Webtoons and manhwa have become increasingly popular in the west, so many of their most popular series are getting anticipated anime adaptations. Still, the best dark fantasy series have yet to gain exposure. Much of the time, many popular manhwa have dark fantasy undertones but only commit to varying levels of its often brutal violence and sinister undertones. The genre can manifest in modern-day escapist fantasy, twists on medieval settings with necromancers aplenty, or eclectic universes with vampires and other monsters.

But the best dark fantasy manhwa often features a distinctive, fascinating aesthetic and a unique enough premise to not feel like so many isekai, reverse isekai, and otome isekai manhwa that dominate the medium. This means overlooking a series declared as dark fantasy, like Tower of God, in favor of a deeper cut and often being rewarded for it in the process.

Beware, though. The dark fantasy manhwa genre is known for blending elements of psychological horror, body horror, morally ambiguous characters, and plenty of gore.

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The Hero Returns

Original Novel by B. Ain, Art by Antstudio and Yungun, Story by Antstudio, Available on Tapas

The Hero Returns may scratch a similar itch for readers who enjoyed Solo Leveling and is not the only Tapas webtoon to do so, but with a darker twist quickly affirmed by the intro. Instead of a protracted and more even response to the opening of dungeons worldwide, The Hero Returns shows its protagonist, Sungin Kim, as the only remaining Awakened, a human with special powers. When he dies, he is sent twenty years into the past as Soohyun Kim, where he quickly regains his combat abilities and a second chance to thwart disaster.

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Fray

Created by GO100, Available on Webtoon

Much like many popular Webtoon series, Fray is largely only available through the mobile app despite being complete. Still, it’s entirely worth it, with a furious aura that makes every chapter breezy. The main character, Magpie, fights in a world inundated with demonic threats, where fighters like herself are equipped with miracles to fight them, with Magpie’s miracle being a flame strong enough to kill demons. However, this power comes at a cost in true dark fantasy fashion, with Magpie losing time off her lifespan when the sun goes down and gaining time after slaying demons.

8

Eyes

Created by Jeong Summer, Available on Webtoon

Trading swords and sorcery for a modern setting, Eyes is well-received among its readers for creating a fascinating premise and a distinctive monochrome color palette where distinguishing features of characters, like eyes, are among the only sources of color. The story of Eyes features disguised avian humanoids living in society while attempting to blend in, with some having more nefarious and dangerous abilities and others capable of premonitions. At protagonist Juan Seo’s school, students or staff can become food for the birds of prey, with readers having fun figuring out which species of bird’s powers each character has.

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Deor

Created by J.oori, Available on Webtoon

With a titular prince born without magical abilities in a society where it’s practically a given, it’s easy to draw parallels between Deor and the underrated Black Clover. However, the latter has some interesting and unique draws. Despite his limitations, though, especially with a commoner mother, Prince Deor is given a chance at his father, the king’s crown in a sort of free-for-all for the throne, another familiar concept for dark and high fantasy fans in this manhwa. With a definitive set of final chapters spread across two successful seasons, Deor is a complete and utterly stunning visual showcase.

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The Raven King

Created by Kyorin, Available on Webtoon

More dark fantasy manhwa stories deserve female protagonists if only they could break away from the bullied teen power fantasy tropes so common in the webtoon world. The Raven King follows Vie, a thief in the Kingdom of Aelis’ capital, Corva, where her deeds are caught by the Raven King, landing her in his service. While the service certainly begins with a more tame general high fantasy setting, the plot develops further with dark fantasy elements, including morally ambiguous main characters and dreaded, arcane powers with lethal potential.

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The Strongest Evolutionary Necromancer

Original Novel by TBD Ghost, Art by Jang Zak, Story by Seong Hun Kim, Available on Tapas

This series has only recently gotten an official localization, known initially as Necromancer’s Evolutionary Traits. It’s making waves with its explosive first chapter, and dozens of chapters later, readers can be assured they’re in for an excellent ride. The premise is somewhat typical, with Kim Jinhwan reincarnating as a necromancer in the game Piccata, where he has six months before he is killed for practicing the dark arts. Readers will be rewarded with a familiar fantasy/isekai premise. Still, the confident delivery of large-scale battles and body horror appropriate for reanimating fresh corpses for battle makes this an instant hit.

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The Blood of the Butterfly

Created by Remin, Available on Webtoon and Tappytoon

The Blood of the Butterfly is a strong and unique example of how dark fantasy can be adapted into a modern setting for a manhwa, using intense shades of red in its color palette. The series is steeped in dread and body horror due to a bug-related apocalypse event causing humanity to rely on savior figures like the Butterfly Goddess and people injected with her blood after she dies. This creates the Butterflies, products of genetic experimentation, to whom Maehwa Baek belongs, but his abilities show when he sees his blood, sending him into a frenzy.

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Dark Mortal

Created by Jeonyok Lee, Available on Webtoon

What could just as easily have been turned into another power fantasy webtoon, Dark Mortal introduces a progressively sinister yet grounded dark fantasy set in an otherwise normal world. Nam Kang, the story’s protagonist, survives a horrific fire but loses his parents, soon meeting the mysterious, shadowy creature Inky and a loving adoptive father. As he walks through his emotional trauma and surprisingly loses the physical scars from the incident, Nam is tested persistently on the kind of person he wants to be, capable both of heroic deeds and brutal violence thanks to his mysterious dark passengers.

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Doom Breaker

Art and Story by Blue-Deep, Available on Webtoon

Also known as Reincarnation of the Suicidal Battle God, this series depicts Zephyr as the last human fighting the wrathful gods who have already destroyed the world. In his last spiteful moments, Zephyr gets one last humiliation against his opponent, Tartarus, by inflicting the first known injury against the conquering god before dying in battle. This initially prompts unknown forces to offer him a chance to take down the god by going back in time like his former slave self, but armed with incredible RPG-inspired perks, rising through the ranks to become an asset even royalty can count on.

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Corpse Knight Gunther

Created by MAYO-NUGURI, Available on Webtoon

While far from perfect, Corpse Knight Gunther mixes multiple excellent dark fantasy conventions in this exciting and visually striking manhwa. It features a Frankenstein’s Monster-like warrior fighting deadly vampires in a gothic setting with twisted structures in a world eerily similar to Castlevania. However, it boasts another strong example of red’s predominant placement in dark fantasy manhwa’s color palettes and a hopeless world where humans are treated like livestock for their vampire overlords. Corpse Knight Gunther provides exciting combat and great, ruthless characters befitting such a foreboding world.

The worlds of dark fantasy manhwa are not all identical. Some play with darker psychological elements, while others deal with intense violence, gothic aesthetics, and grim horror imagery. However, it’s a fascinating and diverse webtoon genre brimming with possibilities, especially as manhwa and webtoon readers broaden their horizons.