Best Manga About Wrestling
Although many people cherish watching anime, they often forget that most anime serve as adaptations of the original source material. While there are some instances where the anime is better than the manga, those instances are few and far between.
With the amount of manga released on a daily basis, it could be hard to cut through all those books to find the “Best of” for any chosen topic.
Well, we’re here to help celebrate and shine a spotlight on some of the latest, greatest, and unforgettable manga through the years. For our ongoing series of articles depicting the best manga, our attention this time turns to those strongly focusing on wrestling. From pulse-pounding action scenarios to dramatic story beats, there’s a good choice to whet your appetite.
Of course, if we’ve missed any of your favorites, feel free to comment below and we’ll add them!
Baki The Grappler – Keisuke Itagaki
Baki The Grappler is a fantastic martial arts manga with tidbits of wrestling allure. With its intense fights, complex characters, and overarching themes of strength and determination, it delivers a captivating narrative for readers to binge.
One of the series’ best strengths lies in its fights. The manga features a variety of fighting styles, including wrestling, martial arts, and street fights. The fights in this work are filled with incredible action, strategic maneuvers, and inventive techniques. Readers will adore the thrilling displays of strength, agility, and endurance as the characters perform bone-crushing attacks that will test their opponents’ physical and mental limitations.
In addition to having stellar artwork, Baki The Grappler is a fantastic tale that’ll keep you hooked.
Cutie and The Beast – Hajime Inoryuu
Cutie and The Beast is an ongoing rom-com with hints of wrestling. It follows Momoka, a girl who develops a crush on a professional wrestler named Kuga. Despite his heel role on television, Kuga is known for being a kind-hearted individual. What starts off as a minor crush transforms into an affair full of humor and nuance.
While this isn’t the most well-written rom-com you’ll ever come across, there’s some passion and heart put into it. Many readers will relate to Momoka’s situation as there’s always that one celebrity people will flock toward in a romantic light. However, this series handles the “age gap” scenario well and tackles some adult-related issues fans will appreciate.
If you’re okay with a work that focuses more on romance and comedy instead of wrestling, then check this out.
Giganto Maxia – Kentaro Miura
Berserk isn’t the only tale Kentaro Miura worked on before his tragic passing. Giganto Maxia is another work from the well-established manga author. While it’s not loved as much as Berserk, it contains some fascinating aspects many will enjoy. Our tale takes in a world where mythical beings like giants walk across the land.
Our protagonists Delos the wrestler and his friend Prome get involved with the Scarabei, a race of Scarab people. After getting thrown into a battle with their champion Ogun, Delos will learn more about this ancient tribe while trying to survive alongside Prome. Despite being 7 chapters long, Miura does a great job of establishing Prome and Delos as characters.
You’ll learn about their motives and get to see their personalities shine throughout this work. What hampers the story for folks would be its weird imagery coupled with the fact that it is too short. However, if you love tales that feature intriguing worlds and can be finished within a day’s time, this one should interest you a bit.
Juuushin Liger – Go Nagai
Kinnikuman – Yudetamago
Kinnikuman is an action comedy with fun characters and a strong focus on wrestling. While it starts off as slightly comedic, it slowly becomes a work that feels more serious and action-oriented. The story has a lot to be desired, though. Several plot points can seem puzzling to most readers and there are a few issues that never get resolved.
Moreover, the story is known for being slightly over the top. Nonetheless, many readers will adore the series’s protagonist, Kinnikuman a lot. He’s an alien planet prince and a formidable fighter. He’ll be joined by several people who’ll root for him to succeed in his effort to become his planet’s greatest warrior.
If you’re okay with a wrestling-themed work that can be overly goofy and intense when it wants to be, check out Kinnikuman.
Plawress Sanshiro – Jiro Gyu
Another wrestling tale many wrestling fans may adore is Jiro Guy’s Plawress Sanshiro. This tale provides a unique stance on wrestling and robots. It follows Juohmaru, a boy who partakes in a wrestling game where participants make robots to fight in the ring. As one can expect, this manga features your standard “villain of the week” format and has Jyuohmaru and his robot ally fight many other pairs.
However, Gyu ensures readers that they’ll enjoy this tale’s artwork. Each robot in this series is intricately detailed and has designs that allow them to stand out from each other. Moreover, the fights look appealing and capture the raw intensity one would expect from a wrestling-themed work. Juohmaru receives great development through Plawress Sanshiro’s narrative too.
If you’re okay with a tale that’s slightly predictable but has riveting fights, check out Plawress Sanshiro.
Tiger Mask – Ikki Kajiwara
When it comes to wrestling manga, many folks often recommend Tiger Mask as one of the medium’s best. This manga contains what fans adore about wrestling and features enough captivating character moments to keep you entertained. The story follows Naoto Date, a talented young wrestler who takes on the persona of Tiger Mask and seeks revenge against the villainous Black Tiger.
This manga excels at capturing the essence of wrestling. The manga’s dynamic artwork brings the action to life, showcasing the athletic, power, and techniques wrestlers utilize to claim victory in the ring. From high-flying tactics to bone-crushing holds you’ll be intrigued by how well-detailed everything looks in this manga.
On top of giving Naoto fabulous development and exciting match-ups, Tiger Mask is a phenomenal wrestling manga every wrestling fanatic should read.
Love Buzz – Takako Shimura
Love Buzz is a decent slice-of-life sports manga that dabbles in the wrestling field. It follows Fujji, a pro wrestler, who shows up at her old gym with her five-year-old daughter. Not only will Fuji receive ridicule for disappearing during an important match years ago, but she must make amends with her former friend Yuri.
This story engulfs readers in a lighthearted atmosphere. It does a decent job of exploring our cast’s lives in the wrestling field while giving readers a glimpse of what their lives are like outside the ring. Readers will adore Fuji’s relationship with her daughter and her attempts at settling things with Yuri. The series boasts some wonderful comedy to help readers unwind too.
Give this a read if you’re looking for a wrestling manga with decent slice-of-life aspects.
Battle Club – Yuji Shiozaki
Battle Club is a fun action-packed manga that focuses on the world of underground female wrestling. The tale revolves around Mokichi, a high school student who gets entangled with a group of fierce female fighters who are a part of the Battle Club. This manga is known for having incredible battles and fine character development. Many will gravitate toward this series for its thrilling fight scenes.
The manga’s illustrations are stunning. Readers will love Yuji Shiozaki’s depictions of violence in this series as many characters will utilize compelling martial arts techniques and incredible strategies during these high-energy bouts. Moreover, each Battle Club member receives adequate depth and enough differing qualities to help them feel memorable and unique.
In addition to tackling themes like body image, empowerment, and overcoming societal limitations, Battle Club is worth adding to your reading list.
Agnes Kamen – Minoru Hiramatsu
Agnes Kamen is an interesting seinen series that’s centered around wrestling. In it, we follow Jingo, who returns to Japan only to discover that his wrestling company, Yamato has been shut down. He learns the wrestling group “Teijutsu” is responsible for this matter and seeks vengeance against this company’s president.
However, his revenge quest leads him to become Teijutsu’s new wrestler, Agnes Kamen. We examine Jingo’s new life under this company despite wanting to achieve his former goal. This is an interesting manga with a fun plot, a decent cast, and exhilarating action sequences. Minoru Hiramatsu does their best to make each match-up shine.
Readers will adore the tactics, maneuvers, and tension felt throughout each match Jingo and the others participate in. If you adore wrestling, love revenge plots, and adore well-drawn action scenes, this might be the manga for you.
So, there we have it, our picks for the best wrestling manga through the years!
What do you think of our picks? Do you agree? Are there any notable omissions? Let us know in the comments below!