Whether you’re a fan or just someone looking for more great manga content to devour, these manga spin-offs are a great option—particularly because they don’t always get anime adaptations. If you really love a certain anime, you might need to dive into manga for more of it. Of course, manga spin-offs aren’t always done by the same mangaka. This means you should sometimes expect new art styles, changes in tone or vibe, different thematic takes, even if the world is the same. From spin-offs that dive deeper into specific characters to spin-offs that go in a more comedic direction, here are the best manga spin-offs worth reading and why they’re great.
8. Assassination Classroom: Extra
Assassination Classroom: Extra is an additional four long chapters written by Yusei Matsui about “the adult side to him…” (that is, Koro Sensei). The first chapter was released in April 2016. This is a spin-off story revolving around four grown-up men who face misfortune and end up being assassins, a line of work far from their previous occupations. Assassination Classroom: Extra is packed with hilarious moments, from tracking Koro Sensei’s hideout in the snowy mountain to his activities during the winter break.
7. Salaryman Exorcist: The Sorrows of Yukio Okumura
Salaryman Exorcist: The Sorrows of Yukio Okumura is a spin-off manga from the Blue Exorcist series, written by Kazue Kato and illustrated by Minoru Sasaki. It has a total of 4 volumes and the first chapter was released in February 2015. The “sorrows” here are the headaches from embarrassing situations, which are sometimes caused by his twin brother, Rin. Yukio was known as a mature, all-knowing, well-respected man of dignity (especially to his juniors), but in this spin-off manga, he’s just another misunderstood character who overthinks many occasions. Salaryman Exorcist: The Sorrows of Yukio Okumura shifted the original series’ theme toward comedy that revolves around Yukio Okomura’s daily life and how he handles day-to-day scenarios.
6. Chibi Sasuke’s Sharingan Legend
Chibi Sasuke’s Sharingan Legend is a spin-off manga of Naruto Shippuden, written by Kenji Taira and its first chapter was released in Shueisha’s Saikyo Jump magazine in October 2014. Here, all the characters—including Sasuke’s Team Taka—are drawn in chibi art style, making it adorably cute. The story is about Sasuke’s journey in search of his brother Itachi and how he formed Team Taka, the group of rogue ninjas who accompany him. In this spin-off, the plot has a more humorous and child-friendly tone, turning weapons and fighting into funny images.
5. Haikyu-bu!
Haikyu-bu! is a spin-off of the sports manga/anime Haikyu!! and is about the daily lives of volleyball boys, written and illustrated by Kyohei Miyajima. The first chapter was released in May 2019. Every chapter features different stories. Some involve after-club activities while others take place during vacant time in class. It shows the different unrelated-to-volleyball sides of each characters, like going about their days and what they do for fun.
4. Kanna’s Daily Life
Kanna’s Daily Life is a spin-off manga of Miss Kobayashi’s Dragon Maid, created by Mitsuhiro Kimura. In the original, Kanna is a dragon who goes to the human world in search of Tohru, only to find her living as a maid to an office worker named Kobayashi. As she lives as an elementary school student and makes friends, this manga series fills us with the cuteness and fun of Kanna’s daily life.
3. Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba—Stories of Water and Flame
This is a spin-off of the Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba manga, written by Gotouge Koyoharu and art by Hirano Ryouji. It focuses on the stories of Kyojuro Rengoku and Giyu Tomioka of the Demon Slayer Corps. The first two chapters follow the story of the Water Pillar Giyu, featuring a mission to eliminate a demon who’s known by the locals as a killer bear. The story also features the Insect Pillar Kocho Shinobu. The last two chapters focus on Kyojuro Rengoku and are set before the main events of the main series. The story explores the character of Kyojuro before he became the Flame Pillar, a title that was passed down in his family from generation to generation. The mission given to him was to prove his worth to the position of Hashira, while the demon he’s about to fight has dark ties with his family and seeks revenge.
2. Food Wars: Shokugeki no Sanji
Food Wars: Shokugeki no Sanji is a tribute to Eiichiro Oda’s One Piece, with stories written by Yuto Tsukuda and illustrations by Shun Saeki. Though it’s tagged as a crossover, it really has nothing to do with Food Wars and its characters, making it more of a spin-off. It explores more of Sanji’s cooking style, his way of the kitchen, and how he pleases everyone who takes even just one bite of his creations. Every chapter features different stories and situations, and just like Food Wars, it literally gives us the descriptions of the taste, smell, and feel of the food in a creatively interpreted yet exaggerated way.
1. My Hero Academia: Vigilantes
The original My Hero Academia series focuses more on the students who aspire to become Pro Heroes, with the Pros (like All Might and Endeavor) keeping the community safe and sound. My Hero Academia: Vigilantes is a prequel spin-off manga that features The Crawler, a character who works in the shadows. My Hero Academia: Vigilantes is written by Hideyuki Furuhashi and illustrated by Betten Court. The story is set in the same timeline as the main series but has no direct ties with the main plot of the original series. However, some characters do make an appearance, including Eraserhead, Endeavor, and All Might. Read next: Why is My Hero Academia so popular?
