Highlights
- Family dynamics in manhwa add depth and endearment to characters, making them more relatable and wholesome.
- Stories focusing on family relationships explore character growth and backgrounds beyond the main plot.
- Emphasis on family interactions in manhwa enhances world-building and offers a unique perspective on character development.
Some of the biggest titles in manhwa include action, fighting, and adventure, but even among all the fantastical elements, some things keep the story grounded and relatable. One of those things is family. Although they may not show up often, the main character’s family can serve as a source of motivation or a device used to break the tension in the story.
Those family moments add to characterization and world-building as the focus is taken off the main character and onto the background. These chapters in manhwa tend to be popular because these added details make characters more endearing. In recent years, there have been more manhwa about family dynamics that explore specific character tropes and their impact on the setting.
10 It’s My First Time Being Loved
MyAnimeList Score: 7.04
- Published: 2023 to Present
- Genre/Theme: Fantasy, Reincarnation
- Author: Miraenavi
- Illustrator: Huahuachi
The protagonist has lived 99 lives as a hero fated to sacrifice herself for the world. She’s never once been cherished by her family or the ones she’s saved, and each life has had the same bitter ending. Expecting the same from her 100th life, the protagonist is shocked to see a loving family waiting for her. In this life, she is Anastasia, the adorable youngest daughter of the Endeblanc ducal house.
From the beginning, the story establishes the protagonist’s personality and feelings after all her lives. Despite her jaded view of life, the story is still very wholesome, giving particular focus to the gestures of affection Anastasia receives from her family. It’s easy to see how her character will grow in this manhwa.
9 My Daughter Is The Final Boss
MyAnimeList Score: 7.35
- Published: 2022 to Present
- Genre/Theme: Action, Fantasy, Childcare, Time Travel
- Author: Geulsseunya
- Illustrator: RK Studio
At the end of the world, Seojun Lee confronts the person responsible for the surrounding destruction. It’s his daughter, Seola Lee. He had neglected Seola and her mother since she was born, and now it will lead to his death. However, he wakes up in the past with a new mission: to be a better dad.
This manhwa is great because most regression stories are driven by selfish desires or revenge. It’s rare that the protagonist actually regrets his past and actively looks to fix his mistakes. The time Seojun takes to be a better partner and father is actually more interesting than all the hunter and dungeon content.
8 Not-Sew-Wicked Stepmom
MyAnimeList Score: 7.44
- Published: 2021 to Present
- Genre/Theme: Fantasy, Isekai, Villainess
- Author: Ilu
- Illustrator: Moguraeng
After overworking herself to death, Lily reincarnates as Abigail Friedkin, the evil queen in the Snow White-inspired novel she once read. Abigail hated her step-daughter Blanche in the book and constantly abused her, but now, she wanted to fix their relationship. Unfortunately, consistent trauma is not so easily fixed.
This story is very wholesome as each family member is trying to overcome their personal issues to be a better person, specifically Abigail and Sabrian. Their romance is slow, so there is much more focus on them fixing their relationship with Blanche.
7 I Married The Male Lead’s Dad
MyAnimeList Score: 7.46
- Published: 2020 to Present
- Genre/Theme: Fantasy, Romance, Isekai, Reincarnation
- Author: Eunchae Go
- Illustrator: Eongsseu
The protagonist dies in a car accident and is reborn in her favorite book “Persona.” Her new identity as Aisha Heathcliff means nothing to the original plot, so she takes personal liberties to watch the original main character, Abel Louvrement. Of course, her stalking gets her into trouble and causes more than a few misunderstandings, leading to an unlikely romance.
This manhwa is great for fans of romantic isekai. Even though the story may seem similar to many others, many great twists and story beats shake up the usual framework. It’s a fun and wholesome story that stands out with its fun surprises.
6 My In-Laws Are Obsessed With Me
MyAnimeList Score: 7.85
- Published: 2021 to Present
- Genre/Theme: Fantasy, Romance, Time Travel
- Author: Yoonseol Han
- Illustrator: Seungu
When her father dies, Parashati expects to have the support of her family and fiancé. Instead, she was poisoned by her stepmother and betrayed by her lover. However, instead of dying, Parashati wakes up the day after her father’s funeral and determined to survive, she goes to Duke Lapileon to offer a marriage contract.
Despite the nature of their relationship, Parashati is able to forge genuine connections with the duke and the other members of the Lapileon dukedom. They grow closer as certain tragedies are brought to light because she is the one to discover them. Parashati may seem like an ordinary protagonist, but her maturity does wonders to set her apart from other main characters.
5 Mother’s Marriage Contract
MyAnimeList Score: 7.87
- Published: 2022 to Present
- Genre/Theme: Fantasy, Time Travel
- Author: Siya
- Illustrator: Hae-Yun Choo
Lyrica’s mom is normally drunk all day doing nothing. However, one day she runs out the door without a word. Before she knows it, Lyrica is moved into the royal palace and becomes the kingdom’s new princess. Through her innocence and childish ambition, Lyrica leaves an impression on everyone she meets.
Many protagonists in manhwa are children with the mind of an adult, but having an actual child narrate and guide the reader is very rare. The whimsical art style can be taken as how Lyrica sees the world, and the way the colors shift with her emotions is proof of that. This unique perspective is what makes this manhwa worth reading.
4 Teenage Mercenary
MyAnimeList Score: 7.89
- Published: 2020 to Present
- Genre/Theme: Action, School
- Author: YC
- Illustrator: Rakhyun
Yu Ijin was thought to have died with his parents during a plane crash ten years prior. One day, he returns home to his sister and grandfather, who had believed he was alive the whole time. Now they could truly move on as a family. However, Ijin has a big secret. He’s a trained mercenary and for the last ten years, he’s been through many battlefields.
Despite all the fighting and intense drama, this manhwa is ultimately about Ijin trying to settle his past with his present. There are many ghosts and regrets that haunt him, but they only serve to make him love his family more.
3 The Male Lead’s Little Lion Daughter
MyAnimeList Score: 7.92
- Published: 2021 to Present
- Genre/Theme: Drama, Fantasy, Isekai, Reincarnation
- Author: Latine
- Illustrator: Ttona
After reincarnating into a novel, the protagonist lives in a poor orphanage, living in squalor due to corrupt management. When Duke Voreoti comes searching for a child to adopt, she confronts him directly and earns his favor. He gives her the name Leonia. They become a new family of two, slowly learning about and caring for one another.
Leonia is one of the most mature child protagonists seen in this genre. Due to gaining memories of her past life, her mannerisms and dialect come off as more adult, but she’s still very childish. The way she changes her thinking at a moment’s notice helps emphasize the consequences of her reincarnation.
2 A Stepmother’s Märchen
MyAnimeList Score: 8.13
- Published: 2019 to Present
- Genre/Theme: Drama, Fantasy, Romance, Time Travel
- Author: Nyangi-wa Hyangsinnyo
- Illustrator: ORKA
Shuli was sold by her family to Marquess Johannes von Neuschwanstein. He trains her and teaches her how to manage his estate and territory as well as how to interact with other nobles and their fickle ways. She was only sixteen when this happened and Johannes’s children didn’t like her. Their hatred only grew when he died, and Shuli was left to manage everything herself.
This story is mostly positive with a few dramatic moments, but it focuses on how the children feel towards Shuli and how Shuli feels about them. The author does a great job of using political issues to progress the story and deepen their relationship.
1 I Shall Master This Family
MyAnimeList Score: 8.24
- Published: 2021 to Present
- Genre/Theme: Time Travel, Fantasy
- Author: Kim, Roah
- Illustrator: Mon
The Lombardis family is the wealthiest in the kingdom aside from royalty, and their words can influence the economy of the entire kingdom. Firentia works hard for the family, but due to mistakes made by her uncle, the family falls. She dies in a carriage accident later and reawakens in the past as a child.
This story is similar to other time-travel manhwa, and Firentia is able to use her knowledge of the future to her advantage. However, the most exciting parts are the inner family conflicts. The illnesses that plague certain family members and the problem of succession are examples of great arcs in the story.
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