Best Action Manhwa

Summary

• Action-packed manhwa are gaining popularity, with thrilling battles and powers to dazzle manga fans.
• Top action manhwa like Tower of God and The Breaker offer dark fantasy adventure to shonen enthusiasts.
• Fantasy manhwa like Solo Leveling and Legend of the Northern Blade cater to fans of powerful protagonists.

Manhwa (the Korean analog to manga) has been growing in popularity over the last few years, though it has a history that is almost as long as manga’s. There are plenty of Korean writers and artists who have created successful manhwa, and even a few who have made the jump over to Japan to become successful in the manga industry there.

Just like manga, action-packed manhwa with plenty of battles and exciting powers are fairly popular. While they aren’t as popular as their Japanese shonen analogs, any self-proclaimed fan of action manga should not miss these manhwa series. Here are some of the best action manhwa, ranked by their MyAnimeList score.

Updated February 6, 2025, by Hamza Haq: Manhwa’s popularity is a fairly recent occurrence, considering how long its biggest competitor, manga, has been on the scene. But what gives this medium of art an edge over traditional manga is the web-focused visual style, which prioritizes the comfort and viewing experience of reading it on a computer screen instead of as a physical book. Additionally, manhwa typically have the capacity to tell brutal, uncomfortable, and bloody stories in a way manga just doesn’t. Action manhwa take full advantage of this by showing visceral scenes like dismembered body parts in stark detail instead of shying away from it or merely alluding towards it. For fans of the action genre who have long tried and failed to find something remotely similar in manga, giving manhwa a chance should be a no-brainer.

12

Second Life Ranker

MAL Score: 7.63

• Written by Sadoyeon & illustrated by Nongnong
• Published on KakaoPage

Cha Yeon-woo is a veteran soldier who finds out that his brother, who has been missing for a long time, was transported to a Tower that can grant any wish to the person who climbs it. Unfortunately, he ends up dead after being betrayed by his friends and lover. Thanks to his brother’s efforts, Cha Yeon-woo receives not only all of his memories but his skills and powers as well, even though most of them remain locked due to his low level. Armed with this meta knowledge, overpowered skills, and the goal of raining hell down on the people who killed his brother, he sets out for the tower himself, hungry for vengeance.

Second Life Ranker is a revenge action manhwa meant for readers who enjoy overpowered MCs steamrolling their competitions without breaking a sweat. It offers an interesting premise, decent execution, and great visuals. The fight sequences are punchy and satisfying but are decidedly brutal.

11

Nano Machine

MAL Score: 8.17

• Written by Hanjung Wolyah & illustrated by Geumgang Bulgoe
• Published on Naver Webtoon

Cheon Yeo Woon, is the bastard son of the most powerful martial artist in the demonic cult, but because of his commoner mother and lack of talent, he is looked down upon by everyone around him, including his relatives. When a group of assassins hired by his enemies are sent to murder him to end the demonic cult leader’s lineage, they are killed by a person wearing modern clothes, who turns out to be Cheon Yeo Woon’s descendant from the future. This person injects Cheon Yeo Woonwith a needle that contains 6.5 billion Nano Machines, providing him with an alternate route to power and greatness.

Nano Machine combines the traditional Eastern power fantasy of martial arts, clans, and cults with the modern concept of Nanotechnology as seen in science fiction movies.

10

SSS-Class Revival Hunter

MAL Score: 8.25

• Written by Shin Noah & illustrated by Bill K.
• Published on Tapas Media

Kim Gong-Ja is an F-rank hunter who is eternally envious of those more powerful than him, so much so that he receives an S+ Rank Skill from the Tower titled ‘I Want to Be Like You’. The only caveat? He needs to die in order for the skill to activate. By a stroke of luck, he ends up being killed by the number 1 ranked hunter in the world, the Flame Emporer, copying the skill ‘The Time Traveler’s Clock,’ which allows him to travel 24 hours back in time every time he dies, with his skills and memories intact. With this cheat code in hand, Kim Gong-Ja starts his journey to become the most powerful hunter in existence.

SSS-Class Revival Hunter is an action-adventure manhwa with a healthy dose of comedy mixed in to lighten the mood. Fans of protagonists with broken abilities, dungeon hunters, and incredible action scenes will quickly fall in love with this incredible series. It is one of the all-time greats.

9

Sweet Home

MAL Score: 8.27

• Written by Kim Carnby & illustrated by Young-chan
• Published on Naver Webtoon

Hyun-soo Cha is a reclusive high schooler who is forced to move into a new apartment building after his family dies in a tragic accident. Struggling with both the loss of his family and his own lack of desire to live, Hyun-soo’s problems are compounded when a mysterious epidemic starts turning people into monsters, including himself.

Sweet Home is a horror-action series with a story that isn’t too far off from zombie apocalypse tales. Fans of survival horror where characters must band together to make it through a crisis should definitely check out this manhwa.

8

Tower Of God

MAL Score: 8.37

• Written & illustrated by S.I.U.
• Published on Naver Webtoon

Twenty-Fifth Baam has never known the outside world, having spent most of his life at the bottom of a massive tower. His only friend and companion is Rachel, but when she leaves to ascend the tower, Baam leaves the place he has always called home in search of her.

Tower of God is an action-adventure manhwa, with the journey through the Tower being full of perils, dangers, and excitement. Fans of dark fantasy and shonen battle manga will definitely have a lot of fun with this series.

7

The Breaker

MAL Score: 8.39

• Written by Geuk-jin Jeon & illustrated by Jin-hwan Park
• Published in Young Champ

Shiwoon Yi is a meek high school student who is constantly being bullied by his classmates. By chance, he encounters the new teacher, Chunwoo Han, who happens to secretly be a powerful martial arts master in the world of Murim. In order to have Shiwoon stand up to his bullies, Chunwoo decides to teach him martial arts.

The Breaker is a supernatural martial arts manhwa with incredible artwork and fight scenes on the level of many battle manga. The series has multiple parts to it, with the newest entry, Eternal Force, now publishing on Naver Webtoon.

6

Return Of The Blossoming Blade

MAL Score: 8.48

• Written by Biga & illustrated by LICO
• Published on Naver Webtoon

Chung Myung was once a disciple of the Mount Hua Sect and one of its greatest sword masters. The Mount Hua Sect, and many others, met their end at the hands of Chunma, leader of the Heavenly Demon Sect, with Chung Myung being the one to finally strike him down. Fatally wounded, Chung Myung closes his eyes one last time, only to find himself alive again in the body of a young man.

Return of the Blossoming Blade is a historical fantasy reincarnation story similar to stories like The Misfit of Demon King Academy. Fans of historical Asian settings and supernatural martial arts stories should definitely give this manhwa a try.

5

The Boxer

MAL Score: 8.49

• Written & illustrated by Jung Ji-Hoon
• Published on Naver and LINE

Yu is a stoic, silent, up-and-coming boxer quickly rising through the ranks of the professional boxing world. He likes to remain silent, preferring to observe rather than comment, letting his actions speak for him rather than his words. The story is informally separated by Yu’s fights, playing out like mini-arcs where Yu’s newest opponent becomes the pseudo-main character until the fight is over and Yu wins. While Yu remains the main character, in each arc, the story places as much focus on his opponents as it does on Yu himself, prioritizing character development, backstories, explaining their motivations, and their reasons for stepping into the ring.

The Boxer is a modern-day professional boxing manhwa that aims to deliver an impactful, emotional, and struggle-filled story with a mysterious protagonist and a fleshed-out supporting cast. In contrast to Hajime no Ippo, a popular boxing manga, The Boxer sets a somber tone for its story and focuses on creating believable opponents for Yu to pit himself against. Fans of WWE, UFC, and sports manga will have a blast with this series.

4

The Legend Of The Northern Blade

MAL Score: 8.51

• Written by Woogack & illustrated by Min Hae
• Published on KakaoPage

Moowon is the son of the disgraced 4th-generation leader of the Northern Heavenly Sect, who was forced to commit suicide when he was accused of being a traitor. Moowon lives on under constant surveillance, but a rare chance gives him an opportunity to escape and seek justice for his father while battling the evils of the Silent Night.

The Legend of the Northern Blade is a fantasy revenge story with plenty of the usual martial arts action. This manhwa is perfect for those that love historical Asian settings, or those that enjoy a good revenge story.

3

Eleceed

MAL Score: 8.53

• Written by Jae-Ho Son & illustrated by Hye-Jin Kim
• Published on Naver Webtoon

Jiwoo Seo is a cat-loving young man with the power of super speed, which he is trying to keep a secret. By chance, he happens upon an injured cat and nurses it back to health in his home. To his surprise, the cat begins talking, and reveals that he is actually a human named Kayden Break, and that the world he lives in is more mysterious than Jiwoo realizes.

Eleceed is a supernatural action series where magical abilities and supernatural powers are commonplace. It’s a perfect fit for fans of shonen battle manga, especially those with interesting power systems.

2

Omniscient Reader

MAL Score: 8.57

• Written by Sing n Song & illustrated by Sleepy-C
• Published on Naver Webtoon

Dokja Kim is a regular old salaryman who doesn’t have much going for him. He is a fan of the web novel series “Three Ways to Survive In a Ruined World”, having followed it diligently over its 3,000-chapter run. Upon the release of its final chapter, Dokja finds that he has been transported to the novel’s world, and must find a way to change the story’s ending while overcoming its challenges with his knowledge of future events.

Omniscient Reader is a fantasy manhwa that takes its cues from modern isekai stories. Fans of isekai where the main character knows the events to come due to having experienced them in their past life should take a look at this series.

1

Solo Leveling

MAL Score: 8.66

• Written by Chugong & illustrated by Dubu (Redice Studio)
• Published on KakaoPage

Sung Jinwoo is a hunter, a person with super-powers charged with protecting humanity from horrific monsters. However, he is incredibly weak, and struggles daily against the monsters threatening the populace. After a disastrous attempt to explore a dungeon, Jinwoo is granted power by a program known as the System, which gives him the ability to grow in strength.

Solo Leveling is an incredibly popular fantasy action manhwa that plays into the fairly common power fantasy of being incredibly overpowered compared to other, still-powerful people. Fans of series with overpowered protagonists will enjoy this series, and its anime adaptation.