Summary
The best part about manhwa and other forms of storytelling is that it’s possible to find a story about anything. From students to office workers to parents, there are tales of people from all walks of life, even if they’re a little fantastical.Anti-heroes and dark protagonistsare particularly popular because most stories feature characters with good morals.
The perspective of criminals is also popular as the direct opposite of the hero archetype. Their goals and motivations tend to be more selfish or made to spite someone else, and their methods are unsavory and malicious. However, those are the things that make these stories exciting and differentiate them from others.
Updated July 24, 2025, by Garrett Huon:Criminal protagonists are interesting because they often have unique motives and backstories. This update will add two manhwa that include protagonists who chose to break the law to help others. It will also include minor updates to existing list entries.
14Return Of The Bloodthirsty Police
MyAnimeList Score: 7.10
Living as an assassin is hard, but when Bi Gwang gets reincarnated as a police officer, he realizes the rules of his old life don’t apply. He has to abide by the law and go through official channels to do what he wants, despite how meaningless it all seems. However, he needs the justice system if he wants to get revenge.
As far as revenge and reincarnation stories go, this manhwa offers an intense plot with action and drama. Bi Gwang isa strong protagonistwho definitely doesn’t fit the image of a proper police officer. Unfortunately, the story struggles with a sense of progression because of his strength.
13Boss In School
MyAnimeList Score: N/A
Fighting among students iscommon in school manhwawhether it’s sports or bullying. It’s a popular theme that can make an otherwise boring setting much more exciting.Boss In Schoolis about Seth Kwon, a teenager known for his immense talent at fighting. At his mother’s request, he stopped getting into trouble, but after his father died, he was allowed to throw punches again.
That’s the simple idea in this manhwa, but it does get more complicated as family history gets involved. It’s a thrilling story with endless excitement. However, it has problems with its character development and pacing.
12Mr. Baek
MyAnimeList Score: 7.21
Federal Agent Baek Yisu is a skilled spy and fighter, doing undercover, dirty work for the government. However, when his squad is betrayed, he has no choice but to lean on his brother, Baek Dogyeong. With a target on his head, Yisu has no choice but to pretend to be his brother to get revenge on the people who betrayed him.
While this seems like a regular revenge story, having twin brothers as a subject makes this manhwa a little more exciting. Yisu must learn to act like his brother and lead the gang his brother has built up. He faces other gangs in the area along with government officials who’d like him dead.
11Villain To Kill
MyAnimeList Score: 7.33
In a world where people are genetically predisposed to be good or bad, having superpowers makes things much more complicated. Psyker Cassian Lee is murdered out of the blue and reincarnates into a Korean boy who’s just become a villain. Now his mind fights with his innate urge to cause harm.
Fueled by revenge, Cassian needs to learn who was behind his death and why. However, now that he’s a villain, he must be more careful due to the prejudice against villains in society. It’s an interesting concept, but it’s held back by the undeveloped characters and simple storytelling.
10Juvenile Offender
MyAnimeList Score: 7.36
A common theme in manhwa is bullying and violence in school, but the violence is taken to the extreme. InJuvenile Offender, Yunseong Lee is out for revenge against those who wronged him and his family. His plans begin with getting arrested and sent to the juvenile detention center where one of his enemies is being kept.
When it comes to convicted criminals, most people wouldn’t think of a high school student, but Yunseong Lee is definitely not innocent in his quest for retribution. He commits multiple acts of violence and threatens many people to achieve his goals. The depictions of violence in this manhwa are intense and might not be suitable for everyone.
9Manager Kim
When his daughter Minji goes missing one night, Mr. Kim begins a quest to find her. Unfortunately, this kidnapping is more complicated than it seems, involving many secret underground factions and high-profile people. That doesn’t stop Mr. Kim. He’s ready to take out anyone and everything to find his daughter.
Manager Kim is a thrilling action manhwa that has many great fight sequences and fun cameos from characters featured in other manhwa. On the outside, Mr. Kim appears like a regular office worker, but he actually has a past in the military. Now he’s using the skills he developed to terrorize the people who kidnapped his daughter. When it comes to overpowered characters, Mr. Kim is one of the more bombastic ones.
8Plaza Wars
MyAnimeList Score: 7.54
The life ofgangs and the mafiais filled with illegal dealings, but even they have their own unwritten rules. When his brother is murdered out of nowhere, Gijun comes out of retirement to find the culprit, and he makes it everyone’s problem. Once known as the fiercest fighter, he doesn’t hesitate as he destroys and kills to find his brother’s murderer.
Unlike other gang-war-type manhwa, this isn’t about two different organizations. This is one man against the entirety of South Korea’s crime network, and it’s all for his brother. Gijun’s fights are exciting, and his actions are cruel. However, it’s his motivations that add depth and emotion to the story.
7Castle
MyAnimeList Score: 7.58
Castle is the leading crime syndicate in South Korea made up of corporate bigwigs and other high-profile people, spreading its influence throughout the nation. They take what they want, do what they want, and kill whoever gets in their way. The protagonist, Kim Shin, isset on getting revengeagainst the entire organization.
Gang fight manhwa is pretty common, but none are as well organized and presented asCastle. All the characters feel like real people, each one with their agendas and motivations and having a clear purpose in the plot. The fights do feel repetitive in some places, but it doesn’t distract from the great story.
6Terror Man
MyAnimeList Score: 7.59
Just because someone is a criminal doesn’t mean they’re a bad person. Min Jungwoo decided to become a national terrorist in order to help people. Jungwoo has a special ability that allows him to see paths of misfortune that are covered in a purple fog. When he starts seeing large scale disasters before they happen, he tries to warn people, but they don’t believe him. In order to evacuate people on time, he becomes a terrorist.
Terror Manis a fantastic antihero story that is filled with mystery and suspense. Min Jungwoo’s journey from innocent student to avenger is incredibly entertaining and dramatic. Although it involves heavy topics, it’s still digestible and easy to read, avoiding anything too graphic. It’s also connected to other manhwa produced by YLab, which adds some fun context to those stories.
5Hero Killer
MyAnimeList Score: 7.62
Anti-heroes have become incredibly popular in recent years, and many forms of media have taken to telling stories that go against traditional superhero logic.Hero Killerfollows Ihwa as she works towards revenge for her older sister who died at the hands of Heroes. She allies with the Unknown, a notorious group of villains led by the infamous Smiling Man.
Despite the abundance of superpower manhwa that exists,Hero Killerstands out for its well-crafted world-building and unique characters. It presents a more complex concept of a hero society that is more than just good or bad, cruel or merciful. It’s one of the more interesting superhero stories.
