25 Best Manhwa Like Solo Leveling You Should Read

Highlights

• Solo Leveling, a major hit in the manhwa industry, features a thrilling storyline with powerful characters and epic battles.
• Manhwa like Solo Leveling offer overpowered protagonists, intense fights, and magical abilities for fans to enjoy and explore.
• Discover captivating stories like Demonic Evolution, Leveling With The Gods, and The Player That Can’t Level Up for more exhilarating adventures.

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 May 13, 2024, by Emedo Destiny: Arguably the manhwa medium’s biggest export, the success of Solo Leveling’s anime adaptation is even more impressive following the conclusion of its first season. However, for fans who have yet to learn of the series in its original manhwa form, Solo Leveling is easily the fastest way to get acquainted with the manhwa world. Filled with exhilarating battles and a more than good storyline, Solo Leveling captures the aim of the typical manhwa. Also, for fans familiar with manhwa and interested in similarly developed manhwa, there is no shortage of intriguing and exciting stories that bear a semblance to Solo Leveling. Regarding these stories, here are some of the best picks of the bunch.

25 Demonic Evolution

Anime-Planet Rating: 3.7 / 5

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

Demonic Evolution presents a post-apocalyptic world where humans with supernatural abilities are commonplace and are at war with demonic forces that threaten the destruction of humanity. Set in the futuristic year 3069, the Earth faces a crisis after the invasion of the Demons.

In the ensuing war for survival and conquest between the Humans and the Demons, the central character and humanity’s greatest warrior, Ang, dies to the Demons. However, Ang’s fate is not sealed as he awakens sixty years into the future as a teenager with the same name while harboring the power of the most powerful demon. Filled with regret for the actions and mistakes of his past life, Ang vows to get even stronger and eradicate all demons.

24 Leveling With The Gods

Anime-Planet Rating: 4.3 / 5

• Author: Heuk Ain, Ohyeon
• Release Years: Ongoing
• Genre: Action, Adventure Fantasy

Set in a world ruled and dominated by the activities of the mysterious Tower, Leveling With The Gods presents the daunting tale of the central character, Kim Yuwon, the prodigious warrior and the lone survivor of the battle between the Inner and Outer Gods that ultimately led to humanity’s destruction.

Defeated and alone, Kim Yuwon is presented with another opportunity to correct his mistakes as he returns to the past, to the point where he began as a warrior of the Tower. Renewed with vigor and determination, Yuwon must conquer the Tower once more; however, it remains to be seen if he can prevent humanity’s seemingly inevitable fate of destruction.

23 The Player That Can’t Level Up

Anime-Planet Rating: 4.0 / 5

• Author: GavinGe, Park Jeongjae
• Release Years: Ongoing
• Genre: Action, Adventure

The Player That Can’t Level Up takes place in a world bombarded by the supernatural and fantastical. Society is forever altered by the appearance of the mysterious Tower of Babel. With its appearance, humans become able to manifest supernatural powers to climb and try to conquer the Tower. One of such humans is the central character, Kim Gigyu. Delighted at finally receiving his invitation to become a player and unlocking a unique ability, Gigyu thinks his life of struggles is over as he can finally provide for his sick mother and little sister.

However, he seemingly becomes worse off as he cannot increase his level, even after several attempts. After five years of serving as the Tower’s tour guide, Gigyu discovers an ability to link with ‘Egos’ and raise his level. Armed with his new ability, Kim Gigyu sets his sights once more on climbing the Tower by getting stronger.

22 Swordmaster’s Youngest Son

Anime-Planet Rating: 4.3 / 5

• Author: Hwangje Penguin, Lee Jewon
• Release Years: Ongoing
• Genre: Action, Adventure, Fantasy

Swordmaster’s Youngest Son explores a tale and combination of swordsmanship, magic, and the usual supernatural monsters that seem to always trail after the former and the latter. Centered around the central character and youngest son of the Runcandel Household, Jin Runcandel is destined to head the Runcandel Household, known as the Clan of Swords and the strongest swordmaster clan.

However, despite his best efforts, Jin can never meet the standards and is banished from the clan. However, he eventually contracts with the guardian deity of the Runcandel clan, Solderet. He is freed from the curse that hindered his abilities, but even that is enough as Jin meets a pitiful end at the hands of a mysterious killer. In the next moment, however, Jin awakens as a baby at a time before his life woes begin. Given a second chance, Jin vows to fulfill the destiny that awaits him.

21 Return To Player

Anime-Planet Rating: 4.0 / 5

• Author: Index, Sehon
• Release Years: Ongoing
• Genre: Action, Fantasy

Return To Player explores a tale of mythology combined with the reality of modern society. Humanity lived rather ordinarily until a decade ago when a group of gods turned humanity into players of a deadly and sadistic game of minster killing. One of these such players is the protagonist, Sehan Kim, who has already seen how it all ends— the destruction of all of humanity except for himself. As humanity’s last remaining survivor, Sehan is given another chance to go back in time for a second playthrough.

This time, however, this joyous game of death of the gods will not go as planned as Sehan is determined to control the threads of fate in this second playthrough. Armed with the experience of the first playthrough, Sehan vows to beat the gods at their own game.

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.