10 Books/Manga Like Magi: The Labyrinth of Magic
Magi: The Labyrinth of Magic is an action-packed fantasy manga. It was written and illustrated by Shinobu Ohtaka for Shogakugan’s shonen manga magazine Weekly Shonen Sunday. It follows Alibaba Aluja and his magician friend Aladdin exploring multiple kingdoms and dungeons to find luxurious treasures and establish peace in places that need them. The manga’s known for having great comedy, fun characters, excellent world-building, and fabulous artwork.
If you’re in the mood for more action-packed fantasy books/manga that offers a similar vibe, fear not! We’ve gathered together 10 books/manga to check out when you’ve caught up with Magi. Of course, if you feel we’ve missed any of your favorites, do comment below and let us know!
Fullmetal Alchemist – Hiromu Arakawa
Similarities – Adventure, Action, Themes
Fullmetal Alchemist is a cherished Shonen Jump title. It follows two brothers named Edward and Alphonse Elric. They embark on a quest to search for the Philosopher’s Stone to return their bodies to normal. After tampering with alchemy to resurrect their mother, Edward lost limbs while Alphonse lost his human figure. His soul is trapped in a suit of armor.
Like Magi: The Labyrinth of Magic, Fullmetal Alchemist is emotional, adventurous, and contains enough action to get readers pumped. Both worlds harbor enough mystery, unpredictability, and danger for our characters. The enemies our characters encounter in Fullmetal Alchemist differ in power, ideology, and appearance.
Magi and Fullmetal Alchemist also have stellar magic systems and political themes. Where Magi comments on war and the balance of power, Fullmetal Alchemist critiques its government and social hierarchy. Themes like social injustice and human nature are often discussed throughout the work to make things feel more complex and relatable for most readers. If you’re searching for another work that offers a stellar adventure between close protagonists, check out Fullmetal Alchemist.
Hunter X Hunter – Yoshihiro Togashi
Similarities – Adventure & Action
Hunter X Hunter is a popular shonen manga by Yoshihiro Togashi. It contains several emotional and action-packed story arcs, a great ensemble of memorable and developed characters, and a strong sense of adventure. It revolves around Gon Freecss, a young boy who wants to leave his home to become a professional hunter.
What motivates Gon to go through with this endeavor is his absentee father, Ging Freecss. Ging hasn’t seen Gon since he was younger, so by becoming a hunter, Gon vows to understand why his father left. The road to becoming one won’t be a simple task, though. Gon must leap over many hurdles and challenge multiple enemies to prove he’s capable of becoming a hunter.
Like Alibaba, Gon will befriend many people with diverse skills, backgrounds, and personalities. Both stories carry slow pacing at times to allow their authors to delve deep into their story’s rich lore. Hunter X Hunter offers a complex fighting system while Magi offers a deeper world with kingdoms that adopt complex hierarchal and economic structures. Be warned that Hunter X Hunter can get extremely dialogue heavy over time. If you’re okay with that then I recommend giving this manga a shot.
One Piece – Eichiro Oda
Similarities – Adventure, Action, Fantasy
If Magi: The Labyrinth of Magic’s Arabian Nights-themed storytelling interests you, you’ll love One Piece’s pirate themes. This story is jam-packed with impressive world-building, great emotional storytelling, and well-drawn action segments. In it, we follow a young pirate named Monkey D. Luffy. He befriends numerous crewmates and sets sail for the Grand Line.
Luffy’s goal is to become the Pirate King. To do so, he must find the current Pirate King, Gol D. Roger’s infamous treasure called the One Piece. However, Luffy’s not the only pirate who’s after this. He’ll encounter several enemies ranging from navy troops to powerful pirates who are after Gol D. Roger’s crown as well. Like Magi: The Labyrinth of Magic, One Piece’s main cast isn’t evil people.
While some of Luffy’s crewmates harbor selfish desires, none of them are mean-spirited. There will come a point when Luffy and his crew won’t see eye to eye, but they always manage to talk things out through words or their fists. Luffy and his friends always leave an impact on everyone they meet along the way. Like Alibaba and Aladdin, they’ll travel to numerous places with different issues, government structures, and civilizations. If any of this sounds fancy to you, by all means, give One Piece a read.
Altair: A Record of Battles – Kotono Katou
Similarities – Fantasy & Action
Altair: A Record of Battles is an award-winning fantasy manga with great characters, powerful drama, and intricate storytelling. It takes place in a militaristic fantasy setting where two empires clash due to an imperial minister’s assassination. As the generals from one empire cry for war, our protagonist Mahmut learns the truth behind the assassination.
Mahmut plunges into a battle for peace and trusts to safeguard his country’s interest in war from various nations. Mahmut and the other characters in this series receive significant development and have complex personalities that’ll satisfy fans. Although both series feature some semblance of magic, Altair’s cast relies heavily on militaristic strategies, battles, and alliances to push through obstacles.
Magi and Altair have well-designed stories. Each world offers great character, world, and architecture that fits with each story’s themes. Altair excels at sharing a story with rich character development and beautiful locales to immerse readers in the experience. Give it a read if you loved Magi’s characters and glorious artwork.
Soul Eater – Atsushi Ookubo
Similarities – Comedy, Action, Themes
Soul Eater is a colorful supernatural manga that was popular among fans in the late 2000s. It offers a unique art style, a varied cast, and well-executed humor. It follows a group of students who complete countless missions with their weapon-changing companions. Their goal is to maintain order in their city and thwart multiple enemies who’d wish to harm it.
Soul Eater and Magi offer captivating narratives, excellent character development, and mesmerizing artwork. Both stories offer large casts who receive excellent backstories, personalities, and skills to make them feel memorable to readers. The main cast for both works grows significantly over time as the authors place numerous obstacles in their way to help with that.
Both authors implement themes like personal growth, friendship, and teamwork. Soul Eater’s art style closely resembles a western comic with its bold black lines and exaggerated character expressions. If you’re searching for a manga that captures Magi’s relatable themes but implements them in a comical world, check out Soul Eater.
Seven Deadly Sins – Nakaba Suzuki
Similarities – Adventure, Fantasy, Action
Despite having a lackluster anime adaption, the Seven Deadly Sins manga maintains consistent quality. It offers a nice mix of comedy and action and focuses on our characters exploring a rich fantasy setting. The story offers some decent twists that will keep people engaged and some mysteries to encourage fans to speculate. The humor can be a mixed bag, though.
While there are some funny jokes, many people may not like the manga’s sensual humor. Although Meliodas is a noble warrior, he can come across as overly perverted and crude. However, if you’re looking for a manga with nice world-building, fun characters, and fabulous fights then you’re in for a treat with this one.
The story’s set in a world filled with injustice. The once heroic Holy Knights of Britannia have captured the King of Liones and have declared themselves the new rulers of the land. This encourages the king’s daughter Elizabeth to set out on a journey to find the Seven Deadly Sins. Fortunately, she meets their leader Meliodas. After explaining the situation to Meliodas, Elizabeth travels with him and his pig companion Hawk to locate the remaining Sins to save Britannia from the Holy Knights.
The Promised Neverland – Kaiu Shirai
Similarities – Characters & Adventure
The Promised Neverland is a psychological thriller series with great tactical combat, enjoyable characters, and a mysterious world. There are many mysteries and secrets to discover in this world and fans will adore receiving bits of intel from it as they progress through the narrative. The Promised Neverland feels more suspenseful than Magi: The Labyrinth of Magic.
Furthermore, the human characters feel more grounded than Alibaba, Aladdin, and the others in Magi. They don’t harbor any superpowers or fine weaponry to fight planetary-level threats. They must rely on their human instincts and realistic weaponry to put their monstrous enemies in their place. You’ll be shocked at how intelligent Emma and her friends are despite their young age.
The locales are well-detailed and evoke strong fantasy vibes like Magi. From vast forested landscapes to barren towns, you’ll adore the variety of locations inserted into The Promised Neverland. Give this manga a read if you want something with more tactical combat and brilliant characters.
Slayers – Hajime Kanzaka
Similarities – Adventure, Comedy, Action
Slayers is a light novel series. Therefore, don’t expect to find much artwork like in Magi. It contains slight character portraits but nothing too substantial. Where it lacks in presentation, it makes up for its rich story with a lovely fantasy setting, great action, and amusing characters. In a strange way, Slayers feels like a parody of RPGs and fantasy-themed adventures.
Unlike most tales where our characters embark on quests to slay a beast, our protagonists Lina and Gourry would rather eat first and battle later. It’s a hilarious take on the genre and makes Slayers feel refreshing. Despite being goofballs, Lina, Gourry, and their other companions have established goals and distinct personalities that many people will cherish.
For instance, despite being a lackadaisical damsel, Lina’s an incredibly powerful sorceress capable of wielding planetary-level magic. This contrasts well with someone like Amilia who wants to fight for justice but doesn’t have the sheer power and strength Lina has. It’s their differences that make them an interesting group of heroes to follow. For those who adored the chemistry between Alibaba and Aladdin, you’ll enjoy the wacky adventures Slayers’s cast embarks on.
Yona of the Dawn – Mizuho Kusanagi
Similarities – Fantasy, Adventure, Action
Yona of the Dawn is one of those mangas that benefitted from receiving an anime adaptation. The anime helped the series get more people onto the manga. The manga is fantastic and one you shouldn’t skip out on, especially if you enjoyed the anime. It offers astonishing artwork, incredible characters, and a rich plot.
Yona and Aladdin embark on journeys that will help them discover their latent potential. They start off their respective tales as naive and slightly helpless individuals but learn to harness their abilities to become strong warriors. Both series creators know how to write competent and enjoyable female leads, too.
Magi’s Morgiana and Yona of the Dawn’s Yona play a critical role in developing the plot and supporting the main cast when they need assistance. The settings are vastly different. Where Magi feels inspired by the Arabian Nights, Yona of the Dawn feels inspired by East Asia folklore. Furthermore, Yona of the Dawn has themes of power struggles, revenge, and betrayal. These all factor into a story full of significant twists and well-developed characters.
Tsubasa: RESERVoir CHRoNiCLE – CLAMP
Similarities – Adventure
Tsubasa: RESERVoir CHRoNiCLE feels like a spiritual sequel to Cardcaptor Sakura. It doubles down on its drama, action, and adventure elements. Like Magi, it has our characters utilizing magic to defeat foes and escape treacherous situations. The story centers around an older Syaoran and Sakura. In this universe, Sakura is the princess of the Clow Kingdom.
She has a great relationship with Syaoran, too. One day, an evil being harmed Sakura, causing her memories to scatter across multiple dimensions. This encourages Syaoran to embark on a quest with a few other companions to secure Sakura’s memories. While this manga contains some cutesy artwork, the action panels feel more dynamic to elevate Tsubasa’s darker aspects.
Like Magi’s various kingdoms, Tsubasa’s worlds vary regarding rules, science, and functionalities that Syaoran and his friends must adapt to. This helps the manga feel more expansive and deep. The characters also experience harsh internal and external conflicts that will push them to their breaking point.
So there we have it, our 10 books/manga to read after you’re caught up with Magi: The Labyrinth of Magic.
What do you think of our picks? Do you agree? Are there any notable omissions? Let us know in the comments below!