Top 10 Manga about Magic You probably haven’t Tried
I like reading manga and I love magic. So, combining the two should be a good idea.
Over the years I’ve read many manga and a good amount of them had at least some focus on magic.
Here are 10 that I’ve found recently and hope that you’ll enjoy too.
None of them are great or anything and I’m not going to mention obvious ones like Fairy Tail or Negima. These are obscure manga(many are Isekai) and at least fun to read.
This is in no particular order.
10: Dorei Tensei
This is about the strongest wizard Ars, a prince who died against one of the strongest dragons in the world. On the verge of death, he uses reincarnation magic.
He is now in the body of Wals Sai, a slave with a more physically capable body. After becoming the escort of a princess in a small country, he learned that there’s something wrong.
Somehow his previous body is still alive and is leading a cult of undead puppets.
The story is nothing special and the magic is also pretty basic but it’s an enjoyable read. The spells Wals show off is a sight to behold.
This manga is also another great showcase of how a good physical body is important for a mage.
Nothing more to say, let’s move on.
9: Kuro no Shoukanshi
The synopsis:
“Losing his memories, the curtains of the story of an alternate world transfer of the MC rises. After the transfer, his name changes to Kelvin. While leveling, he gains allies, perfects his skills, and later obtains overwhelming power. Where will our MC be heading off to?”
The great thing about this manga is Kelvin, Magic, and the Fights scenes.
Kelvin is battle manic (I have a soft spot for characters like that) so his main goal is to fight strong opponents. Watching him learn wind and summoning magic while battling stronger foes is a treat.
Some spells were a welcomed surprise to learn like the wind scythe and glacial meteor.
Kelvin even mentors the typical isekai heroes of the story, so one day they can be strong enough to face him again. One of the best fights in the manga to me.
8: Kenja no Mago
This is a bit more well know since it got an anime but it wasn’t that good.
Synopsis:
“Retaining his memories from his previous life, Shin was picked up by an old man known to the world as the “Magi”. Shin was brought up by the magi, who had retired to a secular place, as his own grandson.
With his memories, he absorbed the magi’s craft and grew to be able to develop his own magic. Soon, the grandfather told Shin that he has to become independent by age 15.
However, the grandfather forgot to teach Shin the common sense of the world. So to learn how to socialize, he goes to Earlshide Kingdom city to join the Advanced Magic Academy.
Meanwhile, human-born demons are starting to appear more in another kingdom.”
I don’t know what happened with the anime but the manga is not bad. The characters, story, and solid antagonists are all good.
Shin is not even that OP or given sole focus, I really appreciate that. The side characters are enjoyable and memorable which is rare in isekai like this.
For magic, it’s fun how Shin learns magic based on his scientific knowledge. Gate, flight, and magic bombs are logically explained.
It’s the first place I learned(In hindsight, it’s obvious) that magic stones can be made through immense pressure within the earth.
The magic used isn’t that interesting but the way it’s explained is a treat. It can also inspire writers that want to write more scientific magic systems.
One of the best manga on this list in my opinion.
7: Tensei Kenja no Isekai
The synopsis:
“Sano Yuji, a black company employee, is summoned to another world while finishing his work at home.
His profession in the other world, a Monster Tamer, is a job that makes it difficult to become an adventurer. But, thanks to some slimes he met, who read magical books, he gained new powers and the second profession, Sage.
Yuji acquired overwhelming power, but is he conscious of his strength?”
This manga at first is very typical, the magic shown is incredible and the usage of the slimes is really cool. Everything else is basic until the Dragons of Ruin come into the story.
Yuji begins to struggle, allowing him to fully display his cinematic magic. The art and fights get far better in these dragon fights which makes the manga worth it for me.
6: Wizard of Arsenia
Synopsis:
“If you wish to return, then you must find all the stones of the Dragon’s Heart! So, LK starts his adventure to become an unparalleled mage. Which bonds will he find? That’s all up to him to discover.”
I know the title says “Manga” but let me include 3 manhwa that has some cool magic.
LK has a wide array of spells that include: poison fog, elemental, pure energy, summons, etc.
It’s always enjoyable to see LK learn/use a new spell. The soft and colorful art gives it life and energy that few others have.
This is also one of the few on this list to show mages fighting each other. The tactics and spell counters used are really interesting. They inspire me to write my own mage duels.
The story and characters are simple but enjoyable to watch fight and interact. I do highly recommend this manwha.
5: Solo Spell Caster
Synopsis:
“The ordinary salary man Park finally got the awakening he always wished for in a life or death situation!
Unbelievably, the memories from the game he spent his life playing became his powers! What’s more, it was a 1 in a billion ‘Triple Awakening’!
The extraordinary player Park journey picks up now, as he aims to reach the world’s peak.”
Okay, this manwha is Solo Leveling but much worse. The only reason it’s here is because of the magic Park uses.
The magic is based on D&D spells and as a player of the game, it’s a blast to see them used in a colorfully way.
He also uses modern magic and alchemy to create metal golems and drones. Park is a one-man army and it is very enjoyable to see him overpower almost everything.
Aside from that, everything else is subpar.
4: I was Reincarnated as the 7th Prince so I will Perfect my Magic as I please
Synopsis:
“A magic nerd’s life came to an end after a dreadful encounter with the nobles who ended his life with a powerful spell.
His last wish was answered when he reincarnated as Saloom Lloyd, the 7th prince of Saloom Kingdom. Now he’ll be able to perfect his magic as he pleases…”
This manga has many ups and downs. The art most of the time is very basic and squishy but when stuff gets serious, it becoming amazing.
The colored pages in this manga are the best I’ve seen in manga, no competition.
All that enhances the pretty unique magic Lloyd uses. He takes chanting to the absolute limit by compressing the words to the subatomic level.
It gets so complex that he needs a demon’s ability to speak through 2 mouths.
Lloyd also introduces some interesting magical concepts like:
- The smell of mana and how that can affect a fight.
- What happens when you combine Ki and Magic?
- How do you exactly enchant weapons with chanting magic?
- The upper limits of chanting spells and how it compares to other magic
It’s a very interesting manga for anyone that likes magic in fiction. The fights don’t disappoint either, most are really well done. Especially when it’s colored, truly a sight to behold.
Everything else in manga is just fine, nothing to push this past a 7/10. It can be pretty funny sometimes though.
3: My House is a Magic Power Spot
This synopsis:
“Living carefree at home is the greatest shortcut…my house is the world’s greatest Magic Power Spot. That being the case, both my house and I were summoned to another world by some guys who were aiming for it.
However, I’ve been living in this place for many years and my body is, apparently, overflowing with magic.
Due to some unforeseen circumstances by those guys who summoned me, they quickly ran away.
Be that as it may, there are still some ill-mannered people who covet the magic leaking out of my house. I won’t give up my house to those people!
I’m going to wield my power as I please!”
This manga is one of those stories that are relaxing to read. The page count is short, the art is easy on the eyes and the characters are likable. It even gets a laugh out of me sometimes.
The magic in the manga is also very good. This manga showcases the upper limits of wood magic, its strengths and weaknesses.
The magic doesn’t always look cool but it does climax(so far) with a wood mecha.
Relaxing, fun and something new about wood magic. Give it a shot.
2: Game of Famila: Kazoku Senki
The Synopsis:
“The MC along with his step-mother and 2 step-aunts are summoned into another world where demi-humans are the rulers. They’re summoned not to fight against a demon lord but the “Dead Mell”.
They have overrun the world and are only killed by holy silver weapons. For that, a familia is made (group of 4 people) with the holy silver warrior in the lead.
To use any magical power, you must offer part of yourself as a sacrifice to form a contract with a spirit. Higher the sacrifice, the higher the power.
Now they must choose which 3 need to sacrifice a part of their bodies to gain power and who will wield the holy sword.”
We’ve focused enough on spells and big explosions. Let’s focus on the mental side of a mage.
The MC rarely overpowers the opponents directly but instead outthinks them. He is the chad of mages I know, he doesn’t play around with what he needs to do.
Still, don’t death note level of mind games. It’s simple stuff in comparison but it’s still great to see his plans succeed.
The art and fights don’t disappoint either. It leans on the darker side when it comes to tone and art.
Like The Gamer manwha, this manga empathizes a mage’s mind and their prep ability.
Bloody fights, chad mage MC, mental games between characters, and an okay story. This is one of the better ones on this list.
WARNING: This manga has NSFW content.
1: I Am The Sorcerer King
The Synopsis:
“10 years ago, the monster horde from a rift formed from space and time started attacking mankind.
Meanwhile, people start to awaken special powers and hunt the monsters for fame and money. Lee needs money for his mother’s sickness so he takes a dangerous job to help hunt monsters by acting as bait.
One day, he is injured by a monster and remembers his past life as a sorcerer king. With these past memories, SungHoon’s overpowered magic show beings.”
This manwha was the reason I wrote the article “The 5 Stages a Magical Civilization Goes Through”. No other story has shown high fantasy magic like this with a modern-day setting.
It also has worlds outside earth that are just as interesting. Undead necropolis, various gods, higher dimensional realms, and much more.
It has a slow start but it does get going with more crazy battles, creatures, and magic shown.
I have never experienced such a vast magical world before. I would love to explore all the crazy things hidden in this world.
Here are some things you can find in this story:
- Magic AI
- Abstract Magic Tower
- Virtual Reality mixed with magic
- Dimension eaters
- Small scale war on mars against a warrior race of rock creatures
- Magical engineering (Alchemy but with machines)
- Magic interacting with Nuclear energy
- Attacks that ignore distances
- Battles involving higher dimensional gods
This was truly an amazing playground for the imagination. I highly recommend it for those that want to see magic taken to the extreme.
Conclusion
That’s my list for the Top 10 Manga about Magic You probably haven’t Tried. I hope the manga shown don’t disappoint if you decide to read them.
With that, I’m done.
