10 Books/Manga Like The Promised Neverland
The Promised Neverland is a fun psychological thriller manga that caught many by surprise. It was drawn by Posuka Demizu and written by Kaiu Shirai. It’s about a group of orphan children who discover the dark truth behind their habitat. To flee, they must outwit their caretaker Isabella who isn’t willing to let them beat her easily. This series is best known for its well-written characters, gripping plot, and mind-numbing twists and turns.
If you’re in the mood for more horror and thriller 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 The Promised Neverland. Of course, if you feel we’ve missed any of your favorites, do comment below and let us know!
Death Note – Tsugumi Oba
Similarities – Psychological Thriller
When The Promised Neverland was first released many compared it to Death Note. Death Note has intelligent characters, a thrilling narrative, and strong twists that will continue to pull people into it. It revolves around a smart high schooler named Light. One day, Light stumbles upon a dark notebook called the Death Note.
By writing a person’s name and the cause of death in it, you can kill them. Considering Light hates criminals, he takes it upon himself to murder numerous perpetrators under the moniker Kira. Eventually, Kira earns praise from everyone and some go as far as to call him a hero. Despite receiving immense praise, Light gets challenged by a detective prodigy named L, who wants to bring him to justice.
Feeling challenged, Light plans to do everything in his power to stop L before he ruins everything he’s done. The battles between L and Light are spectacles to behold. You’ll get goosebumps from the clever ways each character triumphs over the other. The manga also features some supernatural entities like The Promised Neverland. However, it’s Death Note’s psychological content that will get you pumped to read it. Give it a shot if you haven’t read this classic yet.
Attack On Titan – Hajime Isayama
Similarities – Dark Worlds, Action, Psychological
Hajime Isayama owes Wit Studio and Studio Mappa major thanks for helping his work get as popular as it is today. The Attack On Titan anime played a major role in helping anime become more favorable to a mainstream audience. With its gruesome world, horrifying beasts, and clever plot and cast, the source material is just as spectacular as the anime adaptations.
In Attack On Titan, we follow Eren Jaegar. He’s a boy who grew up in an isolated society surrounded by large walls. These walls prevent the Titans from getting inside. These are large humanoid monsters who lack thought and crave human flesh. One day, a Colossal Titan opens a pathway to Eren’s civilization, allowing his Titan companions to rush in and kill everyone.
Eren manages to escape with his friends and several others. Infuriated, Eren vows to join the Survey Corps in hopes that he’ll become strong enough to wipe out every Titan on his planet. Attack On Titan starts off feeling action-centric at first, but becomes a deep and complex work once our characters reach their adult years. The story remains mysterious throughout, though. If you crave a series with a gripping plot and stellar lineup of characters, this one’s worth your time.
Bastard – Kim Carnby
Similarities – Psychological, Thriller, Characters
Bastard is a Korean comic (Webtoon) written by Kim Carnby and drawn by Young-chan, Hwang. They’re known for crafting deep and thought-provoking worlds with colorful casts. Bastard is one of their better works and one that has storytelling on par with Death Note, The Promised Neverland, and Monster. It follows Seon Jin, a boy whose often picked on for being quiet.
However, Seon Jin isn’t bothered by his bullies in the slightest. What drives him insane is his father. His dad might look and act like a saint, but he’s secretly a psychopathic serial killer. He forces Seon Jin to cover his tracks, and Seon Jin complies despite not wanting to cover for him. When his father targets one of Seon Jin’s new classmates, Seon Jin embarks on a mission to bring his father down.
Like The Promised Neverland, Bastard is a hard story to put down. You’ll find yourself glued to its narrative. The artwork may not appeal to most people, but its simplistic aesthetic makes things feel natural. Readers will love seeing its characters display horrid reactions and cherish the series’ uncomfortable moments. If you’re looking for a Webtoon that will convince you of the medium’s potential, check out Bastard.
Shadows House – Soumatou
Similarities – Setting, Characters, Mystery
Shadows House and The Promised Neverland feel like two sides of the same coin. It follows a living doll named Emilico who serves residents at the Shadows House. She’s tasked with keeping the house in tip-top shape and acts as her master Kate’s face. Kate doesn’t treat Emilico poorly and supports her Doll companion.
As they continue their days as normal, Emilico and Kate will uncover the truth about their household and its administrators’ dark ideals. Shadows House’s mansion setting evokes mystery and wonder. Like the orphanage and outside world in The Promised Neverland, you’ll be left pondering the environment’s history and its rulers’ plans.
The characters indulge in heavy strategic discussions like Emma and her friends. They’ll need to rely on their intelligence and creativity to solve multiple problems that come their way. Furthermore, Emilico and the others are being monitored at all times, which makes the series feel tense and chilling. The characters don’t start off with interesting qualities, though. If you’re okay with that then I recommend giving Shadows House a shot, especially if you love intelligent child-like characters.
Made In Abyss – Akihito Tsukushi
Similarities – Monsters, Mystery, Adventure
Made In Abyss is a phenomenal fantasy adventure manga. It has charming characters, mesmerizing artwork, and a gripping world and plot. In it, we follow a young cave raider named Riko. During an excavation, she stumbles upon a robot boy named Reg. Reg’s lost all his memories, but Riko realizes he has a strong connection to the abyss.
To find her mother and help Reg remember his past life, Riko and Reg embark on a journey to the final layer of the abyss. Although they’re courageous and determined, they’ll realize traveling through it isn’t as easy as they’d expected. Made In Abyss is a story that will make you joyful, infuriated, and depressed. Like The Promised Neverland’s world, the abyss offers mystery and beauty.
You’ll be mesmerized by its whimsical locales and terrified of its grotesque behemoths. Riko is an intelligent protagonist but her knowledge lies solely on cave-raiding. Furthermore, Riko’s not the best fighter compared to Reg. However, both characters improve over the course of the story thanks to the drastic situations Akihito Tsukushi places them in. If you’re looking for a manga with an alluring world brimming with Eldritch abominations, deep mysteries, and beautiful locales, check this out.
Starving Anonymous – Yuu Kuraishi
Similarities – Plot, Themes, Horror
Starving Anonymous is a short Horror manga with impressive imagery, intruiging characters, and a dark premise. Mysterious gas infiltrates a school bus filled with high schoolers. Our protagonists Ie and Kazu happen to be boarding this bus and wake up to find themselves aboard a truck full of human bodies. They spot frozen human remains and humans chopping them up into pieces.
We examine Ie and Kazu on their quest to discover what on Earth is going on. Based on the premise alone, fans can pinpoint the similarities between this manga and The Promised Neverland. Both mangas revolve around humans finding themselves trapped in a farm-like scenario where they’ll need to conjure up escape plans or die trying.
The characters in The Promised Neverland feel more likable, innocent, and pure compared to the crude personalities given to our characters in Starving Anonymous. On the other hand, Starving Anonymous contains better horror content than The Promised Neverland. You’ll be screeching in your seat while looking at the grotesque imagery found in this work. If you’re on the hunt for another horror themed around survival and hope, give Starving Anonymous a read.
Hunter X Hunter – Yoshihiro Togashi
Similarities – Adventure & Child Protagonists
Hunter X Hunter is a phenomenal manga with stellar action scenes and great characters. Our tale has readers following Gon Freecss, a boy who leaves his homeland of Whale Island to become a professional hunter. He wants to understand why his father left him for this career. Little does Gon know that his journey will be filled with great tragedy and harmonious scenery.
Despite both being Shonen Jump properties, Hunter X Hunter feels more action-packed than The Promised Neverland. There comes a point in The Promised Neverland where our characters will be wielding guns and bows, but it’s not a central focus. However, Hunter X Hunter contains some bouts that can’t be won with sheer strength.
These fights will remind people of the tactical mind games that take place within The Promised Neverland’s narrative. Furthermore, Hunter X Hunter’s adventurous aspects mirror Emma and her friend’s journey after leaving Gracefield House. Gon and his allies will interact with all types of life from chimera-like beasts to skilled martial artists. For those looking for an adventure manga with more brutality, give Hunter X Hunter a read.
Tokyo Ghoul – Sui Ishida
Similarities – Humans Vs Nature
Tokyo Ghoul is a popular series that was mainstream at one point. However, like all popular titles the hype surrounding it died down once Sui Ishida wrapped the story up. Nonetheless, the manga contains strong psychological themes, memorable characters, and a gripping narrative that will keep you hooked. In it, we follow college student Kaneki as he goes on a date with a girl named Rize.
The date doesn’t go well, resulting in Kaneki waking up in a hospital bed the next morning. After departing the hospital, Kaneki realizes something is off about his body. He has the desire to feed on human blood. After meeting a girl who acts like him, he learns he’s become a ghoul. With this knowledge, Kaneki must figure out a way to balance his old and new lifestyles.
This manga contains impressive artistry that rivals Posuka Demizu’s work in The Promised Neverland. Characters receive expressive facial features while the fights they get roped into are well-detailed. Both mangas center around humans being at the bottom of the food chain and monsters having established a society for themselves. Give this a shot if you want something with a bit more action.
The Drifting Classroom – Kazuo Umezu
Similarities – Defenseless Humans & Horrifying Worlds
The Drifting Classroom is a remarkable manga that’s short but effective. It offers grand horror and mystery elements that are on par with Kaiu Shirai’s writing in The Promised Neverland. It’s another tale that offers ordinary humans struggling to survive in an unfamiliar world. It follows a troublemaking 6th grader named Shou and his friends being teleported to a barren landscape.
He and his friends will endure food shortages and external threats aiming to make a meal of them. Our characters will tap into their survival instincts countless times throughout the manga. You can expect them to bicker and complain over minuscule things due to their different opinions and ways of handling conflict.
Umezu’s artwork isn’t as imaginative as Posuka Demizu’s style, but it gets the job done. This is a series full of heartbreak, tragedy, and turmoil and offers very little lighthearted content. If you’re okay with stories that depict children struggling to survive, then give this manga a read after The Promised Neverland.
School-Live! – Norimitsu Kaihou
Similarities – Themes
School-Live! follows the trend of putting adolescents’ lives in danger. It was a consistent trope that was popularized after the release of Puella Magi Madoka Magica. Essentially, we follow a group of females who live seemingly beautiful lives. They attend class, chat it up with their classmates, and complete assignments as usual. However, by the first chapter’s end, you’ll realize everything isn’t well.
Yuki, our series’s protagonist, is a mentally-broken individual. She suffers from several mental illnesses that are fitting for the situation she and her friends find themselves in. Her delusions and unhealthy lifestyle lead to many conflicts among her friends. Some will want to cheer her on while others would like her to act more serious and normal.
It’s these conflicts that help people feel connected to the manga’s plot. Unfortunately, the story isn’t perfect. Norimitsu Kaihou tends to reuse old ideas instead of implementing new lore for people to chew on. Furthermore, things tend to feel overly lighthearted despite the drastic circumstances our girls are met with. Nonetheless, School-Live! offers incredible themes of survival, friendship, and determination like The Promised Neverland. With its charming cast and many turns, you’re bound to enjoy School-Live!
So there we have it, our 10 books/manga to read after you’re caught up with The Promised Neverland.
What do you think of our picks? Do you agree? Are there any notable omissions? Let us know in the comments below!