Top 13 Scariest Junji Ito Manga Tales

There is no storyteller on Earth quite like Junji Ito. Since his professional manga debut in 1987, he's been captivating and terrifying readers with his macabre tales and chillingly iconic creations. The brilliantly talented mangaka has rightfully earned his place as one of the most well-known horror storytellers of his generation, and for good reason. Junji Ito's beautifully illustrated comics hide deep, devastating secrets, and each tale he weaves haunts and horrifies in a uniquely unsettling way.

Junji Ito Collections

Alley

5
See it at Amazon

Uzumaki: Deluxe Edition

15
See it at Target
See it at Amazon

Tomie: Complete Deluxe Edition

7
See it at Amazon

Mimi's Tales of Terror

0
See it at Amazon

Remina

1
See it at Amazon

Shiver

0
See it at Amazon

Gyo: Deluxe Edition

5
See it at Amazon

Smashed

2
See it at Amazon

Lovesickness

2
See it at Amazon

Narrowing down Junji Ito's vast body of work to just 13 of his most bone-chilling stories was a daunting task. While many of Ito's scariest short stories are available as scans online, they are also compiled into physical collections. Some collections, like Tomie and Uzumaki, follow a specific narrative, whereas others, such as Shiver and Smashed, feature standalone stories grouped by theme.

The Scariest Junji Ito Stories

From eerie ghost stories and heart-twisting gothic horror to grotesquely bizarre modern fables, here are the 13 most terrifying tales from one of the masters of horror manga, Junji Ito.

13. The Beautiful Boy at the Crossroads

Ito often explores the theme of love and its potential to curse us. The first and central story from his Lovesickness collection exemplifies this perfectly. We meet Ryusuke on a train, returning to his hometown after years away. The mere thought of returning haunts him, and soon we learn why. His arrival coincides with a trend of young women seeking "crossroads fortunes," but their bodies start turning up brutally murdered. How is it connected to Ryusuke's past? This chilling mystery introduces one of Ito's scariest creations.

12. Village of the Siren

Turning his hand to folk horror, Ito crafts another bleak homecoming in Village of the Siren. After a strange phone call from his parents and an ominous apparition, Kyochi decides it's time for a family reunion. Upon returning, he finds the once lively village now a ghost town, centered around a mysterious factory and haunted by all-consuming nightly sirens. If you're a fan of strange rituals, unusual cults, and the occult, this story will captivate you. It's also notable for its high death count and the unique demographic of its victims.

11. I Don't Want to Be a Ghost

When Shigeru picks up a beautiful wandering woman on the side of the road, his life changes. Despite her bloodied and disoriented state, she explains it away. Days later, the two begin a secretive affair, even though Shigeru is married and expecting a baby. Blinded by her beauty, he overlooks her frequent appearances covered in blood and her claim to "love his ghosts." Her true desires are darker than anyone could imagine, and Shigeru realizes this too late.

10. The Strange Hikizuri Siblings

One of Ito's more humorous yet bleak creations, this story follows an unhinged set of siblings who delight in tormenting and terrorizing each other and unsuspecting victims. Over two tales collected in Lovesickness, we meet some of the unfortunate individuals who cross their path, including an old school friend and a photographer. While their schemes can be deadly, the Hikizuri siblings are generally hapless, though you wouldn't want to join them for dinner.

9. The Mystery of the Haunted House

The arrival of a haunted house turns a town upside down as derision turns to terror with each new visitor. Two young boys become entangled in the proprietor's twisted games after trying to sneak in for free. Exploring the ghoulish halls, they discover a true house of horrors filled with victims claiming to be the owner's family. This story features another of Ito's recurring characters, the scheming Souichi Tsujii, and is a wild ride that will delight fans of haunt culture.

8. Honored Ancestors

Family is a recurring theme in Ito's work, and Honored Ancestors might be his most psychedelically deranged tale yet. On a seemingly normal evening, Risa is brought home by her close friend Makata, who claims she's suffering from amnesia. According to doctors, her amnesia is caused by immense emotional stress. Risa becomes increasingly distressed by visions of a giant caterpillar, but the truth lies in Makata's family's strange traditions, revealed in Ito's dementedly awful fashion. This is one family reunion you won't forget.

7. Uzumaki

Likely Ito's most famous work, Uzumaki has earned classic status for a reason. This supernatural tale centers around the small town of Kurouzu-cho, haunted not by spirits but by spirals. Ito's distinctive linework transforms these usually unassuming shapes into something utterly terrifying. Uzumaki touches on Ito's favorite themes like obsession, paranoia, and the mundane becoming bizarre. Its impact is evident with multiple video game and film adaptations, and a highly anticipated anime adaptation in development. Check out our review of the first episode of the Uzumaki anime for more insights.

6. Fashion Model

Unlike many of Ito's slow-burn tales, Fashion Model reveals its monster from the earliest pages. This story, like Tomie, has become one of Ito's most popular long-running tales. When a young man sees a bizarre model in a magazine with dagger-like teeth, he becomes consumed by her image. As life moves on, he and some friends begin casting for a student film, and the model reemerges in a brutal and all-too-real fashion. This is a great entry into both the Ito and monster horror canon.

5. Tomie

Perhaps Ito's most famous creation, the stunningly beautiful Tomie was murdered by her classmates only to reappear the next day. Since then, she's been terrorizing readers and lovestruck men for years. The collected edition of Tomie tales allows you to read her story from her earliest to most recent appearances, each more delightfully dark than the last. Her ever-shifting true face is the stuff of nightmares, yet Ito's striking illustration style has made her a perennial pop culture figure. You may have seen Tomie as a sticker, tattoo, or t-shirt, but capturing her beauty in an image means seeing her true face.

4. House of the Marionettes

Puppets have always held a particularly creepy place in horror, and Ito uses this to his advantage in House of the Marionettes. The story begins when a young girl named Kinuko befriends the son of a family of puppeteers. Visiting their home, she becomes wary of a large marionette named Jean-Pierre. Years later, after reconnecting and marrying Haruhiko, they return to his family home and make an awful discovery. This is one of Ito's more classical stories, but it will still shock and surprise at every turn.

3. Used Record

Eerie and atmospheric, Used Record tells the story of an odd record that hypnotizes and entices its listeners. When Ogawa buys the vinyl, she becomes obsessed, as does her friend Nakayama after hearing it. The pair can't stop listening to the song, but there's only one copy, setting them on a tragic path. The story's terror stems from the relatable experience of being unable to stop listening to a song, taken to a supernaturally nightmarish level. This wonderfully drawn tale is as addictive as the song at its center.

2. Greased

Growing up above her family's barbeque restaurant by Mount Fuji, Yui is sick of the grease that has slowly accumulated, coating their home. While she worries about its effects, her violent and abusive brother Goro embraces the cooking oil, drinking it from the bottle until his face becomes covered in grotesque pustules. Goro's obsession with the grease and Yui's hopes of surviving it are deeply entangled in this stomach-churning tale that will threaten both your lunch and your sleep cycle. This is a story you must mentally prepare to read.

1. The Hanging Balloons

What makes The Hanging Balloons Ito's scariest story? It's one of his most bizarre tales, where he excels, and it feels utterly claustrophobic and inescapable. After the unexpected suicide of a celebrity school girl inspires copycat deaths, people report seeing imposing balloons in the sky. These are no ordinary balloons; they are giant inflated heads of the deceased. More balloons appear, chasing those whose faces they wear, with metal nooses swinging beneath them. What is their purpose? If they catch up with those they resemble, they hang them. This is a psychedelic night terror come to life.

What's Next for Junji Ito?

Pre-Order

Uncanny: Origins of Fear

2
Releasing October 15
See it at Amazon

Alley is the most recent short story collection from the horror manga author, though Junji Ito's latest release is something entirely new. Uncanny: The Origins of Fear is a written memoir and analysis of the horror genre that was released last Fall. A sneak peek at the memoir is available on Viz Media's website.

Looking ahead, a new Junji Ito story collection titled "Moan" is set to release on October 7. According to the new collection's preorder page, you can expect "Obsession and persistence... warping reality in this collection of macabre stories set in Junji Ito’s bloodcurdling world."

Looking for more manga guides? Take a look at our guide to the best manga for beginners or dive into some of the best free manga websites and apps. You can also check out our updated guide on where to buy manga if you're looking for physical copies of Junji Ito's work.