Bleach
by Tite Kubo 

Zombies seem to be all the rage these days in various media, and manga is no different! Bleach has always had its fair share of scary scenes, especially early on in the series. Orihime haunted by her dead brother was definitely a creepy experience. And seeing Ichigo's cute younger sisters being attacked by bloodthirsty Hollows wasn't exactly pleasant. But nothing really compares to the recent reveal that Captain General Yamamoto's Bankai revives the dead! A Soul Reaper summoning zombies! Happy Hollow-een!

by Alexis Kirsch

Blue Exorcist
by Kazue Kato 

Demons, demons, demons and more demons! The son of Satan is cutting a swath through the world of the supernatural as he battles possessed teachers, monsters, ancient abominations and haunted amusement parks—all for school credit! Rin Okumura and his classmates fight all sorts of otherworldly monsters on their path to become exorcists at True Cross Academy. From cute to creepy, these monsters run the gambit for all of your Halloween tastes.

by Eric Rekow 

Claymore
by Norihiro Yagi 

A good horror story should always keep you guessing as to who might be a monster, and when it will strike next! Clare has had her share of paranoid monster hunts where anyone could have been a flesh-eating Yoma in disguise. This coupled with stories of all-out combat against the slavering hordes of Yoma and the hellish, undead creations of the Organization, and you have a scary, dark and action-packed manga.

by Eric Rekow 

Cowa! 
by Akira Toriyama 

Of all the great manga in this article, none are as “Halloweenie” as Cowa! The whole book reads like a love letter to the holiday. The main character is a half-vampire, half-werekoala named Paifu who lives in a giant jack-o-lantern. His best friend is a farting ghost named José and they’re trying to stop a deadly breakout of Monster Flu. And it’s done by mangaka legend Akira Toriyama! And the first chapter is in full color! And that should be all it takes for you to run out to your nearest haunted book store, and pick this baby up! Or just buy it on the haunted Internets!

by Urian Brown 

Death Note
story by Tsugumi Ohba
art by Takeshi Obata 

As a series, Death Note was never about trying to scare the reader. But it is permeated with a creepy atmosphere and haunting imagery. I mean the whole series has a super tall freaky shinigami, or death god, helping the killer for fun. And the idea that someone could have the power to kill others by just writing down their names is itself unsettling. What would you do if you had such power? One scene that sticks with me is Light Yagami revealing his identity to the FBI agent Naomi just as the power of the Death Note takes effect. She then slowly walks away to go “take care of herself” as he smiles with pride in his ability to turn the situation to his advantage.

by Alexis Kirsch 

D.Gray-Man
by Katsura Hoshino 

This manga is full of unsightly fiends and foes—and that’s just the good guys! Seriously, as far as manga goes, the art, the characters and the story of D.Gray-Man are perfect for anybody looking for some spooky manga to read. It's filled with dark scary art, and downright freakish-looking monsters. It starts as a story about exorcists trying to destroy evil monsters called Akuma, but as the terrifying tale progresses, it gets even darker and creepier. One look at this art should convince you!

by Urian Brown 

JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure
by Hirohiko Araki 

Although JoJo’s may not pop up on most manga fans “horror manga list,” the main bad guy is an ancient immortal vampire with an incredible fashion sense. His name is Dio and he’s had a beef with the heroic Joestar family for years! This manga is a huge influence on numerous mangaka in Japan. It has tongue-in-cheek humor, fantastic art, imaginative super powers and a rock-n-roll attitude. And on top of all that, it’s got plenty of horror elements, gross outs, and freaky characters. I put this in the “so good it’s scary” category!

by Urian Brown 

Muhyo & Roji’s Bureau of Supernatural Investigation
by Yoshiyuki Nishi 

With the word “supernatural” in the title, you can be assured this is a perfect choice for some unsettling late night reading. Supernatural law expert Muhyo and his inexperienced assistant Roji, must pass judgment on all manner of law-breaking spirits. The art in this series is as creepy as it gets. There are a plethora of downright freaky monsters, demons, spirits and other things that go bump in the night. If you have any interest in the freaky side of horror manga, this is a great series to look into.

by Urian Brown 

Naruto
by Masashi Kishimoto 

Naruto is one of the best, if not the best, selling manga of all time. And while the story is known for it's heroic characters, it's not considered a horror manga. That being said, it has plenty of dark elements. As well as plenty of horrific creatures and ninja and lots of other creepy stuff. But there’s one slithering shinobi in the series that can make anyone’s skin crawl. Orochimaru is his name, and his snaky ways have gotten Naruto onto the list of Spooky SJ Halloween Reads! He’s evil, a mad scientist, a shape-changing snake and above all just plain scary! Look at that picture!

by Urian Brown 

Nura: Rise of the Yokai Clan
by Hiroshi Shiibashi

A manga about warring factions of yokai, or Japanese ghosts, is a shoe-in for the Spooky SJ Halloween Reads list. Yokai have been scaring the house slippers off of adults and little kids in Japan for hundreds of years! And they're just as scary in this manga! But beyond the content, the story is filled with lots of spooky art and scary set ups! The series starts out with a more humorous tone, but as it continues it gets darker and darker. And features some of the scariest art out of all the series mentioned so far! 

by Urian Brown

One Piece
by Eiichiro Oda 

The Thiller Bark arc in One Piece really sticks out from the rest of the series. It sorta feels like the Straw Hat crew took a break from their pirate adventuring to visit a Halloween-themed amusement park! And Thiller Bark is one crazy place! A mad scientist has populated the island with some of the weirdest zombies imaginable and Luffy and crew have to take them down. My favorite part is how the scary beasts terrify some of the crewmembers, like Usopp and Chopper, but Luffy wants them to join the Straw Hats!

by Alexis Kirsch 

Rosario + Vampire
Rosario + Vampire: Season II
by Akihisa Ikeda

This is a perfect Halloween manga read. It’s got a veritable encyclopedia of scary monsters! Vampires! Werewolves! Witches! Medusas! Succubae! Panties! Well, panties aren’t a monster, but this manga’s got plenty of that too! It also has plenty of action, a great love story, and some seriously scary moments! Oh, did I mention the main character is the only human at a school full of monsters? The story does start off as a light affair, but it's filled with plenty of action and drama too. Perfect for some midnight reading in the graveyard, or anywhere else!

by Urian Brown 

Toriko
by Mitsutoshi Shimabukuro 

Komatsu would certainly tell you Toriko was a horror manga, from the sheer number of terrifying monsters he and his buddy Toriko have to fight on a daily basis. And all in search of the world’s finest cuisine! Toriko, if nothing else, has some of the most original monsters ever seen, and many of them were sent into the creator by fans. Some of the most terrifying include the ancient Garara Gator of Baron Swamp and horrific Devil Python! But the most frightening creature of all is Toriko when he’s in full-blown intimidation mode! Often sending whole hordes of monsters heading for the hills!

by Eric Rekow 

Hope you enjoyed our list of Spooky SJ Halloween Reads! If you have your own suggestions, by all means leave them in the comments field! Happy Halloween!!!

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