20 Most Iconic Manga Panels Of All Time

What makes a manga panel truly iconic, however, goes beyond technical skill. The most memorable images understand exactly when to overwhelm the reader with detail and when to strip everything back. Sometimes a character's pose says everything; other times, an enormous landscape or a devastating expression carries the scene. The following panels stand out because they capture something essential about their respective stories while becoming memorable images in their own right.

20 The City That Never Sleeps and Never Dies

Blame! Chapter #5

Realistically, any large-scale panel of Tsutomu Nihei's eternally apocalyptic cyberpunk classic Blame! is a perfect choice among the medium's greatest. Glimpsing any of his work from this first and most iconic manga of his, all the way to the present with Tower Dungeon, Nihei's origins as a student studying architecture are readily apparent.

Not only does Nihei masterfully convey impossible architecture in the form of a dying city, he creates this sense of dread as the protagonist, Killy, as he searches the incomprehensibly huge megastructure, "The City", for the means to restore humanity's control over it. Not weighed down with idle exposition, Blame! is all about visual storytelling and bespoke scenery.

The City, the size of a solar system, is just about the neatest picture of cyberpunk liminal spaces there is. While much of its scenery is a yawning chasm of emptiness, there are often glimpses of its automatons, like the Builders pictured above, who have gone rogue, indefinitely expanding The City while other automatons systematically exterminate humans on sight.

19 The Supreme Devil Makes A Flashy Entrance

Chainsaw Man Chapter #64

Chainsaw Man is full of strange and captivating panels, but this one was extremely bizarre and made the appearance of the Darkness Devil that much more memorable. While the decimated praying space suits might look like they're there for shock factor, they are a great symbol of human fear and are one of Chainsaw Man's many elements likely inspired by a real-life tragedy.

This amazing double spread, while more recent, is very popular and iconic, and perfectly represents the brilliance of Tatsuki Fujimoto. Part of what makes the panel work so well is the overwhelming sense of mystery that accompanies it.

Fans of the manga will undoubtedly recognize the Darkness Devil at the center of the image, but even longtime fans still have no idea who those astronauts are or why they're basically acting as heralds for the darkness devil. Fujimoto is a master of tone, and the Darkness Devil's appearance is a perfect example of that.

18 Oscar Stands Against A Changing World

The Rose of Versailles

Riyoko Ikeda's The Rose of Versailles remains one of the most influential shōjo manga ever created, and Oscar François de Jarjayes is at the center of its enduring visual appeal. Raised as a military commander despite being a woman, Oscar is frequently depicted with a striking mixture of aristocratic elegance and martial authority.

The manga's most memorable panels place Oscar against grand historical settings, emphasizing how much larger the political upheaval surrounding her has become. Ikeda's ornate costumes, expressive faces and elaborate compositions give the story an almost theatrical quality, while Oscar's internal conflict adds emotional depth to even its most beautiful images.

17 Gojo And Sukuna Prepare To Take Each Other On

Jujutsu Kaisen Chapter #223

While Jujutsu Kaisen was a very unpredictable series, one thing that was certain to happen from the first episode was the showdown between Gojo Satoru and Ryomen Sukuna.

The stage was set, and the Shinjuku Showdown arc took the manga community by storm when the two strongest sorcerers finally took each other. The panel that declared them the most powerful before jumping into the fight was truly unforgettable, and it spawned many memes across many communities and fandoms.

Few conflicts in manga history had been built up quite the same way as the one between Gojo and Sukuna. Fans had been waiting to see Jujutsu Kaisen's strongest sorcerer face the series' strongest curse for some time, and with one panel, mangaka Gege Akutami sold just how epic their brawl would be.

16 Chrollo vs Hisoka

Hunter X Hunter Chapter #352

After the series laid the groundwork for the Dark Continent expedition, the long-awaited fight between Chrollo and Hisoka started in Heaven's Arena. The buildup was there in both the Yorknew Arc and Greed Island arcs, and with Chrollo not only removing the seal on his Nen but becoming even more powerful after acquiring the Bookmark ability.

After explaining how incredibly powerful his abilities are, Chrollo was perplexed at Hisoka still wanting to fight despite his huge advantage, which led him to drop the iconic quote.

The battle was a bloodbath that involved the manipulation of many spectators, and in the end, Chrollo defeated and killed Hisoka. Fortunately, Hisoka prepared a contingency to revive himself in the worst possible scenario.

Furthermore, he kills Shalnark and Kortopi later and says he plans on finishing the rest of the Phantom Troupe. The conflict between Hisoka and the Spiders is one of the important plot points in the Succession War arc.

15 Thorfinn Finally Became A Warrior

Vinland Saga Chapter #96

After going on a quest for vengeance, killing many, losing his purpose, and finally discovering a new one, Thorfinn finally understood what his father meant when he said he had no enemies.

This moment solidified Thorfinn's conviction, and the iconic line came after he took 100 punches from a hulk of a man. Not only did he meet Canute without restoring to violence but he also managed to talk him out of leaving the farm peacefully.

Vinland Saga is largely a series about the mental cost of living a life filled with violence, and here is finally the moment where Thorfinn rejects his past violent ways.

In a way, everything in Vinland Saga up until that point was leading up to this exact moment where Thorfinn declares that he has no enemies. The image of a ragged and tired Thorfinn declaring he has no enemies is still one of the most powerful images in manga, making it instantly iconic.

14 Nothing Happened

One Piece Chapter #485

Roronoa Zoro is a man of multiple personalities across the One Piece manga, juggling silly moments that made it into the live-action series, while ultimately becoming famous for being unflinchingly badass. A man who welcomes pain and sees wounds on the back as a swordsman's shame, Zoro fatefully volunteers to shoulder Luffy's suffering at Thriller Bark.

Zoro's resolve as a Straw Hat was put through its most famous visceral test when Bartholomew Kuma uses his Paw-Paw Fruit to repel and extract Luffy's pain and exhaustion and thrust it upon Zoro. The rest of the crew awakens soon after, unaware of the pain Zoro went through, but can see the visible anguish.

But Zoro, honor-bound to protect his captain, and fully experiencing firsthand what Luffy endures to protect the crew, doesn't waver when asked by Sanji what happened in that moment. The incident opened Zoro's eyes to true excruciating pain, just one instance of the burden Luffy regularly tackles. Thus, in Zoro's eyes, nothing happened, compared to what Luffy endures.

13 Ichigo Enters The Millenium-Old Conflict

Bleach Chapter #512

Ichigo makes a dramatic entrance after being absent from much of the early chaos of the Quincy invasion led by Yhwach. The Soul Society is in complete disarray, with numerous Shinigami injured or dead, and morale at an all-time low. With Byakuya bloody and defeated, he pleads with his former enemy to help his home.

What really makes this panel amazing is the harsh shading on Ichigo's body and face, and the rain helps highlight the severity of the situation and the anger of Ichigo. An intense beginning to Ichigo's entry into the war, this panel kicked off the conflict between Ichigo and Yhwach, which was a highlight of the arc.

12 Guts And Griffith's Emotional Farewell

Berserk Chapter #35

After going through life and death together, Guts decided his time with the Hawks was up, and he set out on a journey to find his own dreams and goals after watching Griffith fight so hard for his.

While everyone else said goodbye to him and wished him the best, Griffith refused to let him go and challenged him to a fight to decide whether he gets to stay with him, just like the first time Guts joined the band.

The two unsheathed their swords and prepared to take each other on in a stunning panel that showed the landscape and sunrise in the background. In the end, Guts defeated Griffith, and he went on his way, leading to a heartbreaking farewell.

This moment is truly the turning point of Berserk, the moment that solidified the fates of Guts, Griffith, and the world, and Miura absolutely sells the moment's weight.

11 Yukari's Fashion Transformation

Paradise Kiss

Ai Yazawa's Paradise Kiss approaches manga from a distinctly fashion-forward perspective, making clothing an essential part of its visual storytelling. Yukari's transformation from an uncertain student into someone increasingly comfortable with her appearance and ambitions produces some of the series' most striking imagery.

The josei manga's runway sequences are particularly memorable because Yazawa captures both glamour and insecurity at the same time. Elaborate outfits and dramatic poses make Yukari look confident from an outside perspective, while her expressions reveal the anxiety underneath. That contrast makes these panels feel less like simple fashion illustrations and more like snapshots of a character discovering herself.