The best new fantasy manhwa

Key conclusions

• The latest Korean fantasy manhwa series are gaining popularity due to interesting plot twists and cool visuals.
• The new manhwa series offers unique and exciting stories, from the inverted isekai story to stories about the cycles of time.
• With themes such as reincarnation, time travel, and magical academies, these series present a variety of storylines that appeal to different readers.

With so many series ending this season, Korean comic fans are already on the lookout for fresh fantasy manhwa. But choosing the best series that have just started and are worth reading is not an easy task. Even less so given that fans have to wade through a crowded market.

These examples are among the newest fantasy series that have gained popularity this season, including those that do not yet have an official translation. From the already popular reverse isekai premise with a twist, to one of the most popular shounen manhwa series ever to rise through the ranks.

1 Seoul Station Barbarian

Reverse Isekai, the strongest bug trying to merge with us

• genre: Action, Reverse Isekai, Urban Fantasy, Comedy, Drama, School Life
• Author: LICO
• Artists: Jin Sol Woo

This series follows Chelda, a barbarian from another world who is sent to Earth (as Superman) by her mother and father as the sole survivor of her tribe. Now he's a high school senior and a big guy who likes to protect the underdog.

Everything seems normal and he tries to blend in despite​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​ older, to fit in with a strange creature on the news, a strange creature on the news. A cool story fresh out of the oven and well worth a try.

2 The shenanigans of the retreating mercenaries

A mix of intrigue, action and time travel

• genre: Action, Fantasy, For adults, Drama
• Author: Golden line
• Artists: Jinseok Park

Killed in battle, the Mercenary King reawakens in his past. Trapped in a young and weak body, but with years of experience, he will once again rise to the top of the food chain and take revenge on the man who killed him.

A decent story, with a few twists and crazy events that show a protagonist who is not at all afraid of the butterfly effect. With his new chance, he has corrected all his past mistakes and he is ready to be king again.

3 Conscript Academy

Boy meets girl, girl tries to kill boy, great story

• genre: Action, School Life, Comedy, Sword and Sorcery, Drama
• Author: Tarzan
• Artists: Grammy

Noah is a fixer, con artist, thief, spy and hacker who uses his self-taught magical abilities to pull off the most incredible heists. Eternally indebted to a tragic past and raised fatherless by the horrors of war, Noah is tempted by a contact to infiltrate René's Academy of Magic, a place no one dares to tread, where the Kingdom's future conscripts and battle mages are trained.

The contract sends him to sneak into a young lady's room and leave her a stuffed toy, but he is discovered and kicked out. About to be reduced to ashes by a fiery girl, he is caught by the headmaster of the academy, who offers him admission to the academy on a full scholarship. Noah agrees, not knowing that this place is not only dangerous, but also hides a terrible truth related to his past and the death of his father in the last war.

4 The eternally regressive knight

A good story about a time loop

• genre: Action, drama, war, reincarnation, time travel
• Author: Lee Hyun Min
• Artists: Gonala

Mocked all his life for never being enough, Encrid fights fate tooth and nail, defying the odds in pursuit of his dream of becoming a knight. Until one fateful day he is killed, and then his life begins anew.

A fantastical and dramatic cycle of time, it tells the story of a boy who dreamed of the stars, and even death did not stop him on his way to becoming the greatest warrior ever seen.

5 I became the king of collecting garbage

A strange but fun story with a twist

• genre: Action, Adventure, Urban Fantasy, Martial Arts, Mystic, Supernatural
• Author: You are Ma Wenhua
• Artists: You are Ma Wenhua

A young awakened dungeon explorer gains a rare profession, but it turns out that his new skill set focuses on “scavenging”, which also makes him stronger. The story of the strongest scavenger in the world is filled with intense battle scenes and many plot twists.

A series that has recently become popular among urban fantasy manhwa fans and is rapidly gaining momentum. The story is a little rough around the edges, and some weird situations make it more comedic than I'd like, but it's worth it.

6 The Great Mage from the Heroes party is alive again

Comedy, action and reincarnation

• genre: Action, Reincarnation, Fantasy, Sword & Sorcery, School Life, Shounen
• Author: Jeonghoon
• Artists: Paceharos

After defeating the demon lord, the Sage of the Hero group fell fast asleep. He sacrificed his life to end the war once and for all, and is remembered as the most heroic of the four rescuers. The heroine stood by him until her last breath, always believing that he would return one day.

Except he's back, but not in his real body. He reincarnated into a young noble almost five centuries later. Determined to find out what happened to his former friends, the Sage reenters the Academy of Magic. A really good story, with lots of action, cool fight scenes and a bit of romance.

Features Excellent character development

• genre: Action, Isekai, Fantasy, Sword and Sorcery, School Life, Shonen
• Author: Trough
• Artists: Gyrin Gyrin

Reincarnated as Ed Rothailor, the Scum of the Magic Academy, he was almost kicked out and left to die in the desert. But his determination and knowledge of the game world he was sent to would help him become one of the most prominent members of magical society.

This series has something for every reader, with comedy, tragedy, romance, and great character development. The character designs are neat and polished, and the world-building is well thought out, with gorgeous backgrounds and a solid plot that keeps the reader hooked for hours.

8 Academy of Magic Genius Blinker

Average story but cool visuals worth reading

• genre: Action, Isekai, Fantasy, Sword and Sorcery, School Life, Shonen
• Author: Eunmilhi
• Artists: Seoyu

Trapped in the body of the worst possible character in the game, a Korean professional RPG player is determined to avoid the story's ultimate bad ending. But to do that, he'll have to learn to dominate the only skill his character has: blinking.

A worthy story, with cool visual effects. There are some gaps in the plot, but nothing that can't be overlooked for some good character development that's worth reading. It also has some good fight scenes as well as some great backgrounds.