Best Manhwa Like Solo Leveling

Highlights

• Solo Leveling, serialized by Webtoon, increased the popularity of the manhwa/webcomic industry with its interesting storyline and powerful characters.
• Fans of Solo Leveling can enjoy other manhwa with overpowered protagonists, intense fights, and magical abilities.
• The rise of Solo Leveling has sparked interest in the manhwa community, leading to the discovery of more thrilling and exciting stories with overpowered protagonists.

Solo Leveling, serialized by Webtoon in 2018, is a major factor that increased the popularity of the manhwa/webcomic industry because it presented an interesting, irresistible storyline filled with incredible fights and immensely powerful characters. The story developed from one with a weak, powerless protagonist to a tale featuring a main character with immeasurable powers.

The popularity of the series has led many manhwa readers to wonder if there are other manhwa with similar narratives but different plot points. Luckily, there are. These manhwa share similarities with Solo Leveling in terms of an overpowered protagonist, intense fighting scenes, or profound magical abilities. So, if you are looking for manhwa like Solo Leveling, here’s a list starting from stories with the least similarities to others with the exact same narratives, all of which are enjoyable reads.

Updated January 4th, 2023, by Emedo Destiny: The unprecedented and overwhelming success of the Solo Leveling manhwa has played a huge role in the rise of appeal for the manhwa medium. With an anime adaptation already confirmed and on the horizon for the popular webcomic, Solo Leveling is set to create even more excitement in the anime community. Riding on the success of the manhwa, many fans and readers have been forced to consider the possibility of even more intriguing and thrilling stories hidden within the manhwa community, and these speculations have been proven not to be unfounded. These manhwa share the same exciting, nerve-wracking, thrilling battles and, most importantly, an overpowered protagonist.

20 Descent Of The Demonic Master

Anime-Planet Rating: 4.0/5

• Author: Wolbaek
• Release Years: Ongoing
• Genre: Adventure, Fantasy

The Descent of The Demonic Master revolves around a typical teenager, Jinho Kang, whose life was turned upside down when an accident robbed of his family and left him unable to walk. His takes an even more bizarre turn when he reincarnates as the Demon master known as the Crimson Emperor. He returns to his previous life after being killed as the Crimson Emperor.

Returning to his old life before his accident and the loss of his family, but rather than return as a normal human, Jinho returns with all his martial prowess intact. However, he soon finds that monsters are an ever-present threat no matter the era.

19 Return of The Mt.Hua Sect

Anime-Planet Rating: 4.4/5

• Author: LICO, Biga
• Release Years: Ongoing
• Genre: Adventure, Fantasy, Comedy, Action

The martial arts manhwa focuses on the protagonist, Cheongmyeong, who starts as the Plum Blossom Sword Saint of the Mt. Hua Sect. The last memories of his life are of a bloody battle against the leader of the Demonic Cult, Cheonma, which almost led to the elimination of the Ten Great Sects of China.

After obtaining a narrow victory against the Demonic Cult, Cheongmyeong dies as a result of the wounds he suffers. However, he is given another chance at life as he awakens as a child beggar. He is stunned to see what his beloved sect has been reduced to in the present day and vows to do everything he can to restore the sect to its former glory.

18 Tomb Raider King

Anime-Planet Rating: 4.0/5

• Author: Sanji Jiksong, 3B2S
• Release Years: 2019-2023
• Genre: Action, Adventure, Fantasy

Human life takes a drastic turn when the mysterious God Tombs, begins to appear. Within these tombs are relics that grant their users extraordinary power. Tomb Raider King tells the tale of a man who became the world’s most feared tomb raider.

The series is centered on Jooheon Suh, a tomb raider betrayed and murdered by his employer after he discovers some powerful relics. Jooheon’s life is not done yet as he reawakens 15 years into the past, just around the period the God Tombs begin to appear. Retaining all knowledge and experience from his previous life, Jooheon, motivated by revenge, begins the journey to become the world’s most feared relic collector.

17 Solo Necromancy

Anime-Planet Rating: 3.9/5

• Author: Jijeomjang, Kim Dong-Jun
• Release Years: Ongoing
• Genre: Action, Fantasy

Solo Necromancy revolves around the central character, Seongwu, a former special forces soldier who returns to college after completing his National Service. His ordinary student life comes to a shocking halt when he and everyone else are suddenly faced with a mysterious prompt asking them to choose.

With no choice other than to choose, Seongwu chooses necromancy, and so he becomes a necromancer. With these new abilities and modern society on the verge of literal collapse, Seongwu decides to use his new skills to protect and save those around him.

16 The World After The Fall

Anime-Planet Rating: 4.2/5

• Author: sing N song, Undead Gamja
• Release Years: Ongoing
• Genre: Action, Fantasy

Mysterious Towers began to appear worldwide, and within these Towers are monsters spawned to destroy humanity. Summoned to these Towers are humans called Tower Walkers; presented with a choice in the face of defeat and certain death whether to run or to keep fighting.

The story’s protagonist, Jaehwan, chooses a fate perhaps worse than death, that is, to keep fighting for the original timeline. Stubbornness or bravery? Only his strength can tell which and whether he will reach the end of the Towers remain to be seen.

15 The Second Coming Of Gluttony

Anime-Planet Rating: 4.1/5

• Author: Ro Yu-Jin, Ahn Jonghyuk
• Release Years: Ongoing
• Genre: Action, Adventure, Fantasy

The Second Coming of Gluttony is a remarkable manhwa series that focuses on character development, which is absent in most manhwa. The protagonist, Seol Jihu, is first revealed to be a gambling addict, heavily disliked by his parents, showing the extent of his depravity.

However, Seol begins to approach life differently after he gets a new chance in the Lost Paradise, where he becomes a formidable fighter with overpowered abilities in the form of his nine eyes. Although the Second Coming of Gluttony is not faithful to its source material, the web novels, it is still an interesting read for fans of Solo Leveling.

14 The God Of High School

Anime-Planet Rating: 4.0/5

• Author: Park Yong-Je
• Release Years: 2011-2022
• Genre: Action, Adventure, Fantasy, Supernatural

Most anime fans are well-accustomed to this title since this manhwa received an anime adaptation in 2020, which turned out to be disappointing. The manhwa is the better option for fans of God of High School since it hosts the uncut tale of the adventures of Jin Mori and his closely-knit friends.

The God of High School begins as a story revolving around a martial arts competition for high schoolers worldwide. However, the story soon evolves into one with larger threats, villains, and a power system, known as Charyeok. The God of High School features incredibly powerful characters with powers on the level of Sung Jin-Woo’s.

13 Leviathan

Anime-Planet Rating: 4.3/5

• Author: Noh Miyoung, Gyuntak Lee
• Release Years: 2018-2022
• Genre: Action, Fantasy

Leviathan is set in an apocalyptic, water-based world, where humans struggle to survive on massive ships while battling against monstrous seas creatures like Genod, the Kraken, Kentrassi, and more. To combat these beastly creatures, humanity created an elite squad consisting of well-trained Harpoonist capable of killing the ginormous sea monsters.

The story begins with the main protagonist, Bota Ma, losing his father, a six-star legendary Harpoonist, to a vicious sea monster, Kentrassi. After a near-death experience with Kentrassi, Bota Ma then decided to train as a Harpoonist with Kana, a three-star Harpoonist as his mentor. Leviathan reveals an interesting tale, depicting how the main characters battle against sea creatures while struggling to survive in a world filled with corruption and discrimination. Leviathan has epic fighting scenes and a remarkable art style, so it’s a great choice if you want to read a manhwa like Solo Leveling.

12 Omniscient Reader’s Viewpoint

Anime-Planet Rating: 4.4/5

• Author: Sing N song, Sleepy-C
• Release Years: Ongoing
• Genre: Action, Adventure, Fantasy

Many manhwa series share the same narratives and power systems, which can make these series predictable. However, if manhwa readers are looking for something different with a touch of Solo Leveling vibes, the ideal title is Omniscient Reader’s Viewpoint. The story’s protagonist, Dokja Kim, was a regular salary office worker preoccupied with reading the novel “Three Ways to Survive the Apocalypse.”

Shockingly, when the novel’s last chapter is released, the world the protagonist lives in changes into that of the novel. Dokja then puts his knowledge of the novel to good use, exploiting the world’s secrets to his advantage to increase his chances of survival.

11 Reverse Villain

Anime-Planet Rating: 3.8/5

• Author: Geondeurigogo, Hamok
• Release Years: 2020-2022
• Genre: Action, Supernatural

Reverse Villain is a unique manhwa with a villain as its protagonist. The main character, Jung-woo, had one lofty goal: To conquer and lead Murim. But unfortunately, his adversary, Shin-Ryong, prevents him from accomplishing this task as both of them reincarnate five times, only for Jung-woo to be repeatedly stopped by Shin-Ryong.

On the sixth reincarnation, Jung-woo changes his objective since, in the modern world, Murim no longer exists. So, instead, he focuses on becoming stronger to conquer Shin-Ryong, his archenemy, once and for all, even if it’s not for nation domination. Reverse Villain features an overpowered protagonist similar to Jin-woo from Solo Leveling, so it’s a must-read for Solo Leveling fans.

10 Gosu

Anime-Planet Rating: 4.1/5

• Author: Mun Jung-Hoo, Ryu Ki-Woon
• Release Years: 2015-2021
• Genre: Action, Adventure

Gosu is an action-comedy series with remarkable fights and advanced martial artists at its epicenter. At first, the protagonist, Gang Ryong, seems like a laid-back character with his chubby look and silly behaviors until he starts dishing out deadly moves, capable of destroying forests in one hit. Gang Ryong is tasked with the objective of avenging his master, Dokgo Ryong, a powerful martial arts practitioner revered as the “Heavenly Destroyer.”

Gang Ryong was his master’s last, deadly revenge tool for the enemies that betrayed and almost killed him. Dokgo Ryong taught Gang every last deadly technique in his arsenal, raising a powerful protégé with tremendous power. Solo Leveling and Gosu both share the overpowered main character narrative, so it’s worth checking out.

9 Tower of God

Anime-Planet Rating: 4.3/5

• Author: SIU
• Release Years: Ongoing
• Genre: Action, Adventure, Drama, Mystery, Fantasy

Tower of God is a popular manhwa authored by Lee Jong-Hwi with the pen name SIU. The story started in 2010 and got an anime adaptation in 2020. The series revolves around a mysterious, wish-granting tower that holds great power and fortune for individuals that successfully scale it. The main character, Twenty-Fifth Bam, with an unknown background, is befriended by Rachel, who later abandons him to venture into the tower.

However, since Rachel was Bam’s first friend, he tried to find her only to be betrayed by her again. This development puts Bam on a different path as he now aims to master Shinsu, the underlying energy of the tower, as a powerful irregular. If you like Solo Leveling, Tower of God and its robust power system should interest you.

8 Return Of The Disaster-Class Hero

Anime-Planet Rating: 4.1/5

• Author: Sanji Jiksong, Lee Beomgeun
• Release Years: Ongoing
• Genre: Action, Fantasy

Solo Leveling was released in 2018, and it’s been quite a while since the manhwa’s ending. So, for readers looking for a new manhwa with as much potential as Solo Leveling, with an overpowered protagonist to match, Return of the Disaster Class Hero is a must-read.

Filled with betrayal and treachery, the manhwa features the return of Lee Gun, who returns to take his revenge on his teammates, the 12 saints who betrayed him by trapping him in a dungeon to fight monsters with incredible regeneration abilities. Due to his immense willpower, Lee Gun escaped from the dungeon, emerging with newfound powers and looks. Now, he intends to show no mercy to treacherous teammates for the pains they put him through.

7 The Boxer

Anime-Planet Rating: 4.4/5

• Author: Jeong Ji-Hoon
• Release Years: 2019-2022
• Genre: Drama, Sports

The Boxer is a manhwa serialized on Webtoon since 2019. The story features a cold, talented protagonist, Yu, who is introduced to the boxing world. Despite being new to the boxing world, Yu managed to defeat renowned, experienced boxers due to his incredible skill and fighting abilities. Training under the legendary boxing coach, K, Yu works his way through the boxing world, defeating world-class boxers with ease and finesse, closely similar to the famous Saitama from the One-Punch Man series.

The Boxer subtly hosts the hard word v. raw talent ideal using the story’s contrasting characters. Yu shares certain similarities with Sung Jin-woo but in the world of sports. Following this similarity, you can add The Boxer to your reading list.

6 The Great Mage Returns After 4000 Years

Anime-Planet Rating: 4.1/5

• Author: Nakhasan, Kim Deok-Yong
• Release Years: Ongoing
• Genre: Action, Fantasy, Adventure

The Great Mage Returns After 4000 Years is based on the fantasy webnovel series starring several powerful characters. The manhwa is based on Lucas Traumen, the nine-star mage who is trapped in the abyss for 4000 years after his fight with Lord. Luckily, he manages to reincarnate into the body of Frey Blake, who committed suicide to escape from his miserable life.

Lucas then starts out his new life with a new personality while training to reach his former power level and surpass it. However, soon, the antagonists of the series, the Demi-gods, resurface again. To combat these powerful beings, Lucas/Frey Blake now tries to speed up his growth as a mage while allying himself with powerful forces to counter the Demi-gods threat. This narrative is quite similar to Sung Jin-woo’s from Solo Leveling and his battles against the Monarchs. Based on this note, The Great Mage Returns After 4000 Years is a must-see for Solo Leveling fans.

5 Eleceed

Anime-Planet Rating: 4.6/5

• Author: Kim Hye-Jin, Son Jae-Ho
• Release Years: Ongoing
• Genre: Action. Comedy

Eleceed is a Webtoon series written by Son Je-Ho and illustrated by ZHENA. Eleceed is set in a world of the awakened – people with unique abilities disguised from the regular humans. The main character, Ji-woo, a kind-hearted boy with a love for cats, possesses an ability involving speed. Initially, he was unaware that they were people like him until he met Kayden, a powerful ranker in the form of a cat.

Soon, Jiwoo is thrust into a different world – a world he really belonged to, featuring powerful individuals and organizations. Training under Kayden and Curtin, Ji-woo sets up to be a powerful awakened, using his incredible speed-based techniques. Eleceed is a great mix of action and comedy. The manhwa is quite similar to Solo Leveling; however, it also focuses on friendship.

4 The Legend of the Northern Blade

Anime-Planet Rating: 4.4/5

• Author: Woogack, Hae Min
• Release Years: Ongoing
• Genre: Action, Adventure, Fantasy

The Legend of the Northern Blade is a thrilling story laced with sensational fights and abilities, much like Solo Leveling. The manhwa follows the story of Jin Mu-Won, alternatively known as Northern Blade, who inherits the title of generation Sect Leader of the Northern Heavenly Sect after his father’s death. He was introduced as a weak character with no fortune or martial arts skills to his name. However, Jin Mu-Won’s hopeless appearance was a fake mask he created himself while secretly training using the widely-coveted Gathering of Ten Shadows technique.

Years later, Jin Mu-Won, after completing his solitary training, Jin Mu-Won now makes his appearance in the world of Murim, aiming to crumble the Central Heavenly Alliance – an organization filled with corrupt and ambitious leaders responsible for the death of Jin Mu-Won’s father. Northern Blade is an interesting read you can check out after Solo Leveling.

3 The Beginning After The End

Anime-Planet Rating: 4.5/5

• Author: TurtleMe, Fuyuki123
• Release Years: Ongoing
• Genre: Action, Fantasy, Adventure

The Beginning After The End is often compared with Solo Leveling due to their striking similarities, even though both stories are set in worlds with different power systems. The Beginning After The End is a reincarnation story based on the webnovel, written by TurtleMe. The story stars King Grey, who is reincarnated into the continent of Dicathen, as Arthur Leywin.

Using the knowledge of his past life in this new, fantasy world, Arthur mastered the concept of mana quicker than normal, allowing him to become a powerful mage at a young age. The fantasy-lined story presents adventures, fights, and characters that will constantly pique your curiosity.

2 Second Life Ranker

Anime-Planet Rating: 4.3/5

• Author: Sadoyeon, Nongnong
• Release Years: Ongoing
• Genre: Action, Fantasy

Second Life Ranker is a fantasy series that shares striking similarities with the Solo Leveling series. However, on the contrary, the manhwa begins on a tragic note. With the protagonist, Yeon-woo, suddenly receiving news of his younger brother’s death, he is forced to journey into the Obelisk to inquire about the tower’s secrets and ultimately learn about the cause of his brother’s death.

The Obelisk is a unique tower that grants one magical abilities as they ascend and undergo perilous adventures. Eventually, Yeon-woo gains formidable powers and magical abilities, signaling the overpowered protagonist trope present in Solo Leveling. Second Life Ranker is a must-read for Solo Leveling fans as it takes readers through Solo Leveling-like adventures but in a different setting.

1 Nano Machine

Anime-Planet Rating: 4.4/5

• Author: Hanjung Wolya, Geumgang Bulgoe
• Release Years: Ongoing
• Genre: Action, Fantasy, Adventure, Sci-Fi

Nano Machine is a manhwa series following a protagonist that obtained power in a manner similar to that of Sung Jin-Woo. At the start of the series, Cheon Yeo Woon obtained the Nano Machine, a unique power-up system, from his mysterious descendant. This “Nano Machine” helped Cheon Yeo Woon learn martial arts in a profound manner.

After going through rigorous training, with the Nano Machine’s aid, Cheon was able to master incredible swordsmanship that enabled him to earn the rank of the Vice-Lord, heir to the throne of the Great Heavenly Demonic Cult. Nano Machine embodies the weak-to-strong theme present in Solo Leveling. It’s the perfect replay of the manhwa but in a different world and setting.