5 Seinen Manga To Catch Up On Before They End

For older audiences who seek a more mature story and protagonist to identify with, the realm of seinen manga is where they may find titles that pique their interest. Considering the more nuanced themes explored in the genre, it is no surprise that some of the most highly-acclaimed titles in anime and manga history, such as Kentaro Miura’s Berserk, Takehiko Inoue’s Vagabond, Makoto Yukimura’s Vinland Saga, Naoki Urasawa’s Monster, and Yasuhisa Hara’s Kingdom, belong to the seinen category.

Quite a few major seinen titles have seen out the conclusion of their stories in recent years, bringing a cathartic sense of closure to the journeys of their protagonists and the larger worlds they inhabit. While many major manga in this category are prone to frequent hiatuses due to the sheer strain experienced by their creators in putting together stories of such immense caliber, others rush towards their finales at breakneck pace. With this in mind, here are some exemplary seinen manga to catch up on before they end.

5 Space Brothers

Entered Its Final Arc After Nearly 17 Years of Publication

Having been around the block for quite some time now, this slice-of-life series combines its character writing with realistic sci-fi elements and a dose of humor, narrating the tale of two siblings and their shared childhood ambitions of becoming astronauts. Chuya Koyama’s Space Brothers has been going strong for quite some time now, and it even received an anime adaptation of its own from A-1 Pictures, running for 99 episodes from 2012 to 2014.

While there have been a number of statements regarding the impending completion of the manga, it has continued to be serialized in Kodansha’s Morning magazine. Now in its 43rd volume, the series has attained considerable acclaim since it began publication. As the ending is expected to come sooner than later in the next few years, it may be the ideal time to get into this grounded depiction of what it takes to explore humanity’s final frontier.

4 Land Of The Lustrous

The Post-Apocalyptic Fantasy Series Is Approaching Completion

Haruko Ichikawa’s post-apocalyptic fantasy series takes place in a distant future where the Earth has been ravaged by meteorites, which wiped out nearly all sentient life, leaving only a single landmass surrounded by a massive sea. A new dominant race emerged, consisting of immortal jewels who resemble humans, known as the Lustrous, engaged in conflict with the Lunarians, a race of moon-dwellers who desire to exploit the Lustrous and harvest them for use as weapons and ornaments.

The story of Land of the Lustrous follows Phosphophyllite or “Phos,” who is the weakest jewel. As Phos has most of their body parts replaced over time after engaging in battle, their personality and perspective changes, as a consequence of the Lustrous’ memories being tied to the gemstone that constitutes their bodies. Despite there being no confirmation about the exact end date or number of chapters left till the story reaches its conclusion, it is expected that the series is gradually drawing to a close, after a few breaks in publication.

3 My Home Hero

Tetsuo Tosu’s Story Is In Its Third And Final Part

A dark tale revolving around a father who will stop at nothing to protect his family, My Home Herostands out in the crime thriller genre, for its portrayal of how ordinary people can be pushed to extremes in difficult circumstances. Written by Naoki Yamakawa and illustrated by Masashi Asaki, the series has been releasing in Kodansha’s Weekly Young Magazine for almost seven years.

Split into three parts, with the third and final segment now in publication, My Home Hero has seen its protagonist, a 47-year-old salaryman with a family, weather some incredibly harsh storms. It has also garnered much praise for its mature themes as well as its grounded and thrilling story. Despite the occasional breaks in its publication, there might not be too many chapters remaining for the manga to reach a definitive end, so now is as good a time as any to dive into the series’ grim and gritty world.

2 Vinland Saga

Thorfinn’s Journey Is Nearing Its End

The success of Vinland Saga’sincredible anime adaptation has catapulted it to entirely new levels of fame and renown, with MAPPA Studio’s work on Season 2 in 2023 continuing, and at times, even surpassing WIT Studio’s efforts with Season 1 in 2019. Simultaneously, Makoto Yukimura’s manga is now within touching distance of its finale, with the story well into the final Vinland Arc, which represents the concluding chapter of the original Icelandic text upon which it is based.

Depending on how faithful Yukimura remains to historical records, the manga may take a few years at most to definitively reach its end. Hence, there may be an ideal amount of time for newcomers to sink their teeth into this masterful work of historical fiction, which explores Thorfinn’s struggles in atoning for his violent past in order to build a world free from the tragedy of war while slowly grasping what it means to be a “true warrior.”

1 Berserk

Kentaro Miura’s Masterpiece May Finally Gain Closure

As one of the most influential manga titles in the dark fantasy genre, Kentaro Miura’s Berserk is a series that needs no introduction. The gripping tale of the Black Swordsman Guts, and his struggles to protect those he loves while fighting his own demons, is a rare title worthy of the near universal praise it has received for its story, character writing, and awe-inspiring artwork. Running for well over three decades now, the series has seen many lulls and extended hiatuses in its publication over the years.

Unfortunately, the sudden passing of its creator Kentaro Miura led to some uncertainty regarding the manga’s future, with fears of the series never reaching any sort of conclusion. However, Studio Gaga — the manga production house founded by Miura — and his close friend, mangaka Kouji Mori, have begun sporadically releasing chapters in the time since. At the current pace, it may still take five or more years for Berserk to get anywhere near being complete, even with Studio Gaga and Mori covering only the essence of Miura’s notes. However, considering that over 350 chapters have been released with more on the way, this may leave just enough time for new entrants to savor the series properly before it gets an ending of some sort.