12 Best Junji Ito Books

This collection marked Ito's return to horror manga after a hiatus. It includes stories about a woman who holds onto a house for too long, a dissection class gone wrong, and a man obsessed with a bird woman. Short, punchy, and weird.

A "best of" collection featuring some of Ito’s most famous short stories. Includes "The Enigma of Amigara Fault," about human-shaped holes in a mountain, and "Hanging Balloons," where giant heads hunt their lookalikes. An essential starting point.

Junji Ito adapts Mary Shelley’s classic novel with his own grotesque flair. The monster is depicted in horrifying detail as he torments his creator. The collection also includes stories about Oshikiri, a boy who lives in a house connected to other dimensions.

Ito adapts Osamu Dazai’s classic novel of alienation into a graphic nightmare. It follows the life of Oba Yozo, a man who fears human beings and hides behind a clownish mask. A psychological descent into madness and self-destruction.

A stellar collection of short stories, including the titular tale of a nectar that makes people simply... smash. Other standouts include a haunted library and a village of mirrors. It features some of Ito's most creative and disturbing concepts.

Tomie Kawakami is a beautiful young woman who drives men to jealous, murderous madness. No matter how many times she is killed and dismembered, she regenerates to continue her cycle of terror. This complete collection gathers every story from Junji Ito’s debut series.

A scientist discovers a new planet and names it after his daughter, Remina. But the planet is a living, planet-eating organism that turns its gaze toward Earth. As the world faces destruction, the human population turns on the girl in a frenzy of fear.

A deluxe collection of short stories, including the popular "The Enigma of Amigara Fault." It also features an adaptation of Edogawa Ranpo’s "The Human Chair." Many pages are presented in color, highlighting the grotesque details.

Yuuma is a young man obsessed with apologizing, but his contrition melts people’s brains. Along with his terrifying little sister Chizumi, he brings a bizarre plague to a new town. A dark comedy about guilt and demonic worship.

Kyoko Byakuya wanders into a village covered in golden volcanic hair that grants telepathic powers. She becomes caught in a cosmic struggle involving ancient missionaries and space-faring horrors. A journey into the mystic and the terrifying.

A foul "death stench" ruins a couple's vacation in Okinawa, followed by fish that walk on mechanical legs. Tadashi and Kaori find themselves trapped as the sea life invades the land, bringing a biological horror that threatens all of humanity.

Kirie Goshima notices that her town is becoming obsessed with spirals. It starts with small things, like a fascination with snail shells, but soon people’s bodies begin to twist and warp. The curse of the spiral has arrived in Kurouzu-cho.