Top 22 Crime Manga With Criminal MC
If you’re looking for the best crime manga told from the other side of the law with criminal MCs, look no further.
The world’s underbelly is filled with crime perpetrated for various reasons, from money and power to amusement or impulse. Crimes can vary from mostly nonviolent ventures such as money laundering, embezzlement, and political corruption to ventures tinted in blood like murder or human trafficking. The stories depicted throughout the crime mangas on this list present these diverse narratives from the perspective of the criminal MCs engaging in them.
+Manga With Evil and Villain Mc+
Sanctuary
サンクチュアリ
Sanctuary follows the story of two childhood friends, Akira Houjou and Chiaki Asami, who spent their childhood surviving the infamous “Cambodian Genocide” with hopes of returning to their home country of Japan one day. Years later, they finally came back to Japan from the depths of hell, only to find themselves surrounded by another corruption-driven society and people living the worst possible version of their lives. Grieved by this startling reality, Akira and Chiaki decide to bear the burden of restoring their land to its proper grandeur, even if it means assuming the role of “Criminals.” To create a revolution from the inside, Akira strives to dominate the underground world, while Chiaki aims to control politics.
+Volume: 12
+Chapters: 108
+Published: 1990 to 1995
+Genres: Drama - Suspense - Detective - Organized Crime
+Authors: Ikegami Ryoichi [Art] Buronson [Story]
+Serialization/Other work: Big Comic Superior
2. The World Is Mine
ザ・ワールド・イズ・マイン
The world is mine follows a plot worthy of Hollywood Action blockbusters: unpredictable characters prone to fits of violence and anxiety wander the streets of Japan as an enormous bestial monster threatens to slowly but surely destroy the country. But it is not in this story that the manga finds itself joining the ranks of the greats, but rather in its set of fascinating characters. Although quiet, Mon possesses incredible physical strength, capable of ripping to shreds objects or people that pique his interest. He is accompanied by a shy and anxious friend with a bit of an obsession with explosives and a complex sense of morality. As the two boys make their way through Japan, their lives mix with others and those of the beast, creating scenarios that blend in politics, existentialism, religion, and morality.
+Volumes: 14
+Chapters: 163
+Published: 1997 to 2001
+Genres: Psychological
+Authors: Arai Hideki [Story&Art]
+Serialization/Other work: Young Sunday (Weekly)
3. Ouroboros: Keisatsu wo Sabaku wa Ware ni Ari
ウロボロス―警察ヲ裁クハ我ニアリ―
Mahoroba Orphanage was the home of countless orphans living in bliss thanks to their kind-hearted caretaker, Yuiko, who was known to raise children into respectable and happy adults. Ikuo Ryuuzaki and Tatsuya Danno, two of these children, looked up to her more than anybody else. But one day, their small heaven soon becomes hell when they witnessed the tragic murder of Yuiko. As investigators decided to turn a blind eye to this low-profile event, Ikuo and Danno became filled with the everlasting sentiments of revenge. Years Later, both became part of two different worlds, one of crime, the other of law, but their thirst for vengeance kept them together, working behind the scenes to discover the truth behind Yuiko’s murder.
+Volumes: 24
+Chapters: 144
+Published: 2009 to 2016
+Genres: Action - Drama - Mystery - Detective - Organized Crime
+Authors: Kanzaki Yuuya [Story&Art]
+Serialization/Other work: Comic@Bunch
4. My Home Hero
マイホームヒーロー
My Home Hero follows the story of a loving father, Tetsuo Tosu, who wishes to protect the future of his only daughter, Reika. But, through a series of events, Tetsuo discovers that his daughter is constantly abused by her boyfriend, Nobuto Matori, who is a part of a criminal organization. Unable to let this tragedy go on, Tetsuo murders Nobuto and successfully disposes of his body with his wife, but soon after his disappearance, the organization starts looking for Nobuto. As they see their daughter slowly regain a sense of joy in her life, Tetsuo and his wife resolve to do what it takes to keep the future intact.
+Volumes: +17
+Chapters: +164
+Published: 2017 to Present
+Genres: Action - Drama - Mature
+Authors: Yamakawa Naoki [Story] Asaki Masashi [Art]
+Serialization/Other work: Young Magazine (Weekly)
5. Sun-Ken Rock
サンケンロック - Trigun: The Lost Plant
Romance, crime, and thriller themes intertwine in this manga's story to give birth to an odd, comical, and dramatic story. The plot follows Ken Kitano and the love of his life, Yumi Yoshizawa. After meeting her in high school, Ken falls for her on sight, but his angry and irritable nature eventually leads him into delinquent Japanese life while Yumi leaves japan to become a police officer. Eventually, Ken decides to follow her and lands in Korea, only to be dragged into a local gang's mess which he proceeds to promptly solve. As he tries to get closer to Yumi, he sees his life entangled with this new gang in ways he couldn't have expected.
+Volumes: 25
+Chapters: 181
+Published: 2006 to 2016
+Genres: Action - Comedy - Drama - Ecchi
+Authors: Boichi [Story & Art]
+Serialization/Other works: Young King
6. the fable
ザ・ファブル
In the underworld, the codename "Fable" belongs to a legendary hitman known for assassinating countless prominent figures without a trace. With Fable's kill count going up at full tilt, the leader of his organization decides that he should make him lay low for a while and instructs him and his partner to disguise themselves as regular civilians. Now known as Akira Satou, the once-known "Fable" must get accustomed to his new mundane life but soon discovers that living a simple life might be more complicated than he ever imagined.
+Volumes: 22
+Chapters: 240
+Published: 2014 to 2019
+Genres: Drama
+Authors: Minami Katsuhisa [Story&Art]
+Serialization/Other works: Young Magazine (Weekly)
7. Gangsta
The story of Gangsta takes place in the crime-filled city of Ergastulum, known to have individuals with supernatural abilities commonly referred to as “Twilights.” The city is ruled by powerful factions that enlist the aid of Twilights to maintain its fragile peace. Worick Arcangelo and Nicolas Brown are two individuals with powers taking on odd jobs to make ends meet, but their seemingly ordinary life soon takes a drastic turn when police officers hire them to get rid of a prostitute and her manager.
+Volumes: +8
+Chapters: +56
+Published: 2011 to Present
+Genres: Action - Drama - Organized Crime
+Creator: Kohske [Story&Art]
+Serialization/Other works: Comic@Bunch
8. MW
MW depicts a rather bizarre story between Iwao Garai, a priest, and Yuki Michio, a murderer. The two met during an infamous incident known as "MW" which resulted in the death of almost all of an island's inhabitants. This incident drove Yuki to madness, and he became a psychopathic killer while Garai, considering himself responsible for Yuki's mental demise, became a priest to turn him back to 'normal.' Despite being a priest, Garai is unable to let go of his homosexual relationship with Yuki and is constantly in conflict with his inner self.
+Volumes: 3
+Chapters: 26
+Published: 1976 to 1978
+Genres: Drama - Psychological
+Authors: Tezuka Osamu [Story & Art]
+Serialization/Other work: Big Comic
9. Ushijima the Loan Shark
闇金ウシジマくん
This crime manga's plot revolves around Kaoru Ushijima, a man in his twenties who runs a black market business called "Kaukau Finance." He scouts out people in desperate need of cash and manipulates them into taking a loan offer with an interest rate of 50% that needs to be paid back in 10 days. Although Ushijima is aware that it is impossible for his clients to repay him with these rules, he still strives to get his money back every time, sometimes accepting their lives as a substitute. But most times, he settles for a trade involving various illegal gigs he partakes in, from selling pills to organs.
+Volumes: 46
+Chapters: 493
+Published: 2004 to 2019
+Genres: Drama - Organized Crime - Psychological
+Authors: Manabe Shohei [Art&Story]
+Serialization/Other works: Big Comic Spirits
10. Brutal: Satsujin Keisatsukan no Kokuhaku
ブルータル 殺人警察官の告白 - BRUTAL: CONFESSIONS OF A HOMICIDE INVESTIGATOR
Through scenes of intense graphic violence, this manga follows the story of Hiroki Dan, a diligent police detective known for his high number of closed cases. Hiroki believes in the law and firmly abides by it but sometimes finds it lacking when it fails to toutch perpetrators that seem to be beyond its reach. On these occasions, he takes matters into his own hands, both deciding and inflicting the final verdict on criminals who become victims of his cold and calculated rage. Although the plot might seem a bit cliche for fans of the genre, it is well-executed and will send a chill or two down your spine.
+Volume: +5
+Chapters: +19
+Published: 20019 to
+Genres: Detective - Psychological - Drama
+Authors: Izawa Ryou [Art] Koga Kei [Story]
+Serialization/Other work: Comic Tatan
11. Black Lagoon
ブラックラグーン
In the fictional city of Roanapur, Thailand, Yakuza meets Hong Kong Triad, Russian militants, and South American drug dealers. This town, tucked away near the sea of Southeast Asia, is a blend of cultures and a constant clash of criminals. A team of mercenaries known as the Lagoon Company takes base there, waiting for jobs from clients whose profiles range from political governments to wanted criminal leaders. Their missions vary in size and violence, from nautical battles to gun shootouts or hand-to-hand combats.
+Volumes: +12
+Chapters: +110
+Published: 2002 to Present
+Genres: Action - Drama
+Authors: Hiroe Rei [Story&Art]
+Serialization/Other works: Sunday Gene-X
12. Freesia
フリージア
Freesia takes place in a dystopian society where a law legalizing retaliatory killings has been passed. Japanese citizens now have the right to kill or hire someone to kill murderers of all kinds. As you might grasp from this initial storyline, this isn't a rosy manga. The main protagonist, as well as the set of people we encounter, are almost all devoid of any real saneness. Characters are insane, psychopathic, sociopathic, and sometimes even idealists, becoming licensed retaliatory serial killers to satisfy a self-righteous need or the growing void they find in themselves. You won't find cocoons of warmth and safety throughout these panels. There is no embellishment or some higher moral grounds. Here, discomfort, gore, and violence rule in an inhumane and disgusting atmosphere.
+Volumes: 12
+Chapters: 84
+Published: 2001 to 2009
+Genres: Action - Drama - Psychological
+Authors: Matsumoto Jiro [Story & Art]
+Serialization/Other work: Ikki
13. Akusaga
悪性 －アクサガ－- Blank Slate
In a world where people kill for their country, their moral standards, or the ones they love, Zen creates chaos from murder just for amusement. With no memories of his past, he wanders around like a ghost, killing and looting people to eliminate boredom. But one day, he suddenly begins to think of his actions for the first time and realizes he might not be committing crimes out of a pure desire to do so and starts to suspect that someone might be controlling him.
+Volumes: 2
+Chapters: 8
+Published: 2005 to 2006
+Genres: Action - Mystery - Horror - Psychological
+Authors: Kanno Aya [Story&Art]
+Serialization/Other work: Bessatsu Hana to Yume
14. Death note
デスノート
When he accidentally acquires a Death Note - a notebook that grants its user the ability to kill whoever's name they write on it - Light Yagami decides to take on the roles of both judge and executor of criminals. Intoxicated with this newfound god-like power, he views himself as the world's new messiah. But members of the social order who take notice of a new unexplainable series of deaths deem the mysterious perpetrator as a cold-blooded serial killer with sociopathic tendencies. Consequently, justice intertwines with wickedness in a tale of morally gray areas full of suspense and existential questions.
+Volumes: +12
+Chapters: +108
+Published: 2003 to 2006
+Genres: Supernatural - Suspense - Psychological
+Authors: Ohba Tsugumi [Story] Obata Takeshi [Art]
+Serialization/Other work: Shounen Jump (Weekly)
15. Tsumi to Batsu: A Falsified Romance
罪と罰 A Falsified Romance
This crime manga's storyline is inspired by the nineteenth-century novel "Crime & Punishment" by Fyodor Dostoyevsky. It follows Miroku Tachi, a man from a low-income family who has been working hard his whole life to get recognition and wealth. But despite eventually obtaining the best writer award in various competitions, he has no sense of fulfillment. As life goes on, Miroku develops a nihilistic and cynical mindset because of his upbringing and thinks people are just living to fulfill their needs. He finds himself distant from all other humans and slowly slips into a morality that seems to promote the idea of murder.
+Volumes: 10
+Chapters: 93
+Published: 2007 to 2011
+Genres: Drama - Psychological
+Authors: Ochiai Naoyuki [Story & Art]
+Serialization/Other work: Manga Action
16.Saraiya Goyou
さらい屋五葉 - House of Five Leaves
Masterless samurai Akitsu Masanosuke is a skilled and loyal swordsman. Still, his naïve, diffident nature has repeatedly caused him to be abandoned by the lords who employed him. Hungry and desperate, he becomes a bodyguard for Yaichi, the charismatic leader of a gang called "Five Leaves." Although disturbed by the gang's sinister activities, Masa begins to suspect that Yaichi's motivations are not what they seem. And despite his misgivings, the deeper he's drawn into the world of the Five Leaves, the more he finds himself fascinated by these devious, mysterious outlaws.
+Volumes: 8
+Chapters: 59
+Published: 2005 to 2010
+Genres: Drama - Historical - Samurai
+Authors: Ono Natsume [Story & Art]
+Serialization/Other work: Ikki
17. Ichi the killer
殺し屋1 - KOROSHIYA 1
The streets of Shinjuku Kabukichou are home to Japan's criminal underbelly, where various sins are of daily occurrence. There, Yakuza gangs compete in a series of psychological and material warfare to seize total control of the area. Used as a tool by his employer, gang member Ichi is slowly making a name for himself as both a violent savage and wimp whose tears bring with them an unsatiable impulse to kill: with his blade boots, he slices through enemies, transforming bodies into mincemeat soaked in blood. Beware of this series, as insanity seems to be law here, with most main characters possessing varying degrees of sadistic perversions.
+Volumes: 10
+Chapters: 114
+Published: 1998 to 2001
+Genres: Action - Drama - Horror -Psychological
+Authors: Yamamoto Hideo [Story & Art]
+Serialization/Other works: Young Sunday (Weekly)
18. Jormungand
ヨルムンガンド
Jormungand follows Koko Hekmatyar, a young arms dealer selling weapons under an international shipping and illegal smuggling corporation. Each volume of this series focuses on a different member of her crew, most of them former soldiers, but also primarily focuses on Jonah, an ex-child-soldier. Each of their stories sheds light on what brought them into the current position they occupy but also explores many of the following themes: the perpetuation of violence and modern war, intelligence warfare, political conflicts as well as the very obscure morality of certain choices.
+Volumes: 11
+Chapters: 70
+Published: 2006 to 2012
+Genres: Action + Drama
+Authors: Takahashi Keitarou [Art&Story]
+Serialization/Other work: Sunday Gene-X
19. Kimi no Knife
君のナイフ
Many people struggle to make ends meet despite putting in all their efforts. The same is the case with Shiki, a substitute school teacher. One day, he meets a mysterious woman who offers him 5 Million Yen in exchange for killing a single person. Taking it as a joke, Shiki nonchalantly agrees but later finds out the reality of his agreement. The woman introduces him to his partner Kazumi, a cop driven by a profound moral cause. Through a series of events, the two begin their first mission and encounter the target’s daughter, Itsuki, locked in a room because of her mind-reading abilities. Surprisingly, when Itsuki learns of who they are, she asks them if she can start working with them. With this strange situation and a life now laced with murder, Shiki struggles to find a suitable course of action.
+Volumes: 10
+Chapters: 71
+Published: 2009 to 2013
+Genres: Drama - Mystery - Supernatural - Psychological
+Authors: Kotegawa Yua [Story&Art]
+Serialization/Other works: Grand Jump Premium
20. Yokokuhan
予告犯 - Prophecy
A man who goes by Shinbunshi because of the newspaper mask he wears begins acting as a vigilante of justice. His message is simple: he can see what is wrong with society right now, and although he doesn't have the power to change it, he can help the frustrated citizens release their pent-up anger from the crimes that go unpunished like people treating others like trash, corrupt government pushing their weight around and other issues the typical person has no control over. Although it starts relatively harmless, it quickly snowballs out of control thanks to the power of social media. The Shinbunshi becomes an overnight internet sensation, with the severity of the crimes exponentially increasing.
+Volumes: 3
+Chapters: 22
+Published: 2011 to 2013
+Genres: Mystery - Detective
+Authors: Tsutsui Tetsuya [Story & Art]
+Serialization/Other works: Jump X
21. Banana Fish
東京喰種 トーキョーグール
If you’re into anime memes, you’ve probably seen something about Banana fish at some point: specifically about how it makes everyone cry and break their hearts. I completely support that statement, as my tear ducts get activated whenever I think about the end of this anime. The plot centers around Ash Lynx, a 17-year-old gang leader, and his affiliation to the mafia, his search for the meaning of ‘Banana fish’ (a substance), and his eventual relationship with Eiji Okumura, a Japanese photographer reporting on American Street gangs. Common themes are gangs, violence, drugs, murders, and deep friendships and relationships.
+Volumes: 19
+Chapters: 110
+Published: 1985 to 1994
+Genres: Action - Adventure - Drama - Delinquents
+Authors: Yoshida Akimi [Story&Art]
+Serialization/Other works: Betsucomi
22. Shamo
軍鶏
The story begins as young Ryo Narusihma, armed with a small knife, brutally murders his parents in a living room, now tinted with blood. Shamo differs significantly from other manga in that the story's protagonist is actually an unrepentant and often unsympathetic criminal. Throughout the manga, Ryo Narushima spirals into darkness, his chances at reform slowly ebbing away as he gives in to more and more of his depraved, brutal, and grotesque serial killer tendencies.
+Volumes: 34
+Chapters: 338
+Published: 1998 to 2015
+Genres: Action - Drama - Martial Arts - Psychological
+Authors: Akio Tanaka [Story & Art] + Izou Hashimoto [Story]
