🎯 Where Should I Start?
ⓘ About Junji Ito
Junji Ito is Japan’s most lauded and successful horror writer. Born in 1963 in the Gifu Prefecture, he is a unique storyteller as he is not a short story writer or novelist in the conventional sense. Ito has been called a mangaka with his stories drawn and written with an off kilter, surreal and otherworldly eeriness. The writer made his writing debut with “Tomie,” when he was just twenty four and has never stopped writing since. While it was quite a successful series of novels, Tomie did not propel him into the halls of famous artists and writers immediately. He would soon decide to pursue a comically bland career as a dental technician. It was not until the publishing of Uzumaki, his phenomenal horror series that he would come into his own.
All Book Series by Junji Ito
Uzumaki: Spiral Into Horror, Vol. 3
Latest in the series · book 3 of 3 · published 1999
Uncanny: The Origins of Fear
Latest in the series · book 9 of 9 · published 2024
Tomie: Complete Deluxe Edition
Latest in the series · book 14 of 14 · published 1987
? Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Junji Ito?
Junji Ito is Japan's most lauded and successful horror writer. Born in 1963 in the Gifu Prefecture, he is a unique storyteller as he is not a short story writer or novelist in the conventional sense. Ito has been called a mangaka with his stories drawn and written with an off kilter, surreal and otherworldly eeriness.
Which Junji Ito series should I start with?
The best place to start is the Museum of Terror series, the earliest of Junji Ito's multi-book series: it opens with Museum of Terror, Vol. 1 (1997) and runs to 3 books across 1997, ending with Museum of Terror, Vol. 3 (1997). Junji Ito's other series stand alone, so they can be read in any order.
How many books has Junji Ito written?
Junji Ito has 34 books catalogued in this guide, published between 1987 and 2025. 19 of them belong to 6 named series — the largest being the Standalone Manga series with 9 books — and 15 are standalone titles, collections or anthologies.
In what order should Junji Ito's series be read?
Read each series in publication order — the numbered entries in each series follow the year each book first appeared. Junji Ito's series do not depend on one another, so they can be started in any order; by start date they are Museum of Terror (1997, 3 books), Uzumaki (1998–1999, 3 books) and Gyo (2002–2004, 2 books), plus 3 more.
How are Junji Ito's books organised into series?
This guide splits Junji Ito's 34 books into 6 named series and 15 titles that stand alone or appear only in collections: Standalone Manga (9 books, 2005–2024); Museum of Terror (3 books, 1997); Uzumaki (3 books, 1998–1999); Gyo (2 books, 2002–2004); Black Paradox (1 book, 2009), plus 1 further series.