Scariest Junji Ito Manga Stories

If you’re a fan of horror manga, or even just horror in general, you’ve likely heard the name ‘Junji Ito’ – and for good reason. From his truly unsettling depictions of body horror, to his mind-bending cosmic horror tales, Ito has earned a cult following throughout his lengthy career as a manga artist. While his haunting storylines are enough to send a shiver down even the most hardened horror fan’s spine, it’s the visual art of Junji Ito that has earned him his reputation as a master of horror – put simply, there are some Junji Ito manga panels that once you’ve seen them, will never leave your mind.

In this article, we’re going to be covering some of the scariest Junji Ito horror manga stories out there. Be warned, these stories are not for the faint of heart! We’re talking about an author who’s managed to make cats scary (if you don’t believe me, look into Ito’s Cat Diary). This list is also going to be talking exclusively about those Junji Ito works that fall into the ‘short stories’ category – so as much as I’m willing to talk anytime about Ito’s spiral into madness, you won’t find anything about his iconic Uzumaki manga here (though I believe it to be one of the best Junji Ito books ever) – the same goes for the twisted visions of Tomie and the death stench of Gyo – short stories only! 

We’ve also avoided including any spoilers for these Junji Ito comics – some of the most unsettling parts of these stories are the surprise twists! With that being said, brace yourself for the horror, and let’s get into the list!

1. The Enigma of Amigara Fault

2. Long Dream

3. The Earthbound

4. The Human Chair
5. Anything But A Ghost
6. The Window Next Door
7. The Bully
8. Den of the Sleep Demon
9. Slug Girl
10. The Hanging Balloons

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The Enigma of Amigara Fault

Image by Junji Ito

Originally included as a bonus story at the end of Gyo, Ito’s The Enigma of Amigara Fault has gained notoriety as one of the author’s most unsettling tales. After an earthquake in Japan, a fault is discovered and quickly attracts tourists. The tourists then discover that the face of the rock wall is covered in human-shaped holes – holes which have existed for thousands of years. Soon after, one of the tourists reveals that she has come to the fault as one of the holes resembled her exact silhouette – from this point on, that Junji Ito horror magic kicks in.

I may be starting this list a little strong, as the ending to this short story is genuinely one of Ito’s most horrific – in concept, and in visual. The story can essentially be summed up as a twisted, claustrophobic take on the age-old phrase, ‘curiosity killed the cat’. Ito has always been a master at drawing on deeply-ingrained aspects of the human psyche and bringing them to the surface – so, if The Enigma of Amigara Fault teaches us anything, it’s to control our compulsion – and also, never go on tours to mysterious fault lines.

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Long Dream

Image by Junji Ito

If you happened to catch any episodes of 2018’s Junji Ito anime series (appropriately titled the Junji Ito Collection), then you may remember Long Dream. Scratch that, you WILL remember Long Dream – it’s hard to forget. The story is centered around a hospital patient, Tetsuro Mukoda, who deals with horrific nightmares every night. The twist? – each of his nightmares feel to him like a year, and each night, his nightmares become one year longer. 

This is only the first of many twists in this tale – watching Mukoda’s gradual spiral into madness as time goes on is absolutely haunting, and one of his dreams in the latter half of the story brings some genuine sadness to the narrative. And, of course, this is a Junji Ito manga – so, we have to see the physical toll it has taken on him, and it’s a sight. All in all, with a chilling premise, multiple shocking twists, one of the most tragic Junji Ito characters of all time, and an ending that will stick with you, Long Dream is an Ito essential – though, I can’t guarantee you’ll get much sleep afterwards.

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The Earthbound

Image by Junji Ito

There is perhaps no twist in the entirety of Ito’s catalogue that is more disturbing than the one offered in The Earthbound. For that reason, it is one of the best Junji Ito manga stories out there – and one of the creepiest. The premise of this tale is fairly simple – people across Japan begin to mysteriously freeze in place, over time hardening and becoming no longer human. If moved, they will return to their place – bound to one spot.

As opposed to many of the other stories on this list, Ito’s typical body horror takes a backseat. This story is, in large, based purely in psychological horror – though the whole unexplainable, ‘stuck in one place’ thing does add some cosmic horror. For the most part, however, the horror in this short story is all based in reality – and sometimes, that’s the scariest kind of horror.I recommend you check this one out, but as a warning – it covers some pretty sensitive topics.

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The Human Chair

Image by Junji Ito

Paranoia is a common theme in all sorts of horror stories, but few do it quite as well as the Junji Ito Human Chair manga story. Interestingly, this Ito tale is an adaptation, and is the author’s own take on a short story from 1925 of the same name, written by Edogawa Ranpo. That being said, there’s a certain eeriness to The Human Chair Junji Ito manga adaptation that has solidified its place as one of the scariest Junji Ito works in his repertoire.

One day, an author named Yoshiko begins to sort through a collection of letters she has received from other authors. One letter she reads, however, implies that she may not be alone in her own home. The unnerving twist present in this tale can of course be owed to Ranpo’s original concept, but the art of Junji Ito takes the story to a new level. Though simple and short, this short holds a deserved place in any list of the scariest Junji Ito stories – a definite recommendation, if endless paranoia is your thing…

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Anything But A Ghost

Image by Junji Ito

If you’re shocked by how horrifying the above panel is, it may shock you even more to know that this is one of the first panels in the whole Anything But A Ghost manga short. One night, a young man named Shigeru is driving when he comes across a young woman covered in blood. When he rushes her to the hospital, the doctors discover that the blood all over her is, in fact, not hers.

From this point on, this haunting narrative goes full ghost story – and by the time it reaches its climax, it is solidified as one of the most morbid, grotesque, and disturbing of all of Ito’s short stories. There’s also an intense sadness present in this story, which combined with multiple bloodcurdling scenes, makes for a perfect ghost story – and while Shigeru is not exactly sympathetic throughout, his ultimate fate is far from anything that anyone deserves. 

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The Window Next Door

Image by Junji Ito

The Window Next Door pulls off some of the most impressive feats in manga – the ability to jumpscare a reader with simply an image…or multiple images. Fans have referred to Ito’s masterful ability to jumpscare on paper as the art of the ‘page turn’ – and it’s amplified to a new degree in this short story. That’s really what earns this tale a spot on the list – though its premise is fairly spooky in itself.

A boy named Hiroshi Sakaguchi moves with his family to a new house, and he quickly notices that the house across from his bedroom only has one window. The inhabitant has never been seen, but their figure has been seen at night by passers-by – that is until, one night, Hiroshi hears a woman calling his name, asking for him to come visit. Some horrendous imagery later, the story concludes, and there’s little for the reader to do other than glance precariously at their own windows. This one is one of Ito’s creepiest, and combined with the jumpscare factor, it’s an essential on any list of Junji Ito scariest manga stories.

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The Bully

Image by Junji Ito

Perhaps the most realistic of all of the stories on this list, there’s nothing supernatural or cosmic about what happens in The Bully. It’s an incredibly sad story, filled with cruelty every step of the way – and that’s what makes it all the more terrifying. The Bully is somewhat of an outlier in Junji Ito’s catalogue – an author known for his emphasis on body horror and unexplainable phenomena, suddenly taking a turn into a very grounded, real story – sure, there are some of his signature terrifying panels present, but it’s the main character, Kuriko’s hair-raising malice that takes center stage here.

The story begins with Kuriko sitting on a park bench with her boyfriend Yutaro. While there, she asks Yutaro if he would still want to marry her if he knew how she behaved in her youth – specifically towards a young boy named Nao. As soon as the flashbacks begin, the horror of The Bully unveils itself, and it’s a chilling, tough read, but a well-crafted story nonetheless. Without giving anything away, it’s the ending of this one that takes the cake – its realism has haunted Ito readers for years, and has ensured that, though it may not be as talked about as his other works, The Bully is deserving of a reputation as one of the scariest Ito stories there is.

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Den of the Sleep Demon

Image by Junji Ito

When Junji Ito Maniac was announced by Netflix, fans were equally curious and worried. Junji Ito anime adaptations have rarely gone well. One look at the Junji Ito Collection tells readers that Ito’s unique style just doesn’t translate to the screen well. That being said, when Den of the Sleep Demon was announced as one of the short stories to be adapted, the decision was rejoiced, most notably, by the author himself. Ito has been vocal about his rocky relationship with this short story – one of his earlier works, the author has remarked that his writing was not up to par when he wrote this. He has gone as far as to say that the anime improved the story – a bold statement! I, however, still find the manga version incredibly haunting.

In a Freddy Krueger-esque turn of events, an author, who goes only by Yuji, tells his friend Mari that a person in his dreams is trying to break out of his dreamscape into the real world – and ultimately, they plan to take Yuji’s place. The story may not have aged as well as some of Ito’s other, more timeless tales, but the horror does hold up. That being said, if you trust the author himself’s word, it may be worth checking out the anime adaptation as part of the Junji Ito Maniac collection – either way, you’ll be witnessing an incredibly haunting tale, filled with that signature Ito body horror.

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Slug Girl

Image by Junji Ito

Speaking of body horror, now we come to Slug Girl. To be blunt, some of Ito’s stories can be, for lack of a better word, disgusting – and this is one of the clearest examples of that. The premise is that a girl named Rie notices that her friend, Yuuko, has stopped speaking at school. When Yuuko stops showing up to school altogether, Rie visits her house, only to discover her friend’s mouth is covered by a mask, and something truly vile has been inflicted on Yuuko – her greatest fear is slugs, and now…well, you can imagine the rest.

Slug Girl has earned a reputation as one of the most unsettling Junji Ito manga stories, mainly for two reasons. Firstly, the imagery is truly revolting – the final panel in particular is pure nightmare fuel. Secondly, the whole premise is incredibly cruel – again, without giving too much away, a girl, who is essentially innocent, is tormented by her greatest fear. The whole short story has made Yuuko go down as one of the most unjustifiably tortured Junji Ito characters across all of his manga collection. This one is particularly effective if you substitute the slug for your own greatest fear – sure, Slug Girl is gross, but it’s also a masterclass in psychological horror, and one of Ito’s most iconic works. 

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The Hanging Balloons

Image by Junji Ito

This list concludes with a personal favourite of mine. The Hanging Balloons is a genius concept, so much so that Ito gave it a sequel – appropriately titled, Return of The Hanging Balloons (a perfect naming scheme for any horror sequel). What I’m talking about here, however, is the original, which is a must read for any Ito fan, and any fan of horror manga in general. To give the most vague plot synopsis, a girl named Kazuko is trapped in her house, and her own voice is being used to lure her outside.

The Hanging Balloons incorporates everything we’ve come to love about Junji Ito manga – a looming supernatural threat, inhuman body horror, tragedy, and somehow, all sorts of themes central to any good horror story. Paranoia, compulsion, curiosity – all of them make their way into what is, in my own opinion, the best of Junji Ito’s short stories. Featuring some of Ito’s most creative, beautiful, and iconic imagery, as well as a signature haunting finale, The Hanging Balloons is a must-read. It has also been animated as part of the Junji Ito Maniac series, but I recommend you read this one before looking into the anime adaptation – it’s a standout entry in Ito’s repertoire.

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Conclusion

And that’s the list! I hope you take the time to read some of these iconic short stories – there’s really nothing else like Junji Ito’s work. As horrifying as his visuals are, his craftsmanship is undeniable, and for any fan of horror manga Junji Ito is an essential addition to your reading list. These stories are, unfortunately, pretty spread out. Some are included as bonuses in his longer books, while others are grouped in various Junji Ito collection books – but I recommend you seek them out! Also, if possible, try and get yourself a physical copy. Sure, you can read Junji Ito online – but there’s nothing quite like turning an actual page over to see his twisted visions on the page before you. Either way, I hope you dive into the world of Junji Ito, starting with some of these stories!

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