Announced at New York Comic Con 2026, digital comic platform WEBTOON is teaming up with anime streaming service Crunchyroll to adapt 15 select titles into anime series. Tokyo based anime production company HAYATE is set to lead the development and production of the releases alongside WEBTOON subsidiary company LINE Digital Frontier.
South Korean action-drama manhwa The Boxer, South Korean action manhwa Teenage Mercenary and fantasy romance WEBTOON The Remarried Empress were announced to be the first batch of anime adaptations at NYCC ’26, along with the debut of special promo trailers for each respective title.
President and CEO of HAYATE Leo Watanabe spoke in regards to the collaboration at the Crunchyroll Showcase, citing the “tremendous opportunity” and the company’s commitment to “creating adaptations that faithfully capture the spirit of the original works.”
Representative Director of LINE Digital Frontier Hiroshi Mori expressed his delight for the partnership, commenting on the success of Japanese anime on a global scale and its worldwide enjoyment. Additionally, Chief Content Officer of Crunchyroll Asa Suehira remarked on the team-up, noting that the collaboration “creates an exciting opportunity to introduce these titles and their unique worlds to new audiences through the power of anime.”
This isn’t the first time that a few Korean manhwa’s have made their way into the anime space however. Popular animes such as Solo Leveling, The God of High School, and Tower of God all derive from web comic predecessors. Upon Solo Leveling’s anime debut in January 2024, the anime received widespread acclaim and swept the Crunchyroll Anime Awards in 2025. The anime also has an action role playing game and even a skin collaboration with the video game Overwatch this year.
With this partnership between WEBTOON, Crunchyroll, and HAYATE, alongside the diversity in the different manhwa’s getting anime adaptations, it seems as though this collaboration can bring a new wave of fans into the Korean manhwa space.
Stay tuned to K-Comics Beat for more news from NYCC ’26!
