Much of the manhwa readers of the world can commonly agree that Solo Leveling is a great gateway series, but not perhaps the ultimate offering of the medium. The series handles its concepts exceptionally well, rewarding readers who stick around for the long haul with more than the average power fantasy. But manhwa is more than aura and leveling up.
It’s certainly true that the medium is saturated with hits capitalizing on popular formulas like isekai, villainess, and apocalyptic urban fantasy. At this point, it’s part of their charm as they still work to subvert reader expectations and continue to keep them on their toes. Many manhwa better than Solo Leveling thrive on what makes them different in meaningful ways.
The Greatest Estate Developer
A common gripe about Solo Leveling is that its protagonist, Sung Jinwoo, loses much of his personality by the halfway point. While later arcs serve up some of his most iconic moments, it’s hard to look back how stiff his character truly is. By contrast, Lloyd Frontera, a fantasy novel character inhabited by the protagonist, Suho Kim, practically vomits personality.
It is a common rite of passage for newcomers to see the many absurd, contorted faces of Lloyd Frontera when discovering The Greatest Estate Developer, truly an experience Solo Leveling could never hope to provide.
The Greatest Estate Developer starts as any typical isekai, complete with Suho falling asleep and slipping into the fantasy novel he’s reading. Incarnated as the scumbag Lloyd Frontera, he must dig his family out of debt. Fortunately, with Suho’s civil engineering background, he has just the fix. It’s a wildly inventive isekai premise, and a wholly, chaotically unique webtoon series.
The Greatest Estate Developer is available to read on Webtoon.
The World After the Fall
A more direct in-genre comparison, singNsong’s The World After the Fall effectively doubles down on what makes Solo Leveling great, down to a similarly dire apocalyptic setting, and enhances it. While sharing the same publisher with Redice Studio, The World After the Fall’s insane art and character designs from Undead Ttalgi immediately sweep Solo Leveling fans up with the hype.
Following Jaehwan, The World After the Fall plunges its setting into chaos as towers engulf the world, seemingly ravaging humanity in the process. As Jaehwan progresses in this new reality as a Tower Walker, he learns the truth about its regression system and how it affects the timeline, opting instead to pursue the truth.
The World After the Fall can be read on Webtoon.
Eleceed
From the same author as Noblesse, Eleceed’s series had high expectations, and they were exceeded in the best of ways. Solo Leveling quickly feels formulaic even in the latter half of its story, but Eleceed blends excellent action, extraordinary renditions of environmental effects and lightning, and is surprisingly hilarious.
Eleceed tells the story of Jiwoo, a pure, kindhearted boy who is relegated to living alone, choosing instead to invest on cat accessories and food, despite never having a cat. Here he meets Kayden, an extremely powerful awakener in the body of a cat who bonds with Jiwoo, as other awakeners attempt to pull him into their world.
Eleceed can be read on Webtoon.
Tower of God
While their art comparisons are more lop-sided in Solo Leveling’s direction, Tower of God has superior world-building, dynamic characters, and a sprawling narrative. Tower of God has over 650 chapters running, with an anime that has barely scratched its surface, and a plot that is rapidly maturing under SIU’s dedicated writing.
Comparing Tower of God to Solo Leveling is practically unfair as fans have followed the journey of its hero, Twenty-Fifth Bam, to ascend the Tower. His initial goal is to ascend with a dear friend and fellow Irregular, but after a horrendous betrayal, Bam’s progress resets as he tries to reunite with his friends and confront the traitor.
Tower of God can be read on Webtoon.
Hero Killer
A fantastic and subversive superhero manhwa, Hero Killer may not have Solo Leveling’s popularity, but its upcoming animated adaptation will make a strong case. It’s arguably got similarly little in terms of actual depth to its narrative and character development, stringing viewers along with hopes of big reveals. But it’s decidedly novel with its antihero protagonist and use of humor.
Hero Killer follows Ihwa as she seeks revenge against the Hero Clan for their role in her sister’s death. The series cleverly implements its system of powers or Gifts, with Ihwa’s Avatar of Plundering allowing her to steal and use the Gifts of others. Still ongoing, Hero Killer is a fun manhwa depicting a bloody age of heroes and villains.
Hero Killer can be read on Webtoon.
The Horizon
Created by Jihun Jeong, better known as JH, The Horizon is an especially brilliant, bleak apocalyptic tale. It clocks in at a concise 21 chapters, never overstaying its welcome, while going to many darker places that Solo Leveling could never reach even at its edgiest. While a tone and genre mismatch, The Horizon leaves Solo Leveling in its dust.
The readers are as in the dark as a young boy who loses his mother and finds a girl at the center of The Horizon as they navigate a desolate landscape eviscerated by war. Uncensored versions of the manhwa show upsetting visuals of the horrific aftermath, with the boy and girl’s quest for shelter and safety bringing them on a dark path.
The Horizon can be read on Webtoon.
Solo Leveling: Ragnarok
Putting aside the creator’s somewhat petty dismissal of Solo Leveling: Ragnarok as a spin-off and not a true sequel to his series, Daul’s story is a stunning improvement. Atop the already gold-standard art style inherited for this spiritual successor, Solo Leveling: Ragnarok brings the story boldly forward out of Jinwoo’s hands, and into his son’s.
Suho Kim is not like his father, though, and this crucially makes him a far more engaging protagonist. His dynamic with his comrades feels less like he’s surrounded by acolytes who worship him, and more as genuine friends whom he acknowledges. Plus, Suho feels more like an original, fascinating character rather than a power fantasy self-insert that his father is.
Solo Leveling: Ragnarok can be read on Tapas.
Omniscient Reader’s Viewpoint
Proving that the singNsong duo has got some serious game when it comes to novels and subsequent manhwa, they scored a stunning hit prior to The World After the Fall with Omniscient Reader’s Viewpoint. There’s a reason why its anime adaptation is constantly on the rumor mill with hopes of a studio like Ufotable to adapt it.
Omniscient Reader’s Viewpoint is a remarkably self-aware rendition of apocalyptic scenarios, where the readers are as much an audience as they are a participant, much like the Constellations watching Dokja Kim, the protagonist. As he finishes the final chapter of his favorite novel, the story becomes reality as the world’s plunged into chaos livestreamed to gods and other mythical beings.
Omniscient Reader’s Viewpoint can be read on Webtoon.
Villains Are Destined to Die
While a great number of otome isekai could challenge Solo Leveling, Villains Are Destined to Die shows remarkable resilience as it goes into its fifth season. Created by Gwon Gyeoeul and illustrated by SUOL, the series thrives on subverting expectations of its genre as an impressive display of cunning. It doesn’t hurt that the series has striking, gorgeous art.
Villains Are Destined to Die even incorporates familiar manhwa tropes like game UIs into its plot, with Cha Siyeon being reincarnated as the villainess of a dating sim game, Daughter of the Duke Love Project. Reborn as the villainess, Penelope must adapt to the game scenario, dialogue options and all, and deploy careful manipulation in a bid to survive.
Villains Are Destined to Die can be read on Tapas.
Return of the Blossoming Blade
Any manhwa hyped up in the West for its original Korean name, in this case, Return of the Mount Hua Sect, is generally recommended by hardcore readers for a good reason. Don’t be fooled by its insanely gorgeous first chapter, either; Return of the Blossoming Blade is an award-winning martial arts series with comedy that stays consistently good throughout.
As the first chapter indicates, Cheongmyeong is a master martial artist of the Mount Hua Sec and last survivor to defeat Cheonma, only to die and reincarnate afterwards. Seeing a future where Mount Hua Sect has not only lost its prominence but fallen into disrepair, Cheongmyeong resolves to restore its luster, train its disciples, and not waste his second chance.
Return of the Blossoming Blade can be read on Webtoon.
