The best manhwa every fan of Solo Leveling needs to read are series that will channel the essence of the overpowered protagonist like Sung Jin-Woo, create colorful settings like Solo Leveling‘s Seoul fantasy landscape, and weave stories of redemption and underdogs, among other things.
Although Solo Leveling is a manhwa with frighteningly original concepts, there is much that it takes from trends and predecessors. Likewise, there are series that take after Solo Leveling, whether intentional or not. As a result, an exquisite web of culture is created between series similar to Solo Leveling, because the series does not continue indefinitely, leaving fans perpetually wanting more. The following series are manhwa that can quench the thirst of any Solo Leveling fan, opening up new branches of discovery.
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10 A Returner’ Magic Should Be Special Rewinds Time in a Magical Apocalypse
By Yu So-nan and Uk-jakga
A Returner’s Magic Should Be Special is a manhwa series that has been steadily gaining success through its magical landscapes that incorporate urban elements and its manhwa reincarnation premise. Its success recently reached its peak with an anime adaptation in Fall 2023. The story follows Desir Arman, who survives the magical disaster of the world called the Shadow Labyrinth, only to be one of humankind defeated and killed. However, the real story begins when Desir is granted the opportunity to travel back in time and thoroughly prepare for the impending apocalypse.
Although A Returner’s Magic Should Be Special’s power system and urban structure is different from Solo Leveling’s, there are many similarities. Firstly, Desir’s reincarnation is highly reminiscent of Sung Jin-Woo’s reawakening process. Although Desir’s is a pure time travel regression and Sung Jin-Woo needs to work his way up as an underdog, both share the essence of the overpowered protagonist. Secondly, both stories involve a similar sense of impending chaos. In the case of A Returner’s Magic Should Be Special, it is the Shadow Labyrinth, and in Solo Leveling, it is the interdimensional gates.
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9 Tomb Raider King Reinvents the Dungeon Concept
By Sanji Jiksong and 3B2S
Tomb Raider King is a popular manhwa series produced by Redice Studio, the same studio that adapted the Solo Leveling manhwa. The story is an urban fantasy that follows Seo Joo-Heon, a tomb raider, or grave robber, who is given a second chance at life. Using the advantage of his memories, Joo-Heon becomes stronger than he’d ever been before through collecting magical items called relics from the magical tombs that invaded the modern world.
Aside from Tomb Raider King’s art being similar to Solo Leveling’s and Seo Joo-Heon’s character having an uncanny resemblance to Sung Jin-Woo, Tomb Raider King also leans into an urban fantasy concept that seems to take influence from Solo Leveling’s gates. Tombs spawn and fuse with real world structures much like how gates appear, and the internal structure of tombs are dungeon-like as well. However, Tomb Raider King’s redeeming difference is its original usage of relics as a power system, as each item is equipped with unique lore and possibilities.
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8 The Player Who Can’t Level Up Mirrors Solo Leveling Game Elements
By GaVinGe and Park Jeongjae
The Player Who Can’t Level Up is a manhwa with heavy game elements and fantasy aspects that take a lot of influence from the foundation that Solo Leveling and other fantasy manhwa have established. The story follows Kim Kigyu after he awakens the power of a player, a person who climbs the Tower and defeats monsters to close magical gates around the world. However, despite receiving a unique ability, Kim Kigyu is not able to level up.
The concept of this manhwa seems to run contrary to Solo Leveling‘s idea of a main character who is the only one who can level up in his universe. However, both series take the abilities of exclusive and exclusionary leveling up to the extreme when portraying an overpowered protagonist. While Sung Jin-Woo starts as the lowest ranked hunter and levels his way to underdog success, Kim Kigyu similarly defies rank logic as a low level player who is capable of unordinary feats.
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7 The Archmage Returns After 4000 Years Transcends Past Lives
By Nakhasan and Kim Dok-yong
The Archmage Returns After 4000 Years is a manhwa series of secrets, a quickly growing protagonist, and exquisite use of dramatic irony. The series is a reincarnation manhwa that incorporates isekai elements, and follows the rebirth of the legendary mage, Lucas Trowman, who was considered the strongest mage in history, but fell to the world’s demigods. However, Lucas is given a second chance through the body of Frei Blake, as he takes his hidden identity and memories to start again from the basics of magic school.
Of course, Lucas will not follow the traditional path laid out for him, especially since he comes with ancient knowledge of magic from 4000 years ago. As a result, he improves with fast and innovative growth, much in the same way that Sung Jin-Woo utilizes his game system advantage. Furthermore, the art in The Archmage Returns After 4000 Years is dynamic and crisp, much like Solo Leveling‘s, which is a direct outcome of Redice Studio’s hand in its production.
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6 I Am the Sorcerer King Is an Urban Fantasy Story
By Decaspell and Miro
I Am the Sorcerer King is a compact magical story that doesn’t exactly fit the same vibes as Solo Leveling, but conjures incredibly similar character sentiments and thematic developments. The series follows Lee Sunghoon, a normal young man in an urban fantasy world who awakens memories of his past life as the Sorcerer King.
In a landscape that runs parallel to Solo Leveling‘s, with monsters, interdimensional dungeons, and magic, I Am the Sorcerer King creates a protagonist that stands outside the established system, which simultaneously serves as Lee Sunghoon’s advantage. On top of the game interface that is available to all awakened human beings, Sunghoon also develops his own magic systems in addition to the powers of the mysterious Director of Ahkasha. Through this, the manhwa creates a storyline of the growth of an overpowered protagonist just like Sung Jin-Woo, but with its own magical twists and art style.
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5 Tower of God Is the Classic Tower-Climbing Fantasy
By SIU
Tower of God is one of the original classics of the manhwa medium when considering its impact on the genre’s international popularization. The tower-climbing fantasy began publication in 2010 and reached an all-time peak when it paved the way for manhwa adaptations in anime. Its first season aired in 2020, while a second season has been slated to air in Summer 2024, as the story of Bam and his unraveling of the Tower’s mysteries continues.
Although the story of Tower of God is nothing like Solo Leveling‘s, and the series each boast distinct but invigorating art styles, any fan of Solo Leveling would benefit from checking out Tower of God. Despite the lack of glaring similarities and utilized tropes, Tower of God gives a fresh manhwa perspective on the mainstream platform that perfectly complements Solo Leveling without overlapping on its areas of influence.
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4 Nano Machine Takes Overpowered Tech To Murim Martial Arts
By Hanjung Wolya and Geumgang Bulgoe
Produced by the same art studio that brought Solo Leveling to color, Nano Machine is a more recent adaptation of an all-time favorite web novel of the same name. Nano Machine is a martial arts manhwa with a technological twist. The series begins with the persecution of Cheon Yeo Woon, an unfortunate child of the martial arts world whose enemies aim to snuff his life out at the roots. However, a time traveler claiming to be Yeo Woon’s decedent comes to his rescue and injects Yeo Woon with the most advanced Nano Machine.
As the story of Nano Machine develops, it turns out that the futuristic piece of technology that Yeo Woon has been graced with is the perfect tool for fast growth in martial arts and advantageous real-time battle support. As a result, Yeo Woon’s path is incredibly similar to Sung Jin-Woo’s, each with their technological reawakenings, though their stories take two different paths through their respectively distinct universes.
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3 Second Life Ranker Gives New Meaning to Do-Over
By Sadoyeon and Nongnong
Second Life Ranker is a manhwa that embodies all the best aspects of the isekai and reincarnation genres, but does so without conforming to the traditional premises of either trope. The story follows Cha Yeonwoo as he endeavors to uncover mysteries and exact his revenge for his brother’s death in the Tower of the Sun God, or the Obelisk. Armed with a stopwatch with his brother’s notes and memories, Cha Yeonwoo willingly enters the tower that took his brother’s life, and does so with overpowering abilities.
Within the Obelisk, Yeonwoo strives for transcendence in a rather broken manner due to the cheat-like mechanics that Yeonwoo gains from his brother’s legacy. As a result, there is also a great need for Yeonwoo to carefully regulate his identity within the tower, as unexplainable phenomena run rampant. In this way, Yeonwoo’s character is incredibly similar to Sung Jin-Woo’s. Furthermore, Second Life Ranker establishes similar fantasy elements within the tower, almost like a mix between Tower of God and Solo Leveling.
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2 Omniscient Reader’s Viewpoint Sucks Readers in – Literally
By sing N song and Sleepy-C
Omniscient Reader’s Viewpoint is a popular manhwa series that bulldozed its way into the industry through incredible support from its web novel fanbase. Produced by the same Redice Studio that produced Solo Leveling, there is no doubt that this is a good series to binge after finishing Solo Leveling.
The story follows Kim Dokja, a young corporate worker whose biggest hobby is to read the latest chapter of a web novel called Three Ways to Survive the Apocalypse everyday on the train. However, on the day the series ends, Kim Dokja’s world is fused with that of the novel’s, beginning an enthralling adventure of rewriting narratives. Not only does Kim Dokja’s character eventually come to resemble Sung Jin-Woo’s, the two series carry a similar air of chaos and the gradual usurpation of the status quo.
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1 SSS-Class Revival Hunter Tells Similarly Fresh Journey to Power
By Bill K and Sinnoa
SSS-Class Revival Hunter is an action fantasy manhwa that hinges on the premise of time travel, but crafts a universe and narrative flow that is incredibly similar to Solo Leveling‘s. The series follows Kim Gong Ja in a world of hunters and a magical tower called Babylon. He witnesses the power and fame of the world’s strongest, and develops a jealousy so strong that he has an S-class skill, something that he’s always wished for. However, the caveat is, if he uses it, he dies.
Armed with a seemingly useless skill, Kim Gong Ja quickly meets his death at the hands of the overpowering Flame Emperor, but in his last moments, Kim Gong Ja activates his skill, which copies the Flame Emperor’s skill: the ability to travel back in time upon death. With this ability, Kim Gong Ja traverses a fantasy world similar to Solo Leveling’s, but does so in a fresh manner involving mental battles like never before. He must cope with the fear of death while simultaneously planning around the Flame Emperor. This series is a must-read after finishing Solo Leveling.
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