Best Manga Inspired By Norse Mythology

Summary

• Norse mythology-inspired manga bring fun and intrigue to stories with cool gods and weird beasties.
• Titles like Today’s Cerberus and Sacred Beasts creatively incorporate Norse myths in unique and entertaining ways.
• Manga like Mythical Detective Loki Ragnarok and Ah! My Goddess! expertly blend Norse culture and legends for an engaging read.

At this point, it might be easy for some to say that there are no original stories anymore. Manga, for example, is almost always inspired by something. But who said that has to be a bad thing? This is especially when what is being adapted is as fun and interesting as what can be found in Scandanavian lore.

Whether mangaka are just incorporating names of the Nordic cultures’ many cool gods and weird beasties or basing entire power-sets off of them, it’s clear that there is a near unquantifiable amount of fun and intrigue that could be had in these inspired manga. What follows are some of the best manga inspired by Norse Mythology.

8 Today’s Cerberus

Features A Few Fun Interpretations Of Norse Myth

Today’s Cerberus is a comedy manga about a young man living with Cerberus, the three-headed pup from Greek mythology. Of course, as it’s a manga, she appears in the real world as a girl, who swaps between three heads and personalities when the mood suits.

The Norse mythology aspect comes in after the manga really gets going. Represented by another trio of girls, Rir Rir (Fenrir), Jormungand (Jormungandr), and Hel, are all side characters who bring their own fun personalities into the already interesting harem anime.

7 To The Abandoned Sacred Beasts

Pits Protagonists Against Some Norse Beasts

Incarnate Soldiers are warriors who turned themselves into massive and powerful monsters to help the North win a dire civil war. Unfortunately, many of them have lost themselves over time, so it’s now up to their former commander and fellow incarnate, Hank Henriette, to put them down for the country’s safety.

While the story itself doesn’t have anything to do with established myths, most of the incarnate’s designs are based in folklore or mythology, with one of the main things being the manga’s depictions of its many beasts. From Garmr, to Hraesvelgr, to even Nidhogg, To The Abandoned Sacred Beasts digs deep for its many impressive designs.

6 Dragon Goes House-Hunting

A Funny Take On Norse Mythology’s Biggest Face

Dragon Goes House-Hunting
doesn’t deal with any specific myth, instead opting to explore fantasy in general. The manga’s premise takes the trope of the fierce, bestial dragon and flips it on it’s head, making the main character (a dragon named Letty) cowardly and weak.During his search for a new home, Letty’s first companion is found in Dearia. He’s a wildly powerful mage who happens to have been trained by Jormungandr, known in Norse Mythology as the World Serpent. It’s a relatively minor cameo, but it’s one that is faithful to the myth that inspired it while still keeping with the manga’s comedic tone.

5 The Mythical Detective Loki Ragnarok

The Trickster God Seeks To Find His Way Home

The young detective trope is all but its own genre at this point — one need only look at classics like Detective Conan or shonen like Muhyo & Roji’s Bueau of Supernatural Investigation to confirm this. However, The Mythical Detective Loki Ragnarok adds an interesting wrinkle to its story by having the star be the titular Norse trickster god himself.

Many other gods and beings like Freyja, Fenrir, and even Odin (or at least the idea of him) are also all present in this story as friend, foe, and everything in between, as Loki seeks to put a reversal on his banishment to the mortal realm. It all makes for a relatively short manga with an engrossing concept that is an easy choice for a quick binge for fans of Norse Mythology.

4 Boku Girl

Loki Has Fun At The Expense Of Another

Mizuki Suzushiro is a high school boy who looks like a girl. This would be a simple enough premise if it weren’t for the Norse God, Loki, who decides to “finish the job,” as it were. Due to his prankster ways, Mizuki is transformed into a biological woman, meaning that they can’t do things like go into the men’s public bathroom anymore.

Later interference by Loki adds more wrinkles to the trick, like making it so that Mizuki will flip back and forth between a man and woman in certain scenarios, leading to all sorts of hijinks. It’s an interesting manga, especially when considering its rather respectable treatment of trans themes, something that the medium doesn’t have a great history of taking seriously enough.

3 Val x Love

The Valkyries Fight To Save The World

Takuma Akutsu looks like a rather intimidating guy who just wants to be left alone, but after inadvertently proving his worth, it turns out that Odin has other plans. He sends nine beautiful and powerful Valkyries, each with their own powers and personalities, to live with him.

It’s a pretty straight-forward concept at its core. In order to save the world, Takuma Akutsu must grow with these Valkyries by showing them love in its various forms. The more love they get, the more powerful they become. They then utilize that strength against the Akuma, a demonic force that threatens the entire world.

2 The Master Of Ragnarok & Blesser Of Einherjar

A Modern Man Is Isekai’d To A World Of Norse Myth

The Master of Ragnarok & Blesser of Einherjar is an isekai anime that follows Yuuto Suoh as he’s transported to a world that is enveloped in all things Norse. Once there, Suoh befriends the Einherjar, who, in Norse Mythology, are warriors who die in battle and are sent to Valhalla. In this story, though, they are a harem of beautiful women.

This prospect doesn’t deter Yuuto from becoming head of the Wolf Clan, though. With the help of his smartphone, as well as the Einherjar’s various runes that give them each distinct powers, the MC aims to come out on top in this foreign world.

1 Ah! My Goddess!

A Classic Romance Story Following The Norns

After an unwitting mistake, Keiichi Morisato must learn to live with Belldandy, otherwise known as Verdandi in Norse Mythology. After moving into a Buddhist temple, more characters and ideas are introduced that are inspired by many aspects of Norse culture.

For instance, the other two Norns are introduced as Urd and Skuld, who also take root with Morisato. There is also Tyr, who is God himself in this world. Frankly, within this manga’s hefty 48 volume run, it’s an absolute joy to see the fun and interesting ways that Norse Mythology is played with.