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There was a time when Korean manhwa was nothing more than an underappreciated form of entertainment. The sheer number of stories present in this medium is immense, and all of them were quite amazing and captivating in their own right. Unfortunately, a lot of these brilliant tales never really saw the light of day through the medium of animation, but this is a reality that is bound to change very soon.
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After all, initiatives by companies like Crunchyroll have finally allowed some excellent manhwa to get the anime adaptations they deserve. Aspiring fans who want to get into the brilliance of manhwa should check out their anime adaptations, which serve as great entry points into this wondrous world full of boundless imagination. While there’s still a long way to go before the idea of webtoons being adapted into anime becomes the norm, the following examples are a great way to show that this movement is already on the rise. Let’s look at the best anime based on manhwa.
For the most part, only traditional anime will be highlighted, so Chinese ONAs like 4 Cut Hero will be excluded. However, that is not meant as a criticism of the latter’s quality.
Updated on August 26, 2025 by Mark Sammut: The Summer 2025 season does not have any anime based on manhwa, so you will need to stick to older shows. So far, this year has presented the best (Solo Leveling) and worst (TBATE) of the adaptation process, and manhwa fans deserve better than the latter. We’ve updated the section on TBATE since the anime has finished airing, and we also added When I Woke Up I Became a Bagel Girl as a new entry.
17
The Beginning After The End (Special Mention, As It Is Technically Not A South Korean Manhwa)
MyAnimeList: 6.16
TurtleMe’s The Beginning After The End is an American web novel that was adapted into a webtoon in 2018, so it is not a Korean manhwa. That said, the latter is very similar to a traditional manhwa, so the story tends to be associated with that industry. While it will not be ranked among the best anime based on manhwa due to its inception, the series deserves a mention since it is heavily associated with the medium.
Solo Leveling dominated Winter 2025 to the point of being comfortably that quarter’s standout anime. Consequently, season 2’s conclusion left a big hole that Spring 2025 struggled to fill. Leading up to that season’s start, some hype started to build around a new series that could maybe, possibly fill the void left by Sung Jin-woo: The Beginning After the End. While not a Korean manhwa, the source material is nevertheless one of the most beloved webtoons, earning praise for providing a refreshing twist on the isekai formula. TurtleMe’s story is 100% worth checking out, and it also should be a good candidate for an anime.
Unfortunately, the adaptation was very disappointing, undermining a decent journey with stiff animation and rushed pacing that strips the story of all its power. While there is always hope that an anime might be able to recover from a poor opening season, TBATE failed to hit the mark so badly, I cannot imagine how a sequel would be able to steady the ship. The Beginning After the End is, frankly, the worst anime based on a webtoon.
Should you watch the anime if you have no intention of checking out the source material? Honestly, no. There are way too many better isekai series out there to justify sitting through this adaptation, and that is saying something, as the theme is not exactly known for its high standards. To be fair, TBATE has a pretty great protagonist: Arthur is a former ruthless king who starts a new life where he slowly tries to change his outlook on life. As a foundation for an adventure story about personal growth, Arthur is great, and he is pretty much the only decent part of the anime. That said, he is still far better in the webtoon.
Otherwise, the anime is just bad. The animation and art are both among the worst in the isekai genre, with the latter barely incorporating any movement. The plot is streamlined so much that it barely makes sense and has almost no depth.
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16
When I Woke Up I Became a Bagel Girl
MyAnimeList: 6.27
While certainly not lacking in unique concepts, manhwa tends to cover fairly similar themes as manga. Therefore, the existence of a gender-bender anime based on a manhwa should not come as that big of a surprise, even if When I Woke Up I Became a Bagel Girl‘s obscurity means that it is likely to be a new name to most readers. Released in 2019, this ONA series is not that accessible, nor does it have a positive enough reputation to justify going out of your way to seek it out. Still, just because an anime is unknown or divisive does not mean it has nothing to offer, and When I Woke Up I Became a Bagel Girl has a couple of things in its favor.
The story is pretty straightforward for this type of anime: an otaku suddenly wakes up as a woman. That’s pretty much it. In their new gender, Bong Gi struggles to come to terms with their new situation, at least until they befriend Sae Mi. Before long, they begin working as, obviously, a bagel girl, and they reunite with a guy who used to be their friend, but they now consider an enemy.
When I Woke Up I Became a Bagel Girl is very much a mixed bag. Bong Gi is a pretty unlikable protagonist, particularly once they become comfortable with their new gender and begin to use it to get revenge. The show has quite a bit of humor at first, but gradually transitions into more of a drama. It does not handle either aspect all that well. Still, for all its faults, the anime has some OK laughs and does not overstay its welcome.
15
Tower of God: Return of the Prince
MyAnimeList: 6.68
- Japanese Title: Kami no Tou: Ouji no Kikan
- Studio: The Answer Studio
- Streaming Service: Crunchyroll
Tower of God‘s seasons and cours are split as their qualities vary quite a bit.
The 2020 adaptation of Tower of God garnered more than its share of criticism during its run, especially due to being an adaptation of one of the most beloved manhwa webtoons of all time. As the years passed, a sequel grew more unlikely, and there did not seem to be too much anticipation for a follow-up; however, Summer 2024 rolled around and birthed Return of the Prince. With a different studio at the helm and more traditional animation, hope rose that the sequel could build upon its predecessor’s rocky but still decent foundations. Sadly, this series is worse in nearly every way.
To be fair, I would argue Return of the Prince is still watchable and has a couple of great moments, most of which are found in episode 5. However, it doubles down on the first season’s weaker elements while neutering most of its strengths. Moving at a blistering pace, the anime cycles through events at a million miles an hour, making the story and (more importantly) world-building difficult to follow for people who are not familiar with the source material. Important story beats are not granted time to breathe, causing big moments to lose their impact since they come and go without emphasizing their repercussions. Characters and concepts are introduced with very little set-up, almost like the anime expects viewers to already be familiar with them.
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Even the animation is a step back from the 2020 release. While divisive, the first season’s art style was quality for what it was trying to be; comparatively, season 2 uses a more traditional aesthetic that is notably average and struggles to impress when compared to other big-name action anime. And, make no mistake, Tower of God should be a huge deal. The webtoon is rightfully considered among the most popular of its medium, almost on the same level as Solo Leveling in terms of exposure. Season 2 is just disappointing.
14
True Beauty
MyAnimeList: 6.60
An ongoing show, True Beauty is still a work in progress. Yaongyi’s webtoon is fairly popular, to the point of inspiring a pretty great K-Drama in 2020. Honestly, that version arguably represents this story’s peak, condensing the fairly lengthy source material into a digestible 16 episodes fueled by charming performances and smart tweaks. Due to that show’s existence, the 2024 anime cannot help but feel unnecessary. Considering there are so many fantastic romance manhwa that could benefit from the spotlight, rehashing this particular tale feels like a missed opportunity, opting for a safe rather than an inspired choice.
Still, True Beauty is mostly OK, and nothing more than that. At school, Jugyeong is bullied due to her physical appearance and unorthodox hobbies like loving metal; however, things change when she follows some make-up lessons from a goddess, transforming her appearance and reputation. Suddenly, she is the talk of her school halls and finds herself in the middle of a love triangle. True Beauty touches upon a few interesting themes regarding beauty standards and the pressure they put on teenagers, which is nothing ground-breaking, but still worth watching. That said, Jugyeong can be a frustrating protagonist at times, and the anime struggles to make her sympathetic (and the voice acting does not help).
13
Tower of God Season 2: Workshop Battle
MyAnimeList: 6.89
- Japanese Title: Kami no Tou: Koubou-sen
- Studio: The Answer Studio
- Streaming Service: Crunchyroll
As a direct continuation of Return of the Prince, Workshop Battle barely qualifies as something new. However, as these Tower of God arcs are presented as separate entries rather than a 24-episode cour, it will be treated as its own thing. Unsurprisingly, most of its predecessor’s main issues are still present. The animation is stiff, causing fight sequences to fall flat since they lack urgency, speed, or flare. This has been a big issue throughout season 2, especially since the vast majority of episodes are framed around battles and arguably should be saved by them. Instead, they mostly fall flat.
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Yet, despite being far from great and sharing nearly all the same shortcomings, Workshop Battle is a considerably more enjoyable ride than Return of the Prince. That largely comes down to the arc itself, which wastes little time in getting to the meat of things by launching a battle royale to determine who will make it onto the Archimedes ship and compete in the Workshop Battle. Unlike the Summer 2024 season’s fragmented structure and the influx of new faces, its follow-up benefits from having most of the story’s main players present from the start, all of whom have fairly clear motives and rivalries.
Look, Workshop Battle is nothing to write home about, nor is it worth a recommendation on its own. The action leaves a lot to be desired, and the pacing refuses to allow any room for important plot points to breathe or for any significant world-building. This is still an underwhelming adaptation of the legendary webtoon, but if someone manages to sit through Return of the Prince, they are likely to have an OK time with Workshop Battle.
12
Semantic Error
MyAnimeList: 7.23
OK, this is not much of a series. Semantic Error, the manhwa, is a pretty great Boys Love story that follows two very different guys who start on a terrible note, but they end up getting closer. The manhwa takes quite an extensive look at the characters’ relationship, taking readers on a satisfying and complete journey. The source material is well worth seeking out by anyone interested in this romance subgenre, and it even received a top-notch South Korean live-action adaptation.
The Semantic Error anime is just an extension of the manhwa, to the point of being pretty much indecipherable without familiarity with the latter. With just four short episodes, the series provides a snapshot look at a few key moments in Sangwoo and Jaeyoung’s romance, highlighting their dynamic at different points in their relationship. While by no means bad, the anime is impossible to recommend as a standalone release.
11
4 Week Lovers
MyAnimeList: 6.79
A 10-episode adaptation consisting of short episodes, 4 Week Lovers is based on a pretty popular Boys Love manhwa that lasted for four years and produced more than 100 chapters. Suffice it to say, an hour is hardly enough to properly adapt the source material, so the anime can only be recommended as a companion piece to the manhwa. Now, to be fair, this series stands on its own better than Semantic Error and attempts to tell a somewhat complete story. Things move a bit too quickly to be that satisfying, but the adaptation works well enough as an introduction to this world or just a quick BL diversion.
Dojun and Jaehee dated during high school, but the former ended up ghosting the latter. In a twisted turn of events, they end up as roommates at college, which reignites their relationship following a peculiar incident. Jaehee breaks his arm while protecting Dojun from a fall, which he then uses to convince his ex to pretend to be his boyfriend for a month. Things got steamy pretty quickly.
Honestly, this setup is a bit uncomfortable and presents Jaehee as manipulative. However, context for their relationship is provided through flashbacks showing their high school years, and these segments are the best part of the anime.
10
Noblesse
MyAnimeList: 6.89
Noblesse follows a noble called Cadis Etrama Di Raizel — or Rai for short — who has been asleep for 820 years and is unaware of the technological advancements that mankind has gone through in recent times. After waking up in an abandoned building in Korea, he enrolls in high school and fights against a powerful corporation, which is as ludicrous and entertaining as it sounds.
While certainly entertaining in its own right, some issues hold Noblesse back somewhat. For starters, the characters in the adaptation differ quite a bit from the manhwa, leading to fan favorites becoming rather forgettable. Some of these characters are pretty unlikable, too, which can make it difficult to really care about the story. Still, I do think Noblesse is worth a watch, especially for people into vampires.
9
A Returner’s Magic Should Be Special
MyAnimeList: 7.06
Debuting in a season packed with fantasy anime, A Returner’s Magic Should Be Special slipped by the wayside as it struggled to stand out from the crowd. While nothing amazing, the series has a few positives in its favor, including a strong setup presented well by its first episode. Confronting an end-of-the-world threat, Desir, a powerful mage, stands alongside a few chosen heroes as humanity’s final hope; unfortunately, they fail, but the protagonist gets a second chance when he reincarnates as his younger self while on the verge of entering Hebrion Academy. With time not on his side, Desir must ensure that things play out differently to change humanity’s future.
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As exciting as its opening episode is, A Returner’s Magic Should Be Special settles into a familiar routine once it switches to the academy. School settings in fantasy anime are so commonplace that they have become tiresome, and this show does not do enough to differentiate itself in this area. That said, Desir is pleasant and sympathetic, and he is supported by two likable characters in Romantica and Pram. A Returner’s Magic Should Be Special has the potential to achieve greatness through its announced sequel, but the first season is simply decent.
8
The God Of High School
MyAnimeList: 7.07
MAPPA is one of the best animation studios around, with shows like Attack on Titan and Jujutsu Kaisen being some of the best names in their resume. So, the fact that they were adapting one of the most popular manhwa around was bound to excite fans to no end. Their work on The God of High School is another masterful combination of animation, music, and storytelling to make for a riveting viewing experience. Watching Mori Jin fight against the odds in this competition for the ages is a visual treat that doesn’t get old anytime soon. MAPPA has truly been on top of its game, and the work they’ve put into animating The God of High School shows the mastery of their craft.
That being said, fans have rightfully called out the show for skipping a ton of the world-building, leading to a series full of pretty fights without a ton of backstory to give weight to these encounters. This results in the show just adapting the amazing battles without giving any thought to the emotions that fuel these encounters, making for a rather vapid spectacle in the eyes of many.
Ultimately, I cannot wholeheartedly recommend The God of High School because the anime is a fairly poor and unsatisfying adaptation of the manhwa. I would say that the latter is required reading to properly follow the adaptation’s story, and that should never be the case.
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