Naoki Urasawa manga in English: every series and where to start

Naoki Urasawa has 5 series with English volumes. 4 of them are complete in English. Only one is still coming out. That one is Billy Bat. All the volume counts below are as of October 2026.

The series are listed with the most popular first. Every one of them has finished in Japan. So the only question is how much of each you can read in English.

20th Century Boys

Kenji Endo gave up his dream of rock music a long time ago. These days he runs a convenience store. He is also raising a baby girl. She is the daughter of his sister, who has gone missing.

That is the setup. The genres are drama, mystery, psychological, sci-fi and thriller. The themes point to coming of age, conspiracy and a cult. The story is also told in achronological order.

Naoki Urasawa did both the story and the art. The series ran to 22 volumes in Japan. All 22 are out in English. 20th Century Boys is complete in English.

Monster

The first thing this series gives you is a choice. Kenzo Tenma left Japan for West Germany. He is now a star brain surgeon in Düsseldorf. The genres are drama, mystery, psychological and thriller. Its themes are philosophy, crime, twins and noir.

Story and art are both by Naoki Urasawa. Japan has 18 volumes. English has the same 18. Monster is complete in English.

Pluto

Picture a near future where robots look and act almost like people. They even have legal rights. Then someone starts to destroy the most advanced robots in the world. One goes down after another.

Robots and artificial intelligence sit at the center here. The detective and police themes tell you this is a case to be solved. Mecha is among the genres too.

The credits on this one are longer. The authors are Naoki Urasawa, Takashi Nagasaki, Makoto Tezuka and Osamu Tezuka. Urasawa's part was story and art. Pluto finished in Japan at 8 volumes. All 8 are out in English. Pluto is complete in English.

Billy Bat

It is 1949. A comic called Billy Bat is a hit in America. Its hero is a detective. He also happens to be a bat.

The themes are drawing, history, conspiracy and philosophy. Supernatural is one of the genres. The authors are Naoki Urasawa and Takashi Nagasaki. Urasawa handled story and art.

This is the series still on the way. It finished in Japan at 20 volumes. Only 2 are out in English so far. Volume 3 comes from KANA on 8 December 2026. Keep an eye on the Billy Bat page for the rest.

21st Century Boys

This one is the direct sequel to 20th Century Boys. It starts right where the main series stops. The cast stays the same. Ghost and tragedy join the conspiracy and cult themes.

Once again Naoki Urasawa did story and art. It is the shortest series here. There are 2 volumes in Japan and 2 in English. 21st Century Boys is complete in English.

Where to start

A short series that is complete in English is the easiest way in. The numbers make the order clear.

• Pluto is the best first pick. It is complete at 8 volumes and stands on its own.
• 21st Century Boys is shorter at 2 volumes. But it is a sequel. Read it only after 20th Century Boys.
• Monster is the next step up. It is complete at 18 volumes.
• 20th Century Boys is the longest complete series at 22 volumes. Add the 2 volumes of 21st Century Boys to finish the story.
• Billy Bat is the one to save for later. Only 2 of its 20 volumes are out in English.

Start with Pluto. Then pick the longer series that sounds best to you. All three of the others in that list besides Billy Bat are ready to read to the end.