Summary
- Death game manga genre gaining popularity, similar to Squid Game.
- Alice in Borderland turned into a cult classic as the genre becomes trendy.
- Manga recommendations for fans of Alice in Borderland, including King's Game and Real Account.
Death Game used to be a niche genre known only to horror manga fans. Nowadays, however, more and more people are becoming familiar with this subgenre thanks to the popularity of shows like Squid Game. In terms of manga, one of the most standout titles in this subgenre is Alice in Borderland.
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Alice in Borderland was written and drawn by Haro Aso. It received modest success during its publication back in 2010. However, as the years went by and the “death game” subgenre became increasingly popular, Alice in Borderland eventually turned into a cult classic. So, if you're a fan of the series and looking for more high-stakes, mind-bending survival stories, here are the the best manga to read if readers love Alice in Borderland.
7 King's Game
Follow the Order of the King
- Japanese Title: Ousama Game
- MyAnimeList Score: 6.37
- First Published: 2010
The story of King’s Game is based on the popular party game of the same name. In this game, one person is nominated as the King, and the other people in the group have to follow the King’s order or be punished. The same thing happens in this series.
One day, Nobuaki and every student in his class received a text from the King’s Game. The text contains an order that has to be done by the appointed students, such as Student No. 4 must kiss Student No. 19. Failure to follow the command within the time limit will result in the violent death of the appointed students.
6 Real Account
Sword Art Online x Death Game
- Japanese Title: Real Account
- MyAnimeList Score: 7.06
- First Published: Jan 9, 2014
Ataru is spending his free time scrolling through Real Account, the most popular social media platform in Japan, when his consciousness is suddenly sucked into the app, just like thousands other Real Account users. What happens next is a series of cruel yet quite intriguing games where the participants are forced to put their lives on the line. After all, a death in the app means death in real life.
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As you might’ve probably noticed, Real Account is like the death game version of Sword Art Online. However, rather than fighting monsters with magical swords in Sword Art Online, the players in Real Account have to use their wits and their ability to think outside the box in order to survive the cruel and deadly games of Real Account.
5 Btooom!
Death Game combines with Battle Royale
- Japanese Title: Btooom!
- MyAnimeList Score: 7.27
- First Published: Oct 4, 2012
When Sakamoto awakens from his slumber, he finds himself on a tropical island with nothing but the clothes on his back and a set of mini bombs. After he nearly lost his life to the bombing attacks of a deranged man, Sakamoto finally realized the gravity of his situation. He is trapped in a death match that forces him to kill other people who share the same fate as him, using nothing but bombs.
Btooom! Blends elements of death games and battle royales, two beloved niche subgenres rooted in horror and thriller, respectively. Thanks to the battle royale elements, there are more actions going on here compared to the other series on the list. Not only that, but the use of clever tactics, which is the signature style of a death game, is also present in Btooom!.
4 As the Gods Will
Deadly Children Games
- Japanese Title: Kamisama no Iutoori
- MyAnimeList Score: 7.35
- First Published: Feb 9, 2011
Shun is living his boring school life with his classmates when their teacher’s head suddenly implodes. He doesn't know it at the time, but in less than 30 minutes, all of his classmates will lose their heads, and he, along with the survivors from the other classes, will be forced to play traditional Japanese children's games with deadly consequences.
Similar to Alice in Borderland, As the Gods Will is also one of the cult classics in the death game genre. The most notable things about this series are its fast pace and the games themselves. Each and every game in As the Gods Will may appear simple at first, but it quickly gets more complicated as we get to understand the intricacies of the games.
3 Darwin's Game
A Real-Life Death Game RPG
- Japanese Title: Darwin's Game
- MyAnimeList Score: 7.57
- First Published: Dec 12, 2012
A high school boy named Kaname suddenly gets a text inviting him to join a mysterious mobile game called Darwin’s Game. He installs the game out of curiosity, but never in his wildest dreams that he will soon be involved in a death match between players where the winners get a huge sum of money while the loser lose their lives.
The premise of Darwin’s Game is pretty similar to the other death game stories on this list. What makes it different is the use of an app to recruit new players and to give information about whom to fight and how many points the player has, sort of like a companion app for an RPG game. The second difference is special abilities. Every player is granted a unique ability to help them in their quest to eliminate the other players.
2 Tomodachi Game
A Cruel Game of Lies and Betrayals
- Japanese Title: Tomodachi Game
- MyAnimeList Score: 7.72
- First Published: Apr 6, 2022
In Tomodachi Game, a group of friends is kidnapped and awoken together in a mysterious place where they are forced to play strange games. Unbeknownst to them, the purpose of these games is to destroy their friendship. So expect to see lies, betrayals, trauma, and emotional breakdowns in this series. But what makes Tomodachi Game so interesting is the fact that no violence is allowed in these games.
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Compared to the other series on this list, Tomodachi Game focuses quite heavily on the social and psychological aspects of the death game, making it less of a death game and more of a betrayal game. So if a psychological thriller filled with deceptions and backstabbing is your kind of jam, be sure to check out Tomodachi Game.
1 Gantz
Death Game Combines with Action and Science Fiction
- Japanese Title: Gantz
- MyAnimeList Score: 8.09
- First Published: Jul 13, 2000
A high school boy named Kei Kurono loses his life when he is hit by an express train. Or at least that’s what he thought. The instant Kei touches the train, his body is instantly transferred to a small apartment room in Tokyo. There are several other people there, along with a big black ball in the middle of the room.
As it turns out, everybody in that room has experienced death once, just like Kei, and now they are forced to participate in an alien hunt. That big black ball contains the necessary information for the hunt, powered suits, and the weapons to fight the aliens. Once the time comes, all of them will be transferred to the alien’s location, and the hunt officially begins. What they don’t realize, however, is the fact that the hunt works both ways. The aliens will also hunt them and brutally kill them.
Gantz is a cult classic manga series that successfully combines a death game with intense action and intriguing science fiction concepts. The story is as brutal as it is captivating, just like Alice in Borderland. So if you like what you see in A lice in Borderland, you should give Gantz a try.
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