Best Anti-Heroes In Manhwa, Ranked

Summary

• Kayden Pierce (ELECEED) is a powerful lightning user with a golden heart, making him a notorious anti-hero.
• Sung Jin-woo (Solo Leveling) transitions from weakest to strongest with a dark, relentless pursuit of power.
• Han Jee-Han (The Gamer) aims to be the strongest without answering to anyone, comfortably sitting in the gray zone between hero and villain.

Anti-heroes in manhwa have been quite popular as of late, with many powerful protagonists having joined the ranks of the very best in terms of character development. Even if their attitudes are not always as well-intentioned as they should be, their behavior patterns lean more toward good than evil.

This ranked list will spotlight the best anti-heroes in manhwa, with special emphasis on their skills, their reasons for being top of the food chain in their respective worlds, and important facts about their demeanor that make them fill the role perfectly.

7

Kayden Pierce (ELECEED)

It’s Like The God Of Thunder Descended Upon The World

• Genre: Shonen, Action, Comedy, Urban Fantasy, Martial Arts
• Author: Jeho Son
• Artist: ZHENA

Kayden has proven to be one of the strongest Awakened on the planet, with a nasty, ill-mannered attitude, but with a secret heart of gold, which makes him the most notorious and prominent of all Anti-Heroes in manhwa. With his powerful lightning powers, his strength beyond regular conventions (even among superhumans), and his unique and relentless self-training method, he has reached the top of the food chain in more than one sense.

He is a predator who lives for the thrill of the hunt and a passionate fighter. Although his motivations are not always clear, one thing remains constant throughout the whole ELECEED plot: he cares for Jin Woo, his disciple, and would kill anyone or anything that dares to hurt him. Kayden would stop at nothing if a rival used his disciple as a hostage, and he would punish them in the most gruesome and brutal of ways.

6

Sung Jin-woo (Solo Leveling)

A Dark Monarch Indeed

• Genre: Reverse Isekai, Shonen, Action, Urban Fantasy, Dark Fantasy
• Author: Chugong
• Artist: Dubu (Redice studios)

Sung Jin-woo had one of the best transitions in urban fantasy manhwa, from the weakest of the Hunter Association to the strongest on the planet. He is most definitely an Anti-Hero, and for various reasons: his relentlessness in the pursuit of power, his merciless treatment of rivals and enemies, and every action that inclines the scales toward evil or good, he kicks it around to match his own standards.

Throughout the series, he slowly decays into Darkness, but not in the dichotomic way of evil vs. good. In truth, he drifts away from his prior humanity and becomes more attuned to the Dark Monarch, making himself the perfect host for his power — all to save those precious to him, so, a remnant of light still flickers deep in his heart: a very anti-heroic attitude.

5

Han Jee-Han (The Gamer)

Too Cruel To Be A Hero, Too Agreeable To Be A Villain

• Genre: Action, Martial Arts, Dystopian, Fantasy, Comedy
• Author: Sung San-young
• Artist: Sang-ah

Han Jee-Han started his journey to become one of the most powerful Anti-Heroes and create his own independent faction a few years back, and now, with The Gamer ​​​​​​finally concluding its epic tale, he looks beyond Earth and aims even higher.

But was he always an anti-hero? Or was he first a heroic figure that got twisted by the “shadow world,” slowly turning him away from his originally agreeable demeanor? As a matter of fact, he never lost sight of his true objective: to be the strongest and never answer to anybody but himself. In the process, he ousted and ruined far too many people to be considered a hero, but he was always more approachable than a villain, so he sits comfortably in the gray zone.

4

Cassian (Villain To Kill)

A Hero In The Body Of A Villain — That Formula Can Only Throw One Result

• Genre: Dystopian, Action, Martial Arts, Urban Fantasy
• Author: Fupin
• Artist: Eunji

When Cassian started his career as a Psycher (Heroes of the Villain To Kill universe), he wasn’t exactly a paragon of goodness: he was insubordinate, free-spirited, and brutal, many of the qualifiers to be an anti-hero nowadays. But, as things turn out, he was betrayed, killed, and reincarnated in the body of a Disaster Class Hero, retaining his memories and many of his combat abilities.

Since everyone sees the new villain who named himself Cassian as a random variable that popped out of nowhere, nobody suspects the ties between the two — up to the conclusion of Season 2, that is. But if you have a rebel hero in the body of a villain, and he starts to do things honorably, fighting to protect those in the Villzone, and putting a positive image on the outside world, then he is most definitely an interesting anti-hero more than a villain that needs to be stopped at any cost.

3

Lee Geon (Return Of The Disaster Class Hero)

A Clockwork Bomb, Waiting To Be Set Off

• Genres: Action, Adventure, Urban Fantasy, Seinen, Gore
• Author: Sanji Jiksong
• Artist: Lee Beomgeun

Lee Geon (Legion) is one of the best examples of what an anti-hero should be: brutal, driven by revenge, sarcastic yet witty in his remarks, and absolutely unapologetic. He is, indeed, a walking disaster, answers to no one, and helps himself wherever he goes.

His standalone, can-do, always-look-forward attitude has gained him many enemies — and allies as well. But, he is not the brightest of the bunch; he has made countless mistakes that could have been avoidable if he stopped for a second instead of rushing to get what he “needs.” Trusting his former allies was the first of a long list.

2

Baam (Tower Of God)

A Morally Complex Child Who Became An Anti-Hero By Need

• Genres: Action, Adventure, Fantasy, Seinen, Grimdark
• Author: Lee Jong-hui
• Artist: Lee Jong-hui

Baam’s journey from one of the most idealistic fellows into a battle-hardened tower climber couldn’t be possible without his alignment shift into the terrain of the morally gray. He was once an innocent child, a dreamer. Now, he is both a savior for those in need and a threat to everyone who dares stand in his path.

Viciously focused, pragmatic, and always attentive to opportunities to grow stronger, The Twenty-Fifth Baam is living proof of the Tower’s complex system that forces people into survival mode, even mutating them into something sinister and deprived of the light of life.

1

Jake (The Primal Hunter)

Borderline, Ruthless, Driven By Curiosity More Than Malice

• Genres: Action, Adventure, Fantasy, Isekai, Seinen, Grimdark
• Author: Zogarth
• Artist: UnoDay Studio

Jake, the protagonist of The Primal Hunter is one of those anti-heroes that can make you both sick and curious about how far they will go before going full-villain. He is methodical, driven by his goal to discover what lies ahead of the mysterious Tutorial that isekai’d him and his co-workers into an unknown realm, and most importantly: relentless.

He is the embodiment of the perfect hunter, and he has been greatly rewarded for his focused attitude more than any of the other survivors. Even during the last moments when only two players are remaining (he and William, an absolute psycho), he maintains a clear view of the bigger picture. There are few chances of him losing the final bout.