Highlights
- Some underrated manhwa have unique themes and gorgeous art, making them a refreshing change from popular titles in the industry.
- Stories like
Low-Rank Soldier Becoming A Monarch
and
Light and Shadow
bring a fresh perspective to traditional tropes in the manhwa world. -
Revenge of the Baskerville Bloodhound
and
SSS-Class Revival Hunter
offer dark and captivating fantasy elements, with surprisingly hilarious moments.
Although there is no lack of good and popular manhwa in the manhwa industry, it can’t be denied that the crème del a crème of the manhwa world has been a bit stagnant for some time now. The top manhwa, while undeniably awesome and well-written, simply aren’t enough to fully capture the diversity of this particular form of media.
There are so many hidden gems — and more coming out every day — that are left completely ignored and underappreciated because the already popular titles keep receiving excessive promotion. A lot of said titles feature unique tropes and themes, which others use very generic ones that are executed far better than some of the more prominent works. And let’s not forget art; it is, and always will be, a major metric for gauging the quality of a particular manhwa or manga. These next manhwa check some or all of these boxes, while also being severely underrated, making them the perfect palate cleanser for a tired manhwa reader.
6 Low-Rank Soldier Becoming A Monarch
Anime-Planet Score: 4.14/5
- Writer(s): Soul Pung (Story), 2631 (Art
- Released: 2020
- Status: Publishing
The official premise of Low-Rank Soldier Becoming a Monarch may not be the most innovative or groundbreaking one on this list, but it’s definitely carried out exceptionally well. It follows a very generic ‘misunderstood and wronged good guy traveling back in time to regain his honor’ trope, but also features some pretty creative twists and turns that do enough to take that dullness factor away from the entire premise.
The main character is a very talented swordsman and mercenary who has spent years to honing his skills and abilities to wield a sword better than others around him. Despite being stronger, and much smarter, than so many of his peers, the man is still underestimated — almost pitied — because of this one problem that restricts his full potential: when he was 15, Chris (the main character) lost his hand on the battlefield as an inexperienced soldier. Although he pulled through, and even proved himself multiple times since, he was still looked down upon because of this fact. Now 39, he unwittingly swallows an artifact that returns him to a time when he had both arms. He’s determined to ensure he keeps both of his limbs intact this time around.
5 Revolutionary Princess Eve
Anime-Planet Score: 4.205/5
- Writer(s): Irinbi (Story), Sagong (Art)
- Released: 2021
- Status: Publishing
It’s common knowledge that manhwa writers do world- and character-building really well. However, some of these writers take their creativity even further and introduce themes that are nothing short of revolutionary (no pun intended). Revolutionary Princess Eve, sometimes known as The Princess Imprints the Traitor, is one such manhwa.
It’s a romance isekai that focuses very deeply on sacrificial love and state-level misunderstandings between the main characters, which drive them to make very ambiguous decisions. The main character, Princess Evienrose, is very far down the royal line, and does not have much influence or power in her hands. However, the little power she does have, she uses to advocate for the rights of the Homunculi (powerful beings that are oppressed by humans). Despite that, Eve ends up caught in the crossfire of a revolution initiated by the leader of the Homunculi, Mikaelis Agnito. As a result, she loses her life and is reverted in time to a point when everything is relatively peaceful. She’s now determined not to let history repeat itself.
4 A Stepmother’s Märchen
Anime-Planet Score: 4.26/5
- Writer(s): Nyangi-wa Hyangsinnyo (Story), ORKA (Art)
- Released: 2019
- Status: Publishing
Fantasy romance stories often feature protagonists who either find themselves transported to a regency era-themed dimension or are sent back in time after facing significant challenges in their lives. A Stepmother’s Märchen follows the latter storyline, which, despite the clichéed elements, manages to have one of the most spellbinding premises in the history of fantasy romance manhwa. Funny enough, it also features some of the best comedy and tragedy sequences one could expect from a book of this type.
The story follows a 16-year-old girl who somehow becomes a mother figure to four noble children, barely any younger than her. In spite of her position, she tries her best to raise them well and turn them into good, functioning members of high society. However, Shulli is still not liked by them, and eventually ends up leaving them for good after they’ve turned into adults. On her way to her new life, Shulli gets tragically killed in a (seemingly) freak accident, and is instantly thrown back into her 16-year-old body. She now has to do everything all over again, and is definitely not prepared for how things will change for her this time around.
3 Light And Shadow
Anime-Planet Score: 4.266/5
- Writer(s): Ryu Hyang (Story), Heewon (Art)
- Released: 2016
- Status: Completed
Manhwa readers are accustomed to reading about strong-willed, noble female leads who, instead of cowering in their room and waiting for Prince charming, take charge and become the main characters in their story — quite literally. Despite the abundance of manhwa following this trope, none do it quite like Light and Shadow.
Light and Shadow is one of those timeless historical romance manhwa that everyone recognizes, and it can even be considered a staple in the industry. Nevertheless, it’s still overshadowed by really famous titles that just do not hit as well as this one does. It follows game-changing themes surrounding family, war, love, and, of course — like every romance story — hate. The story revolves around two highly unlikely people, both with their own life secrets, getting into a marriage of convenience and discovering how much they enjoy each other’s company.
2 Revenge Of The Baskerville Bloodhound
Anime-Planet Score: 4.27/5
- Writer(s): Lego Babasseo (Story), Seol Arang (Art)
- Released: 2023
- Status: Publishing
The premise of Revenge of the Baskerville Bloodhound is every bit as hardcore as its title suggests. It follows a very exaggerated, and frankly pretty implausible, dark fantasy storyline that oddly works for the themes it offers; it has an unnecessarily bold vibe that makes it stand out from similar manhwa. Even its art is a bit darker than what one would typically see in manhwa, and is more reminiscent of a dark anime — something like Akame Ga Kill.
However, looks can be deceiving, because as dark as this manhwa may seem, it has some pretty hilarious comedy scenes and exceptionally drawn action sequences that take the reading experience to the next level. It follows the story of an absolutely ruthless assassin who gets executed on false charges by his own father. Unable to forgive this betrayal, he finds himself reincarnated into his former self — but as an infant.
1 SSS-Class Revival Hunter
Anime-Planet Score: 4.366/5
- Writer(s): Bill K (Art), Sinnoa (Story)
- Released: 2020
- Status: Publishing
Dark fantasies have a way of captivating readers with how balanced they are with their storylines, maintaining a delicate balance between their intricate premises and the unrelenting brutality of their action sequences. In other words, they do not hold back on dark, typically indigestible details. SSS-Class Revival Hunter is a dark fantasy that touches upon some pretty heavy psychological elements despite its extremely fantastical setting. It also shares striking similarities with Solo Leveling in both its energy and certain aspects of its ability lore.
This manhwa is set in a world that has been overtaken by monsters through a massive dungeon tower. The tower is absolutely enormous, and can be seen from anywhere on Earth. It also holds the most bizarre, violent, and unearthly creatures known to man, which are clearly a threat to the existence of humanity. Naturally, as in most of these manhwa, the tower grants special abilities to humans in an act of stabilizing itself. The main character, Confucius Kim, is a below-average shut-in who hates going out into the world and spends his days lounging around his room. That is, until he receives an S-ranked skill from the tower.
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