Some links on this page are affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate and a Bookshop.org affiliate, I earn from qualifying purchases, at no extra cost to you. Read our affiliate disclosure.
My son went from Dog Man to the Naruto manga. All 72 volumes. When he finished, he asked for One Piece and read 40 volumes in two weeks. Once he found Naruto, the rest took care of itself. Finding that first one is the hard part.
If your kid wants to try manga, that’s the first problem. The shelf is huge, the covers all look alike, and the rating on the back is a T on almost everything. So here’s what I’d hand a kid at each age, with the publisher’s rating next to our own call. Where a series also has an anime, the age matches our Anime Finder.
The Short Answer
At 7 to 9, start with Pokemon Adventures or Chi’s Sweet Home. At 10 or 11, start with Haikyu!!. At 12 or 13, start with Naruto. At 14 and up, Demon Slayer. Buy volume 1 only. If they finish it in a day and ask for the next one, you’ve found it.
| Your kid’s age | Start with | Publisher rating | Our age |
|---|---|---|---|
| 7 to 9 | Pokemon Adventures | All ages | 6+ |
| 10 and 11 | Haikyu!! | T (13+) | 10+ |
| 12 and 13 | Naruto | T (13+) | 12+ |
| 14 and up | Demon Slayer | T (13+) | 14+ |
Haikyu!! is the pick I’d make if you only buy one. It’s a volleyball manga about a short kid who refuses to accept he’s too short, and there’s nothing in it to worry about beyond some mild language. The 3-in-1 edition gets you three volumes in one book for less than buying them separately.
Manga for Ages 7 to 9
At this age, pick manga made for kids. Shonen with a kid on the cover can look the same on the shelf, but it’s written for teens. These three are written for young readers, and two of them star characters they already know from games.
Pokemon Adventures (our age 6+). The manga version of the games, following a trainer named Red. It has more real battles and peril than the cartoon, which most kids this age count as a plus. The Collector’s Edition packs the first three volumes into one thick book.
Chi’s Sweet Home (all ages). A lost kitten gets taken in by a family that isn’t allowed to have pets. Short chapters, full color, and the English edition reads left to right like a regular book, so it’s the gentlest way into the format. It’s quiet, though. A kid who wants action will put it down.
Kirby Manga Mania (all ages). Short gag comics with Kirby and King Dedede. It reads right to left, so it’s good practice for the real thing, and it’s silly enough that a reluctant reader keeps going.
Manga for Ages 10 and 11
This is where real manga opens up. Haikyu!! from the Short Answer is the safest bet. These two are the next ones I’d try.
Witch Hat Atelier (10+). A girl named Coco finds out magic is something you draw, and becomes a witch’s apprentice. The art is gorgeous, and if you have a kid who draws (my daughter started drawing anime characters in fifth grade), this is the one they’ll study. Kodansha rates it 10+, same as we do. The later volumes get darker, which our Witch Hat Atelier age guide covers.
Dragon Ball (10+). Goku’s original adventures, before Dragon Ball Z. It’s funny and fast, and a lot of modern shonen grew out of it. Heads up on the early volumes: Master Roshi is a dirty old man, and Akira Toriyama played it for laughs in a way that has aged badly. Our Dragon Ball reading order shows where to start, and the 3-in-1 editions are the cheapest way in.
Manga for Ages 12 and 13
At 12, the big shonen series are on the table. These are the ones kids hear about at school.
Naruto (12+). Viz rates it T, which they define as 13 and up. We call it 12+, and for a mature 11 the early volumes are fine. There’s fighting and some death, but it’s really about a lonely kid trying to be seen. The manga also skips all the filler episodes from the anime. Our Naruto age guide goes deeper.
Start with the 3-in-1 volume 1. If your kid already loves the anime, Box Set 1 (volumes 1 to 27) is the one exception to my volume-1 rule, because it costs less than buying those volumes one at a time and they’ll want them all.
Spy x Family (12+). A spy, an assassin and a mind-reading little girl pretend to be a family. It’s mostly comedy, and parents tend to enjoy it as much as kids do. There’s some gun violence, played light.
Blue Box (12+). For a kid who wants romance, this is a slow, sweet sports romance with nothing explicit. Our Blue Box age guide has the details.
Manga for 14 and Up
Demon Slayer (14+). The one every kid seems to ask for. It’s about a brother protecting his sister, but the violence is graphic, with beheadings and a lot of blood. We rate it 14+, and at 13 it can work with a parent who has talked it through first. My daughter handles the anime fine, and the manga tells the same story. Our Demon Slayer age guide breaks it down.
Fullmetal Alchemist (14+). Two brothers try to bring their mother back with alchemy and pay a terrible price. It’s one of the best-written manga there is, finished in 27 volumes, with war and some disturbing body horror. A good next step for a teen who has outgrown simple fight stories.
Before You Buy
A few things worth knowing before the first order.
- Manga reads right to left. You start at what looks like the back cover, and panels go right to left, top to bottom. Kids figure it out in about five pages. Parents take longer.
- Buy volume 1, not the box set. Box sets are a great deal once a kid is hooked. Before that, they’re an expensive way to find out your kid doesn’t care about volleyball.
- Look for 3-in-1 editions. Haikyu!!, Dragon Ball and Naruto all come in bigger omnibus editions that cost less per volume.
- Check the anime age too. If the series has a show, the manga usually tells the same story with the same content, so our Anime Finder age applies.
What the Rating on the Back Means
Viz, the biggest manga publisher in the US, uses four ratings: A for all ages, T for teens 13 and up, T+ for older teens, and M for adults. The catch is that almost every popular series gets a T. Haikyu!!, Naruto and Demon Slayer all carry the same T, and they’re nowhere near the same book. One’s a volleyball comedy, and another has beheadings.
So treat the rating as a starting point and check the series itself. Other publishers use their own labels (Kodansha prints an age like 10+ or 13+ on the back). When in doubt, read the first volume yourself. It takes about half an hour, and it’s the fastest way to know what you’re handing over.
What’s Next
Want the anime version? Our shonen anime for kids guide sorts the shows by age.
Already hooked on Naruto, One Piece or Bleach? The Big Three parent guide compares all three.
Reading together? My list of books for dads to read with kids covers the Dog Man to manga jump in our house.
Not ready for manga yet? Our graphic novels page covers Dog Man, Amulet and other comics that read left to right.
For a younger sibling, our children’s books by age guide covers the picture book years.
Everything else lives on the Anime & Manga hub.
About These Recommendations
I’m George, a dad of two. My wife did most of the reading to our kids when they were little, and I did my share. She’s a therapist, and she helps pick the books that actually matter for their development. Some of what’s on this site we’ve read, watched or played as a family. Some I tried on my own first. The rest comes from research: reviews, episode guides, other parents online, and whatever the kids bring home from school.
FAQ
For most 10-year-olds, wait a year or two. Viz rates the Naruto manga T for 13 and up, and we rate it 12+. A mature 11-year-old can handle the early volumes. At 10, Haikyu!! or Witch Hat Atelier is a better first manga.
Haikyu!!, Witch Hat Atelier and Dragon Ball are all 10+ in our Anime Finder. For a mature 11, the early Naruto volumes work too. Start with volume 1 and let your kid decide if they want more.
Pokemon Adventures, Chi’s Sweet Home and Kirby Manga Mania. All three are written for young readers. Chi’s Sweet Home is in full color and reads left to right, so it’s the easiest start.
Right to left. Open the book from what looks like the back cover, then read the panels from right to left and top to bottom. Most kids get used to it within a few pages.
Volume 1. Box sets save money once a kid is hooked, but they’re a big spend on a series your kid might drop after one book. If they finish volume 1 fast and ask for more, then buy the box set.
On Viz manga, T means teens 13 and up. A is all ages, T+ is older teens and M is adults. Most popular series are rated T, so the rating doesn’t tell a volleyball comedy from a violent fantasy. Check a parent guide for the specific series.