At a Glance
- Dark-fantasy manga Centuria quietly dominates Manga Plus while headline acts like One Piece and Chainsaw Man hog the banners
- Tohru Kuramori’s 2024 series blends Vinland Saga‘s pacifist themes with Berserk-level brutality and Elden-Ring-scale vistas
- Former assistants to Chainsaw Man creator Fujimoto keep birthing hits-Centuria is the latest, praised by Manga Plus editor-in-chief Shuhei Hosono
- Why it matters: Readers hungry for fresh, self-defined dark fantasy now have a weekly title that subverts clichés and could soon leap to anime
Centuria, the weekly dark-fantasy manga that debuted on Manga Plus in 2024, is turning heads despite living in the shadow of bigger shonen brands. Caleb R. Anderson reports for News Of Fort Worth that the series has become essential reading for anyone tired of derivative Berserk clones.
From Stowaway to Immortal Guardian
Julian, a boy with a wrecked past, sneaks aboard a slave ship bound for freedom. He befriends Mira, a pregnant slave who restores his faith in life-until the captain massacres everyone on deck. An eldritch horror rises from the sea and offers Julian a bargain: absorb the combined strength and lives of his slaughtered friends and return with 100 extra lives. Every time he dies, one life burns away. He accepts, vowing to protect Mira’s newborn daughter Diana, branded a “child of prophecy” hunted by human and supernatural forces alike.
Weekly Cliffhangers and Found-Family Dynamics
Each new chapter lands one of four punches:
- A wholesome cliffhanger
- An emotionally devastating beat
- A narrative bombshell
- A clever swerve away from predictable paths
Rather than the lone-wolf-and-cub trope, Kuramori surrounds Julian with villagers determined to raise Diana right, forging a found-family unit that fights as hard as any shonen crew.
Art That Feels Carved From Stone
Kuramori’s backgrounds channel medieval tapestries like the Bayeux, with textures so dense they seem chiseled. Double-page color spreads rival Dark Souls and Elden Ring vistas-equal parts majestic and terrifying-even in black-and-white weekly serialization.
Fujimoto’s Protégé Effect
Centuria continues a hot streak from former assistants of Chainsaw Man creator Tatsuki Fujimoto:
- Yuji Kaku (Hell’s Paradise)
- Tatsuya Endo (Spy × Family)
- Yukinobu Tatsu (Dandadan)
Kuramori assisted Fujimoto on the one-shot Goodbye Eri and Tatsu on several Dandadan chapters. The influence shows in:
- Inventive character designs
- Clever power systems
- Villains with arcs as compelling as the heroes’
- Fujimoto’s signature “cute-girl” aesthetic-so pronounced that Tatsu drew fan art begging Kuramori not to kill off the towering female knight Anval
Industry Nod and Anime Potential
Momentum keeps climbing. Manga Plus editor-in-chief Shuhei Hosono spotlighted the series, saying:
> “It has both a complex story and special-power battles, and I have no doubt it’s going to become a masterpiece, so I hope more people give it a read.”
With Fujimoto’s assistants consistently landing anime deals, Centuria looks primed for adaptation.
Key Takeaways
- Skip the banner hype and open Manga Plus’s newer tab-Centuria is the dark-fantasy payoff
- 100-life immortality hook drives high-stakes combat without cheapening consequences
- Medieval tapestry art plus Souls-level world-building delivers weekly visual spectacle
- Backed by a proven assistant-to-star pipeline that already produced Hell’s Paradise, Spy × Family, and Dandadan
