Finally decided to give manga a chance. Recommend some Dark Fantasy & Historical Fiction ones.

[Chimpzy_v1legacy]

Vinland Saga has already been mentioned, but gets a recommendation nonetheless, even if it is still ongoing. It's quite good.

Aside from that, the only dark fantasy manga I know that arguably mostly matches your criteria is Attack on Titan.

There's also Ubel Blatt, but it's probably not up your alley. Bit too edgy and not what I'd call mature.

But, if samurai drama tickles your fancy too, you can't go wrong with Lone Wolf and Cub. Shigurui and Blade of the Immortal[/i] are also good. And then there's Vagabond, a chronicle of the life of the famous historical swordmaster Miyamoto Musashi. It's ongoing like Berserk and Vinland Saga, but well worth your time regardless.

Similarly, Historie follows the life of a young boy in Ancient Greece who would grow up to become general and secretary to Alexander the Great. Nice if you like a more Swords and Sandals vibe.

 

[busterkeatonrules]

Blade of the Immortal?

Manji is a samurai whose blood is infected with supernatural worms which patch him together in record speed any time he gets killed. Which happens a lot. Deciding that he needs to kill a thousand evil people in order to lift the curse, he sets out to help a young woman avenge her family. Extremely gory at times, but also really well written and with a very convincing, if clearly fictionalized, depiction of 18th century Japan.

The art style goes for a level of realism unusual for a manga, which is a refreshing change.

As a heads-up, it should be noted that Manji's personal symbol is a huge swastika (also known as a 'manji'), which he wears with pride across the entire back of his kimono. The setting predates Nazi germany by a considerable margin, and Manji obviously swears by the symbol purely for its ancient and diverse spiritual and philosophical connotations, but it can still come off as a bit jarring to certain Western audiences.

 

[PIZZARRHEA]

Shigurui
Samurai Executioner(Made by Kazuo Koike and Goseki Kojima of Lone Wolf and Cub)
Fist of Blue Sky(Which I ended up liking more than Hokuto no Ken, which I was already a rabid fan of)
A full reread of Berserk
Another full reread of Berserk
A full reread of Lone Wolf and Cub
Another full reread of Loneblahblahblahblahblah
I know you wanted dark fantasy/historical fiction but I just recently finished Blame! and I think everyone should at least try it, I thought it was pretty fantastic.

 

[ninja666]

On your actual criteria I've got Shigurui.

Added it to my list. For some reason, I forgot it even existed. Kind of weird, considering how salty I was that the anime adaptation of it didn't end conclusively because I wanted to watch it so bad... And yes, the art is fantastic. Thanks for the recommendation.

2001 Nights (Nisen'ichi Ya Monogatari) ~ Yukinobu Hoshino

Thanks, but it's not what I'm looking for. I'm not really a fan of the "travelling through space" kind of Science Fiction.

Biomega.

I'll add it to my list. It sounds like something I might enjoy, but maybe at some other date, since right now I'm in a sword and sorcery mood. Thanks.

Also, I'm reading it's a prequel to another manga - Blame! Do I need to read Blame! first to understand Biomega, or is it more or less a standalone experience despite being a prequel?

Aside from that, the only dark fantasy manga I know that arguably mostly matches your criteria is Attack on Titan.

Please tell me this is a joke. AoT is one of the edgiest, shonenest shonen I've ever seen, and the characters are pretty much all Mary Sues and Gary Stus, who literally can't die or get seriously hurt in any way because the plot armor is too strong.

Similarly, Historie follows the life of a young boy in Ancient Greece who would grow up to become general and secretary to Alexander the Great. Nice if you like a more Swords and Sandals vibe.

Oh, come on! You really caught my attention with that one, so I went on MAL to check it out and it turns out it's still ongoing. Stop teasing me like that!

Blade of the Immortal?

Manji is a samurai whose blood is infected with supernatural worms which patch him together in record speed any time he gets killed. Which happens a lot. Deciding that he needs to kill a thousand evil people in order to lift the curse, he sets out to help a young woman avenge her family. Extremely gory at times, but also really well written and with a very convincing, if clearly fictionalized, depiction of 18th century Japan.

The art style goes for a level of realism unusual for a manga, which is a refreshing change.

Definitely sounds like something I'd wanna read. I added it to my list. Thank you.

As a heads-up, it should be noted that Manji's personal symbol is a huge swastika (also known as a 'manji'), which he wears with pride across the entire back of his kimono. The setting predates Nazi germany by a considerable margin, and Manji obviously swears by the symbol purely for its ancient and diverse spiritual and philosophical connotations, but it can still come off as a bit jarring to certain Western audiences.

I feel kinda insulted you assumed I'd be one of those people who doesn't know the historical context behind that symbol and would blindly associate it with Nazism and Nazism only.

 

[ninja666]

Samurai Executioner(Made by Kazuo Koike and Goseki Kojima of Lone Wolf and Cub)

Added it to my list. Thank you.

Fist of Blue Sky(Which I ended up liking more than Hokuto no Ken, which I was already a rabid fan of)

I've already seen the anime adaptation of it. I'm aware it probably didn't do it justice since it was super low budget, but even story-wise it wasn't something that really caught my attention. Thanks anyway.

 

[busterkeatonrules]

I feel kinda insulted you assumed I'd be one of those people who doesn't know the historical context behind that symbol and would blindly associate it with Nazism and Nazism only.

And I freely admit that I have no base to make that assumption.

However, the swastika is still in use today by multiple violent hate groups who routinely kill and maim people, cause riots, etc. It is screamingly offensive to thousands of people, and recommending the manga without a quick warning would have been inexcusably inconsiderate.

 

[Chimpzy_v1legacy]

No idea if this is of interest but maybe Emma - A Victorian Romance?

Not an action-packed dark fantasy of course, but a realistic and thoroughly researched manga about interclass relationships in Victorian London. It's better than it sounds. It's also fully translated and finished.

 

[ninja666]

No idea if this is of interest but maybe Emma - A Victorian Romance?

Not an action-packed dark fantasy of course, but a realistic and thoroughly researched manga about interclass relationships in Victorian London. It's better than it sounds. It's also fully translated and finished.

Thanks, but it's not really the kind of stuff I'd be into.

 

[stroopwafel]

Also, I'm reading it's a prequel to another manga - Blame! Do I need to read Blame! first to understand Biomega, or is it more or less a standalone experience despite being a prequel?

It's standalone other than the company Toha Industries that is in both series. There are I guess a lot of esoteric similarities but when I read Biomega for the first time back in 2010 or so(before I read Blame!) I didn't feel like I was missing something. Biomega is actually much easier to follow and the story progresses at a rapid pace compared to the meandering and confusing Blame!

 

[Erttheking]

Oh wait, you're asking for manga, not anime, forget it.

 

[ninja666]

Oh wait, you're asking for manga, not anime, forget it.

I'm assuming a recommendation used to be there. Please tell me what it was. I don't care that it's anime, I'm simply curious.

 

[sanquin]

Blade of the Immortal?

I'd like to add to this that they made a live-action movie out of it as well. And not a western one, a proper eastern one. I watched it on netflix a while ago.

 

[Neonbob]

Kingdom
It's about Chinese war lords, and it's got over 500 chapters. It is ongoing, though.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kingdom_(manga)

Akame ga Kill
It has a lighter art style, but still has plenty of violence, plot twists, and interesting characters.
Finished series.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Akame_ga_Kill!

Sidooh
Follows two brothers trying to become samurai in Edo Japan.
I don't know if it's done, I'm only about 1/4th through what I have available.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Akame_ga_Kill!

Also, for shits and giggles, Hellsing. Pure violence, vampires, and a psychopathic priest. Oh, and Nazis.
Finished series.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hellsing

 

[Chimpzy_v1legacy]

Also, for shits and giggles, Hellsing. Pure violence, vampires, and a psychopathic priest. Oh, and Nazis.
Finished series.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hellsing

For even more shits and giggles, watch Hellsing Ultimate Abridged after you've read the manga. It's not required, but much funnier if you do.

 

[gigastar]

If you dont mind a manga that only has 19 chapters out at the moment, chack out Goblin Slayer.

 

[ninja666]

@Neonbob

Out of all your recommendations, only Sidooh fits what I'm looking for. However, while it is finished, not all chapters have been translated to English, unfortunately.

@gigastar

I do mind, actually. I don't want to read any ongoing manga. I want to start reading manga precisely because so many anime adaptations go unifinished, so I want to have something that's guaranteed to be a complete, self-contained experience.