Manga like Monster: 5 series to read in English

Monster starts with a decision. Kenzo Tenma has left Japan for West Germany and now works as a star brain surgeon in Düsseldorf. The picks below are the series on Mangainfo that share the most themes and genres with Monster in AniList's tags and have English volumes out, with the more popular series winning any close call. All volume counts and dates are as of October 2026.

Pluto

Pluto shares the noir, detective and police tags with Monster. It also has the drama, mystery and psychological genres in common. On top of that it adds mecha and sci-fi. The credits list Naoki Urasawa, Takashi Nagasaki, Makoto Tezuka and Osamu Tezuka.

The setting is the near future. Robots there look and behave almost like humans. They even hold legal rights. Then someone begins to wipe out the most advanced robots on the planet. They fall one at a time.

Pluto finished in Japan at 8 volumes. All 8 are out in English. You can read the whole thing today.

20th Century Boys

Detective work, history and philosophy are the tags that tie 20th Century Boys to Monster. Four of its genres match too: drama, mystery, psychological and thriller. Naoki Urasawa wrote and drew it alone.

Kenji Endo dropped his rock music dreams a long time ago. These days he runs a convenience store. His sister has gone missing. He is the one raising her baby daughter. Its other tags point to a conspiracy and a cult. They also flag a coming of age story told out of chronological order.

The series finished in Japan at 22 volumes. The English edition is complete with all 22 out.

The Apothecary Diaries

Monster puts a surgeon at its center. The Apothecary Diaries also keeps medicine up front. It shares the detective and crime tags with Monster as well. Erika Ikeda and Natsu Hyuuga are the names on the cover.

The story takes place in an imperial court modeled on old China. Its lead is Maomao. She was raised in the pleasure district. The genres are drama and mystery. Royal affairs sit among its themes.

This is the only pick still running in Japan. There are 17 Japanese volumes and 15 English ones. Volume 16 comes out in English on 3 November 2026 from Penguin USA, Inc.

Billy Bat

History, police work and philosophy link Billy Bat to Monster. Naoki Urasawa and Takashi Nagasaki made it together. It mixes drama, mystery and thriller with a supernatural streak.

The year is 1949. A comic called Billy Bat is a hit across America. Its hero is a detective. He also happens to be a bat. Conspiracy and drawing are among its themes.

Billy Bat finished in Japan at 20 volumes. Only 2 are out in English so far. Volume 3 is due on 8 December 2026 from KANA.

Innocent

Set far from Japan like Monster, Innocent shares the foreign, historical and philosophy tags. Shinichi Sakamoto and Masakatsu Adachi are its creators. Its genres are drama and psychological.

The story unfolds in 18th century Paris. Charles-Henri Sanson stands to inherit the Sanson family name. Tragedy and coming of age round out its themes.

Innocent finished in Japan at 9 volumes. All 9 are available in English.

Where to start

Three of these picks are complete in English: Pluto, 20th Century Boys and Innocent. The Apothecary Diaries and Billy Bat are still catching up. Each series page lists every English volume with its release date.