Best Manhwa With Villainous Protagonists

Key Takeaways

• Kim has a ruthless reign of terror using his power to gain abilities by eating monsters.
• Lee Kiyoung manipulates others to climb the ranks, using people without regard for them.
• Minsu Kim seeks revenge by causing destruction, demonstrating wickedness and extreme violence.

Korean manhwa started getting popular in the early 2000s with the likes of Noblesse capturing the attention of readers. The art style, colors, and great stories have spawned millions of fans across the globe. Manhwa has produced a lot of memorable protagonists, but not all of them fit the natural expectations of a main character, with some of them being the downright scummiest characters in the story.

Villains have always been fascinating, but even more so when they are the main driver of the series. There are several of these villainous characters in manhwa, but is there one that is the worst of the worst?

Updated November 18, 2024 by Oluwafemi Famutimi:New manhwa are always getting published and sometimes old tales slip through the cracks. With some of the new series that started this year and in 2023, some pretty gnarly protagonists live up to their reputations and show off rather villainous tendencies.

1 Kim (I Grow Stronger By Eating)

MyAnimeList Score: 6.85

Also known as Pet Shop, Kim is a nasty man who also has the power to gain the abilities of anything he eats, including monsters. He was already a criminal in his normal life, but when he is transported to another world and finds mythical monsters that he can also eat and gain their abilities, he goes on a reign of terror.

Kim is nasty, uncaring, and willing to do anything to further his cause. His powers also make him a fearsome opponent who anyone would do well to steer clear of.

2 Lee Kiyoung (Regressor Instruction Manual)

MyAnimeList Score: 7.54

Cursed with a third-rate ability in a world where a character’s skills determine who they become, Lee Kiyoung seemed fated for a mediocre existence. Able to peek into the status window of any being, Lee Kiyoung uses this ability to his advantage as he takes steps to rise to the top.

Lee is the perfect disciple of Machiavellianism and is ready to use anyone for his personal gain. In the opening chapters, he already shows these traits, using the kind-hearted Park Deokgoo as his “meat shield.” Lee has no love interests but plays the women in his life to get an advantage. He is a scummy character in a scummy world.

3 Marnac (Cleric Of Decay)

MyAnimeList Score: 8.40

Cleric Of Decay (otherwise known as Priest Of Corruption) features a protagonist who loves to play games where he uses unusual classes. In this one game he plays, he tries for the role of a corrupted priest. Unable to gather the materials, he messes with the game’s code and is isekai’d into another world.

There he is the Priest of corruption, bound to serve the evil goddess of the world. The action in this manhwa is a lot of fun and with the priest being strong but not overpowered, there is a bit more excitement in a lot of the fights. The protagonist has no qualms doing some pretty nasty things all to serve the Mother of Corruption who constantly yells ‘Murder’ to him to get him to do her bidding.

4 Jin Mu-Won (Legend Of The Northern Blade)

MyAnimeList Score: 8.40

Jin Mu-Won is the 5th generation Sect Leader of the Northern Heavenly Sect and the main protagonist of Legend of the Northern Blade. His tale is one of revenge when his father, Jin Kwan-Ho, is accused of colluding with the enemy. He is killed right in front of Jin Mu-Won by the Central Heavenly Alliance led by the Nine Skies, and the Great Four of the Northern Heavens.

Jin Mu-Won is now on a path of revenge, and he doesn’t care who has to go down for him to achieve his goals. He is incredibly powerful and strikes fear in the hearts of his enemies.

5 Ji-U (+99 Wooden Stick)

MyAnimeList Score: 7.16

The world of Chrono Life is a dangerous one and Ji-U has the unlucky lot of being with trash stats and items. When he is betrayed by a pretty girl, he goes back to the lobby and is then gifted a wooden stick.

However, it turns out that he can relentlessly level up said stick to become the most powerful weapon in the entire game. Ji-U is not evil in the conventional sense of the word, but he does some pretty questionable things, including killing over 800,000 players in one fell swoop.

6 Estelle (House Garnet’s Archvillain)

MyAnimeList Score: 6.64

Estelle is a very compelling character who stands out, as she is a villain in a shoujo manhwa. She is sacrificed to the devil and comes back seeking revenge. To this end, she does some pretty despicable things.

Estelle is aware of her evil nature and doesn’t try to act hypocritically based on her actions. Things are spiced up even further with the introduction of a love interest, a childhood friend who has a mission to eradicate all evil in the world. The two fated lovebirds seem on a path of collision.

7 Bi-Gwang/Gyeongsoo Kim (Return Of The Bloodthirsty Police)

MyAnimeList Score: 7.08

Police brutality and corruption are very touchy subjects, but they also happen to be the background of Return Of The Bloodthirsty Police. The protagonist, Bi-Gwang, was a legendary assassin who was betrayed and killed by his organization. He is reincarnated as the police officer, Gyeongsoo Kim, and vows to have his revenge.

While Bi-Gwang looks to clean up the corruption in the police department, he is still a killer who continues with his crusade, but with methods that would repulse many. Bi-Gwang might have a new lease on life, but he still seems the same as the ruthless assassin who was killed.

8 Kim Hyunsung (Devil Returns To School Days)

MyAnimeList Score: 7.35

Pushed from the school rooftop, Kim Hyunsung, an honor student with a bright future, entered a coma and stayed that way for ten years, losing everything in the process. Brought to the brink by bullying, Kim promises to bring retribution on his enemies and gets a chance when he regresses to the moment before the bullying starts.

However, it was soon clear that Kim had no intentions of bringing down his enemies fairly and was soon leaving a trail of blood, blackmail, and manipulations in his wake. Kim’s drive for revenge makes him do things he would never have imagined before, and for many, he is the true monster of the story.

MyAnimeList Score: 7.63

Zheng is a proper villain with no real semblance of good in him. Born with the same face as the third young master of the Great Orderly Wooden Sword Hall, Mok Gyung-Woon, he was initially recruited to become a body double.

Zheng kills Mok Gyung-Woon and takes his place. Even as a noble, Zheng’s insatiable appetite to kill sets him apart as one of the most ruthless protagonists in manwha. The Chaotic God of Extraordinary Strength takes place in a shared universe and is the prequel to another well-regarded manwha, Nano Mashin.

10 Demiurgos (Why I Quit Being The Demon King)

MyAnimeList Score: N/A

The 666th Demon Lord, Demiurgos decided to quit his destiny and run away from his duties. The Demon Lord-to-be is tired of the neverending cycle of resurrection and meeting his end at the hand of the hero, so he ditches.

Make no mistake though, Demiurgos is no saint as his very first act is to visit an unsuspecting kingdom and lay it to waste, killing everyone he can find, including the king. His reason — none. He says he wants to live as a normal human but figures being a King is a good way to go about his plan. Why I Quit Being The Demon King is refreshing as it tries to rid itself of the most common tropes for these kinds of stories. The path is unpredictable and even though the situation is bleak, they do have some fun with it.

11 Lee Geon (The Return Of The Disaster-Class Hero)

MyAnimeList Score: 7.42

Lee Geon is the 13th Zodiac God. Betrayed by the other 12 saints, Geon comes back 20 years later to teach his foes a lesson.

Lee Geon lives for chaos and will use anyone to further his plans. He is protective of his friends, but he will also gladly throw them to the wolves if necessary. At the end of the day, Lee Geon cares about the things that are his because they are his, and not so much about other individuals.

12 Ihwa (Hero Killer)

MyAnimeList Score: 7.52

In a world where heroes are well regarded, Ihwa is a killer of heroes. This is due to the fact that the heroes have become corrupt and killed her sister, Yeon.

In her quest to rid the world of corrupt heroes, Ihwa has done some terrible things, but she is at least honest about who she is and is not a fan of needless deaths. With her cold and calculating persona, Ihwa makes the reader want to root for her while acknowledging the fact that she is by no means a good person.

13 Seonghoon (How To Live As A Villain)

MyAnimeList Score: 6.88

Thrust into a new world where he is to compete to become God, Seonghoon, who isn’t very talented at anything, uses his cunning to rise through the ranks all the way to the top.

Seonghoon has no qualms about killing people to get what he wants, even if those murders aren’t necessary. He is a villainous character with absolutely no redeeming qualities, but his cunning also makes him a very interesting character to study.

14 Jin (Bastard)

MyAnimeList Score: 8.49

Carnby Kim is a rockstar in the world of manhwa as he has penned favorites such as Sweet Home (which got a Netflix series), Pig Pen, and Shotgun Boy. Bastard follows Jin who is revealed to be the son of a serial killer. Jin is a very complicated character who seems to have suffered a lot of abuse at the hands of his murderous father.

While it might seem harsh to class him a villain, he is villainous, and it is nice that he tried his best to fight back against his dad who was pushing him towards completely becoming a psychopath. Jin is sympathetic and is a character that anyone will want to root for, however, he also has a dangerous side that can be very terrifying to deal with.

15 Yu (The Boxer)

MyAnimeList Score: 8.49

Ji-Hoon, the creator of The Horizon, tells a bleak story about the effects of war on people and the world in general. Readers know that he has a flair for bringing characters to life, and he is at it once again with The Boxer, a story that should be following the main character, Yu, but half the time doesn’t.

Many might struggle with the idea that Yu is a villain, but the way the story is set up has Yu as the dream crusher. He is the one who causes several characters to be unable to follow their dreams anymore. Since he is also coached by K, who turns out to be a man who wants to win at all costs, Yu finds himself becoming darker and darker.

16 Minsu Kim (The Hero Has Returned)

MyAnimeList Score: 6.88

There might be some argument about the categorization of Minsu Kim as a protagonist, but he did act as one for a little bit. After defeating the Demon Lord and coming home only to find his parents dead and everyone else he cared about avoiding him, Minsu Kim resolves to make everyone as miserable as he is.

He does this effectively by destroying South Korea and killing millions in his rampage. His actions also created the real protagonist of the series, Jeongsu Park, who also lost everything. Interestingly, Jeongsu Park isn’t a great person either, as he also shows a penchant for extreme violence and wickedness.