さよなら絶望先生 [Sayonara, Zetsubou-Sensei]

From 2005 to 2012, Kōdansha published Koji Kumeta’s Sayonara, Zetsubou-Sensei, a darkly satirical 30-issue manga that skewers modern Japanese society through the lens of an eternally despairing teacher. Written and drawn entirely by Kumeta, the series follows the perpetually suicidal Nozomu Itoshiki and his eccentric students, blending biting social commentary with surreal, meta-humor. Its sharp, literate wit and distinctive visual style made it a cult favorite, cementing Kumeta’s reputation as a master of cynical comedy in the 2000s manga landscape.