I Am a Hero

A world under threat by a zombie menace, it is easy to get carried away with reading in horror and awe as our protagonists find themselves in a prison during the zombie apocalypse, with the world already in ruins the sheer action and suspense provides a fast paced view on how the zombie apocalypse could have occurred in a prison, with elements such as power struggles and slow response times similar to what is seen in I Am a Hero, as well as the constant struggle of whether or not to kill those zombies that may still have a hope of living! 

reportRecommended by potaisbest441

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Horror survival. Both series adapts this idea and mutates it into a story with characters that find themselves fighting for their lives. In their world, zombies exist and prey on their flesh. Essentially, both series tell a story about the characters being motivated to fight but also finding out the truth about the zombies. They make both friends and enemies through their journey. And as a manga with horror survival themes, expect violence as well as bloodshed. I recommend both manga for anyone interested in an apocalyptic setting that tells a story about how people survive/perish. 

reportRecommended by Stark700

Both zombie menace, zombie apocalypse. I like I am A hero because it's better when it comes to art I feel it more expression  

reportRecommended by gonko

Zombies, mutant zombies and zombies with a unique power - that's what those both mangas have in common. the zombies look similar and the protagonists are just 'idiots'. I love both mangas and they're worth to read! 

reportRecommended by shinomonogatari

Both show the breakout of a zombie apocalypse. In my opinion, the designs of their zombies in both mangas are really similar. I am a Hero is great but slow and is known for the story while Apocalypse is way more fast-paced and action-packed. Both are a definite read! 

reportRecommended by Raging_Berserker

Both are zombie manga, the zombies look very similar and both zombies in each series are not the usual zombies you may see in other series. 

reportRecommended by Hodor96

Both of these series are fantastic takes on the zombie genre, even though Apocalypse no Toride isn't a seinen it still has some great mature themes that I Am a Hero does. Anyone into one of these series will like the other.  

reportRecommended by TheLewdOtakuRe

- Zombie Apocalypse
- Zombies can evolve
- amazing art style 

reportRecommended by God5pell

Highschool of the Dead addpermalink

Both series follow characters in the midst of a zombie outbreak. 

reportRecommended by radiantfire

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Gantz addpermalink

Both Mangas are very dark, mature, bloody, violent, horrific, and all things that make a good seinen. They both have the premise of fighting to survive, aliens and Zombies with the latter. They also are similar in that later in their stories they things become extremely grandiose in scale and that affects humanity on an existential level. Though they both possess a similar tone, they differ greatly in approach with characterization . As Gantz is more of the cliche cool/bad ass guy that kills everything with his friends, while I am a Hero follows a guy the opposite, being delusional, socially awkward and a bit of a pacifist in a world outbroken by zombies.

 read more 

reportRecommended by reluctantbeeswax

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- Art style
- Easy to read
- Good history, bad end 

reportRecommended by Ruan_Lobato

I feel these manga are quite similar due to their otaku main characters and very basic initial premises both gradually becoming larger in nature, incorporating foreign (to japan) story lines and characters. In addition to that, both manga are also heavily traced and have subplots that go nowhere. 

reportRecommended by 20_EYES

Gantz and I Am a Hero both have a very similar ending utilizing a bastardized part of Buddhist philosophy called saṃsāra as a part of their narratives.

The use of saṃsāra has been criticized and praised by fans of both series.
Criticized because it undermines the sacrifice of all the dead characters that can now be revived/ are revived and praised for bringing back fan favourite characters.

Depending on whether you liked that aspect of the story or not you should consider reading or not reading the other story.

Update It’s been a month since I posted this and in that time I got a couple of people asking how saṃsāra fits into the narrative of both stories and where you can see it occur. This was included in my original version of this recommendation but MAL accidentally deleted it, as a result, I'll have to try to summarize it again and not spoil anything. 

To start off with I'll have to explain what Saṃsāra is as a lot of people are confused about it. 
Firstly saṃsāra in any religion doesn't specify that reincarnation/rebirth needs to be in the form of a human and does not specify the individual has to be aware of their prior self. Secondly, when you go through saṃsāra you're not supposed to remember your past. (samsara is also observed in other religions but because of the form it takes in both series it is evident it's based on Buddhist saṃsāra and considering that Buddhism is the only religion in japan that practice samara it makes sense the authors base their bastardized version off of it)

In the case of the ZQN  in I Am a Hero they are still physically Zombies but they regain a part of if not all their consciousness/memories depending on the individual and point in the story. The most apparent time in the series this is shown is when the Nameless Mass of Brains (NMB) is shown communicating with the people inside itself. The zombies/people integrated into the NMB hive mind, have regained their sanity, intelligence, emotions, memories and personalities from when they were human  (source chapter 231). Fully conscious ZQN also appears in chapters 188-190 and 217.

There was never a definitive answer to what the ultimate fate of humans will be but you can infer from the aforementioned chapters that the *Spoilers* aliens intend to keep the consciences of humans and turn them into tools in potential some kind of hive mind. This lessens the impact of the destruction of humanity as instead of being wiped out they have been enslaved. *Spoilers*

Moving on to Gantz, it talks about how the concept of saṃsāra works in their world in the Room of Truth or Alien God chapters 369-372. 

In chapter 372 someone inquired if flesh and blood were really all there were to humans' existence, questioning the existence of the human soul. The God Aliens then clarified if the "soul" he was referring to is the 21 grams of data released the moment a human died. It then started to explain that such a thing indeed exists. It then explained that when a human dies, this 21 grams of data migrates to a separate dimension. It is then extracted from the separate dimension and then imported into a new body when a new human baby is born.

I can't get into how this fits into the overall story without spoilers but I can say that this encounter leads to the undermining of all the sacrifices in the story.
 read more

reportRecommended by ATCkit

-both are very mature 
-both are at its core manga about people trying to survive 
-both feature a protagonist who trough bad things happening around him finds a purpose in life  

reportRecommended by jeanbokai

Jisatsutou addpermalink

Characters in both of these titles are subjected to a dramatic shift in their environment that pushes them towards an almost primitive existence. Survival is key in both of these titles. 

reportRecommended by radiantfire

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Oyasumi Punpun addpermalink

Sort of difficult to explain the correlation between these but I feel that the atmosphere and some of the story telling aspects are mirrors of one another    

reportRecommended by reluctantbeeswax

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Mouryou no Yurikago addpermalink

Both are about zombies and the main characters trying to survive. The art is both good but I am a Hero is more realistic and the mc is ugly because he's a 35 year old nerd (sorry had to say that) In Mouryou no Yurikago the mc looks more cool because he's a high school student. The stories are both good however, I really recommend them to zombie lovers. 

reportRecommended by zcigaara

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Dragon Head addpermalink

Both mangas are placed in a apocalyptic Japan where the main characters have to survive with other who are left fend for themselves. I am a hero differs mainly from taking true psychological turn on how to tell it's story while Dragon head is more or less cliche inferior form of the genre.  

reportRecommended by reluctantbeeswax

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Homunculus addpermalink

unbalanced MC, psycologicaly exhausted, story goes deeper and deeper until you get to conclusion. And lastly both are great story which you think what would've been other option. 

reportRecommended by Gorenko

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Under Ninja addpermalink

Same author, similar MCs and worlds that keep getting crazier with every new chapter.  

reportRecommended by SteelingMax

Jagaaaaaan addpermalink

Dudes with savior complexes who're actually horrible people. I am a Hero and Jagaaaaaan both follow the story of a morally reprehensible protagonist who find themselves in an apocalypse like setting and are tasked to somewhat "save the world". They're faced by a seemingly unstopable force that starts controling the minds of ordinary citizens and are forced to make alliances to pursue their goal, if you can call it that. Both manga touch on very mature themes and often make use of philosophical concepts as well as ethical dilemmas. They're also very graphic and use gore/body horror as big drivers for their respective plots. They were also serialized in the same magazine.  read more 

reportRecommended by lysanthrope

Zombie Bat addpermalink

Survive in the zombie apocalypse or die! Both of the series are gory, bloody and disturbing for some readers. If you're a zombie fan, you must to check out these series! 

reportRecommended by Justamalayboy

Kyou kara Zombie! addpermalink

If you ever feel like zombies gets a bad rap in I am a Hero, and want to see it from the zombies point of view, the peaceful, then Kyou Kara Zombie is a great read. This will remind you of how zombies are people too, just dead people, who wants to eat your brain.  

reportRecommended by txrxgxu

Sankarea addpermalink

If you need something to calm your mind with after reading I am a hero, you can relax with the fan serviced ecchi version of zombies. Likewise, if you get bored by Sankarea, you can always spice up your life with a few chapters of TOTAL ZOMBIE APOCALYPSE. 

reportRecommended by txrxgxu

Reiraku addpermalink

If you ever thought the first volume of I am a Hero is the best and it should have continued without the zombies, then just skip over to Downfall/Reiraku as if nothing had happened.  

reportRecommended by txrxgxu

Gyo: Ugomeku Bukimi addpermalink

gyo is also an apocalyptic manga, but instead of a virus killing man kind off and turning them into creatures that basically take over the world almost like zombies, its a machine that infects the corpses of all kinds of sea creatures like fish and sharks and basically anything that can fit into the machine virus thing. its worth a read if you have a boring afternoon. 

reportRecommended by AJ

Boys on the Run addpermalink

It's another by Kengo Hanazawa and it's very good. Not similar in story, but similar in how good he is with real character building and making a story both real and very enjoyable.  

reportRecommended by Jarzon

The World Is Mine addpermalink

When it comes to twisted, epic, realistic, awesome and gruesome seinen mangas there are few that are close to these two. Both of them start crazy and take it to a whole different level. Totally recommended! 

reportRecommended by txrxgxu

Duty After School addpermalink

In both you will see people having to live in a dystopian world.
 

reportRecommended by augustokch

Higanjima addpermalink

Both involve a deadly virus that infects people with those infected having an urge to bite anyone; but instead of zombies they become vampires. Both also have awkward protagonists that develop under high stress situations. Both manga also have a lot of piss. 

reportRecommended by Espurr404

Emerging addpermalink

Both manga are about a spreading Infection that causes lots of people to die. 

reportRecommended by jeanbokai

Manga: Zombie darake no Kono Sekai dewa Sex shinai to Ikinokorenai

Zombie darake no Kono Sekai dewa Sex shinai to Ikinokorenai addpermalink

Both are zombie survival series with a four-eyes protagonist, but 'I am a Hero' being obviously the better one.
You can give Zombie darake no Kono Sekai dewa Sex shinai to Ikinokorenai if you want some light hearted zombie gore with lots of ecchi. 

reportRecommended by PirateHasan

Survival of the Dead addpermalink

Zombies, just one word and it's automatically recognized what it means and in various idioms too, yes, both of these mangas have zombies, one is based on the script for a movie by George Romero master of the zombies and the other is original story, one is a one-shot and the other a serialised comic with more than 200 chapters, but they have zombies, that's enough reason to recommend them. 

reportRecommended by Fabrizio00

Gigant addpermalink

Realistic artstyle, gore and later explored sci-fi elements. 

reportRecommended by BigBenlolz

Becchin to Mandara addpermalink

Insane main character dealing with a fistful of personal problems, their annoying friend and hordes of zombies. 

reportRecommended by Revilenigma

Sidonia no Kishi addpermalink

Both of these manga have a seemingly indestructible enemy and deal with psychological problems and have lots of people dying... 

reportRecommended by SAMOAK

Dawn: Tsumetai Te addpermalink

They have both zombie like creatures.The difference is that Dawn Tsumetai Te has a faster plot and a bit more action then I am Hero but I am Hero s zombies are a lot scaryer. 

reportRecommended by Bl4ckEnvy

Uzumaki addpermalink

Both are horror mangas that focus on horrific images that stay in your mind forever. Uzumaki is more psychological while I am Hero is about zombies. 

reportRecommended by CrashRHCP

Kyou kara Hitman addpermalink

An average joe is forced to step up and adapt to his new role saving others while putting his own life on the line fighting for survival. 

reportRecommended by AfterGlow

Bocchiman addpermalink

In both titles a shut-in with aspiring dreams of becoming a hero ventures out into the post-apocalyptic world outside 

reportRecommended by AfterGlow

Gakkougurashi! addpermalink

Very similar in feel in both manga in the sense of the zombie apocalypse. Both manga feel extremely bleak, fighting hard to survive as all of society has crumbled. They differ from School-Live being a moe/light-hearted at times and I am a Hero being a more realistic and bonafide horror/survival manga. 

reportRecommended by reluctantbeeswax

Arigatou addpermalink

Although it has been a while since i have read I am a Hero, after reading Arigatou I could not help but be suddenly reminded of the manga. Arigatou is by no means similar in plot to I Am a Hero (aka no zombies and what not) however, the way the characters are portrayed throughout the manga is similar, especially Hideo from I Am a Hero and Takako from Arigatou. Even in the midst of chaos and a disturbing scene right before their eyes, their reactions seem almost seem to undermine the severity of the scene and make it seem almost disturbing to read (which i think is an important aspect to these mangas that make them different from the rest). If you're looking for a manga with a similar plot to I Am a Hero, Arigatou is not the one. But if you are interested in another unique manga, Arigatou is a great read although it may be more disturbing to some because of its sexual content. read more 

reportRecommended by MelanoidMeow

Tokyo Ghoul addpermalink

Saying that this manga is similar to Tokyo Ghoul is a spoiler enough. Just go read it to find out more. 

reportRecommended by TheAlch3mist

Berserk addpermalink

I Am a Hero is a tightly told tale about a zombie apocalypse where the MC never is safe due to this. The latter parts of Berserk have a very similar feeling. If you enjoy different kinds of dead people, and killing dead people, you are in for a treat. 

reportRecommended by txrxgxu

Biohazard: Marhawa Desire addpermalink

Both manga work the theme zombies. 

reportRecommended by RECRIANDO

Mahou Shoujo of the End addpermalink

Mahou shoujo of the end and I am a Hero both involve Zombies Apocalypse as the main theme.
If you looking for more developed story, i recommend I am a Hero for you.
But if you looking for an unique Zombie apocalypse,and some fanservice, i think Mahou shoujo of the end fits you. 

reportRecommended by yakoo

Kanojo wo Mamoru 51 no Houhou addpermalink

Another manga focused on ordinary people (a guy and a girl) trying to survive after a calamitous event which sparks a breakdown in society - in this case a powerful earthquake. Much shorter than I am a Hero. 

reportRecommended by wolffanghameha

Freesia addpermalink

When it comes to annihilation and bad stuff, both mangas are close. In I am a hero, the bad stuff is on the outside and the MC tries to keep it all together. In Freesia the bad stuff is just as much on the inside as on the outside and it sets a nihilistic tone through out the whole series. Both are must-reads in my book. 

reportRecommended by txrxgxu

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