Manga box sets are a boon for manga readers who love to collect physical copies of their favorite title rather than being content with just reading it online. It gives us a different kind of enjoyment to hold a volume of our favorite manga in our hands.
I know you feel the same way because if there’s something most manga readers share in common, it is the dream of being able to collect physical volumes of the manga they love. Yeah, reading manga online sure is comfortable and far more accessible, but it does not compare to having physical copies of the manga we enjoy or are interested in!
The feeling of flipping pages. The faint smell of paper. The texture of the cover. Sitting down wherever you want to read whenever you like. If you are similar to me, you appreciate these things more than just browsing through your phone.
The problem is finding physical volumes, especially if you know nothing about online stores and such, can be somewhat of a challenge. However, most manga fans don’t know that you have the option of buying manga boxes, which contain volumes of a title inside of a cool-looking box. And in this article, I will share with you the ones I believe are essential for any collection.
Best Manga Box Sets in 2022
1. Attack on Titan
Attack on Titan is a series that managed to catch the attention of all types of people, including those who are not as huge fans of anime or manga. And to be honest, I believe its success is completely deserved! You can only get your hands on manga box sets containing 6 volumes each, though.
The title itself portrays a society inside of gigantic walls. These walls are meant to protect people from a particular threat: Titans. And inside these walls, a group of friends dream of the outside world.
Eren, Armin, and Mikasa are enchanted by tales of fire rivers and gigantic lakes that extend to the horizon. And Eren, our main protagonist, intends to join the Survey Corps to achieve the freedom he longs for, even if it means facing the titans. But one day, the people inside the walls are given a reminder of the threat that lies beyond.
2. Fullmetal Alchemist
As the name implies, alchemy is an essential aspect of this title. However, certain things should not be done when it comes to alchemy, and the main characters of this tale dared to commit a forbidden act.
Edward and Alphonse, two brothers who lost something important after committing an inconsiderable sin, look for the fabled Philosopher’s Stone to attune for their actions and recover what they have lost.
In my opinion, Fullmetal Alchemist is an incredible manga involving adventure, secrets, fantastic side characters, an admirable development of its plot, and great villains. With only one single box and 27 volumes, it is one of my most personal recommendations!
3. Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba
Demon Slayer, also known as Kimetsu no Yaiba, is a tale of a brother who seeks to rid the world of demons after his family was brutally murdered by one, with his sister being turned into one.
His name is Tanjiro Kamado, and he’s trying to help his sister recover her sanity when they are attacked by a Demon Hunter, who is eventually moved by the relationship between Tanjiro and his sister, Nezuko. This leads to Tanjiro facing multiple challenges, all to become a demon slayer, find the demon that ill-fated his little sister, and find a cure that could transform her sister back into a human.
This manga series is perfect for beginners, and if you are interested in this title, you can read it in its entirety by purchasing the box containing 23 volumes and a gorgeous front art with many of its characters.
4. One Piece
One Piece, with over 1,000 chapters, has become one of the biggest manga titles in the world, if not the biggest. With excellent world-building, fascinating character development, eye-tearing character backgrounds, and constant peaking of the story, One Piece is one series everyone should read.
The story centers around Monkey D. Luffy, a young man who ate a mystical fruit that turned him into a rubber man. Luffy dreams of becoming the Pirate King, and to do it, he will need to find the One Piece, the secret treasure left behind by the previous king of the sea, Gol D. Roger.
During his adventure, Luffy will earn the trust and respect of a wide range of characters, including a unique swordsman, a greedy navigator, a womanizer cook, and many more.
Since this is a long-running manga title with over 100 volumes, there are multiple manga box sets containing several volumes available.
5. Berserk
Note: Although, it’s not exactly a box set, I had to include it as you can get all the deluxe editions together!
Berserk is usually described by its readers as an absolute masterpiece, and as someone who had the chance to read it, I stand by this statement. Its creator, Kentaro Miura, masterfully created a dark-fantasy title that is considered a must-read by the community.
The premise starts by following the story of the black swordsman, a relentless and bloodthirsty man with no compassion towards others. The man wields a gigantic sword and has a prosthetic arm with various tools to be used in battle, like an automatic crossbow and a hidden cannon.
The name of the black swordsman is Guts, and he seeks to kill demons he calls apostles and learn the location of demons known as The God Hand for the sake of his wrathful vengeance. During one of his adventures, he saves an elf named Puck, who decides to accompany him out of gratitude.
But Guts’ story starts way back, during the time that would be known as The Golden Age, where, as a lonesome mercenary, he runs into the Band of the Falcon, a famous mercenary group whom he eventually joins after losing a duel against its leader, a mysterious and charismatic man known as Griffith.
6. Death Note
Death Note is a psychological and paranormal thriller, and it is often considered by both manga and anime enthusiasts as a classic of the genre, with a total of 12 volumes.
The title centers around a magic book belonging to death gods commonly referred to as Shinigami. This book is known as the Death Note, and when a person’s name is written in said book, the person is fated to die, usually from a heart attack.
A very talented and clever young man, Light Yagami, manages to find the Death Note that belongs to the Shinigami Ryuk. Using its power, he turns into Kira to kill criminals and achieve what he would call a paradise where criminals no longer exist.
As a result of his actions, he catches the attention of L, renowned as the most capable detective in the world. L is determined to catch Kira and end his murderous rampage, resulting in a head-to-head confrontation of wits between the two characters.
Since these are only 12 volumes of the story, only one box set is available that comes with all the volumes. So, binge-reading it won’t be a problem because you’ll find yourself engrossed with the plot in no time.
7. Naruto & Naruto Shippuden
Naruto & Naruto Shippuden is a series where you can see the growth of multiple characters, including its protagonist, Naruto, all over a collection of 72 volumes and 3 manga box sets.
Naruto Uzumaki is an orphan constantly ostracized by his village. He’s also believed to be a pathetic excuse for a ninja, having the reputation of a clown among his peers.
Even then, Naruto dreams of becoming the Hokage, a title given to the leader of the village. To do so, he will need to overcome many challenges, eventually joining team 7 with Sasuke Uchiha, Sakura Haruno, and the copy ninja, Kakashi Hatake.
8. Dragon Ball & Dragon Ball Z
Dragon Ball has been the inspiration and foundation of multiple shonen titles, becoming one of the most popular titles all around the world. The complete series has 42 volumes, divided into two manga boxes, one consisting of all the Dragon Ball volumes and the other consisting of Dragon Ball Z volumes.
The first series follows the story of Son Goku, a child who, for some reason, has a tail and amazing fighting skills. Because of a series of circumstances, he saves Bulma, who later becomes Goku’s first friend. She manages to convince him to seek out the Dragon Balls, rumored artifacts capable of fulfilling a dream when they are united, and they will fight many villains to find them.
Dragon Ball Z continues Goku’s adventures as a young adult, introducing new characters, like Goku’s son, Gohan, and much stronger villains capable of destroying the world.
9. Goodnight Punpun
Goodnight Punpun is a very dark and depressing story that tackles a very intricate cast of characters in 13 volumes. As a coming-of-age series with very adult and realistic topics, I dare to say that it is one of my favorite titles of all time.
It primarily focuses on Punpun Onodera as he goes through different stages of his life and interacts with people with very complex problems, including his family, the girl he has a crush on, and God himself.
The series has something interesting to mention. Although all series’ characters are drawn beautifully and realistically, the main character is portrayed as a small and cute bird.
His appearance changes during the series in correlation to his feelings and the experiences he accumulates over time until he becomes something completely different from what he used to be.
10. My Hero Academia
My Hero Academia revolves around a society where heroes and villains with special abilities known as quirks are the norms. At least for everyone but our main character, Izuku Midoriya.
From a young age, Izuku had to deal with the fact that he would never develop a quirk, yet he still longs to become a hero just like the hero he admires the most – All Might. Because he’s quirkless he is constantly bullied by his class, but mostly by his very aggressive childhood friend Katsuki Bakugo.
Midoriya and Bakugo get involved in a villain attack, where Midoriya acts heroically despite his lack of power. This heroic act was seen by All Might, who admired his courage and decided to train him to become his successor and enter the most prestigious school of heroes, U.A. High.
11. Akira
Akira is a post-apocalyptic title primarily focused on the cyberpunk genre in addition to science-fiction and a pinch of supernatural. With 6 volumes compiled in one manga box set, it is acclaimed as a classic in the world of both anime and manga; it also is mostly known for its fantastic anime movie adaptation released in 1988.
The series itself has a complex narrative and premise. Firstly, we have the city of Neo-Tokyo, created after a massive explosion deleted Tokyo from the map 31 years before the story’s beginning. Neo-Tokyo is a city filled with violence, anti-government movements, and sects.
We then have the story’s main protagonist, Shotaro Kaneda, the leader of a biker gang, and the deuteragonist, Tetsuo Shima, Kaneda’s childhood friend.
Due to a series of events, Kaneda finds himself involved with Kei, a member of the resistance against the government. In contrast, Tetsuo develops psychic powers, turning himself into a villain with as much power as Akira, the esper rumored to have caused the explosion 31 years ago.
12. Nichijou
This one works solely with comedy as its foundation, and follows the everyday, not-so-normal lives of a bunch of unique and peculiar characters as they interact with one another and their surroundings.
That being said, it mostly follows the lives of a cheerful girl who likes to draw BL named Mio, an energetic girl who’s also very dumb and lazy named Yuko, the really quiet yet incredibly eccentric Mai, an android who is a bundle of nerves named Nano, and of course, the child prodigy who created her, Professor, and her talking cat, Sakamoto.
Nichijou comes with a beautiful box set consisting of all 10 of the original volumes, making it one of the best manga box sets to buy if you are into the comedy genre.
13. Sailor Moon
Sailor Moon is a manga about magical girls, a pretty popular genre in Japan and loved by many all around the world.
This one focuses on the Sailor Guardians, a group of magical girls who fight forces of evil that try to destroy the solar system as we know it.
The main character, Usagi Tsukino, also known as Sailor Moon, gets her powers from Luna, a talking cat. She serves as her guide and advises her on many occasions, although Usagi seems to not appreciate the advice at times.
The series portrays an assembly of several villains, arcs, and other magical girls, including Sailor Mercury, Sailor Mars, Sailor Venus, Sailor Jupiter, and many more. You can get your hands on the twelve volumes by purchasing two different box sets, each having different presentations.
14. Ouran High School Host Club
This series has 18 volumes and a single box set and revolves around a club of hosts at the Ouran Academy, a prestigious academy for affluent families. It mainly focuses on comedy with romance and a great selection of charismatic male characters.
Just so you know, hosts in Japan are guys who work in the entertainment industry. More specifically speaking, they work by entertaining female clients with charisma and platonic companionship.
And the protagonist, Haruhi Fujioka, is asked to join the school’s host club after accidentally breaking a costly vase valued at $80,000.
The club members believe Haruhi is actually a guy at first and see no problem with “him” joining the club to pay his debt, but quickly realize the truth. Even then, she demonstrates an innate talent for the job, and even after learning her secret, they decide to keep the facade.
15. Tokyo Ghoul & Tokyo Ghoul: Re
The Tokyo Ghoul series is divided into two parts – Tokyo Ghoul and Tokyo Ghoul: Re, and there are complete manga box sets containing all the volumes for both of them.
The complete box set for the first part comes with a total of 14 volumes, while the box set for the second part has all 16 volumes. As one of the most popular titles in the world with a unique premise, art style, and character design, I heavily recommend trying this one out.
The premise involves the existence of ghouls, beings that resemble humans and have infiltrated our society. These ghouls are physically exactly like humans, but much stronger, yet they cannot eat anything but human and ghoul flesh.
Ken Kaneki, the main protagonist, runs with the bad luck of meeting one of the said ghouls. After involving himself in an accident while trying to escape his fate, a doctor uses the ghoul’s organs to save him, turning him into a half-ghoul.
Kaneki is then forced to learn how to survive with the help of ghouls while facing many enemies, including other ghouls and the hunters who specialized in exterminating them.
16. Assassination Classroom
This specific title has one of the most interesting and original premises I have ever seen. It also covers comedy, action, and science-fiction, with 21 volumes and a single manga box.
One day, the moon is suddenly attacked by a mysterious creature, losing 70% of its surface as a result. The creature, which can be described as a yellow alien-like life form with multiple tentacles, declares that it will destroy the world in a year.
But it gives an opportunity for survival by allowing students to attempt to kill him, which proves too difficult since he has different powers, including moving at Mach 20 speeds.
The thing is, he becomes the teacher of said students and does his best to improve their lives as their school marginalizes them as failures of society. As a result, he ends up building strong bonds with each student, all the while trying to foil their assassination plans.
17. Bleach
Bleach is often considered one of the three most popular and successful shonen series of all time, alongside Naruto and One Piece, and as you might have guessed, it is pretty long, with over 70 volumes to read. Thankfully, you can get all the volumes in just three manga box sets!
The manga mainly focuses on Ichigo Kurosaki, a hot-headed teenager who is also sensitive to the paranormal. Because of this peculiar trait, one day, he sees Rukia Kuchiki suddenly entering his room. She is no ordinary human, but a Shinigami attempting to hunt a Hollow, monster-like creatures that attack humans and souls alike.
By getting involved with her, Ichigo ends ups inheriting her powers and entangles himself in the world of Shinigamis, Hollows, and the complex Soul Society.
18. Claymore
In a medieval world where shape-shifting monsters named Yoma exist, an organization managed to create hybrids of said monsters to send them to the world to hunt them down.
These hybrids are much more powerful than humans and capable of standing against the Yoma, and because of the greatswords they use to slay them, they are often called Claymores.
The series follows the story of Clare, one of said Claymores, and Raki, a human boy he saves in one of her hunts. The series has a pretty good approach to combat and relies on a ranking system that showcases the strength of the Claymores, with Clare being number 47th, the weakest of all Claymores in her generation.
This completed manga series has a total of 27 volumes and comes in a single box set showcasing Clare as its front art.
19. Vinland Saga
Note: Again, this is not technically a manga box set, but a manga set containing multiple volumes!
Vinland Saga is, sadly, another unfinished but ongoing manga series. Even then, you can get your hands on a 12-volume manga box right now!
If you like historical plots involving Vikings and medieval fights, I believe Vinland Saga is for you. This one follows the story of Thorfin, a ferocious and talented young warrior who seeks to avenge his father, who died because of him.
The interesting part of this story is that Thorfin travels with his father’s killer, Askeladd. He constantly challenges him to a duel for revenge while participating in Askeladd’s plans for his group of mercenaries, of which Thorfin is part.
What I appreciate the most about Vinland Saga is the growth and development of the main character as well as how the story remains true to itself while it progresses. Honestly, it is one of the best pieces of work I have read, even if it greatly shifted its focus on the fighting along the way.
20. A Silent Voice
A Silent Voice became incredibly popular after its anime movie was released, and many people grew interested in reading the original manga after watching it, myself included. The manga has a single box of 7 volumes and has some differences you might find interesting in contrast to its movie.
The title portrays the life of a high school student who is contemplating the idea of suicide. Just before he does it, Shoya, our protagonist, experiences a flashback of an event that happened during his primary school days.
You see, he used to be a bully, but the person he bullied was a deaf and timid girl named Shoko who just wanted to make friends. After a fight with her, Shoya takes one of her notebooks, the one she used to communicate with others.
And to prepare for his death, he decides to return it to her, but things don’t go as he planned. This leads to many events afterward, including meeting Shoko’s little sister, making new friends, and getting to befriend the girl he once bullied.
21. Fairy Tail
Fairy Tail is a pretty famous shonen manga that involves a lot of adventure and action. It follows pretty common shonen tropes that work very well, and it has many chapters to enjoy if you like long series. This series has 6 manga box sets in total!
The premise of the manga revolves around a guild of wizards known as Fairy Tail, which has the fame of being the strongest one in the whole kingdom. One of its members, Natsu Dragneel, is a fire dragon slayer who’s looking to find his adoptive father, a dragon named Igneel.
One of the series’ biggest strengths is how it portrays friendship, comradeship, and rivalry between many different characters who are part of the same guild and how they grow stronger as they face new challenges with each adventure they experience.
22. Battle Angel Alita
Battle Angel Alita is an old series that started back in 1990 and finished around 1995. It is one of the classics and mainly focuses on the cyber-punk, post-apocalyptic, and action genres. It ended with a total of 9 volumes, and you can get all of them in a single manga box.
The series introduces a dystopian world and two different societies. First, we have Zalem, which could be described as a paradise where powerful and influential people live. And then we have the Scrapyard, the world that lies below Zalem and relies entirely on the junk that is disposed of it.
The story’s main protagonist, Alita, is a cyborg found in Scrapyard and is eventually restored by Daisuke, who works as both a bounty hunter and a doctor of cybernetic parts.
Alita then gets involved with multiple characters from the Scrapyard and Zalem and tries to slowly recover her memories through the one thing she does best – fighting.
23. Bakuman
Bakuman is a series that comes from the hands of Death Note’s author, and it showcases the struggles and challenges mangaka faces when they try to become successful authors.
It, however, showcases a fascinating approach to the matter by following two characters. The main protagonist, Moritaka Mashiro, is a high school student who draws occasionally. When the co-protagonist, Akito Takagi, casually sees Moritaka’s drawings, he tries to convince him to become the artist for his stories, but he declines because of the infamy behind the job, with death by overworking being a very common result.
They eventually become a duo, though, with one focusing on art while the other focusing on writing. The title has a very unique, insightful take on the industry. It demonstrates the difficulties that the job entails, as well as shows how unlikely it is to become an author of a successful series.
24. Rosario+Vampire
Rosario+Vampire is one of those series that became a classic of the harem genre. It mostly became popular after it was animated, but the anime finished without showcasing what the series had to offer. This is why I recommend checking the manga out.
With 10 volumes at your disposal, you will get to read the continuation of the story, adding a lot more content and a different take on the original plot.
The series revolves around our main character, a high school student who accidentally gets enrolled in an academy for monsters. He then gets to meet many different characters, many of whom are cute girls who develop feelings for him, including a vampire, a succubus, a witch, and a snow woman.
25. The Seven Deadly Sins
The Seven Deadly Sins is the perfect series for people who enjoy fights between strong characters, with a bit of ecchi thrown into it. It also revolves around a plot constantly unfolding itself, solving mysteries and introducing many more characters as it progresses.
The plot starts with the kingdom’s princess, Elizabeth, as she tries to find the legendary group of knights known as The Seven Deadly Sins. Rumors claim that they were framed for attempting to take over the kingdom, and she wants to uncover the truth behind the event.
She eventually meets the leader of the knights, Meliodas, a perverted child-looking character with the fame of being the strongest knight of the kingdom. Both the characters then decide to take on a journey to find the other members of the group and stop the corruption of the kingdom and its holy knights.
26. The Quintessential Quintuplets
Jumping into another harem manga, The Quintessential Quintuplets is a little special. Why? Well, mainly because it portrays a plot of 5 identical twin sisters! Although they have different personalities, goals, and dreams, they are physically identical, and they also share the same difficulties when it comes to studying.
The series then introduces our main protagonist, Futaro Uesugi, who strives to become someone who is needed and tries to study as hard as possible to become capable and successful.
Futaro also believes that relationships are nothing but a hindrance in his path toward success. Still, after he is introduced to the five sisters to help them improve their grades as their tutor, he slowly changes his mind as he becomes closer to each of them.
If you are interested in reading this harem and romance manga, you can get two manga box sets containing all of the volumes, 14 in total!
27. Cells At Work!
If you like unique premises and comedy, I believe you should read Cells At Work! The series showcases the struggles of many different components of a human body portrayed as characters capable of thinking, feeling, and interacting with one another.
It mainly relies on two characters, though – a very clumsy yet cheerful girl who works as a blood cell, and a serious and cold-hearted white cell who works as a virus slayer.
Surprisingly, the series does a great job at demonstrating how the body works and can be relatively visionary at teaching people things involving the body’s many different systems. It has a total of 6 volumes and one unique box set containing all of them for you to get!
How Many Manga Box Sets Do You Own?
With different types of genres to tackle, you now know which titles you can pick in case you want to start your physical manga collection. I have showcased multiple series of different lengths for you to choose from since we all know how harsh collecting is to our pockets.
Even then, with a bit of patience and some perseverance, you will eventually get your hands on those titles you are most interested in. And after that, you will feel both proud and happy to have those volumes on your bookshelf as a sign of passion and a reason for friends to come over and read beside you!
But there’s also one thing I want to know, how many manga box sets do you already own? You can use the comments section below to let me know. Also, if you think that the article doesn’t contain popular manga boxes, mention them and I’ll add them in the next update.
Also Read: Best Horror Manga Of All Time
