Homunculus
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Alternative Titles

Japanese: ホムンクルス
English: Homunculus
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Information

Type: Manga
Volumes: 15
Chapters: 166
Status: Finished
Published: Mar 17, 2003 to Feb 21, 2011
Genres: Drama Drama, Horror Horror, Mystery Mystery, Supernatural Supernatural
Theme: Psychological Psychological
Demographic: Seinen Seinen
Serialization: Big Comic Spirits
Authors: Yamamoto, Hideo (Story & Art)

Statistics

Score: 8.341 (scored by 5986259,862 users)
1 indicates a weighted score.
Ranked: #2862
2 based on the top manga page. Please note that 'R18+' titles are excluded.
Popularity: #78
Members: 164,733
Favorites: 8,520

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Homunculus
8.34
Ranked #286Popularity #78Members 164,733
MangaBig Comic SpiritsYamamoto, Hideo (Story & Art)
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Volumes: /15
Chapters: /166

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Synopsis

Susumu Nakoshi is a middle-aged man who spends his days between a lavish first-class hotel and a park full of homeless people. One day, an eccentric young man approaches Nakoshi in search of subjects willing to partake in trepanation—the procedure of drilling a hole in the skull.

This mysterious person claims that Nakoshi is the perfect man for the experiment. Initially rejecting the offer, he doubles back on his decision after his car gets towed off. Nakoshi agrees to let Manabu Ito, a 22-year-old medical student, drill a hole in his skull in exchange for 700,000 yen. The procedure bears no results at first, with Nakoshi showing no abnormalities. This normalcy comes to an abrupt end, however, when Nakoshi begins seeing the homunculus in every person. With his perception distorted, how will Nakoshi face these homunculi?

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

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Background

Homunculus was published in English by Seven Seas Entertainment as 2-in-1 omnibus volumes from June 27, 2023 to July 2, 2024. It was also published in Brazilian Portuguese by Panini Comics from April 2008 to April 2014; and in Italy from December 17, 2020, to September 16, 2021. In addition, the first nine volumes were released in Spain by Ponent Mon from September 2005 to October 2008.

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More characters
Characters

 Nakoshi, Susumu
Main
Ito, Manabu
Main
Yukari
Supporting
Nanase, Nanako
Supporting
Ita
Supporting
Ken
Supporting

Reviews

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53 Recommended
13 Mixed Feelings
4 Not Recommended
All reviews (70)
Nov 17, 2025
SlimyTentacles
Recommended
What if Patrick Bateman of American Psycho attempted to get over vanity?

Homunculus is an interesting take on the psychological genre, following multiple neurotic characters that are meant to keep you second guessing their motives and goals. Our protagonist, Nakoshi, is an unreliable narrator from early on, but you're given enough clues to help piece together what might be the true story. Yamamotos visuals and pacing create a captivating read, giving you plenty of time to psychoanalyze what Nakoshi is seeing, hearing, smelling, and touching. To keep things from feeling disjointed there are visual cues that assist in helping differentiate what's real and what is part ...
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Sep 1, 2025
SetsualPrrrrsonM
Mixed Feelings
As a person that its always trying to find new ways to understand myself, my lust and my own feelings, this manga can be kind of appealing.

Everything the manga tells is kind of... weird. I mean, it's clearly trying to show a person's transition from being lost to understanding themselves, and yet, the completely lunatic atmosphere that exists in the main character's head after the trepanation and throughout the chapters constantly repels me.

I mean, I enjoyed reading most of the reflections the author tries to convey, but I couldn't relate to myself in the protagonist's words. He's an immature person who tries to pass ...
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Oct 7, 2025
JOGIDALTRA
Not Recommended
(ENG)
Huge disappointment... a lot of people recommend this manga with the promise of it being a grand, deep, and philosophical work, but I’m sorry to say it’s none of those things, because of it's bad writing.

It’s a shame, really, because the manga’s premise had so much potential and originality. However, it gets lost in cheap sensationalism and the kind of shallow “fake deep” introspection you’d find in old Facebook posts. All of this is wrapped in a certain arrogance from the author, who underestimates the reader’s intelligence and explains abstract concepts, which could be interesting, in such a superficial way that they become obvious and ...
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More discussions
Recent Forum Discussion

How many chapters?
Mangahater - Oct 3, 2024		 4 repliesby LoveLikeBlood »»
Dec 4, 1:53 AM
Homunculus Nanako Theory (SPOILERS FOR WHOLE MANGA)
SMCDNA_8215 - Jul 31, 2023		 9 repliesby k0rvus »»
Nov 14, 6:11 PM
Poll: Homunculus Chapter 1 Discussion
avrc - Nov 12, 2008		 7 repliesby AverageMC »»
Oct 5, 8:36 PM
Homunculus Volume 5 Discussion
Joms - Jun 25, 2016		 25 repliesby kropotka »»
Jul 17, 6:45 PM
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