20 Top Manhwa You Need To Read

With that in mind, we’re here to offer you a guide to this expanding world! From high politics to LGBTQ+ stories, all presented with astonishing artistry, here are the 30 best manhwas sorted by genre (though many of these defy simple categorization). The story was already an addictive classic tale of a hero when it was released as a web novel. But, when DUBU came in and gave life and color to the fans’ imagination, Solo Leveling’s fortune changed. It’s an exciting time to be alive, especially if you like reading comics.
In order to learn the ropes, he starts his new life as a high school student at a school founded by his servant, Frankenstein. Looking forward to living peacefully, he is disappointed to say the least when a mysterious organization called the Union starts to attack his mortal friends. The anime adaptation of The God of High School may have been met with mixed reviews but the divine manhwa is endlessly popular. Martial arts meet mythical folk-lore as the characters discover what it takes to become a true deity. Though romance readers do love a bit of escapism, some manhwas really manage to hit the nail on the head with realistic characters and believable narrative arcs.
In The Boxer, a young man with raw talent asks himself whether he has what it takes to make it to the top. There’s more to it than just physical strength and endurance — it will take precision, a whole lot of heart, and a dogged determination to achieve perfection. It’s the test of a lifetime, and readers will be knocked out by JH’s ability to capture the sport of boxing in superfluid detail, while making them root for the dynamic cast of characters.
Fans of My Dress-Up Darling or Rent-A-Girlfriend are sure to enjoy this manhwa. Second Life Ranker follows Yeon-woo, a mysterious man trying to find his twin brother, Cha Jeong. During his journey, he finds his brother's diary and learns that he was murdered while trying to climb the Tower of the Sun God to become a god. In order to avenge him, he takes it upon himself to climb it too, using Jeong-woo's diary as a guide. The school has a strict policy against vampires — something important to her since a vampire slaughtered her childhood friend. However, Sooha finds herself entangled between the affections of seven vampires, each trying to steal her heart.
Not just an already-OP character who is mysterious and defeats bad guys for the heck of it. Instead, he is talented and intelligent and uses these traits to become more powerful. The Beginning After the End is another representative of isekai manhwa. Just like the others in this list, this is also a rare beast  of a story. Sweet Home wields it well, too, but the author’s execution is a unique encounter any manhwa fan should experience. Seol unintentionally attracts the envy and hostility of Jung’s many admirers.
Manga are read from right to left rather than from left to right as one would an English book or comic. Manga are usually first serialized over medium-to-long periods of time in genre-specific magazines—and that’s where the definitions of shōnen, shōjo, seinen, and josei usually come into play.  manga Manhua became the word used to describe all forms of comics and graphic novels written in the Chinese language and produced in both China and Taiwan. When vampire Rai wakes up from a 820-year slumber, he finds himself in a new and changed world.
Additionally, the "beom" that the characters hunt in the story is another word for "tiger." Manga really doesn’t need much introduction; the term is widely known throughout the world, and refers to comics produced in Japan and written in Japanese by a person referred to as mangaka. While it definitely seem overwhelming at first, once you get your bearings  around a couple of key terms, you’ll find that you can easily navigate most fandom and communities. And that’s true for pretty much everything—so here’s a quick guide to the various definitions of Eastern Asia comics and webcomics.
Jee-Han can see the levels of people and the status of items, acquire abilities, and even level up. Some monsters must be defeated like a real role-playing game, and there are others who have the same — and even more powerful — abilities as Jee-Han. As part of HYBE's new endeavor with Webtoon, a few of their artists received their very own manhwa. It takes place in a fantastical world, and a five-member idol group called Star One is meant to represent the five members of TXT. The manhwa includes several references to Korean history and culture. The title, "chakho," is short for the word "chakhogapsa," which refers to professional tiger hunters created by King Sejong, the fourth ruler of the Joseon dynasty and creator of the Korean alphabet.
The Horizon is such a simple story that its characters don't even have names. This simplicity allows it to tell an incredibly moving story in only 21 episodes. It may not be the best option for a fun, lighthearted reading session, but those who enjoy stories with true emotional depth will love it. As for the plot, it’s almost better to know as little as possible about this one before going in so that you can uncover it piece by piece. But to give a basic premise, there’s a Tower of God, wherein your wildest dreams can come true at the risk of great peril.
Some have probably seen this manhwa around, as many fans have been absorbed in its story. It's based on a novel of the same name, as are many other manhwa, and it's been praised for its fantastical setting and great action. When the only male student, Song Jae Gu, is offered a three-year scholarship that doesn't depend on his grades, he accepts. But, after accidentally gaining the ire of Queen — the champion of Wild's League — his school life becomes more complicated than he bargained for.
Here’s a manhwa all about fighting, where the main characters talk less and fight more. It’s a story about Yeon-woo, who inherits a hidden diary from his dead twin brother. And any journal that starts with “By the time you hear this, I guess I will be already dead….” is an ominous one. LMS is a distinct take on a popular “game isekai” subgenre, led by an offbeat set of main characters in an in-game world any reader and gamer would want to adventure in themselves. The physical form in which we’re most used to seeing manga is that of the paperback volume called tankōbon, which collects several chapters previously published in magazines.
These titles usually have authors and artists that are Korean, and/or were first published in Korea. Popular artist Kim Yong-hwan started Korea's first comic magazine, Manhwa Haengjin, in 1948,[15] but it was quickly shut down because the authorities disapproved of the cover. Even after almost 400 chapters in the main story, now the creators have focused on side stories. Readers will find it easy to dive into this universe just like they would do with any fantasy franchise.
By the mid 1920s, most newspapers were shut down,[13] and political and social cartoons were abandoned, replaced by humorous illustrations and cartoons geared towards children. For those who enjoy harem anime and manga, then this series is sure to get them interested. While Wild's High has a 42-year history as a private fighting school for girls only, it recently became a mixed-gender school.
No manhwa list is complete without some zombie horror with a bit of gore. Dead Days by DEY doesn’t mince its words as it proceeds to deliver high octane action within 62 episodes. And baked into all the action are some big questions about the will to live, human instincts, and selfish desires. Cheese in The Trap follows Hong Seol, a hardworking and humble student who is returning to her studies after a long break as the recipient of a prestigious university scholarship. There, she gets involved with a senior — Yoo Jung — who would have received the scholarship if it weren’t for her, and her already difficult life seems to take a turn for the worse. To everyone else, Jung is known as Mr. Perfect, and he has no qualms about manipulating his admirers to get what he wants.
The emotionless super-vampire then decides to become Korea’s oldest high schooler to learn the modern world’s values and trends. Based on a popular web novel Omniscient Reader’s Viewpoint, anticipating fans were overjoyed upon seeing the previously-imagined characters and scenes drawn in bright webtoon panels. The story will pay the readers’ patience off with well-thought-of pacing, reasonable power scaling, and memorable twists. Of course, the fantastic art is just the delicious icing on the cake. One day, she decides to binge-watch makeup tutorial videos and ends up mastering the art. While the art isn’t the best in this list, and the world-building is not fully developed, the webtoon creates a likable character with funny antics and a mysterious-enough premise.
Complex characters and complex relationships in a college setting. This classic manhwa follows model student Hong Seol, who returns to her studies after a long break. Unfortunately, she gets ensnared in a delicate relationship  with “Mr. If you want to try romantic manhwa but cringe at the thought of soapy scenes in dime-a-dozen stories, the OG webtoon Cheese in the Trap should be a good appetizer. Weed’s tale in the VRMMORPG, Royal Road, was fraught with danger, exciting fights, and, most importantly, chances of earning money. Weed, or Lee Hyun IRL, is actually a penny-pinching god-rank gamer.
And much like DBZ, the opponents the lead characters face upgrade from low-level to world-level to even realms beyond the scope of human prowess. The former king restarts his adventure with renewed goals and dreams. Unsurprisingly, this well-written manhwa always finds its way into essential webtoon lists. Kim Carnby and Hwang Young-chan, who rose to fame in the horror genre, previously made one of the top thriller manhwas ever, Sweet Home. Take two weary sci-fi tropes and combine them into a webtoon about survival and self-realization, and you will get one of the best horror manhwas ever created.
The winner will receive anything they want from the host corporation — a corporation that may or may not be plotting something beyond Mori’s wildest imagination. With lovable characters, a well-developed world and magic system, and plenty of kick-ass action scenes, this manhwa is sure to hit the spot for those of you looking for your next binge-able read. Part of what defines the Korean manhwa, apart from being read left-to-right like in English and the frequent use of vibrant colors, is the emphasis on online publications. Manhwa’s boom in the 2010s came hand in hand with the rise of free online comic-sharing sites like LINE Webtoon and Lezhin. Today, there are over 15 million daily readers on the LINE app alone, and “webtoon” has become a catch-all term for online comics produced both by well-known artists and users themselves.