The furry fandom is the name given to the group of people interested in the furry subculture, a cultural movement that appeared under this term around the mid-1980s. The furry movement is defined as the interest in animals, whether imaginary or not, mythological or anthropomorphic, that is to say, the interest in animals with human characteristics: use of speaking, wearing clothes, using a human lifestyle, etc. This fandom is featured and represented in various media forms, and in this article, we are going to bring you a list of the 20 best furry comics and manga you absolutely need to read.
1. Fritz the Cat
Original Publication: 1965 – 1972
Fritz is a feline con artist who often experiences wild adventures set in a metropolis inhabited by anthropomorphic animals. He is an individualistic and anarchist type. In addition to this excessive and goliardic traits, the plots absorb the moods and anxieties of the university students of the period.
2. Sonic the Hedgehog
Original Publication: November 22, 1992 – December 28, 2016
The series is set in a universe parallel to the videogame one. The comics follow the early adventures of Sonic and his friends, called the Freedom Fighters, who fight the evil Doctor Eggman. Initially, based on the plot of the second animated series from 1993, the comic later got elements of video games and incorporated with other media.
Due to Ken Penders, former writer of the comic, and Archie Comics for copyright infringements, a reboot continuity was created with the removal of all characters created by Penders and other writers, save those of current writer Ian Flynn, who wrote the new continuity. The original universe, which lasted until number 247, is located on planet Mobius, an alternate version of planet Earth in which half of the population of humans have been mutated into anthropomorphic animals.
3. Fruits Basket
Original Publication: July 18, 1998–November 20, 2006
Tohru Honda is a 16-year-old high school student who lives alone in a tent after the death of her mother. Without knowing it, she moved to the property of the Sôma family. When she explores the surroundings, she sees a house and enters it. There she meets Yuki and Shigure Soma. Having learned that she was living in a tent, they offered to stay with them in exchange for household chores.
Tohru accepts and then begins to live with Yuki, Kyô, and Shigure. Very quickly, she learns the secret of the family: 13 of its members are victims of a curse. These people transform into one of the twelve animals of the Chinese zodiac, and the cat, when a person of the opposite gender throws themselves at their neck or when they feel embarrassed or even weakened.
They become human again a few minutes later (the duration of the transformation can vary), but reappear completely without clothes (which can be very annoying, especially for Tohru who is often there during the transformation).
4. Furrlough
Original Publication: November 1991 – present
The first edition of Furrlough was published in November 1991 by the artist and furry fan Ben Dunn, with the intent to publish only stories with militaristic plots; however, as the magazine began to attract more readers and contributing artists, the main theme gradually changed into adventure stories.
Antartic Press published the magazine up to issue 51, after which distribution was entrusted to Radio Comix. Issue 52, released in April 1997, was edited by Elin Winkler who thus became the new editor of the newspaper. The periodicity of the magazine also changed radically: from monthly in the first issues to bi-monthly in 2008, to semi-annual in 2011.
5. Spice and Wolf
Original Publication: February 10, 2006– present
The story begins in the village of Pasroe, at the time of the harvest festival. Unlike most people in the land where the story takes place, the people of Pasroe are pagans and believe in a wolf deity: Holo. Legend has it that a pact between men and wolves was made to ensure good wheat harvests. But the villagers no longer take the legend seriously: it is thanks to more modern methods that the harvests have become more abundant.
Lawrence is a traveling merchant, he sells, for example, fur and trades. As he prepares to leave the village, Lawrence discovers in the back of his cart a young woman with the ears and tail of a wolf, who presents herself as the deity of the place. She asks Lawrence to take her with him since the townspeople don’t seem to need her anymore.
6. Elephantmen
Original Publication: July2006 – present
Set in a sci-fi future, the MAPPO Corporation, led by the misanthropic and selfish Japanese scientist Kazushi Nikken, is intent on creating human/animal hybrids at its hidden branch in North Africa. The hybrids are in fact created with the DNA of various native animals of the continent: elephants, giraffes, crocodiles, zebras, and many others.
The creatures, called Elephantmen, are trained from birth to be soldiers and assassins, along with an Orwellian brainwashing that leads them to believe that they are only objects owned by the company, denying them any freedom of thought.
7. Cutey Bunny
Original Publication: 1982 – present
Cutey Bunny is the secret identity of the African American rabbit Kelly O’Hare, a special agent in Washington, D.C. She is always engaged in various adventures and special missions, sometimes hired by the President of the United States himself. She is a tall, athletic, polite girl and is smart, with shaved chocolate brown fur and black hair sometimes worn in small braids.
Her powers derive from an amulet entrusted to him by Ra, the Egyptian falcon god of the Sun, who appears sometimes in the comic, confused by the technology of the modern world. The amulet offers Cutey the chance to transform into a superhero by choosing from six different costumes; for example, in her “Rocket Bunny” costume she can fly thanks to rocket boots, while with “Samurai Bunny” she wears mesh armor and holds a katana.
8. Shanda the Panda
Original Publication: 1992 – 2011
The world of Shanda The Panda is an alternate universe in which the planet Earth is simply inhabited by anthropomorphic animals instead of humans. Each animal species represents a certain ethnicity, nationality, or social class. The protagonist of the story is Shanda Bruin, an anthropomorphic panda of American and Chinese origins, who works as a manager in a cinema in the city of Cedar Rabbits in Iowa. The plot, in general, revolves around the personal life and career of Shanda, her friends, and her colleagues.
9. ODDTAXI
Original Publication: January 15, 2021– present
The story takes place in a world populated by anthropomorphic animals. We follow Odokawa, a 41-year-old Morse taxi driver who is closed in on himself and has no family. But he is used to having conversations with customers who take his taxi home. Odokawa having many conversations with various people gradually leads him to get information about a girl who disappeared a few days before.
10. Extinctioners
Original Publication: July 1998 – present
The comic follows the adventures of a group of human/animal “hybrids” (represented as anthropomorphic creatures) who discover they have supernatural powers. These creatures, called Humanimals in the comic, populate the planet Alden and were created by humans to prevent these species from becoming completely extinct on Earth, assuming that human appearance and intelligence make them more adaptable.
11. Katmandu
Original Publication: 1993 – present
Katmandu follows the narrative strands of two characters within two very different historical periods: the first is that of the protagonists Leahtrah and Thorin, set in the 1940s (the present time of the comic) in a desert continental area similar to that of Saudi Arabia, the second is that of Leahtrah’s ancestor, Liska, set instead in what should be the period of colonial America. The world of Liska is in fact inspired by that of the many Native American tribes.
12. Albedo Anthropomorphics
Original Publication: 1983 – 2005
Albedo Anthropomorphics (also called just Albedo) is an anthology of comics with anthropomorphic animals as protagonists, published by the American greymuzzle furry fan Steve Gallacci since 1983 and distributed under various publishing houses, including Thoughts & Images and Shanda Fantasy Arts. The latest issue was published in 2005.
Albedo is a publication recognized in the international furry subculture as one of the first anthologies that defined the foundations of the subculture and its artistic current, as it featured stories with anthropomorphic animals (which in the previous era were defined as funny animals) written for an audience of teenagers and adults, with sci-fi and dramatic themes opposed to the usual comic genre for which these characters were used.
13. “Omaha” the Cat Dancer
Original Publication: 1978 – 2006
Susan “Susie” Jensen, the protagonist, is an aspiring model who comes from the Midwest, new to Mipple City, Minnesota. The story begins with Susie using her modeling to work with her new friend Shelly Hine at the Kitty Korner Klub, where she now goes by the stage name Omaha. Omaha is rising to prominence after being first featured in Pet Magazine.
After working as a popular local dancer, she and her friend Shelly meet Chuck Katt, an artist who falls in love with Omaha, whereas she considers him to be “normal.” After a new blue law is passed that “all clubs must be closed,” Omaha and Shelly find themselves out of work. Shelly soon finds a hidden basem*nt in a restaurant owned by a man named Charles Tabey, a powerful but mentally ill business tycoon, with Shelly as a secret love interest. With Omaha out of work, Chuck Katt begins working for his former boss Andre DeRoc, a city media mogul and arch-rival of Charles Tabey.
14. Genus
Original Publication: June 1993– present
The idea for Genus was conceived in June 1993 as a more adult response to another Antarctic Press series, Furrlough. While the first issue also included stories for a general audience, from the second volume the contents became exclusively adult, also recording an unexpected success (the second issue is still the rarest one). In 1997, with the release of issue 22, Antartic Press stopped publishing Genus.
The publication passed to Radio Comix which distributed the new volumes under the Sin Factory label; the new volumes are published bi-monthly. Genus has also published comics by various well-known artists in the furry subculture such as Eric W. Schwartz, Terrie Smith, Karno, DAQ, Jerry Collins, James Hardiman, Mitch Beiro and others.
15. Knuckles the Echidna
Original Publication: April 3, 1997 – February 18, 2000
The protagonist of the comic is the namesake of the title, Knuckles the Echidna. His sacred duty is to guard the Master Emerald, for he is meant to do this work. The first three-part miniseries of Knuckles, Sonic’s Friendly Nemesis: Knuckles, was released in 1996. Its second miniseries was released in 1997, titled Knuckles: The Dark Legion, and after three issues was continued in Knuckles the Echidna, which started the it’s numbering from number 4.
Archie essentially “reconnected” Sonic’s Friendly Nemesis as Knuckles the Echidna from 1 to 3. This was also done with Sonic Vs Knuckles: Battle Royal, one-shots that they “tweaked” to become Sonic Super Special #1. Knuckles’ Chaotix is a one-shot that ties directly into this series.
16. Twokinds
Original Publication: October 22, 2003 – present
The world of Twokinds is made up of at least three races: Humans, Keidrans, and Basitins, the latter two being anthropomorphic animals. The Keidrans consist of at least four clans based on different species of animals. Basitins are not inspired by any particular animal. The three races have different levels of hostility towards each other; most humans and Keidrans hold a great deal of contempt and hatred towards each other. Other races, including normal animals and dragons, also exist.
17. Rascals
Original Publication: September 19, 2009 – present
Chrissy McCloud comes to Fawnamere City at 7 p.m. for her first day of college as a graphic design major. With a truck full of personal effects, Chrissy has to carry her three floors. Once at the top, Chrissy marvels at the size of her dorm and entertainment center and her new adventures start.
18. The Eye of Ramalach
Original Publication: January 18, 2006 – present
Ronald Rudentof, who works as a researcher at the Hamilton Escarot Museum of Art and History, packs his father Alexei Rudentof’s belongings. The vast majority of these artifacts are left in the museum or in storage. The only item of notable interest is one of his father’s many journals containing accounts of his adventures, one of which is called The Eye of Ramalach.
The next morning, Ron meets with Mr. Mollery, his father’s executor, to finalize the paperwork and lock in the estate. Upon seeing the diary, he mentioned that he suspected foul play was involved in his father’s death. Later that night, Ron uses instant messaging to communicate with Alex, an art coiner and personal friend who sent him a Gothic-inspired basket.
19. Commander Kitty
Original Publication: 2002 – present
Commander Kitty is a parody webcomic about the space adventures of the lilac cat Kitty and his team. The comic is drawn in the expressive style of a “Saturday cartoon”, but is designed for an erudite reader. The original comic started in 2002 and ran for two years (115 pages). In 2003, he won the Web Cartoonists’ Choice Awards for Best Anthropomorphic Comic.
However, in the 115th issue, the comic ended in the middle of the story due to the author’s busyness. A few years later, Scotty Arsenault could not stand the separation from the bright characters and restarted the comic. The new first issue appeared on January 3, 2009. This comic follows a different plot and is much better drawn than the previous one.
20. Wolf’s Rain
Original Publication: July 23, 2003–February 23, 2004
In the near future, the earth is preparing to face a new glaciation, which will cause the death of many animal species, including wolves of which there are already very few specimens. Human beings, in fact, a couple of centuries earlier had hunted wolves, considered a danger to the population, exterminating a large number of them and therefore mistakenly considering them extinct. The last surviving wolves have learned to deceive the sight of human beings by appearing to them as other men, thus managing to get confused and escape extermination.
Three of these wolves, Hige, Tsume, and Toboe, have found refuge in the city of Freeze City, hiding their true appearance and living with other humans. In the city also comes Kiba, a white wolf, who lives out of pride without hiding his true aspect.
