After 20 years,Vinland Sagais set to finally end this upcoming July. The series has slowly evolved into an artistic and philosophical masterpiece, all of which reached its peak in its final arc, and while it’s bound to go down as a legend, its absence in the world of manga will be no less evident.
Vinland Saga’s incoming finaleis going to be a big one, but fans of the series shouldn’t feel too disappointed with its ending. The finale is bound to be as great a finale as a person could ask for, but beyond that,Vinland Saga’s artwork and writing style have plenty of overlap with other great manga, and as such,there are plenty of great manga a person could read afterVinland Saga’s finale. A few manga like that especially stand out, and even a single one of them would do wonders to fill the voidVinland Sagawill leave behind.
The Heroic Legend Of Arslan
Cast
The Heroic Legend of Arslan, released on August 08, 2025, follows the journey of Prince Arslan, the heir of the prosperous Pars Kingdom. As the nation faces an invasion by Lusitania, Arslan, accompanied by the formidable warrior Daryun, navigates the ensuing turmoil and battles to reclaim his homeland.
Yoshiki Tanaka and Hiromu Arakawa’sThe Heroic Legend of Arslanis an adaptation of the famous novel series of the same name. After three years of peace between the nations of Pars and Lusitania, Lusitania deals a major blow to Pars and imprisons their king, and it’s now up to the crown prince, Arslan, to work with new allies to defeat Lusitania and retake his kingdom.
Vinland Sagahas long since made a name for itself on how it balances thrilling war-based action with riveting character drama, and withArslanhitting all of those same beats from the start,The Heroic Legend of Arslanis a great series at capturing the basics ofVinland Saga’s appeal. Add in the great artwork from Hiromu Arakawa ofFullmetal Alchemistfame, andThe Heroic Legend of Arslanis a series that perfectly complementsVinland Saga.
Hiroaki Samura’sBlade of the Immortalstars Manji, a violentroninwhose actions resulted in the deaths of 100 samurai, including his sister’s husband. As punishment for his crimes, a spirit curses Manji with immortality by infecting him with Sacred Bloodworms, and to achieve atonement, Manji seeks to kill 1000 evildoers and put an end to his immortality.
Blade of the Immortal, much likeVinland Saga, is a story that demonizes senseless violence and has characters philosophize on the best ways to end conflict, and the fact that it also has gorgeous artwork to go along with it makes it even better.Blade of the Immortalcan be seen as a supernatural, Japanese-flavored take onVinland Saga’s story, and it’s easy to see why it’s been such an iconic manga for so many years, especially in the West.
Makoto Yukimura’sPlanetestakes place in the near-future where mankind has taken to mining materials on the moon for energy, causing an increase in dangerous space debris for those who would travel through space. Dealing with the space debris falls on the crew of theDS-12 Toy Box, and the story is focused largely on their daily lives and their own dreams for space travel.
As Makoto Yukimura’s debut story,Planetesdoesn’t have the same level of visual and narrative craft asVinland Saga, but even so,Planetesis still a gorgeous manga with a thrilling and engaging take on the hard sci-fi genre, and it’s been held in similarly high regard because of it. Everything great aboutVinland Sagahad its roots inPlanetes, and fans ofVinland Sagawould be remiss to pass it up.
Satoru Noda’sGolden Kamuystars Saichi Sugimoto, a veteran of the Russo-Japanese War who, while working as a panner, learns of a hidden cache of Ainu gold hidden somewhere in the country. The only map to the treasure has been tattooed across a group of prison escapees, and with help from Aspira, an Ainu girl and daughter of the man who uncovered the gold, Saichi decides to track them down and assemble the map to claim it for himself.
Just like howVinland Sagadoes a lot to portray 11th-century Europe in an informative and engaging way,Golden Kamuyhas a fun, yet informative portrayal of early 20th-century Japan and the Ainu culture, in general, the latter of which being especially underrepresented in Japanese media.Golden Kamuycan be seen as a more comedic take onVinland Saga’s story, and that’s nothing but a compliment.
620th Century Boys
Manga By Naoki Urasawa; Serialized In Big Comic Spirits 1999-2006
Naoki Urasawa’s20th Century Boysstars Kenji, a seemingly ordinary man lazily living through the 1990s who discovers that his friend’s recent suicide was connected to a cult run by the mysterious Friend. As Kenji and others investigate Friend, they discover not only a plan for world domination that spans decades, but that it has its roots in Kenji’s childhood fantasies, thus putting him at the center of the ever-escalating conflict.
Naoki Urasawa is a master of contemplative and engaging mystery stories, and sure enough,20th Century Boysis nothing short of a masterpiece for its thoughtful mystery writing and the gorgeous artwork used to convey it all. That combination of great writing and artwork has defined Urasawa for decades, and it’s a combination that allows this and other works of his to perfectly complementVinland Saga.
Attack on Titan
Hajime Isayama’sAttack on Titantakes place in a world where humanity has spent 100 years living behind massive walls in fear of man-eating monsters called Titans. One day, though, the Titans finally break through the walls and slaughter countless lives, including the mother of one Eren Yeager, and now Eren has taken it upon himself to destroy every Titan in the world, even if the truth behind everything slowly becomes more complicated than he could have imagined.
While the supernatural elements might be far removed fromVinland Saga’s appeal,Attack on Titanis still a story that made a name for itself with intense and gory action, only to then become a story that maturely discusses the merits of living in peace with others.Attack on Titan’s narrative has almost an identical growth toVinland Saga’s, and it’s easy to see why both are held in such high regard.
4JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: Steel Ball Run
Manga By Hirohiko Araki; Serialized In Weekly Shonen Jump 2004, Ultra Jump 2005-2011
JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: Steel Ball Runis the seventh installment in Hirohiko Araki’s iconicJoJo’s Bizarre Adventure. In 1890 America, the paraplegic Johnny Joestar joins the Steel Ball Run Race, a cross-country horseback race, in the hopes of getting the mysterious Gyro Zeppeli to teach him the power of the Spin and fix his legs, and their journey together ends up uncovering a massive conspiracy headed by the American government that puts the entire world in danger.
JoJohas always been an amazing manga for its stylish artwork, creative fight scenes, and gripping character drama, and sure enough,JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: Steel Ball Runis great because it takes everything great about the franchise’s art and writing to its peak. A story of its caliber perfectly complements the high quality ofVinland Saga’s production, and withSteel Ball Runfinally getting an anime, that’s bound to become even more apparent.
Yasuhisa Hara’sKingdomis a fictional account of the life of Li Xin, the general of the future legendary Chinese emperor Qin Shi Huang. Much like in real life, their relationship, alongside various other historical figures, paved the way for the end of China’s Warring States period and all of China being united under the Qin dynasty, one of the most important eras in the history of the nation.
Just likeVinland Saga,Kingdomis a historical epic that excels with its rich and vibrant take on historical events, all of which is depicted with gorgeous art that has only gotten better with age.Kingdomhas long since made a name for itself with the same sort of appeal asVinland Saga, and withVinland Sagacoming to an end, there’s no better time for someone to start reading it.
Berserk
Kentaro Miura’sBerserktells the story of Guts, a man who was forced to watch someone he once revered kill all of their friends and rape the woman he loves to join the demonic God Hand. Now, wielding a giant sword akin to a hunk of iron, Guts hunts down the God Hand and their Apostles to get his revenge, all while the world slowly becomes twisted by the God Hand’s various plots.
Berserkmight be a strictly dark fantasy in contrast toVinland Saga’s historical fiction, but between the gorgeous art and how much Guts and other characters philosophize on the merits of revenge and life, as a whole,Berserk’s incredible artwork and writing have given it undeniable synergy withVinland Sagafor decades. The two stories are often regarded as some of thebestseinenmanga a person can read, and overall, it’s easy to see why.
1Vagabond
Manga Created By Takehiko Inoue; Serialized In Morning Since 1998
Takehiko Inoue’sVagabondis a fictionalized account of the life of Musashi Miyamoto, the man often regarded as the greatest swordsman in the history of Japan, if not the world.Vagabondchronicles Musashi’s growth from a cocky man wanting to prove himself at all costs into a wise and contemplative figure always seeking the meaning of strength on a philosophical level, all of which is paired with the growth of various other characters, most notably Musashi’s destined rival Sasaki Kojiro.
Vagabondis often grouped withBerserkandVinland Sagaas the quintessentialseinenmanga, and it more than deserves that reputation, asVagabondis another manga that excels through gorgeously detailed artwork and its thoughtful discussions of life and humanity. It’s a manga that’s often considered one ofthe greatest manga of all time, and there’s no better choice for amanga to read afterVinland Saga’s finale.
