I am looking for manga about psychopaths or sociopaths. However, I am not looking for any manga with stereotypes about them as in "anyone who lacks empathy" automatically is a murderer or crazed person who has non-stop bloodlust . Examples: Ichi, Monster, many mystery and horror manga, etc. Also, I'm using the label interchangably: psychopath and sociopath.

Oh and I'm using this definition of empathy: the ability to put yourself in others' shoes as in to identify with or understand someone elses' suffering.

Namely, I'm looking for manga about people who are unable to feel any empathy for others, who feel little to no guilt for their actions, who have a higher threshold of pain and fears(fear little to nothing), and who have problems understanding or even forming "normal" social bonds(family, friends, acquaintances, etc.), thus leading to thoughts, perceptions and behaviour which may not be readily understood or accepted by the general society. This doesn't mean they won't have hobbies, activities, favourite food, etc., of course.

I doubt there're any such titles but it's worth a try anyways.

Edit: Finally found 1 so far. Trick Ster: a pity there isn't much depth to it.

Last edited by VampireBanana at 8:54 am, May 11 2010

Try Death Note. The main character starts to get really crazy near the end. Not sure if it fits your requirements, but you should try it.

D-ASH - the case of a major main character that appears a few volumes in
Pieta - ignore the shoujo-ai label, it's good stuff
Flower of Evil
Kiseijuu
River's Edge

let's see Apollo's song might fit

Desert Punk is defined by these two words lol.

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Ummmm....Mirai Nikki? That girl is pretty psychopathic, but she does care about Yuki though, so I don't know how well it fits.

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Lol i find these kinds of mangas intersesting too. Here's what i got:

MPD Psycho - Guy has multiple personality disorder. I would say 1/6 of him is definitely psychopathic (killed people before). The rest of him is pretty fragmented. Relating normally, let alone having relationships is something difficult for him.

Goth - Main characters are quite fascinated with death. I would probably label them sociopathic, but it's been a long time since i read this manga. They definitely don't have normal reactions to things.

Fetish -Story about an individual who has an unhealthy obsession with a girl. Really creepy. Not sure if he's psychopathic, but he does lack the capacity to recognize the main character as an actual person. Smattering of very abnormal people throughout.

Manga with psychopathic/sociopathic side characters:

Blue Heaven Horror/thriller about a guy who is rescued from a boat and goes on a killing rampage through a cruise ship. The whole point of the manga is you never understand his motivation. Blue heaven is all about trying to figure this guy out, and realizing there is no reason.


Manga that might not be what you're looking for.

Black Lagoon The female supporting character is either very hard hearted, or just unable to empathize with people. She is really bloodthirsty, so she may not fit the bill. Though, her reactions to things and relationships with people are normal in the criminal world, they are not normal to us. The male protagonist likes her, but realizes that it is impossible to be in a relationship with her b/c she doesn't really like or hate anything.


I think there are more... but i really can't remember..

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Not sure but maybe Homunculus.

maybe Freesia?

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try The World is Mine

Hmmm... thanks everyone, for all the recommendations.

However, I'm not looking for stereotypical or typical outrageous behaviour(a la mainstream shounen/seinen) in many of the titles listed and I doubt the characters really behave like sociopaths. Like: mpd psycho, mirai nikki, black lagoon, etc.

Actually, I've already pointed out that lack of empathy does not make you a murderer, yet a lot of these suggested titles contain large amounts of violent and murderous acts that are often committed without any real legitimate reasons for them. To commit violence or murder requires a combination of factors which aren't covered by many of the stories. To be apathetic to violence or murder, also requires a combination of factors. Just because a person lacks empathy when witnessing another person's suffering, doesn't mean they won't step in to help the victim. It just means that they might have certain personal reasons or moral codes or other reasons that compel them to do so, or which they abide by.

Ah oops... I should have listed this too: "someone who often/sometimes fakes typical human responses, thoughts and other behaviour" to blend in amongst the crowd and not someone who always stands out. Think of someone who masks himself amongst the crowd and if he/she wants to, is capable of using deceit and manipulation and other abilities to possibly fool others, to toy with them and to convince them to commit fraud, to lie, to murder, to save the environment, to help him enact political and other kinds of reforms, to not kill themselves, to laugh along with his/her jokes, etc., etc.

However, I'll give the titles I haven't read, a shot.

Johan from Monster may fit that description
Or some characters from Battle Royale

Tyrian Persimmon of El Halcon, definitely.

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How about Maou: Juvenile Remix? It's not the main character, who is 'sociopathic' though; the sociopath is the guy who the protagonist is fighting.
And how about Yokoya from Liar Game? -But, he isn't really a main character, so I don't know.