This Man

This Man is a manga series illustrated by Karin Sora, based on the infamous internet urban legend of the same name. The original legend emerged in the early 2000s, centered on a mysterious composite sketch of a man whom hundreds of people claimed to have seen in their dreams. Sora adapted this eerie, viral phenomenon into a psychological horror narrative that leans into the unsettling nature of the urban legend while building a fictional framework around the recurring figure.

In the manga, the plot follows a protagonist who becomes entangled with the mysterious man, exploring themes of paranoia and the blurring lines between collective unconsciousness and reality. The artistic direction emphasizes stark, high-contrast imagery to evoke the uncanny feeling of the original sketch. The series was serialized in Kodansha's Morning magazine, drawing from the Japanese fascination with modern folklore and digital-age creepypasta, and was received by readers as a dark, stylized expansion of a well-known internet meme.