Top 40 manhwa to read in 2023 and their tachiyomi extensions (2024)

Manhwa is gaining increased attention, especially with adaptations of famous titles like Lookism, Tower of God, and Solo Leveling into animated series. Accessibility has also improved, thanks to apps like Webtoon, Tappytoon, and Tapas, which provide quality English translations for beloved manhwa.

While established hits like Tower of God, Eleceed, and The Gamer continue to top the charts, new and ongoing manhwa are also rising in popularity.

Here’s a list of the top 40 manhwa that you should certainly give a try in 2024. Since many readers use Tachiyomi to get a dose of their favorite manga and webtoons, I have also included the list of all the extensions of the manhwa mentioned below.

Best Romance and Drama manhwa

1. An Hour of Romance

In this office romance manhwa, workaholic perfectionist Jooahn, and clumsy junior Dojin intertwine their lives after an enchanted temple visit. As they navigate hot-and-cold dynamics in the workplace, will Jooahn resist Dojin’s charms? This underrated gem offers humor, compelling moments, and light-hearted romance.

2. True Beauty

True Beauty is a popular manhwa that combines self-image, young love, friendship, and self-exploration. The story revolves around Lim Joo-kyung, a high schooler with low self-esteem and acne issues. Her life takes a 180-degree turn when she masters the art of makeup.

As she navigates teenage drama, romance, and life lessons, the manhwa challenges stereotypes with relatable characters and heartfelt moments.

3. Lookism

Lookism evolves around Park Hyung Suk, an overweight and unattractive high school student who is bullied and abused daily. However, a miracle occurs, and he wakes up in a different body—tall, handsome, and cooler than ever. As he navigates this transformation, he aims to achieve everything he couldn’t before.

4. Karina’s Last Days

Karina’s Last Days starts on a depressing note. Karina, the main character, possesses an amazing ability to bring drawings to life. However, her existence is overlooked by her family and in a tragic turn of events, she comes to know she only has a year to live.

Even though we already know what Karina’s fate is going to be, the manhwa still manages to keep its readers hooked by bringing her mysterious fiancé and a unique deal into the mix.

5. My In-Laws are Obsessed with Me

If you love to read stories full of royal intrigue and a dash of romance, look no further My In-Laws are Obsessed with Me tells the story of Pereshati, who falls victim to a conspiracy and dies.

But predictably, she is revived and brought back to the time before her murder. As Pereshati tries to evade her fate, she discovers horrifying secrets about the people around her.

6. After-School Lessons for Unripe Apples

After-School Lessons for Unripe Apples is a thoroughly simple and touching story that can be binge-read on a slow, warm afternoon. It offers a simple premise—an average, ordinary girl tries to befriend a boy who keeps stirring up trouble and refuses to reciprocate her efforts to befriend him for unknown reasons.

7. To Not Die

To Not Die is yet another manhwa where the protagonist gets bullied by a bunch of bullies, but it’s also a tale of revenge with a bit of mystery. Dajun vows to get back to his bullies.

But when he sets out on a journey to become strong, he realizes that his real enemies are way bigger and more powerful than the average bullies who used to harass him.

8. The Maid and The Vampire

Areum, after a car accident, finds herself in a strange world called Soltera. Due to her hair color, she is mistaken for a vampire and sold to a Duke’s house by a slave trader. The master of the Duke’s house, Millard Travis, is the only vampire in the world.

Desperate to survive, Areum becomes Millard’s direct servant, vowing to serve him as her master. As she tries to adapt to her new life, her interactions with Millard lead to unexpected changes in their relationship.

9. Weak Hero

School life in South Korea is tough, especially if you are at the very bottom of the social ladder and a frequent prey to bullies. But in the world of Weak Hero, the social ladder is dismantled when Gray, a mysterious student, arrives at the school to give bullies a taste of their medicine.

Best Mystery and Supernatural manhwa

1. Omniscient Reader

Adapted from a novel, Omniscient Reader tells the story of an average office worker called Kim Dokja whose ordinary life is toppled over when his favorite web novel turns into a reality.

As he’s pushed to his very edge to survive, Dokja is left with no option but to rely on his wits and Kim Joonghyunk, the main character of the web novel.

2. A Bona Fide Killer

Being a mom is no easy task. Add ‘being an assassin’ to the mix, and things get even messier. Yu Bona is an office worker, a loving mom, and an assassin who has finally made a comeback.

Taking down her targets is an easy job. But when her oblivious reporter husband becomes obsessed with her assassin persona, Yuna finds it difficult to balance her double life.

3. SSS Class Suicide Hunter

All of us had our share of OP main characters, but SSS Class Suicide Hunter might truly have some of the most overpowered characters. Gongja Kim starts off as a weak hunter in the manhwa, but his life is altered when he gets the ability to copy other hunters’ abilities.

4. Flawed Almighty

When we try to conjure an image of a thug, we imagine a pissed-off, brawny dude who goes around beating other people. But Jeongji Kim is a hoodlum who’s past his prime ever since he injured his leg, and is afflicted with a curse to do only good deeds.

We do see Jeongji reap the fruits of his good deeds, but things go downhill when the stakes for keeping his curse at bay keep rising.

5. Chasing Tails

If you are a fellow mystery lover, you must have come across locked-room mysteries of all kinds. But Chasing Tails sets itself apart from average locked rooms, by turning a collapsed building into a locked room.

The manhwa even keeps its readers on their toes by casting suspicion on every surviving witness that made out of the collapsed building, making it nearly impossible to find out the true murderer.

6. Villain to Kill

Even though villains are portrayed as evil in most of the stories, Villain to Kill begs to differ by telling the story from the point of view of a villain.

Cassian Lee was a psyker, a person with special abilities who works for justice. But the main charm of this manhwa isn’t the life of Cassian when he’s a psyker, but rather what happens to him when he ends up in the body of a villain.

7. Eyes (Jung Summer)

Eyes might be a supernatural manhwa, but the creepy vibes exuded by the manhwa’s art style and storyboards will surely appease horror fans. Juan Seo is born with one eye and feels as if someone is stalking him.

When he finally decides to hunt down who is stalking him, he comes across a mysterious species called ‘avian humanoids’.

8. Strange Mirror

The story delves into psychological themes and follows the journey of characters facing mysterious and supernatural events. If you’re intrigued by psychological drama and mature themes, you might enjoy reading Strange Mirror.

Best Fantasy manhwa

1. Solo Leveling

In Solo Leveling, ordinary people gain the power to fight monsters. However, the protagonist, Sung Jin-Woo, starts out as the weakest in the world. Despite this, he fights to pay off his mother’s medical bills.

After a mission gone wrong, he wakes up in the hospital with a quest log he must complete. The manhwa beautifully depicts Jin-Woo’s journey from the weakest hero to one of the strongest.

2. Tower of God

‘Tower of God’ follows Twenty-Fifth Bam, who has spent most of his life trapped beneath a vast and mysterious Tower. Bam’s life takes a dramatic turn when his close friend Rachel enters the Tower.

As he faces challenges and enemies on each floor, the manhwa explores lore, history, and the motivations of characters and factions that shape the tower’s fate over thousands of years. Known for its intricate plot and captivating storytelling, it is a must-read for fans of mind games and fantasy.

3. The Lord of Coins

Here’s another fantasy manhwa with the ‘second chance at life’ trope. Aaron Steelegard’s life is taken away by those who envy his riches. But all hope is not lost as Aaron is brought back to life as his young self. The lord’s coins aren’t decreasing shows Aaron’s journey of retrieving his rightful coins from his enemies.

4. I’m the Max-Level Newbie

None of us would wish for our favorite games to become real, especially if the worlds of those games are overrun with monsters. Unfortunately, Jinghyeok, a gaming streamer, ends up witnessing his favorite game turn into reality.

As the only one who has cleared the game, it’s up to him to finish the game to stop the world from ending.

5. The Player Who Can’t Level Up

0Many manhwa characters get dragged into games by force. But Kim Kingyu is an exception. He willingly becomes a player in a game to change his sh*tty life.

However, his life takes a turn for the worse when he realizes he can’t even clear Level 1. Will Kingyu ever get out of this dilemma?

6. Quest Supremacy

Suhyeon Kim turns towards games to escape from his harsh life, where he gets bullied constantly. He wishes every day that his life was an RPG instead. His prayers are answered as his life turns into an RPG full of quests.

Though this turn of events might seem like a blessing, Suhyeon and the readers of this manhwa realize that this might be a curse instead, as the stakes for the quests rise.

7. Reality Quest

We have seen bullies in manhwa that beat up their victims and steal their money. But in Reality Quest, Dowan Ha’s bullies force him to play games till he dies from exhaustion. Luckily, he gets respawned into his classroom just one week before he dies.

Will Dowan finally get back to his bullies with his gaming skills and his gamefied existence?

8. The Druid of Seoul Station

Druid of Seoul Station has been climbing the popularity ranks recently for being a complex sci-fi manhwa with an intriguing plot. Suho is transported to another planet after a catastrophe hits Earth. But just as he’s adapting to the new planet, he’s brought back to Earth again.

Armed with the experience of living on a totally different planet, Suho has no choice but to use his skills to fight the monsters on Earth.

9. The Beginning After the End

Royals are considered superior to ordinary people, but they are humans too. King Grey is depressed after living a life of solitude, but he gets a second chance to live the life he always wished to live after being reincarnated.

But, he can’t rest just yet, as a deadly enemy threatens to destroy the kingdom he worked so hard to build.

10. Kill the Hero

Here’s another manhwa with a revenge subplot! Kill the Hero offers a fresh breath of air, by featuring a villainous main character who aims to kill the righteous hero of his own guild in a game.

11. Second Life Ranker

Second Life Ranker might be a fantasy manhwa, but its plot is shrouded in mysterious elements right from the beginning. The story kicks off with Yeonwoo finding a hidden diary left by his twin brother, which mentions a strange, alternate world.

12. Mythic Item Obtained

If you enjoy reading manhwa with the ‘underdog rising to power’ trope, Mystic Item Obtained is a perfect fit for you. This manhwa offers a post-apocalyptic premise and a weak main character as well.

However, Jaehyeon becomes powerful by obtaining a rare item, just like any other character in a video game.

Best Martial Arts and Sports Manhwa

1. The Legend of the Northern Blade

Among the heaps of system, reincarnation, and gaming manhwa, the Legend of the Northern Blade stands out as a thrilling historical martial arts manhwa that relies on none of the above-mentioned tropes.

After Mowoon loses his father to the evil Silent Night, he vows to take revenge and secretly learns martial arts techniques. As the sole son of the Northern Heavenly Sect’s leader, it is up to him to bring the sect back from its ashes.

2. Wind Breaker

If you are a sports otaku, there’s zero chance that you haven’t heard of Wind Breaker. Wind Breaker is a truly touching tale that tells us to step out of our comfort zone.

Jay, a perfect student who always gets A+ grades, must join his school’s biking team. What starts as a cumbersome activity turns out to be an eye-opening experience for Jay.

3. Teenage Mercenary

Teens are a truly turbulent time of any person’s life. Teenage Mercenary reminds us of how difficult navigating your teens is, and how it almost feels like competing in a survival show.

Ijin Yu, an ex-child mercenary who plans to have a fresh start in Korea, realizes that peace isn’t an option to survive in a battleground known as school. With only a year left to graduate, Ijin must use his mercenary experience to safely graduate without any trouble.

4. Hanlim Gym

If you loved The Boxer, you will definitely love Hanlim Gym as well. Yeongha, a new transfer student, rules the top of the food chain with his powerful fighting skills. But he’s quickly dethroned by Suho Kang, a PvP champion.

5. Double Click

South Korea is a hotbed for e-sports such as DOTA and LOL. So obviously, sports manhwa picked up on that trend.

Double Click tells the story of a pro gamer, Jiho Seong, who discovers the joy of playing with an exceptional team after playing alone for a long time.

6. Murim Login

Jin Tae-kyung is a lowly hunter with lackluster skills in an era where humans hunt down monsters for a living. But this story isn’t about Taekyung’s hunter lifestyle. The real story of this manhwa starts when Taekyung ends up teleporting into a martial arts world in a (un)happy accident.

7. Reaper of the Drifting Moon

Reaper of the Drifting Moon is an underrated gem among the countless fantasy and martial arts manhwa. Pyo Wol, an ordinary young man, is kidnapped and abandoned into the depths of the abyss.

After fighting for his survival in hell for seven years, he becomes an assassin who is tasked with a risky assassination mission.

8. Wandering Warrior of Wudang

All hail the main characters with twisted morals! The morally black supreme dark leader vows to bring down his rival, the righteous Mudang clan, after he is reborn as a young disciple in Mudang.

It remains to be seen whether his nefarious scheme will cause the downfall of the Mudang clan or himself.

9. Nano Machine

Nano Machine is one of the few sci-fi manhwa out there that blends the martial arts genre perfectly in its universe. Cheon Yeoun wishes to become a Minor Priest at Mashine Academy, an elite martial arts academy that uses nanotechnology.

But to realize his dream, Cheon Yeoun has to turn into a one-man army to emerge victorious against his powerful half-siblings.

10. Infinite Leveling: Murim

We are seeing a familiar pattern in all gaming manhwas we have seen so far, and Infinite Leveling: Murim follows the same tradition. Yuseong Dan dies a pathetic death without glory on a battlefield, but a strange leveling-up system offers him a chance to live again and change his fate.