Why Naoki Urasawa’s Mangas Made Me Run to the Bookstore Every Day

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Have you ever read a story so good that you ran to the store ten minutes before closing, just to get the next volume? Or one so thrilling that you read an entire 300-page volume while standing, because you simply couldn’t sit still?

I have! And not just once. I experienced both of these things over and over again, every time I read something by Naoki Urasawa. Let me explain why.

Inspired by Osamu Tezuka, the father of manga who wrote classics like Astro Boy and Dororo, Naoki Urasawa began drawing at an early age.
However, after learning more about the commercial side of publishing manga, Urasawa realized he didn’t want his art and stories to be influenced by money-driven people, so he chose a more conventional path and studied economics.
As fate would have it, he ended up working in the economics department at a manga publishing company.
His passion for art never faded, and out of curiosity, he eventually presented some of his drawings. The publishers were amazed and signed him immediately.

While his early works like Beta! and Pineapple Army remained relatively unknown, it was his manga Yawara!, a slice-of-life story with a hint of seriousness, that made him a rising star in the Japanese manga sphere. It even earned him an award in 1990. When his next work, Master Keaton, also found success, both Yawara! and Master Keaton were adapted into their own anime, boosting Urasawa's popularity in Japan even further.

With his first few successes, Urasawa proved that he was able to create intriguing and three-dimensional characters that the audience felt connected to. His unique art style made his work recognizable and stand out from the rest.
However, it wouldn’t be until his next Manga series that Urasawa would create an immortal legacy of incredible storytelling and outstanding characters, which will likely be talked about for years to come.

Naoki Urasawa Essential Reads

Monster

Thought experiments in ethics, like the trolley problem or how AI should react to situations where lives are weighed against each other, are thought-provoking and exciting. They allow us to explore different dilemmas without putting anyone in real danger.
However… the protagonist of Monster, Kenzo Tenma – a talented neurosurgeon – wouldn’t be able to enjoy this luxury of safety…

During one fateful night, a young boy with a severe head injury is brought to the clinic where Tenma works. While he prepares for surgery, the mayor of Düsseldorf is admitted to the same hospital. Both patients are in critical condition, and Tenma can only save ONE! Now he must choose between saving his career or staying true to his oath to save lives…

Who would have thought that, years later, his decision would lead to several middle-aged, childless couples being murdered one by one.
Now, Tenma, the only person who knows who this Monster is, must hunt it down before more innocent lives are lost…
Will he be able to stop this beast?
What will this hunt cost him?
Will he be able to stick to his oath and remain ‘good’?
What even is good and evil?

Monster was the first series that attracted international attention to Urasawa and his work. Both the anime and the manga became an integral part of every top list – and rightly so. Monster is the ultimate thriller series that will not only hook manga fans, but is also widely seen as one of the few series that shows non-manga readers how good a manga can truly be!

The ethical dilemmas faced by the protagonist and the discussions he has with the antagonist will leave readers with a lump in their throats, making late-night talks about this series as thrilling as the story itself.
It’s a story that can turn 8 p.m. into 8 a.m. in no time, especially if you keep saying: “One more chapter.”
Warning: You won’t be able to stop!

Collected in the beautiful Perfect Edition across 9 volumes, readers of this masterpiece will definitely not get enough of Urasawa.

But fear not – the thirst for more Urasawa stories shall be quenched!

20th Century Boys

In 1969, during their childhood, a group of friends created a secret club with its own hideout – as kids usually do. In this hideout, they wrote stories about the different dangers humanity would have to face and how they would save everyone from them. To keep others out, they created a secret symbol that identified who was part of their group.

Twenty-eight years later, three years before the new millennium, the symbol returns – and with it, catastrophic disasters. Now, the old group of friends must reunite, after years of growing apart, to save the world from something that seems to be connected to their old secret club.

Urasawa uses all his strengths from his previous works to build the story of 20th Century Boys.
Not only will you find a thrilling story with huge plot twists and a gripping mystery across different perspectives and timelines, but also an amazing cast of characters that proves Urasawa hasn’t lost his talent for character writing!

Urasawa’s unique way of writing mystery is nearly at its peak in this series and will leave you on the edge of your seat – if you’re even able to stay seated!

When I first read this story, after a friend recommended it to me, I only bought Volume 1 to try it out.
It was 7:30 p.m. when I finished it, and I ran to the nearest bookstore to get Volume 2 before closing time.
Buying a new volume of this story became a routine for the next two weeks. I just couldn’t stop reading! I haven’t experienced something like that often.
I even found myself leaving my comfortable reading chair and walking around my apartment for a whole hour because I couldn’t sit down. It was just too thrilling!

I’m getting carried away – sorry, not sorry!

It wouldn’t be fair to give away how the mystery or the story itself unfolds, because everyone should experience it firsthand.
However, it’s so gripping and thrilling that you’ll regret not getting all the volumes at once!

The whole series is collected in a beautiful Perfect Edition across 11 volumes and is concluded with the final volume titled 21st Century Boys.

If you thought two amazing stories were enough, you’d better buckle up –
we’re only halfway through!

Pluto

In a distant future, sentient humanoid robots work for humanity to fulfill all their needs.
While some are designed to carry out only basic tasks, the powerful ‘seven great robots of the world’ are so advanced that they even pass for humans.
While some find this helpful, others resent artificial intelligence.
Now, someone – or something – is out to destroy these seven great robots.
The question is: why? And what does the shared trauma of these seven robots have to do with it?

Detective Gesicht is sent out to solve the mystery of who is targeting them.
Will Gesicht be able to save the seven great robots, or will he lose himself in a case that he seems to be more involved in than he realizes?

It must have been a surreal dream come true for Urasawa to write a new interpretation of Osamu Tezuka’s Astro Boy, which he grew up with.
Although it’s not easy to reinterpret a cult classic in a modern and exciting way, Urasawa succeeded to a degree that rightfully places his version alongside the original!

Not only does Urasawa use characters and storylines from the original work – which honors Tezuka and provides a nostalgic feeling for fans of the original – but he also imprints his talent for thrilling mystery and incredible character writing onto this story. It leaves the audience with moral and philosophical questions that feel even more relevant with the rise of AI and the future we will share with it.

Not only was the manga a successful successor to his previous two works, but the anime adaptation took the anime community by storm in 2023, proving that we definitely want more Urasawa anime!

The series is collected in 8 regular volumes and, although shorter than Urasawa’s other stories, tells a phenomenal story in just the right amount of time.

Asadora!

As Typhoon Vera (1959) approaches the town where 12-year-old Asa lives, her mother goes into labor with her twelfth child.
Asa heads out into the storm to find a doctor who can help with the delivery.
When she runs into a burglar she tries to stop, she not only finds help in an unlikely place, but also spots a mysterious monster that could be behind the typhoon.

Asadora! is the most recent story by Naoki Urasawa and blends his two storytelling styles: a character-focused slice of life with a touch of tragedy (like in Yawara!) and a mystery that spans across different time periods (like in Monster).

We accompany the main character, Asa, throughout her life – and I mean literally!
Each volume jumps a few years into the future, allowing us to see Asa grow up and get closer to the mysteries surrounding her life.
This is by far my favorite part of Asadora!, because it shows how Urasawa portrays characters across time, letting them grow without losing the essence of their personalities. It’s not an easy task, but he pulls it off across all his series – especially in this one.

Asa is a funny, smart, and confident character from a young age. While she becomes even wiser and learns more about the seriousness of life, she never loses her spark and continues to inspire those around her to become better people.
This makes for fun and wholesome storylines right from the start.

The story also uses real-life events, like Typhoon Vera or the 1964 Summer Olympic Games, to make itself more immersive. Urasawa then mixes these with a mysterious origin.
Especially Typhoon Vera and the mysterious monster become a major part of Asa’s future, which grows more mysterious with every chapter.
This not only offers a fun way to learn more about the history of Japan, thanks to the close depiction of events, but also provides the usual Urasawa mystery.

The series is still ongoing, which makes it difficult to say how this story will compare to Urasawa's other works.
Nonetheless, Asadora!, with 8 volumes already, is a funnier and more wholesome journey compared to Urasawa’s other stories, which focus more on seriousness and imminent danger.
This doesn’t mean that Asadora! lacks serious moments.
There are several storylines that focus on government conspiracy, unrealistic expectations forced onto young children, loss, and trauma – making this series a rollercoaster of emotions that everyone who loves Urasawa should check out.

Other Honorable Mentions by Naoki Urasawa

Although Urasawa is more of a series writer, he has released some short stories that bring their own charm and relevance to the table.

Sneeze

Some of his best short stories are collected in Sneeze, where the tales range from psychic superpowers to Kaiju-obsessed tourists, proving that Urasawa can also create crazy and unorthodox stories if he wants to.
What makes this collection even more exciting is that Urasawa shares some autobiographical insights into his time with the international music scene. Not only is it rare for mangaka to share so much from their private lives, but seeing music legends like Paul McCartney in Urasawa’s iconic style was amazing!
Definitely a good read before jumping into his next series or while processing a previous one.

Mujirushi Sign Of Dreams

Mujirushi: The Sign of Dreams is another short story by Urasawa that fills a whole volume.
After Kamoda, a father and husband struggling to pay the bills, is left by his wife, he tries to provide for his daughter as best he can. When he invests in masks portraying the American presidential candidate “Beverly Duncan”, the sales do not go as planned.
This leads him to an art fanatic who promises wealth if his planned art heist succeeds.

Although it has its thrilling moments, Mujirushi is less focused on mystery and instead offers a more emotional and heartfelt story. It not only delves into issues related to the Covid-19 pandemic, but also shines a brilliant spotlight on families and single parents struggling to get by.

Urasawa’s short stories are definitely worth checking out, as they show how he can take any idea or story and elevate it with his unique art style and writing, making it both thrilling and heartfelt.

Urasawa is one of the greatest storytellers across all forms of media

With stories like Yawara! and Master Keaton, Urasawa proved that he was a capable writer with a talent for creating well-rounded characters. This allowed him to refine his craft in his iconic works, such as Monster and 20th Century Boys, which would go on to be considered some of the best manga ever.

He not only improved his character writing with every series, but also discovered his talent for crafting amazing stories with thought-provoking ethical dilemmas and mind-blowing plot twists. The fact that he manages to keep track of every plotline and character across multiple perspectives and even timelines, while still making it an enjoyable and understandable journey, is what makes him an immortal legend in the manga scene.

Although it's a shame that Urasawa doesn't have millions of stories (I would definitely read every single one…), there are still things to look forward to.
One of his most critically acclaimed works, Billy Bat, where all his abilities reach their peak, has yet to be released in English.
This story not only delivers amazing characters and a unique plot involving the history of Disney-esque characters, comics, and manga, but also portrays historically accurate events intertwined with a mind-blowing conspiracy by Urasawa.
It connects the Japanese Middle Ages with the assassination of JFK and even reaches the moon!
Once it hits the market, you should definitely pick it up.

Until then, you can dive into all the other works I’ve presented to you.
For some stories, I couldn’t go too deeply into why Urasawa is a genius – that would ruin the magic…

Urasawa is a unique case. Once you read one of his works, like Monster or 20th Century Boys, you’ll immediately understand why everyone keeps recommending him to you, and you’ll wonder why you didn’t trust them! :P

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Written by Daniel

Hey, I'm Daniel!

Comics and Manga have been a huge part of my life since early childhood.
Whether it's superheroes, tales from the past, or adventures set in the distant future – fiction has always held a special place in my heart.
After finishing a story, I love to analyze them through the lens of history or various philosophies.

In short: A nerd from day one, who will talk about his love for fiction and printed stories for hours!

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