to create a list of just my top five. These are the mangakas that perfectly blended narrative and illustrations in a way that many other mangakas could not.

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5. Akira Toriyama- Best known for Dragon Ball franchise

There is no denying the fact that Akira Toriyama is one of the most influential mangakas of all time. Most mangakas list Toriyama as one of their biggest inspirations, and for many, he is why they became a mangaka in the first place. He perfectly blended comedy, emotion, and action into both his narratives and illustrations.

He not only created the Dragon Ball franchise, but he also did some of the artwork for the multiple Dragon Ball videogames and came up with the Dragon Ball logo that Toei Animation went on to perfect and attach to one of the most successful anime of all time. The world lost an incredible legend when he passed away in 2024.

The Dragon Ball franchise and most of the films are available to stream on Crunchyroll, and you can read the manga on viz.com.

4. Makoto Yukimura- Best known for Vinland Saga

Vinland Saga is one of the most underrated anime I have seen in a long time, and the manga is no different. Makoto Yukimura found a way to blend incredibly violent fights with the softest and most vulnerable moments possible.

His narrative is better than many novels that I have read, and his illustrations are works of art. His focus on the eyes of his characters helps the reader to not only understand the emotion in the scene but also to feel it.

Vinland Saga is available to stream on Crunchyroll and Netflix.

3. Atsushi Ohkubo- Best known for Fire Force and Soul Eater

Fire Force was one of the best anime to come out of 2019, and it was the show's unique style that made it so great. Atsushi Ohkubo has one of the most interesting and unique illustration styles I have ever seen in a manga or anime. Some of his character designs look like your typical manga character while others look almost like a caricature of a monster blended with a human. The narrative is just as unique because he blends dark humor with heartwarming moments that leave both the audience and other characters curious how to respond. Ohkubo’s earlier work, Soul Eater, was also hugely popular thanks to its whimsical but dark illustration style and unique narrative.

Fire Force and Soul Eater are both available to stream on Crunchyroll, and you can read the Fire Force manga on Kodansha’s manga app, K Manga.

2. Tatsuya Endo- Best known for Spy x Family

Spy x Family is the only manga on this list that brings in the slice-of-life genre and that is thanks to the expertly crafted narrative and illustrations. Tatsuya Endo brought together shoujo (meant for female audiences) and shōnen (meant for male audiences) anime together to create something truly one of a kind.

The narrative perfectly blends together action and espionage with humor and family into a story that keeps you wondering how Yor and Lloyd can keep their secrets hidden. Endo’s illustrations are just as unique as his narrative style as he takes on the typical style of shoujo characters and then mixes it with some of the best fight scenes ever illustrated onto a manga page. This is definitely a rare manga that will make every reader happy.

Spy x Family is available to stream on Crunchyroll and Disney+ with a Hulu subscription, and you can read the manga on viz.com.

1. Naoya Matsumoto- Best known for Kaiju No. 8

The only part of this list that I didn’t struggle to put together was the number one spot. In my opinion, Naoya Matsumoto is the best mangaka ever. His illustrations could be printed out and hung in a museum, and no one would ask any questions. This is especially true when we get the rare colored illustrations in the manga. I’m not sure how to put into words just how incredible these illustrations are.

Matsumoto’s narrative is just as impressive as his illustrations though! He has found the perfect balance between dark and light which is something that no other manga has been able to do. This series is DARK, but you don’t feel depressed or overwhelmed because in every scene there is a little bit of light added in to remind you that there is always hope. He also gave us one of the best main characters in all of manga with Kafka Hibino. If you thought Goku was selfless, you haven’t seen anything yet!

Kaiju No. 8 is available to stream on Crunchyroll, and you can read the manga on viz.com.

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