Revenge is a timeless theme that resonates with everyone in one way or another. Whether it’s the subtle satisfaction of seeing a wrongdoer get their due or the dramatic payoff of a well-executed scheme, there’s something inherently compelling about a story driven by vengeance. As such, it’s not surprising that various media — including manhwa — use revenge as a central theme in their narrative.
Butjust like in other tropes, revenge alone cannot make a series compelling. It must have a cast of good characters, an interesting storyline, and good pacing. Of course, good art and some sense of humor won’t hurt, too. These 10 manhwa deliver exactly these.
Tomb Raider King
If you’ve clicked on this article based on the thumbnail, then be confused no further. That panel is fromTomb Raider King, and it’s a really great manhwa to read. It features a ragtag band of mischiefs, with each member having their own unique personality. In addition,the series is already completed, so cliffhangers would no longer be an issue!
The leader of that group and the protagonist of the story is Suh Jooheon. He was an expert in tomb exploration, excavation, and raiding. These tombs weren’t the typical historical tombs. Each one housed mystical relics that had supernatural uses. Naturally, various superpowers wanted to hoard these relics. Jooheon and his team worked for one such individual. But despite working their assess off for years, their employer still betrayed them and led them to their demise. But instead of meeting his maker, Jooheon found himself in the past. With the knowledge of the future, he could take his time setting up his sweet, sweet revenge.
Witness Jooheon’s vengeance unfolds viaTapas.
Second Life Ranker
Second Life Rankerfollows the story of Yeonwoo, whose twin brother went missing years prior his present timeline. The moment he heard news from him again, it was that he had already perished. Worse was that he only left behind a few belongings, which included a mysterious watch. Upon opening this watch, Yeonwoo learned about the life his brother lived. He also learned that he went into a mysterious tower, established new bonds, and got betrayed by his closest companions. Witnessing his brother’s tragic life, Yeonwoo vowed to make the culprits pay.
Second Life Rankeris a manhwa that mixestower climbing tropewith good ol’ revenge, and it chose the perfect character for the revenge plot. In stark contrast to his brother, Yeonwoo is a rather ruthless character who is willing to do whatever it takes to accomplish his goals. However, he isn’t necessarily evil. He just knows when to be cold and merciless.
Follow his ascension throughTapas.
Return of the 8th Class Mage
Loyalty isn’t always repaid in kind, andReturn of the 8th Class Mage‘s Ian Paige learned that the hard way. Despite attaining the highest class a mage could earn, Ian never wanted to usurp power for his own. He swore loyalty to his close friend, Emperor Ragnar. As such, he not only followed the latter’s every command, but he also did his best to put the crown on his head.
But despite all of this, Ragnar took Ian’s magical prowess as a potential threat. And so, Ragnar took the coward’s path and poisoned Ian. With the last of his strength, Ian cast time magic to return to the past. With the knowledge and grudge from the future, Ian would plan intricate plots to hinder and bring down Ragnar every step of the way.
Join Ian’s quest onTapas.
Surviving as a Fish
Lee Yushin is another poor soul who suffered betrayal from a boss they who he served with all his heart. Much like Ian Paige, he served as the president of the Saseong Group and led it to much success. He consistently prioritized the company’s welfare over his own. In fact, his family was in disarray because of how workaholic he was. Due to his competence, his boss thought he would one day take over the company, ultimately sealing Yushin’s fate.
His boss murdered and disposed of him in a lake. But just as he was taking his last few breaths, Yushin took a shady and mysterious deal. He was then turned into a bass and must win a survival game to return to his original body.
Surviving as a Fishis obviously not the typical revenge manhwa. The premise sounds like a ludicrous takeon the transmigration trope, but it is more than that. It’s pretty much likeSquid Gamesince it gives those who reached rock bottom a second chance by killing each other. It’s just thatSurviving as a Fishturned the players into various marine creatures and gave them supernatural abilities.
Check out Yushin’s entire fish life viaWEBTOON.
Return of the Disaster-Class Hero
When the world befell into chaos as monsters called Calamities appeared on the planet, the 12 Zodiac Gods chose their own champions and called them Saints. Each one received the ability to wield the power of the god who chose them. However, a thirteenth human awakened, Geon Lee. He wasn’t chosen by any god, yet he was the strongest among them all.
Just as they were to abolish the Tower of Demons, the others betrayed him. He was backstabbed and left to die. But two decades later, he returned stronger than ever and ready to whoop the ass of those who stabbed him.
Fans of action will loveReturn of the Disaster-Class Hero. Geon has the qualities of the perfect action star — he is both overpowered and hotheaded. As such, he doesn’t think twice before hitting those who obstruct him, more so those who betrayed him. Watch him serve some whoop ass onTapas.
The Archmage Returns After 4000 Years
At a glance,The Archmage Returns After 4000 Yearsseems to share the same premise asThe Return of the Disaster-Class Hero, but that is far from the truth. In this revenge manhwa, the main character gets tortured by his archnemesis for four millennia. After finally getting out, he not only seeks revenge but also continues his longstanding fight against them.
That main character is Lucas Trowman, the greatest archmage the world had ever seen. He and his companions had been at war with the Demigods. Unfortunately, they ultimately lost the battle, with Lucas being captured and tortured by Lord. He was thrust into an endless corruption of the mind. But after 4000 years of grueling torture, he managed to slip out of his confinement. He then found himself in the body of the feeble Frei Blake. Despite Frei’s weak body and ineptitude, Lucas was set on once again reaching the peak and killing all Demigods once and for all.
Follow Lucas as he seeks strength once more throughTapas.
The Legendary Spearman Returns
If this title once again seems to share the same premise as the ones above, well, this time, it does. However, it is on this list for a reason. For one, this manhwa offers a good revenge narrative. Another reason is that it has a likable protagonist who doesn’t bend, no matter who he faces. Also, there’s lots of action, so there’s rarely a dull moment.
The Legendary Spearman Returnsis centered on Joshua Sanders. As you’ve probably guessed by now, he was murdered after putting his life to make his friend, Caesar Van Briton, the emperor. During his last moments, his trusty spear, Lukia, somehow brought him back into the past. Armed with his spear and the knowledge of the future, it’s his turn to stab Caesar a la Marcus Brutus.
Watch it unfold by readingThe Legendary Spearman ReturnsonTapas.
Viral Hit
Viral Hitfollows the story of Hobin Yu, a hardworking, impoverished high school student. Due to his scrawny physique, he was often a victim of bullying. As if his life wasn’t bad enough, he became viral after his lousy fight against his bully’s suck-up friend was accidentally streamed live. However, this would become the starting point of his NewTube channel, Viral Hit. His content: taking down bullies and bad guys. Naturally, his first opponent was his own bully.
Unlike the other manhwa in this list,Viral Hitisn’t solely focused on revenge. It does, however, start with that. But as the story progresses, it centers more on taking down bigger and bigger bad guys. Nonetheless, it’s a really entertaining read, and it was recently adapted into an anime. If you prefer reading, you can find the manhwa onWEBTOON.
To Not Die
Another manhwa tackling the issue of bullying isTo Not Die. Similar to Hobin, Dajun was a constant victim of school bullying. It was so bad that he even had the idea of taking his own life. But inspired by a victim who fought off his bullies, he realized it wasn’t him who deserved to perish; it was the scumbags beating him up. Dajun sought to strengthen himself, and that’s when he met Hangil Jo and his runaway family.
While Dajun sought strength for revenge,To Not Dieis surprisingly not just about hating the world. It tackles both bullying and the idea of family. That is at least true for the first season. For the second season, it’s more about revenge and action. If that’s your cup of tea, have your fill onWEBTOON.
Night Fishing
Baeksu Kang was definitely not the kindest human, which was mostly the reason why he frequently got into trouble. But despite his questionable decisions, his brother had always been on his side. He always tried to defend and cheer him up. One unfortunate day, however, his brother suddenly went missing. While he knew he was kidnapped, nobody would believe him. Left with no other options, he decided to take it upon himself to find the truth.
That was when he discovered about the night fishermen. They were a group of sinister hunters who fished in the Han River. However, their prey wasn’t fish but humans. His brother was one of their latest victims. And so, he started to hunt down the hunters to unravel his brother’s unfortunate fate and also avenge his death.
Find out how this gripping tale of mystery and revenge unfolds by readingNight FishingonWEBTOON.
