10 best manhwa like SOLO LEVELING

Written by Alexa Lopez

Solo Leveling is one of the most talked-about manhwa of recent years. Thanks to its hit anime adaptation, the web novel and webtoon have exploded in popularity, even among readers who are new to the world of manhwa. It’s easy to see why: the underdog trope, combined with supernatural powers and epic monster battles, makes for a gripping ride.

Set in a world where monsters constantly threaten humanity, Solo Leveling introduces readers to “hunters”—humans with special abilities tasked with fighting off these threats. But not all hunters are equal. The strongest are ranked S-Class, while the weakest fall into E-Class. Our protagonist, Sung Jinwoo, is infamously known as the weakest E-Class hunter until a near-death experience grants him access to a mysterious System that allows him to level up. With this power, Jinwoo begins his journey to become humanity’s strongest hunter and uncover the source of his abilities.

The Solo Leveling webtoon officially wrapped in 2021. If you’re feeling the void it left behind, don’t worry—there are plenty of manhwa with similar themes and vibes to keep you hooked. Here are 10 titles to add to your reading list:

1. The Beginning After The End

Like Solo Leveling, this series started as a web novel and was adapted into both a webtoon and an anime (though the latter received lukewarm reception). The story follows King Grey, who reincarnates as Arthur Leywin in a fantasy world after his death. Now a child prodigy with a powerful past, Arthur strives to live a life with real meaning, while confronting hidden dangers that suggest his reincarnation wasn’t by chance.

2. The Live

If you loved the idea of Jinwoo leveling up through a System, The Live offers a darker twist. Kim Yoonjae is devastated after the brutal murder of his wife and daughter. But when he’s transported to a parallel world where a deadly game grants the survivor one wish, he sees a chance to bring them back. To win, he’ll have to outfight and outwit everyone else who’s just as desperate.

3. Omniscient Reader’s Viewpoint

ORV combines meta storytelling with apocalyptic stakes. When office worker Kim Dokja finishes the final chapter of his favorite web novel, reality shifts—and he’s thrown into the story’s dangerous world, now governed by mythological creatures called dokkaebi. Armed with knowledge only he possesses, Dokja fights to change the story’s ending. A live-action adaptation starring BLACKPINK’s Jisoo is currently in the works.

4. Pick Me Up, Infinite Gacha

Looking for another underdog story with game mechanics? This one’s for you. Han Seojin, one of the world’s top players in a brutal mobile game, wakes up inside the game as a weak 1-star hero after collapsing during a dungeon run. Now stuck inside the tower, he must rally other stranded players and clear 100 grueling floors to return to the real world.

5. SSS-Class Suicide Hunter

Hunters, fame, and towers—sound familiar? In this twist on the trope, Kim Gongja is a weak hunter who gains a unique ability: the power to rewind time whenever he dies. With this “die-and-try-again” ability, he begins his journey to the top of the Tower, determined to become the strongest hunter the world has ever seen.

6. Nano Machine

Like Jinwoo, the protagonist of Nano Machine starts off weak but gains an overpowering system. Cheon Yeowoon is an illegitimate heir in a powerful martial arts clan with little chance at success—until a descendant from the future injects him with a nanomachine. Suddenly, Yeowoon has access to instant skills and data analysis that change his fate forever.

7. The Player Who Can’t Level Up

Imagine trying to become stronger… and staying stuck at Level 1. That’s the reality for Kim Gigyu, who joins the “Game” in hopes of changing his life. But no matter what he does, he can’t level up. After years of struggle, he finally gains the ability to bond with sentient weapons known as “Egos,” and a new path opens before him.

8. The Lone Necromancer

The Lone Necromancer taps into the heroic edge of Solo Leveling. After serving in the military, Yu Seongwu returns to civilian life—until a strange prompt turns his college into a survival game. Choosing the role of necromancer, Seongwu uses his ability to summon the dead to fight monsters and protect those around him.

9. The Martial God Who Regressed to Level 2

Seong Jihan fails to save Earth in the cosmic “BattleNet System”—a deadly global competition. But just before he’s erased, he’s given the chance to rewind time by three years. Armed with knowledge of the future, Jihan sets out to become the world’s strongest player and prevent humanity’s downfall.

10. The World After the Fall

Like Solo Leveling, this story features mysterious towers and humanity’s struggle for survival. When monstrous towers appear around the globe, Tower Walkers are humanity’s only hope. Most give up and choose to reset time—but not Jaehwan. Refusing the regression stone, he stays behind to uncover the truth behind the towers and forge his own path.

Whether you’re into system-based power-ups, tower climbs, or emotionally driven heroes, these manhwa carry the same energy that made Solo Leveling a phenomenon. Which manhwa will you pick up first?