Manhwa and Webtoons are sweeping the wave off of Manga and Comic fans. Although Manhwa and Manga are the same, the origin country is different. Manhwa is the Korean version of Manga, which some fans think is slightly better in specific genres than the Japanese counterpart.
There are a ton of Manhwa and Webtoons available online, and if you’re new to the scene, it can be overwhelming to pick one. To make things easier, here are some of the best Manhwa and Webtoons you can try.
Omniscient Reader
Omniscient Reader is a Manhwa that successfully bloomed out of its home. The uniqueness of the plot and the style is what separates it from other successful Manhwas. The protagonist is a businessman, Dokja, whose favorite webnovel, “Three Ways to Survive the Apocalypse,” came to life. Being the only reader of TWSA, Dokja is the only person to know how the story plays out.
The art style isn’t a requirement for a Manhwa to be good. However, Omniscient Reader has absolutely fantastic artwork considering that it came from the same studio as Solo Leveling. All of these aspects carry Omniscient Reader to the stratosphere in terms of popularity.
The Hellbound
If you’re familiar with the hit Korean horror film Train to Busan, then you’ll surely like The Hellbound. Yeon Sang-Ho, a legendary Korean film director, wrote both these masterpieces. The premise is simple: people worldwide receive a notice if they are bound for hell and how much time they have. When your time is up, horrific figures appear as they try to drag you to hell.
The simple concept introduces a lot of intricacies, such as the formation of cults, philosophical debates, and the like, which adds many layers of conflicts throughout the chapters. It’s one of the best thriller Manhwas out there.
The Horizon
The Horizon is an awesome Manhwa that has a tragic and depressing story. It starts with a young boy walking down a lonely road due to a war that ravaged the world, and later on meeting a girl that he walks together with until the end. Its charm lies in how it manages to bring together several philosophies of humanity to question. The Horizon also has a lot of dramatic scenes that induce tears in the reader’s eyes.
Wind Breaker
Wind Breaker follows a cyclist, Jay, throughout his journey to meet new people and have crazy encounters. It also features a lot of humor that for us strikes the right chord, sending us laughing most of the time. The best aspect of Wind Breaker is the way it introduces relatable characters without making them feel generic. The realism of the characters adds depth and interest to them.
Cheese In The Trap
A lot of K-drama fans might be familiar with the title of this Manhwa. Cheese in the Trap (K-drama) originated from this exact webtoon series. It’s a romantic drama that tries to explore toxic relationships and the complication of having two different lifestyle classes. The great thing about the K-drama is it takes a faithful rendition of the webtoons. If you want our advice, we highly recommend reading the webtoons first before watching the K-drama.
Bastard
Bastard starts off with your typical “you-get-thrown-into-the-crazy-life-of-the-protagonist” type of story. What makes Bastard a cut above the rest is how the twists and turns are so unpredictable, resulting in more interest from the audience. The art perfectly compliments the dark, psychological, and grim content that the manhwa exhibits.
The characters are good, including the main protagonist. Some actions might shock readers, but to an extent, they will be able to understand their reasoning. Bastard is a tad longer than we expected, but it truly excels in its genre, and it’s guaranteed to be worth your time.
Who Made Me A Princess
Who Made Me A Princess is an isekai/romance Manhwa that was an adaptation of a webnovel of the same title. The story starts with Anthanasia dying at the hands of her father, a cold-blooded emperor. A woman gets reborn as the infant Anthanasia with her memories intact. With the impending doom coming Anthanasia’s way, she has to make the right decision to avoid her death at all costs.
The Manhwa’s biggest selling is its gorgeous art style, followed by a story that has strong dynamics between family members when compared to other isekai/romance Webtoons. WMMAP firmly establishes itself once you start reading, and you’ll surely be hooked on the story more than the art.
Tower of God
Tower of God started with a slow and feeble reflection of the Manhwa’s overall value but continued to prove everyone wrong with the succeeding chapters. It follows a young boy, Twenty-Fifth Bam, who spent his entire life living beneath a gigantic tower while knowing only his friend Rachel. Rachel accidentally finds her way into the tower, and Twenty-Fifth Bam has no choice but to follow her to be reunited once again. The tower houses magical energy, different species, and people, along with a hierarchy system based on strength and intelligence.
The story starts slow, but as you delve deeper into its chapters, the twists are more than worth it. In fact, the story and the character progression are the main selling point of Tower of God. How Bam makes his way through the tower to reunite with his friend while constantly being a threat to the almighty King Jahad will entice you to keep reading this Manhwa.
The Beginning After The End
The Beginning After The End incorporates a distinct storyline that sets it apart from other books of the same isekai genre. Some aspects of this Manhwa are arguably better than Solo Leveling, such as a more complex story, better world-building, and character development. The action and hype it builds as each chapter goes by is also one of its main selling points.
Instead of starting the typical nobody to the overpowered protagonist, The Beginning After The End starts with a king that seemingly had the reset of a lifetime, allowing him to live a new life under a new name. Overall, it’s a well-paced Manhwa that can certainly go the distance once it takes the proper steps toward its development.
The God of Highschool
The God of Highschool might be familiar to some avid fans due to its anime adaptation, which goes head-to-head with Chainsaw Man in terms of animation. Since it’s an uncommon sight for webtoons to have an anime adaptation, it means that the webtoon is very popular. The action scenes are one of the most sought after by fans, which reflects similarly to the webtoon version.
The plot follows Jin Mori, a high school student as he and his friends compete in a tournament where they borrow powers from Gods. The group slowly uncovers the mystery of the tournament’s organizer who can grant any wish to the winner. If you’re a fan of great action scenes and exciting battles, then The God of Highschool is the Webtoon you’re looking for.
Seasons of Blossom
Seasons of Blossom deal with several arcs, each providing insights into different relationships. Some relationships appear in the latter arcs in the series, which is a nice touch. Every arc provides a masterful telling of romantic relationships that, most of the time, induces tears into the eyes of the reader.
However, don’t be fooled by the early arcs as some of the succeeding ones tackle the darker subject matter, which may not be for everyone. Each character has a different dynamic with exciting backstories that will surely pique your interest.
The Gamer
If you’re an avid gamer, you’ll surely enjoy The Gamer. This Webtoon features the story of a regular high school student who one day wakes up with supposedly a UI that you can typically see in a video game. The protagonist then realizes that most of his friends also have this ability, in which they introduce him to an underground world, The Abyss.
It’s one of the first manhwas ever to take advantage of the “Game UI” trope many modern Korean Webtoons have today, so it deserves its spot in our best list. Overall, you’ll surely enjoy The Gamer for its exciting plot and characters to match.
Hive
Hive feels like you’re watching a retro space film where giant bees attempt to dominate humanity by becoming the prey in the food chain. Reading through Hive feels like a fantastic Sunday-Night drives with an incredibly long adventure ahead of you. The pacing also feels intense, and it generally never fails the reader in any aspect throughout the chapters.
The plot is simple, huge bees attempt to dominate and consume the human race by reversing the food chain. The protagonist is Lee, a mid-level manager at a company who only has one thing on his agenda during the bee-pocalypse, save his family from the oxygen-doped bugs. As far as post-apocalyptic stories go, Hive is one of the best Manhwa you can find.
Unholy Blood
If you’re a fan of vampires and badass female protagonists, then you’ll really like Unholy Blood. The Manhwa focuses on Park Hayan’s journey to search for her lost memory within the seemingly out-of-nowhere appearance of vampires ravaging the world. Other than the exciting plot, Unholy Blood contains some of the most fantastic art styles in Manhwa. The pacing is also great, and it thoroughly succeeded in keeping things interesting throughout every chapter.
Solo Leveling
Finally, who can forget about Solo Leveling? This Manhwa elevated Korean manhwa standards to the next level, bringing the medium into the global mainstream. Solo Leveling features a lovable and relatable protagonist that helps it stand out from the genre. It has a crisp and dynamic story and a colorful art style. As the title suggests, Solo Leveling is about an RPG protagonist that struggles to live day by day. He then awakens with new powers that allow him to rise to the S rank quickly.
