Summary

  • Full-color isekai manhwa ranks high among reader favorites, spanning various genres for top-notch storytelling and character development.
  • Manhwa stories often beautifully depict unique and compelling dynamics between characters.
  • Dive into the worlds of veterans reincarnated, novel-loving survivors, and powerful paladins as they navigate challenges with wit and courage.

Full-color isekai manhwa often occupies the highest score rankings and is the favorite of readers, no matter the genre. On that note, the following examples represent a selection of great stories to read ranked by their worldbuilding, overall readers' opinion, story, and character development.

Braham and Grid, Elcid and Leon, Sir Jayar and Vlad
5 Best Mentor-Student Relationships In Manhwa

The connection between a mentor and a student is always unique, and these manhwa portray their nuances beautifully.

From a lively former soldier who reincarnates in a new world and has to survive using only his skills to the story of an ancient king from another world charged by the gods with cleansing the corrupted Earth from demonic influences.

5 Reincarnation Of The Veteran Soldier

A Survivalist Story In Another World

Reincarnation of The Veteran Soldier
  • Genres: Fantasy, Adventure, Isekai, Comedy, Action
  • Authors: Hooding (Story), Sinmani (Art)
  • Status: Ongoing

Park Byung-Jang was about to be discharged from the reservist corps in the Korean Army when a training drill went wrong and he was isekai'd. He met Goddess Parlia, who commended him for being a "brave warrior" and living a life of hardship. From that moment on, Byung-Jang's adventure through another world begins, since the Goddess commands him to be a hero in another world, though the veteran soldier rejects this mission, and angers the deity, thus, being sent into a dangerous forest without anything but his past life memories.

I'm Quitting Heroing, The Unwanted Undead Adventurer, The Adventurers Who Don't Believe In Humanity Will Save The World
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From that point on, Byung-Jang will have to learn how to survive this merciless new land, using all his military training. Be it wild beasts, spies from the evil and vengeful Goddess, or deranged elves, he will survive it all. This a story about survival, but more like a satire instead of a comedy isekai. So, a good read for fans who enjoy some quirky sense of humor. Art-wise, this manga has some smooth pastel tones with detailed and colorful backgrounds, ideal for those who enjoy the scenery.

4 Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint

Trapped In The Novel He Loves, He Will Have To Use His Wits To Survive

Omiscient Readers' View
  • Genres: Action, Isekai, Drama, Adventure, Fantasy
  • Authors: Sing N song (Story), Sleepy-C (Art)
  • Status: Ongoing

Kim Dok Ja, an average office worker, is sent to the world of the novel he was reading: "Three Ways To Survive The Apocalyptic World." As a reader, he has all the knowledge from the so-called scenarios that are dominated by the Dokkaebi (deities similar to Goblins and Djinns, part of Korean folklore) so he will try his best to dominate this new world using his forbidden knowledge.

What he doesn't know though, is that there are lots of plot twists awaiting him and that even seeking the "perfect" ending becomes hard when he only has one life. Though he is accompanied by some of the most broken characters in the novel, his journey to survive the novel world will be filled to the brim with many adventures. An overall decent story, with great character development and narration. The art has that typical dark-fantasy gloomy tone that goes well with the plot.

3 The Skeleton Soldier Failed To Defend The Dungeon

A Tragic Story About Love, Loss, And Reincarnation

Skeleton Soldier Couldn't Protect The Dungeon
  • Genres: Dark Fantasy, Drama, Isekai, Action, Adventure
  • Authors: Sosori (Story), Ant Studio (Art)
  • Status: Ongoing

He doesn't remember his life as a human, but he was summoned as a Skeleton to defend a Dungeon by his mistress, the Demon. However, he failed to do so and had to watch as a group of adventurers murdered her and stomped on his skull. Instead of being swallowed by oblivion, he resurrected once more, and this time he will do all he can to fulfill his mission.

It is a cool story, with excellent worldbuilding and one of the best isekai tropes ever designed, where the protagonist doesn't know who he was in his past life, but also gets reincarnated as a weird dungeon creature. Fans who enjoyed anime/manga like I'm A Spider, So What? And I Reincarnated as a Slime will surely find some common ground with this series. Of course, in the case of this manhwa, the art is not so colorful. Instead, it has a dark and shadowy design, much more like grimdark than regular fantasy.

2 The Beginning After The End

Tragic, Heartbreaking, And An Absolute Blast

The Beginning After The End Arthur Leywyn
  • Genres: Action, Drama, Fantasy, Dark Fantasy, Sword And Sorcery, Isekai
  • Author: Turtle ME
  • Status: Hiatus (Until September 2024)

The most powerful warrior from an unnamed sci-fantasy world, King Gray was victorious after hundreds of battles, and ruling over all other beings in his reality, he was suddenly struck with a realization: his life was meaningless and empty now that he had fulfilled his mission. Severely depressed, he didn't even care when the people he trusted most betrayed him, and let himself be killed to make the world better. Sacrificing even his soul to the bitter end, his soul was saved from dissolution by a mysterious deity, who sent him on a new quest - to save another dying world.

One Punch Man Giant Monster, Neon Genesis Evangelion Angel, Kaiju Nº 8 Philinosoma
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This time, King Gray was reborn as Arthur Leywyn, the beloved child of a mid-class family of retired adventurers. Though he has all his memories from his past life and began training in the ways of this new world, Arthur is somehow a little bit detached from the people around him. Slowly, he begins to care for them, ultimately learning to love his new family. But good things are not meant to last forever, and as danger appears to rob him of his new precious family, he demonstrates skills far beyond what a normal child his age would.

This is the trigger for a change in his life, where Arthur will embrace his new role, not only with the Leywyn family but as a Dicathian mage, ready to defend his homeland from all danger. This is a story with great character development, though it is a bit rough at the beginning, and can be a little overwhelming for those who are not fans of sword and sorcery. The art is masterfully crafted and really reflects all stages of Arthur's life and the evolution of his character as he learns magic.

1 The Knight King Who Returned With A God

What Happens When The Most Powerful Paladin Is Sent To Earth To Cleanse It Of Corruption

The Knight King Who Returned With a  God, King Leon, Han Hari, Goddess Of Prosperity
  • Genres: Dark Fantasy, Action, Comedy, Reverse Isekai
  • Authors: Salam Sallyeo (Story) Jeoncheon Huma Geomsa (Art)
  • Status: Ongoing

The Grail King is the sovereign chosen by the Gods to carry on the divine mission to cleanse all demonic influence from the eternal realms. And though Leon Dragonia Leonhart has been fighting for eons in his quest to eliminate the demons, the orcs, and other dark creatures, he is given one more task before entering paradise: to liberate Earth from the demonic influence that threatens the planet. And so, a brutal and powerful monarch descends upon Earth and demands to be taken to their leaders (no joke here) while the Korean Awakeners (also called Hunters) association gawks in disbelief as this divine-light-shrouded figure commands them to surrender their dominance over the country.

The Korean Association quickly complied with his demands upon witnessing his tremendous power and allowed him to create a guild called The Pantheon. The King is assigned an assistant named Han Hari (the poor little girl who ends up becoming a mascot for the new guild) and is set on a mission to destroy all Shadow Portals, train new members, and make them become a new generation of Grail Knights, ready to defend this realm bestowed by the Gods from the forces of evil. It also has a great art design that reflects the splendorous golden aura of its main character as he smites evil wherever he goes.

Grid, Merlin Lucifer, Chen Yuan
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