History has been fertile ground for inspiring stories since antiquity. The Romans appreciated Greek classical stories from thousands of years prior, and Middle Ages Europe read Roman poetry and prose. 1300s author Luo Guanzhong turned the events of the Late Han era (184-226 CE) into the iconic novel, Romance of the Three Kingdoms.
It’s no surprise that there are plenty of historical manga too, from grounded tales like Vinland Saga, to fanciful ones like Demon Slayer. Either way, they usually get animated in one form or another. But these critically acclaimed historical manga don’t have an anime yet. They’ve been arranged in historical order, from the ancient era to the recent past, so fans can choose how far back in time they want to go.
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10 Red River
MyAnimeList Score: 8.30
- Written & Illustrated by Chie Shinohara
- 28 Volumes, 96 Chapters
- Originally published in English by Viz Media
By that logic, Red River is something of an old-school isekai from 1995. Yuri, a (then-)modern-day teenage girl, gets whisked back in time to the Hittite Empire in the 1300s BCE. She was summoned by its queen, Nakia, to use as a sacrifice in an attempt to curse the princes who rival her son's claim to the throne.
Luckily, she’s rescued by one of those rival princes, Kail Mursili. But as Yuri escapes various plots and learns to hold her own in a fight, Kail and the other Hittites begin to think she may be an incarnation of the goddess Ishtar. Yuri is torn between wanting to return home, and staying with Kail. This shojo classic impressed readers, but nonetheless only got adapted as a drama CD.
9 Historie
MyAnimeList Score: 8.19
- Written & Illustrated by Hitoshi Iwaaki
- 11+ Volumes, 97+ Chapters
- Fan Translation only
Historie takes place in Greece in the 300s BCE, and tells a straightforward tale about how one man became the right hand of Alexander the Great. It follows Eumenes, a boy raised by a wealthy family in Thrace (Bulgaria). But after he learns he’s of Scythian descent, he’s framed for the murder of his foster father and sold into slavery.
By luck, he manages to escape, and uses his quick wits to make a living in Paphlagonia (southern Turkey). Eventually, he becomes the personal assistant to King Philip II of Macedonia, and his son Alexander. The manga is still ongoing after 21 years, and is acclaimed by fans and critics alike, winning the Osamu Tezuka Cultural Grand Prize in 2012. All it lacks is an official English release and an anime adaptation.
8 Wolfsmund
MyAnimeList Score: 7.18
- Written & Illustrated by Mutsuhisa Kuji
- 8 Volumes, 37 Chapters
- Available in English via Vertical Inc
Wolfsmund takes place in the 1300s CE and is a retelling of the William Tell story from the perspective of the villains, Duke Leopold I of Austria and his Bailiff Wolfram. The former has occupied the three cantons that would later make up Switzerland. Meanwhile, the latter tracks down anyone suspected of opposing his rule and tortures them.
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Many assassins have tried to kill Wolfram, but he’s managed to overcome each one thanks to the traps he set up in his Wolfsmund station. Wolfram even manages to kill William Tell's family and forces the hero to sacrifice himself to save his last surviving son, Walther. It’s a brutal tale, but its storytelling will keep readers hooked.
7 Vagabond
MyAnimeList Score: 9.25
- Written & Illustrated by Takehiko Inoue, based on a novel by Eiji Yoshikawa
- 37+ Volumes, 327 Chapters
- Available in English via Viz Media
If readers prefer feudal Japan, then chances are they’ve heard of Vagabond. This classic manga is a fictionalized version of the life of the legendary swordsman Musashi Miyamoto. It follows the man from his teenage years, barely surviving the Battle of Sekigahara in 1600, to his famous duels against Kojiro Sasaki and Baiken Shishido.
It continues from there, but it comes to an abrupt halt as it's currently on hiatus. Author Takehiko Inoue had planned to end the strip in 2012, but its schedule became erratic in the early 2010s. Its most recent chapter was released in 2015, and there's been little to no news since then.
6 Innocent
MyAnimeList Score: 8.20
- Written & Illustrated by Shinichi Sakamoto
- 9 Volumes, 99 Chapters
- Available in English via Dark Horse
Innocent is a family drama set in late 18th century France. The Sanson family have been the French royal family’s official executioners for years, and Charles-Henri Sanson is next in line for the job. However, he’s a kind soul who doesn’t have the stomach for killing. But with rebellion on the horizon, he’ll have to face his fate soon.
Best known for adapting The Climber, Shinichi Sakamoto’s artwork is no less stunning here, with a cast of characters who are as complex as they are beautiful. Even when the action gets bloody, it has an eerie appeal. If that wasn’t enough, it also has a spin-off, Innocent Rouge, that follows Charles-Henri’s sister Marie-Joseph as she handles the French nobility in her own way.
5 A Bride’s Story
MyAnimeList Score: 8.56
- Written & Illustrated by Kaoru Mori
- 14+ Volumes, 101+ Chapters
- Available in English via Yen Press
Kaoru Mori first made her name with Emma: A Victorian Romance, which did get animated. The same hasn’t happened for A Bride’s Story, but it managed to win the Manga Taishō Award and the Intergenerational Award at the Angoulȇme International Comics Festival. Clearly, Mori's work is still high-caliber.
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Mori is meticulous in recreating different settings and cultures in her work. In this case, it’s mid-19th century Central Asia, where protagonist Amira travels from her village to her fiancée’s home to get married. On top of showing Amira’s relationship with Karluk, her husband-to-be, it has side stories following other women across Amira’s route through the Stans, who detail how love and marriage work in their tribes.
4 Green Blood
MyAnimeList Score: 7.58
- Written & Illustrated by Masasumi Kakizaki
- 5 Volumes, 49 Chapters
- Fan Translations Only
Popularity alone isn’t enough to keep a manga going. Green Blood was a strong story set in late 19th century New York that covered crime, poverty, murder, and family. Yet its run in Young Magazine ended just one month shy of two years.
Immigrants seeking the American Dream in New York find despair as they are left in Five Points, the world's worst slum. Irish-born Brad Burns becomes an assassin for the Mob, hoping to protect his hopeful younger brother Luke, and find the man who killed their mother when he was little. It's not available officially in English, but it does have official Spanish, Polish, and Brazilian releases.
3 Goodbye, My Rose Garden
MyAnimeList Score: 7.93
- Written & Illustrated by Dr Pepperco
- 3 Volumes, 18 Chapters
- Available in English via Seven Seas Entertainment
If violent tales aren't their speed, readers may prefer a story about two women falling in love. Set in early 20th century England, Goodbye, My Rose Garden sees Japanese bookworm Hanako leave her homeland to meet her favorite novelist, Victor Franks. In the process, she ends up becoming the personal maid to noblewoman Alice Douglas.
Alice says she can help Hanako meet Franks if she does her a favor. Alice wants Hanako to kill her. Shocked, Hanako wonders why. But as she learns about Alice’s past, she comes to understand her, and grows closer to her. The manga's tale of love and scandal would work wonders in any adaptation, animated or otherwise.
2 Me and the Devil Blues
MyAnimeList Score: 8.07
- Written & Illustrated by Akira Hiramoto
- 5 Volumes, 39 Chapters
- Available in English via Del Ray
Me and the Devil Blues follows the life of Robert Johnson, the blues legend who laid the groundwork for rock n’ roll. Legend said he got his virtuoso guitar skills in 1929 after he sold his soul to the devil at a crossroads late one night, and that his premature death years later was because the devil came back to collect.
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The manga adapts the legend directly, turning Johnson’s career into a psychological horror as the occult clashes with the racial intolerance of Jim Crow America. Johnson’s guitar skills get him fame, but he’s always close to danger. However, the manga has been on pause since 2017. Until Hiramoto is able to continue, Johnson's story will be left unfinished.
1 Message to Adolf
MyAnimeList Score: 8.17
- Written & Illustrated by Osamu Tezuka
- 4 Volumes, 36 Chapters
- Available in English via Vertical Inc
Osamu Tezuka, the Godfather of Manga, has produced a variety of historical stories. One of his best is Message to Adolf, a thriller that sees a conspiracy that pulls three different Adolfs together from 1936 through the early 1980s.
It starts when reporter Sohei Toge discovers that his brother, an exchange student in Germany, was killed shortly after informing him he had an important document that could reveal Adolf Hitler's true lineage. As Toge searches for his killer, he comes across Adolf Kaufman, who’s tasked with searching for the missing document, and his Jewish friend Adolf Kamil. As tensions rise and lead into war, their fates become intertwined.
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