Asura

Asura doesn't pull back any punches when it comes to portraying the cruelty of humans at full display, a complex time when people were capable of doing heinous stuff to survive. Our protagonist, Asura, is no different, as he has experienced firsthand since birth what it's like living in a world that embodies the phrase "survival of the fittest". However, despite having a pretty grim introduction the series has a good sense of humor complemented by its eye-catching art style that contrasts nicely with the amount of violence the manga contains.

Asura is a very fun character to follow not only because of his beastly antics and moments of slapstick but also because of the humanity he develops as the series goes on. He's constantly faced with personal dilemmas that put into doubt his way of living, as well as the grudge dwelling up inside him. You can't help but root for the little guy even if he does a bunch of terrible things throughout the manga. He is a being full of self-hatred who says "If only I had never been born" on more than one occasion, and yet he can put on a grin in front of his enemies (who might be attacking him in retaliation for one of his violent attacks).

The series as a whole can be pretty cruel to its characters, and often cynical for that matter as it creates scenarios you might be familiar with (from reading/watching other series such as 'forbidden love' and 'family reunion') and flips them on their head. No cliche cheap relief just a constant reminder that the most important thing in the world is surviving. This is rather alleviated by comedic moments which make it seem a bit tone-deaf on paper, especially if you've just read about a gory occurrence of Asura's animalistic wrath to then go to a goofy scene, but it honestly works better than how it sounds. At the end of the day, most of the characters are either kids or generally young which adds a level of shock to some of the more bloody scenes but also gives much-needed levity when they're cracking jokes or making funny faces.

The series does make a few weird decisions nearing its end, forgetting storylines and introducing characters out of nowhere, and I have to wonder if there's a mistake in the Anilist database (as of writing this) with it saying there are 29 chapters as opposed to the 30 available, while another anime database says it's 42 chapters long, so I wonder if I skipped something unintentionally, either way, one of these decisions I mention happen mid-chapter. However this doesn't ruin the series, it still leaves you with an end of a cycle in Asura's life which serves as a pretty strong conclusion for the manga aside from some faltering at certain points during the series. I'd recommend you to check it out if you're in the mood for a series that appears to be purely grim dark but has a heart and a lot of charm.

BONUS: I read Asura before watching the Toei anime movie so the usual question pops up, which is better? And my answer to that is, both are good. The movie's depiction of Asura's journey is quite dissimilar from the manga and frames a few characters in different ways but retains most of the tragedy present in the series, it has a great score and visuals (even if the CG can be a bit off-putting for some) but its biggest difference is that it plays in complete seriousness, without any of the comedy of the manga. It's up to you which one you choose to experience first but don't expect the other to be exactly the same.