In anime and manga, assassins don’t always refer to stealthy beings that receive contracts to perform hits. They come in many different shapes, sizes, and species with differing personalities and skillsets. Even so, two words that aren’t often heard in the same sentence are “comedy” and “assassin”. However, in Japanese manga, they often work quite well together because these stories don’t have to rigidly be one or the other.
Many of the top-rated comedy manga are a mixture of action, drama, slice-of-life, romance, adventure, and the supernatural. This is why they can be enjoyed by most demographics. Much like Kanako’s Life As An Assassin, there are many other comedy manga with killer plots that are a worthwhile read.
10 Kanako’s Life As An Assassin – The Unsuspecting, Yet Surprisingly Good Assassin
Nishino Kanako is forced out of her job by her boss and becomes unemployed. While job searching, she finds a job doing something unexpected – working for an Assassins Agency. The crazy thing is, is that she’s good at it! As she does not look quite like a stereotypical assassin, it actually works out in her favor. Especially when her ex-boyfriend is the lead detective on her case. In this slice-of-life and comedy manga, readers follow Kanako’s hilarious journey from protagonist to villain.
9 The Way Of The Househusband – Former Yakuza Boss Turns Devoted Househusband
With a unique art style and absurd comedy, the reception of The Way Of The Househusband has been varied. This manga focuses on former yakuza boss, Tatsu, and his daily life as a househusband, while his wife, Miku, has a successful career as a designer.
Despite his gruff appearance, Tatsu is loved by his neighbors and enjoys cooking classes, yoga, taking food pictures, and taking care of their cat, Gin. His former life does make an appearance here and there, but it’s done with comedy in mind as it’s woven into his everyday life.
8 Assassination Classroom – Middle-Grade Students Have 1 Year To Assassinate Their Teacher
Assassinate the creature responsible for blowing up a part of the moon before Earth suffers a similar fate in one year’s time. That’s the task class 3-E of Kunugigaoka Middle School have to accomplish in Assassination Classroom. The problem, however, is that the creature called Koro-sensei is the very tentacled being teaching this ragtag group of misfits.
His students are allowed as many attempts as possible to kill him, and they can attack at any time they wish. Due to the severity of the situation, the government even has a prize for the student who can kill Koro-sensei – 10 billion yen (roughly $100 million). But as their classes progress, the students come to realize that he’s the best teacher that they’ve ever had.
7 Wotakoi: Love Is Hard For Otaku – A Sweet And Awkward Romance
Being an otaku is hard. But being an otaku that’s dating another otaku makes life (and love) difficult and awkward for Narumi Momose. Wotakoi: Love Is Hard For Otaku is a manga series that that revolves around Narumi and her everyday life. After rushing to her first day of work at a new office, she runs into an old friend from middle school, Hirotaka Nifuj.
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As they catch up later that evening, she complains about her ex-boyfriend and how he wouldn’t date someone who loved yaoi. That’s when Hirotaka suggests that she date an otaku, specifically him. This series is filled with amazing comedy and sweet and adorable (and awkward) romance.
6 My Next Life As A Villainess – Reincarnation Isn’t All That It’s Cracked Up To Be
Most people would love to be the hero of a story. But for one unlucky girl, she is reborn into one of the otome games that she used to play, Fortune Lover, as the main antagonist.
Knowing that she faces doom at the end of every story, the reincarnated Katerina Caes does everything that she can think of to ensure that that fateful ending doesn’t occur. This isn’t easy as she needs to navigate the world with caution to avoid death traps that will speed up the death that she’s trying to avoid.
5 Spy X Family – A Motley Crew Family With Secrets
Given an almost impossible task in the name of peace, Twilight, a bigshot spy must marry and have a child in order to infiltrate an elite school.
Unbeknown to him, his wife, Yor Briar, moonlights as an assassin, and his adopted child, Avery, is the product of secret experiments that allow her to read minds. With each member of this family having their own agendas, it makes for some hilarious, and action-packed, shonen comedy that proves you don’t have to be blood-related to be a family.
4 Reborn! – Middle School Loser Meets Reincarnated Hitman Baby
When labeled a loser by his middle school classmates, Tsunayoshi Sawada embraces it. He’s a klutz, has no talent, and in love with Kyouko Sasagawa, a girl so far out of his league, it’s laughable.
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But his unordinary life turns into something much more extraordinary when he meets the mysterious Reborn, who happens to be a hitman… and a baby. Unfortunately for Reborn, he’s assigned the task of making Tsuna into something incredible in order for the middle schooler to take over as a mafia boss. Reborn! is funny, a little goofy, but overall an amazing read.
3 Beelzebub – Delinquents And A Demon Lord’s Baby
In a high school populated with delinquents, there are no rules. So, violence is almost always around the corner. But there is one unspoken rule – avoid the most vicious fighter at Ishiyama High, Tatsumi Oga.
One gruesome day, Tatsumi encounters a man floating down the river. Upon retrieval, the man splits in two and a baby crawls out, only to attach itself to Tatsumi. Unfortunately for Tatsumi, this baby is Kaiser de Emperana Beelzebub IV, or “Baby Beel” for short, the Demon Lord’s son. With the help of Baby Beel’s maid, the two try to raise the baby, despite its demonic powers and the three constantly being surrounded by violence.
2 Hinamatsuri – A Yakuza Member And A Powerful Girl With No Memory
Yoshifumi Nitta, a yakuza member, is in for the ride of his life when a capsule falls on his head. Inside is a young girl with blue hair who doesn’t know anything about herself other than her name.
The mysterious girl, named Hina, has powers that she doesn’t know how to control, Yoshifumi does the only thing he can think of and becomes her caregiver. A strange alliance forms between the two as Hina helps protect Yoshifumi while he performs business for the Yakuza, making for some interesting, funny, and somewhat ridiculous scenarios to take place.
1 Dorohedoro – A Reptile Man On A Bloody Quest For Answers
The Hole is a decrepit and disorderly district where only the strong dare go to test out their magical limits. Unfortunately for the Hole dwellers, magic users see them as nothing more than bugs and insects that they can perform experiments on.
For the most part, these magic users dominate the area. A select few, like Kaiman, the reptile man, hunt these magic users. But Kaiman, however, is on a quest to turn himself back to normal. Dorohedoro is a wonderful mix of comedy and action for those that aren’t squeamish.