A manhwa where villains deserve a second chance

Summary

• Not all villains in Manhwa are irredeemable – some deserve a second chance due to complex motivations and cool redemption arcs.

• Some villains, such as those in The Ember Knight, Second Life Ranker, and The Warrior Returns, require forgiveness and redemption.

• Exercises in moral ambiguity, as in Overgeared and Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint, blur the line between tragic hero and villain in dire need of redemption.

In certain manhwa where is the villain is an unsavory character who pursues self-serving goals, readers will find it difficult to relate to them. But in some isolated cases, the actions of the villains make sense when the plot reveals their backstory. What happens when an evil character is worthy of redemption?

This thread covers a manhwa where villains deserve a second chance. Whether it's because their evil agenda hides altruistic reasons, or because they have some of the coolest redemption arcs ever, these villains somehow manage to make readers forgive them.

Warning! Spoilers ahead!

1

Tower of God

Rachel's betrayal was shocking but understandable

• Genre: Psychological, Thriller, Drama, Mystic, Fantasy, Action, Shonen
• Author and artist: SIU

God's tower is one of the manhwa with more unsolved mysteries, but that doesn't make it any less great than what it is. From its humble origins to becoming one of the vanguards in terms of expanding beyond Korea into the Western market, TOG also known for his special treatise on human morality and motivation.

For example, Rachel is seen as one of the most divisive characters as some see her as an incorrigible villain for betraying Bama, but when you put all of her motivations into context, her desperate desire to fulfill her dreams and her inferiority complex pushed her to the edge just as much. as with his girlfriend. This makes her one of the villains who probably deserves better in the first place.

2

Coal Knight

Nagyun Betrayed Everyone For Revenge And Became A Villain

• genre: Action, Martial Arts, Drama, Adventure, Light Fantasy, Revenge
• Author and performer: Hwang Deng

Another great manhwa where the thin line that separates villains from heroes is blurred and blurred. In this incredible chivalric story, Nagyun plays the main role as he is the protagonist, hero, villain and anti-hero all at the same time. This knight-errant acts as a triple agent for revenge, being part of three organizations fighting for control of the Central Continent.

He even went so far as to create his own fake cell of the Dragon's Descendants (rebellious assassins seeking revenge) to terrorize and thwart the plans of the radical faction of the Knights, the real Dragon's Descendants, and the Eastern invaders who are trying to take over the world. In order to avenge his brother, he is capable of incredibly evil schemes, but is he an irredeemable villain? It remains to be seen, but many fans agree that he deserves a second chance after what he has to do to get justice.

3

Second Life rating

Jonah was right all along

• Genres: Action, Fantasy, Revenge
• The author: Nong Nong
• Artist: Sa Doyeon

If the regression manhwa proves anything, it's that no matter how different the circumstances, people with selfish motives always take the easy way out. Yeon Woo's transformation into a ruthless villain is only natural, as the people who betrayed and killed his brother are some of the worst scum, chosen for some unknown reason to have powers.

This story also expertly plays on the redemption/or death trope, making readers gnash their teeth in agony as they see Yoon Woo “doing God's work” as one of the strongest awakened ranks. As his journey unfolds, we see another aspect of Yeon Woo that is hidden in plain sight: his endless grief and broken heart. They say twins have a special bond since they were born in their mother's womb, and in that sense those who killed his brother also killed his human side. But is he irredeemable? Readers should figure this out.

4

The warrior returns

They rewarded his bravery with cruelty and rejection

• Genres: Dark Fantasy, Drama, Isekai, Action, Adventure, Reverse Isekai, Psychological
• The author: NARK
• Artist: FUNGBACK

After an almost endless war with demons in another world and bravely saving it from destruction, the hero Misu Kim gets a chance to return to his homeland: Korea. But arriving several years after mysteriously disappearing in the night, he discovers that his parents are dead. Grief and a chain of misfortunes befell them after he disappeared, and to add insult to injury, his uncle and the rest of the family beat him and threw him out on the street as they brutally took his inheritance and mocked him for being a beggar. .

Heartbroken Misu Kim, who was sleeping in a park, finally snaps when some bullies abuse him, turning him from a selfless hero into a vicious and vengeful villain. If any of the criminals in this story deserve a second chance, it's Misu Kim. The poor guy deserved better.

5

Congested

Some ghosts of the past are better teachers than villains

• Genres: VR-Gaming, Shonen, Action, Comedy
• The author: Saenal Park
• Artist: Monohumbug

When Braham was introduced as an important NPC in the Congestedit all featured as a simple quest delivery man who guides the legendary blacksmith on missions to develop his character. But as the Arches passed by, Grid discovered that Breham was a manipulative and malevolent ghost trying to take over his body. As he struggled against Grid's clumsy and unconventional tactics, Braham finally proposed a truce and soon managed to gain some control over Grid's body.

This was the beginning of a tender friendship/teacher/student relationship that proves that even the worst and most dangerous villains can run a grudge if they find the right person to share their hard times with. But most fans aren't convinced Braham has let go of his past and are expecting a dramatic twist/betrayal. Time will tell if he deserves that second chance or not.

6

Lady and the Beast

Give her a chance! She does not deserve this tragedy

• Genres: Political drama, comedy, action, romance, tragedy, reincarnation
• Author and performer: Maginot line

Lady and the Beast features one of the best redemption arcs of a female villain, shunned by the entire kingdom she swore to protect when she killed the man she loved because he turned into a vicious tyrant. The curse that befell his beloved haunted her to her second life, once again playing the role of an obscure villain as Archduchess Astina Leth von Atalanta. Despite the fact that everyone sees her as an angry and cunning politician, the truth is that Astina wants only one thing: to be happy. Unfortunately, when she finally began to see the light at the end of the tunnel, Theriod, her husband, discovered that she had lingering feelings for someone.

So she came clean and revealed that she was the reincarnation of the hated Empress Martina. To her dismay, Thériod began to reject and push her away, jealous of her relationship with his ancestor Theodore. At this point, it is certain that Theriod is indeed the reincarnation of Theodore, only that he does not remember his past life. And that causes a lot of friction, which eventually pushes the pair to the breaking point. Poor Astina wants only redemption and love, and in return receives a terrible stream of failures.

7

The view of the omniscient reader

Walking the blurred line between tragic hero and villain looking for salvation

• Genres: Action, Adventure, Fantasy, Psychology
• The author: Sing Shong
• Artist: Sleepy-C

Over the course of almost two thousand regressions, Yoo Junghyuk gradually becomes prone to cruelty and anger, characteristics that his personality in the novel should not have under normal circumstances. But as it turned out, the cycle of reincarnation and regression had taken its toll on him, robbing him of his humanity and noble manner.

All his cruel and calculated actions never deviated from the righteous path of the greater good. His unwavering determination and eternal struggle to overcome bad endings is what defines him as a character. For some, he's a villain looking for redemption, for others, an obscure hero ready to get his hands dirty.