20th Century Boys is a sci-fi mystery manga written by the acclaimed Naoki Urasawa. When a group of old friends realize that mysterious cult figure is trying to destroy the world using plans based on ideas they came up with as kids, they must work together to find out who exactly is behind this plot.
20th Century Boys is a unique story full of intrigue and thrilling circumstances. While it never got an anime adaptation, it did get three live-action movie adaptations. The series has been finished for more than a decade, but here are some series that will give fans a similar sense of enjoyment.
8 No. 5
In a world that has been turned into mostly desert, the Rainbow Council keeps the peace with their super-powered guardians. No. 5, the Rainbow Council's top marksman, goes rogue one day, and they are forced to send the other guardians to retrieve him. But why did No. 5 run away in the first place?
No. 5 is a manga created by Taiyo Matsumoto, the creator of Tekkonkinkreet and Ping Pong. It features Matsumoto's idiosyncratic art style as well as an abstract and bizarre story that is filled with strange imagery. Fans of dystopian fiction will enjoy this science fiction series.
7 Blast Of Tempest
After Aika Fuwa and her parents die under mysterious circumstances, her older brother Mahiro swears to uncover her killer. Joined by Aika's boyfriend Yoshino Takigawa, Mahiro meets with a sorceress named Hakaze Kusaribe, who offers to help find Aika's killer in exchange for their help in stopping her clan from awakening a mysterious force called the Tree of Exodus.
Blast of Tempest is a supernatural mystery series with a lot of fantastical elements in its setting. Its themes and plot threads are based on elements from Shakespearean plays and literature, and its story has a lot of twists and turns.
6 No. 6
In a futuristic caste-based city simply called "No. 6", a young boy named Shion saves and cares for a young fugitive named Nezumi. As punishment, he and his mother are stripped of their ranking and forced to live in the lower levels of the city. One day, he is reunited with Nezumi when he is framed for murder. As Shion and Nezumi run from authorities, Shion begins to learn what the city he has lived in for years is really like.
No. 6 is another dystopian manga that focuses more on corruption and the brutality of the city of No. 6. The relationship between Shion and Nezumi is also an important part of this particular series.
5 Please Save My Earth
Alice Sakaguchi keeps having strange dreams about alien scientists living on the moon observing the Earth. While she initially believes these are only dreams, when she meets people who have the same dreams, she realizes there may be more to it than that. The group soon realize that these are dreams of their past lives, and that fact begins to affect their daily life as the past begins to influence their present and future.
Please Save My Earth is a supernatural mystery series that involves aliens and past lives. While the mystery is very compelling, the relationship between the main characters are also very important to the story.
4 The Promised Neverland
Emma and her friends are orphans living at Grace Field House, where they live happy lives under the care of their caretaker Isabella. The children believe they are living in paradise, but one day they realize that the children that are adopted from the orphanage are instead eaten by demons, who are raising them specifically as feed.
The Promised Neverland is a dark fantasy story full of suspense and thrills. Emma and the orphans' desperate struggle for survival is full of excitement, and every turn there is another terror the group must face. While the anime is known to be disappointing, the manga is much more well-executed.
3 Pluto
Robot detective Gesicht is investigating a bizarre string of deaths, which target the seven greatest robots in the world. As human deaths are added into the mix, the case becomes more bizarre as it turns out that the killer might be a robot himself.
Another work by Naoki Urasawa, this manga is based on a story arc from the legendary Astro Boy series from the godfather of manga Osamu Tezuka. Despite this, Pluto features many of the intrigue, character drama, and thrilling suspense that Urasawa is known for. This series is a must-read for any fan of Naoki Urasawa's works.
2 Erased
Satoru Fujinuma possesses the power to travel back in time right before a fatal accident occurs, allowing him to save people from their death. One day, Satoru returns home to find his mother murdered, and is immediately sent back in time all the way to his childhood, during a time when a dangerous kidnapping was occurring.
Erased is a very distinctive mystery series that includes elements of the supernatural. The mystery is very compelling, and the storyline goes in ways that the reader might not expect. Although the story is rather short, it is suspenseful and thrilling all the way.
1 Monster
Kenzo Tenma is a young yet prodigious brain surgeon, and his life seems to be on the track for greatness. Then, when he chooses to save a young boy's life over a mayor's, it all comes tumbling down. Years later, he learns that the boy he saved that night has grown up to be a cold-hearted killer.
Monster is one of Naoki Urasawa's most famous works, and is commonly known as one of the greatest manga of all time. Its mix of intrigue, suspense, and character drama makes it one of the most compelling mystery manga in the entire genre.