Aira’s Top 10 Action Fantasy Manhwas
To be perfectly honest, I am not the foremost expert on the action fantasy genre. My tastes lean more towards fluffy romance fantasies or really emotionally evocative stories. However! I cannot deny that my heart has fluttered on multiple occasions because of an action fantasy manhwa. Unfortunately, many of these manhwas start to drag for me and I eventually drop them.
These ten, though, have passed the test. Not only is the art amazing, but the plot and world-building are rich and exciting. If you are an action fantasy I highly recommend them!
Warning: It is an unfortunate fact that a lot of action fantasy stories contain foul language, which I detest. Most of these will at least partially bleep the word out. For me, the plot really is worth slugging through the annoying swear words. However, if you don’t like swearing then be cautious with these recommendations.
Honorary Mention: Omniscient Reader
Where to Read: Webtoons https://www.webtoons.com/en/action/omniscient-reader
Dokja Kim has been a magnet for bullies and trouble since he was a kid. His earnest efforts never seem to bring good results. He finds himself in a dead-end job with no friends, family, or dreams for the future. The one thing that sustained him through the past decade of disappointments is his favorite web novel “Three Ways to Survive the Apocalypse” or TWSA for short.
TWSA is an epic novel with 3000+ chapters. When the final chapter is released Dokja, as always, leaves a comment for the author. Dokja is the only person to read or comment on the chapter and for the first time, the author responds to his comment. The author thanks Dokja for his support and emails him a gift just as the subway Dokja is traveling on shudders.
Before Dokja’s eyes, a strangely familiar scenario takes place. He realizes that the events from TWSA are coming to pass and he is the only one with a copy of the novel. Will Dokja be able to use the ultimate cheat to survive this new world that has suddenly burst from non-fiction into fiction?
(Ironically, I only made it to episode 187 of this manhwa before I burned out. However, Omniscient Reader has one of the most complex and dynamic storylines I’ve ever experienced, so I couldn’t NOT recommend it. So it gets an honorary mention instead of a spot on the list. If you think you’ve got the mental fortitude to take on this epic saga then I’m sure you won’t be disappointed!)
10. The Martial God Who Regressed Back to Level 2
Where to Read: Tapas https://tapas.io/series/the-martial-god-who-regressed-back-to-level-2
In 2010 a new VR game called “BattleNet” took the world by storm. It was so popular that nations used it to pit themselves against one another in a gladiator-style competition. That is until the “Space League” opened. Mankind soon realized that the monsters featured in BattleNet were real and eager to eradicate their new human opponents. After a year in the Space League, only 10 countries were left to fight with the deletion of their planet at stake.
Jihan Seong escaped South Korea after its defeat and found refuge in America. Although he was the most powerful person on the team, he was treated unfairly because he wasn’t a “true American”. (Rude.) He was left behind when the humans faced an alien enemy and had to watch his comrades lose pathetically to the Uruks.
Having failed their last chance, Earth was deleted. However, the special ability Jihan possessed saved him from this fate. The creators of BattleNet, finding his survival interesting, decided he was worth a second chance. After a vote, they turned back time to see if Jihan could change Earth’s fate. With Earth restored to the time before the Space League opened, Jihan pours all his efforts into becoming stronger. His goal? Save South Korea and the people he loves. No matter the cost.
9. Level Up With the Gods
Where to Read: Tapas https://tapas.io/series/level-up-with-the-gods
Yuwon Kim and the rest of the inhabitants of the tower they call home face certain doom from the mysterious “Outer Gods”. When the war is all but lost Kronos, God of Time, sacrifices his life to turn back time for Yuwon in a last desperate bid to change their pathetic fate.
Time turns back just before the “tutorial” begins when the tower absorbs Earth. The tutorial sets ridiculously perilous challenges to weed out the weaklings and bring only the strongest and most adaptable inside the tower. Yuwon has a clear goal when starting over his climb of the tower to become the most powerful being inside the tower… Then smash the ceiling open and take the fight to the Outer Gods.
Inside the tower are representatives of mythological giants that Yuwon has to either fight or enlist in his attempt to save his world. These include the Gods of Olympus, ancient Chinese warriors, supernatural beings of Deva, the mythological heroes of Korean tales, and many more.
Although he’s just a lowly human, Yuwon Kim has intimate knowledge from his first tower climb. This allows him to power through challenges with awe-inspiring skill. Yet no matter how strong he gets, he knows he’s nothing but an ant in the face of the overwhelming might of the Outer Gods. Even so, Yuwon keeps pushing his limits to reach his impossible goal.
8. F-Rank Fortune Hunter
Where to Read: Tapas https://tapas.io/series/f-rank-fortune-hunter
Five years ago every human “awakened” to a power associated with their fortune. A fortune is determined by the day and time of birth and is divided into five ranks from Insect to Divine. Along with these new powers, portals leading into dungeons filled with mythological monsters began to appear and threaten to destroy the world.
Seo Kangrim, unlucky since birth, awakened with a Third Insect Grade fortune – the very bottom of the barrel. Even worse, he possesses a skill that can steal the fortunes of dead hunters he encounters. He never used this skill, though. Not only because of the queasy factor, but if he were to use it then he would receive bad karma. Accrued bad karma can cause an awakened person to go insane. (Like… murderous sociopath insane.)
During a routine dungeon-clearing excursion where Awakened from different sects all work together, a mysterious woman appears. She asks the crowd where Seo Kangrim is. When an answer doesn’t come, she begins indiscriminately slaughtering everyone in front of her. Kangrim’s sect leader and comrades sacrifice themselves to protect him. Eventually, Kangrim is the only one left alive.
Drawing on the skill he had never used, he steals the fortunes of all 421 murder victims and manages to kill the mysterious woman in an act of revenge. The woman had a fortune that allowed her to turn back time which Seo Kangrim steals and uses, sending himself back to the day everyone awakened. He now begins a quest to protect the friends who sacrificed their lives for him. Although, with his karma accumulating rapidly, Kangrim has to find a way to protect his loved ones not only from the monsters of the dungeons… But also himself.
7. The Overpowered Newbie
Where to Read: Tapas https://tapas.io/series/the-overpowered-newbie
Seven years ago a mysterious tower appeared. With its appearance, humans around the world were randomly sucked into a vortex that transported them inside the tower. If they manage to climb the tower they can return to their normal world, along with their new powers. These lucky few are known as “Awakened” and play a huge role in society because of their supernatural powers. However, no Awakened can give any details about what’s inside the tower.
Jaeju grew up in a pleasant orphanage and has just started looking for a job. He hears that his orphanage won’t last more than three years though because their biggest donor passed away. Just when Jaeju was at his most desperate, he received 527 texts from an unknown sender. These texts contain videos of himself attempting to climb the tower.
Thanks to these texts, Jaeju knows he has two years to prepare for when he is sucked into the tower. He uses every second of that time to memorize the videos and physically prepare himself. Now he plans to conquer the tower and return in time to save his orphanage from closing.
(This action fantasy manhwa has a unique twist on the tower-climbing theme because it introduces a livestreaming element. The manhwa features hilarious chats, interesting and unique challenges on each floor, and a unique set of skills that Jaeju pursues as he climbs the tower. But the best part? Popois! The cutest but deadliest balls of fluff you ever did see!)
6. The Genius Medicinal Mage
Where to Read: Tapas https://tapas.io/series/the-genius-medicinal-mage
The Genius Medicinal Mage opens with the main character creating his ultimate mage character for the third installment of his favorite open-world single-player video game called “World”. Having played the first and second versions with a warrior and a magic swordsman, the main character goes all in to make his new game character insanely talented with mana. He even adds negative character traits in order to boost his magic attributes.
Unfortunately for him, once he finalizes his game character, he unexplainably gets sucked into the game. He wakes up as “Renoc”, the sickly, mana-addicted mage with unrivaled magical talent. Too late for regrets, Renoc has to try and survive with a body ready to keel over at a moment’s notice.
The world setting for “World 3.0” has a high-tech dystopian feel with several districts of the city cut off unless you have enough power or influence. Renoc hardcore struggles to overcome the debuffs he gave his character, ultimately relying on a drug called Vyper to keep his body from failing. With his massive talent in mana, cold intellect, and creativity, he slowly finds ways to overcome his challenges and survive in a world out to destroy him.
5. The 100th Regression of the Max-Level Player
Where to Read: Tapas https://tapas.io/series/the-100th-regression-of-the-max-level-player-comic
After 99 lives of training, struggle, and sacrifice, Min Ryu (aka Black Scythe) finally gets to the last level of the twisted game that mysterious “Higher Beings” pulled him into. Yet as he reaches the final Boss Room, it shows a requirement for a party of five players to enter. The system eliminates him, ending his 99th life and sending him back to the first day he received the “rune of time reversal”. Meaning this is his last chance to save the world.
Starting on New Year’s Day, the first of every month for 20 months a “round” begins for the deadly competition created by the Higher Beings. During the rounds, human souls between the ages of 15 and 29 are taken to another dimension and participate in deadly quests under the supervision of “angels”.
With this being his last life Black Scythe methodically plans how to beat the Higher Beings at their own game. Min Ryu shows no mercy to anyone who stands in his way of saving Earth from being dominated by the Higher Beings. But now he has to figure out how to play nice (or use clever manipulation) to nurture at least four other people and make it to the final boss room to put an end to this horrendous game.
4. Pick Me Up
Where to Read: Tapas https://tapas.io/series/pick-me-up
Pick Me Up! is an extremely popular mobile RNG game that lets players raise heroes and send them to climb and conquer a 100-floor tower. Seojin Han, username “Loki”, is the 5th highest ranked “master “(player) who is widely known as the best strategist in Pick Me Up!. Unfortunately, he also has the absolute worst luck and never pulled a 7-star hero (the most powerful rank) from his gacha pulls.
During a special event for Pick Me Up! a strange monster appears to actually “see” Seojin Han through the screen. When Seojin next wakes up, he finds himself inside the game as a 1-star hero (the lowest rank) named Han Isratte. Han has to fight to stay alive in this world ruled by a master who uninspiringly chose the username “Wuteva”.
Han trains night and day to develop his skills. As he levels up and brings his ragtag team along, he starts to see that this “game” is much more than a conglomeration of code. This is a real world that is desperately trying to avoid annihilation. The plot is deep, the action scenes are intense, and the brutal reality of fighting for your life will have you biting your nails. Han uses every strategy and skill he develops as “Loki” to coach the master on how to conquer the tower. Only then does Han have a hope to get back home where he belongs.
3. Second Life Ranker
Where to Read: Tapas https://tapas.io/series/second-life-ranker
Five years before the story begins, Cha Yeonwoo’s younger twin brother, Jeongwoo, went missing. Two years later his mother passed away from an illness. Yeonwoo gives up on finding his brother, enlists in the army, and leaves South Korea behind. Three years later, he receives word of his brother’s death. In Jeongwoo’s possessions he, finds a watch that Yeonwoo gifted him. When the watch opens, Yeonwoo is immersed in a magical diary where his brother explains he left to find a Panacea to cure their mother but got entangled in something beyond his expectations.
Jeongwoo was invited into an obelisk built by the sun gods located in the center of the world. If they get to the top, the challenger is promised one wish and the chance to become a god. Jeongwoo entered to find the Panacea, but he found a group of friends and a lover along the way. However, his brother was betrayed by almost everyone he held most dear which led to his ultimate demise.
Swearing revenge against his brother’s betrayers, Yeonwoo sets his life in order and enters the tower. He goes by his military codename “Cain” and wears a mask at all times. Yeonwoo is methodical and brutal in his quest for revenge. He charges straight into danger if it will give him any possible advantage against his enemies. Although he has a clear goal of bloody revenge, he can’t help but defend the innocent and weak along the way.
2. Teenage Mercenary
Where to Read: Webtoons https://www.webtoons.com/en/action/teenage-mercenary
(So, Teenage Mercenary isn’t an action fantasy, it’s a modern action manhwa. However, it’s the only plain action manhwa that hasn’t lost my interest so I had to include it!)
Ijin and his parents’ plane crashes into a hostile, war-torn country when he is just a kid. Malicious men found Ijin and forced him into training to become an elite assassin. From the harshness of his violent new life, Ijin slowly forgot his previous peaceful life in South Korea.
One day he receives a commission as a mercenary to rescue some South Korean military personnel. After successfully rescuing them, the general took Ijin under his wing. Being surrounded by people from his home country, Ijin’s memories begin to slowly resurface. He reunites with his sister and Grandpa and joins the local high school. However, Ijin soon discovers his sister is being brutally bullied. Ijin uses his skills to stop the bullies and their corrupt politician parents from seeking revenge.
Ijin, a silent hero, goes through life trying to be a normal high school senior. Yet trouble never fails to find him. And Ijin never fails to rise to the occasion to serve justice.
1. Solo Leveling
Where to Read: Tapas https://tapas.io/series/solo-leveling-comic/info
(Solo Leveling is the manhwa that got me hooked on the action fantasy genre. Even if it’s well known, I couldn’t put it anywhere but at the very top of my list!)
All Sung Jinwoo wants is to protect his mom and sister. Sadly, he isn’t blessed with the strength to do that. In a world where dungeons are filled with grotesque monsters and humans can awaken special skills to fight them, Sung Jinwoo is the very lowest E-Rank hunter. Yet being a hunter is the only way to pay for his comatose mother’s hospital fees.
He willingly throws himself into dangerous situations to provide for his family. One day it catches up with him. When he should have died though, his will to live grants him a second chance. Jinwoo gains the ability to level up his awakened skills and exceed his past limitations.
Jinwoo’s journey of seeking greater power to protect his loved ones is incredibly moving. You are never left bored as Jinwoo moves from one crazy situation to the next, each getting exponentially more challenging. As he continues to level up, he learns there is much more to the appearance of these dungeons than anyone realized. If Jinwoo can’t become strong enough, the entire world faces the threat of elimination.
And there you have it! My top 10 (+1 Honorary Mention) list of my favorite action fantasy manhwas! There are so many amazing action fantasy stories out there to read and explore and each of them will make your heart race with the thrill of battle and overcoming seemingly insurmountable odds. I hope my top 10 will give you some ideas for a new story to try reading.
Thanks for reading! Have a fluttery day
