10 Best Manga Like Heavenly Delusion
Heavenly Delusion is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Masakazu Ishiguro. The series has been published since January 2018 in publisher Kodansha’s Monthly Afternoon magazine. Heavenly Delusion was voted best manga of the year by the Kono Manga ga Sugoi! in 2019. An anime television series adaptation produced by Production I.G studio under the name Tengoku Daimakyo was announced and premiered on April 1, 2023, on Disney+ and has been received well by fans and critics. For all of you who’ve enjoyed the series, in this article, we are going to give you a list of the ten best manga like Heavenly Delusion, you absolutely need to read.
1. From the New World
Original Run: May 9, 2012 – June 9, 2014
Number of Episodes: 7
What it’s about: Shinsekai Yori, a novel set in a thousand-year-old Japan, relates the tale of Saki, a young woman from Kamisu’s 66th district. All people in this time and place have strong telekinetic powers and live happily in rural communities. Saki develops her powers at the age of twelve and joins her friends Satoru, Maria, Mamoru, Shun, and Reiko in the academy to further them. This happens despite her parents’ concerns that she would not be able to awaken the power within her. The city government monitors and shapes the youth, but the youth are ignorant of this.
Why it’s like Heavenly Delusion: This is probably the most similar title on this list. The manga and the anime were based on a novel, and they likewise tell the story of children who have to uncover the mysteries of a seemingly normal yet exceedingly disturbing world, which is why you will definitely love it.
2. The Promised Neverland
Original Run: August 1, 2016 – June 15, 2020
Number of Volumes: 20
What it’s about: When they were very young, Emma and her siblings—all of whom were orphans—were put in a special institution. The kids of Grace Field House lead happy lives despite having little freedom and occasionally stringent rules under the supervision of the woman they call “Mom” (actual name Isabella). and showers them with all the affection a mother could give her kids. But one evening, after one of their own has left, Emma and Norman learn that “Mom” has authorized the delivery of the orphanage’s children to demons. They’ll need to be resourceful and try to flee if they want to survive.
Why it’s like Heavenly Delusion: The Promised Neverland has quickly become a global hit, and while not all fans were satisfied with how it ended, the series is nevertheless one of the most fitting titles on this list because of its grim setting, the main characters, and the dark mystery of their reality that is being unfolded.
3. Made in Abyss
Original Run: October 20, 2012 – present
Number of Volumes: 10
What it’s about: A 12-year-old girl named Riko resides at the Belchero orphanage in the town of Orth. The city looks out over the Abyss, a massive earthen pit with an unknown depth and a width of 1000 meters. Many explorers worldwide travel to this chasm because it is a source of magical artifacts gathered for sale on the surface. Only a few skilled explorers, known as white whistles, have emerged from the lowest strata; everyone else has perished from the curse or remained below.
Why it’s like Heavenly Delusion: Made in Abyss combines post-apocalyptic themes with a steampunk setting, but it likewise portrays the journey of the protagonists through a very different type of world with lots of mysteries and secrets, some of which could end up having a great impact on them. Don’t let the cover fool you, Made in Abyss is very grim.
4. Dr.STONE
Original Run: March 6, 2017 – March 7, 2022
Number of Volumes: 25
What it’s about: High school student Taiju, who has been secretly in love with Yuzuriha for a few years, informs his closest friend Senku, a science prodigy, that he is about to confess his affection to the girl. A magnificent light comes in the sky and turns everyone into stone statues just as the young man is ready to confess his love for her.
Why it’s like Heavenly Delusion: Okay, we do admit that Dr.STONE is a classic shonen title and that, in that aspect, it doesn’t really fit the mold here, but it has a post-apocalyptic setting and is filled with adventures that uncover the secrets and history of a radically changed world. If you like shonen titles with such topics, Dr.STONE is a great start.
5. Coppelion
Original Run: June 9, 2008 – February 20, 2016
Number of Volumes: 26
What it’s about: Tokyo experienced a tragedy in 2016. On Odaiba, a nuclear power plant experiences a core meltdown, contaminating the entire city region. As a result, the government is forced to issue an evacuation order for Tokyo residents. Tokyo has turned into a ghost town 20 years later, in 2036, as a result of the high radiation levels, to which the government has imposed an entry prohibition.
The Ground Self-Defense Forces (JGSDF) send three seniors from the Dispatch 3rd Special Forces Coppelion to create the medical team when a distress signal is received from Tokyo. The Coppelions have unique talents in addition to being immune to radiation thanks to genetic engineering. To locate survivors, the three girls travel to the destroyed capital.
Why it’s like Heavenly Delusion: If you want to enjoy a similar story in a similar setting to that of Heavenly Delusion, well – Coppelion is one you’ll definitely love, then. It features a lot of significant similarities with Heavenly Delusion and we are certain that you are going to enjoy it thoroughly.
6. Dorohedoro
Original Run: November 30, 2000 – September 12, 2018
Number of Volumes: 23
What it’s about: The fantasy world in which the series is set is divided into three distinct realms: the world of sorcerers, a wealthy, colorful, and magically dominated kingdom connected to the human world through magically created doors; hell, where the souls of dead sorcerers gather and demons reside; and Hole, a filthy, degraded, polluted, and violent metropolis where humans live.
Why it’s like Heavenly Delusion: Dorohedoro combines fantasy with a post-apocalyptic setting. While it is definitely a much grittier take on the topic, fans of Heavenly Delusion might like it because of its quirkiness, as well as its authenticity. The world of Dorohedoro is intriguing and definitely deserves your attention.
7. Eden: It’s an Endless World!
Original Run: 1997 – 2008
Number of Volumes: 18
What it’s about: In the second half of the 21st century, a mysterious virus decimated approximately one-sixth of the world’s population. Called the closure virus, it hardens the epidermis of the victims and liquefies their internal organs, giving the corpses a statue-like appearance. Progress in cybernetics makes it possible to avoid the disappearance of Humanity, but the epidemic upsets the world’s geopolitical chessboard.
Why it’s like Heavenly Delusion: There is more action and combat in Eden: It’s an Endless World! than in Heavenly Delusion, but it is nevertheless a great post-apocalyptic story that you will definitely enjoy, considering that it has since become a classic in the genre. This is a somewhat different take on the whole concept, but a great one, nevertheless.
8. Dragon Head
Original Run: 1994 – 1999
Number of Volumes: 10
What it’s about: The student Teru Aoki travels with his class back to Tokyo by train after an excursion. Suddenly, an accident occurs, the train is destroyed, and all of Terus’ classmates and the teacher die. Teru finds himself in a tunnel and soon encounters Nobuo Takahashi, who is going insane as a result of the destruction, and Ako Seto, who is injured. Teru helps her, and they go on together, but crazy Nobou soon wants to sacrifice her to “the darkness.” After another earthquake, they are able to escape it. Teru and Ako walk through the devastated land where all governance has collapsed.
Why it’s like Heavenly Delusion: Dragon Head is probably darker and grimmer than you’d expect, but this seinen title is a truly amazing addition to this list, especially if you like a more mature story with higher stakes. The style is a bit more bizarre, as well as the world, but the shared motif of uncovering the secrets of a post-apocalyptic world is what makes this title worthy of a place on this list.
9. Akira
Original Run: December 20, 1982 – June 25, 1990
Number of Volumes: 6
What it’s about: On December 6, 1982, Tokyo was destroyed by an unexplained explosion, which led to the start of World War III and the nuclear bombing of several cities. Neo-Tokyo is a corrupt megalopolis in 2019 that is crisscrossed by gangs of unproductive and drug-dependent young bikers.
One night, Tetsuo, one of them, crashes his motorcycle while dodging a strange boy who gets in his way. Tetsuo gets wounded when the Japanese army captures him. He is put through a series of experiments as part of a top-secret military initiative to find and develop creatures predisposed to psychic abilities (telepathy, teleportation, telekinesis, etc.).
Why it’s like Heavenly Delusion: Akira is a bit more on the cyberpunk side and less on the post-apocalyptic side, but it has that eerie feeling of mystery attached to the story’s background and the history that led to the current society. Plus, there is also that religious element that connects both manga, which is why you’ll definitely love Akira.
10. Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind
Original Run: February 1982 – March 1994
Number of Volumes: 7
What it’s about: The thousand-year-old industrial society met its demise during the Seven Days of Fire by using subsurface resources and contaminating the environment. This unusually violent battle does immense harm and comes dangerously close to eradicating humanity and its knowledge.
After a millennium, humanity had progressed to the “ceramic age,” when it contented itself with removing or mending the last remnants of the past. A few islands of life are home to various human civilizations between a large desert and the Sea of Corruption. Giant insects that have evolved to live in this toxic environment guard the Sea of Corruption.
Why it’s like Heavenly Delusion: The manga that inspired Miyazaki’s masterpiece of the same name, Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind, is a brilliant post-apocalyptic story that shows us the dangers of forgetting that we are humans and that we need to take care of the nature that surrounds us. The overall story is a tad different, but Miyazaki’s world’s setting and mysteries are enough for us to recommend it.