Summary
Fantasy is a huge umbrella genre with many sub-genres and categories beneath it, allowing a wide range of subjects and ideas to be classified as fantasy. Contemporary fantasy places fantasy elements in the modern day or close to the modern era. Urban fantasy works similarly except stories in this category specifically take place in a city.
Most manhwa that are contemporary fantasy are also urban fantasy, taking place in notable cities in South Korea with Seoul being the most common. By using a modern setting, the story can focus on the magical and mystical aspects of the story without needing to worry about the reader being lost.Half of the world-building is doneby trusting the reader to know about real locations.
8The Knight King Who Returned With A God
MyAnimeList Score: 7.26
In this manhwa, the protagonist was reincarnated in another world as Leon Dragonia and eventuallybecame a king and a holy knight. Unfortunately, his kingdom was destroyed by hordes of demons and monsters, and after fighting for three hundred years, he returned to Earth via a dungeon. However, Earth is now filled with dungeons and hunters.
This is an especially unique hunter manhwa. Not only does it involve isekai’d people returning to Earth, but there’s also a focus on religion that other stories usually avoid. Despite how serious the plot sounds, it’s actually filled with a lot of funny moments and light-hearted humor. Leon is powerful, but he’s also a caricature of a devout holy knight.
7The Return Of The Disaster-Class Hero
MyAnimeList Score: 7.46
Unlike other tower manhwa, this story starts after the tower is completed. The twelve saints that raided the tower returned and created factions, dividing the world’s wealth and control among themselves. Unbeknownst to the world, they had betrayed the thirteenth saint, Lee Geon, and killed him in the tower. Twenty years later, he is revived and starts looking for revenge.
Disaster-Class Herois theepitome of revenge storiesand overpowered characters. Lee Geon is spiteful, rude, and immature, but his power is no joke as he’s able to overpower all the other saints. Most of the story is just Lee Geon crushing each faction one by one and reclaiming the things they stole from him. It’s perfect for people who want to see the bad guys be crushed and humiliated.
6I’m The Max-Level Newbie
MyAnimeList Score: 7.68
Max-Level Newbieis a survival story that takes inspiration from other popular manhwa, but that’s what many people like about it. The story is about Kang Jinhyeok, a streamer who only plays a game called “Tower of Trials.” Just when he’s about to quit streaming,the game becomes real, and a giant tower rises from the earth. As the only one to beat the game, Jinhyeok begins his journey to control the tower.
Many readers have noted similarities to other manhwa, likeOmniscient Reader’s ViewpointandSolo Leveling, and while it doesn’t quite compare to those manhwa, it’s still a very entertaining story. It includes many of the best parts of action manhwa, like flashy fights and interesting powers, but the characters and overall plot are pretty standard.
5Jungle Juice
Jungle Juiceis a fantasy story, but many of its details are science fiction. The story follows Jang Suchan, a college student who has beenmutated into an insect humanafter using a special bug spray. Now he has dragonfly wings on his back. After a certain incident, he is invited to NEST, a secret community of insect humans who are researching a way to reverse the mutation.
In many stories with hidden societies, the number of characters is very limited, but in this manhwa, there’s an entire civilization hidden away. NEST is more than just a haven for mutants. It has a college, an enterprise, and anything else a person would need to lead a normal life. Being set in the real world makes it more immersive and easier to imagine.
4The Novel’s Extra
MyAnimeList Score: 7.76
Although this manhwa is technically an isekai, it takes place in a world where a giant tower and monsters appear on Earth, plunging the world into chaos. It’s the world Kim Hajin wrote in his book, but through some miracle, he wastransported into the storyas an unknown side character. To escape, he needs to complete the plot while handling the “edits” of his unknown co-author.
This story is primarily set on a man-made island called Cube where a city built with a mix of technology and magic is located, and at its center is the hero academy that trains students to fight monsters and challenge dungeons. Although most of the story happens in the school, the city is important for many events and conflicts that occur.
3Eleceed
MyAnimeList Score: 8.54
A common characteristic of urban fantasy is secret societies or magical elements hiding in plain sight.Eleceedis about Seo Jiwoo, a young student who learns he is an “awakener” after meeting a strange cat named Kayden. Awakeners are people who have special energy and powers. Some can control wind or gravity. Now Jiwoo must learn to fit in with Awakener society as well as how to control his powers.
This is a wholesome manhwa that primarily focuses onbuilding Jiwoo’s relationships. There are some great fights and interesting powers, but they’re like icing on the cake, making the story more fun and exciting. The supporting characters truly shine in this story, since they are given their own spotlight, allowing them to be actual characters rather than props for Jiwoo.
2Omniscient Reader’s Viewpoint
MyAnimeList Score: 8.56
Most urban fantasies take place in bustling cities where people congregate, and while that is true forOmniscient Reader’s Viewpoint, it’s after the start of a worldwide crisis. The city becomes a battleground. Kim Dokja is able to navigate it because the scenario is exactly like his favorite web novel, “Three Ways to Survive the Apocalypse.” Using his knowledge, he’s going to end the story the way he wants.
Omniscient Reader’s Viewpointis extremely popular because of its great writing and visuals, but it’s the characters that keep people reading. Kim Dokja is a sympathetic and relatable character who is fun to follow. The relationships he builds with the supporting cast are incredibly endearing, and much of the fan community is built around his found family.
1Solo Leveling
MyAnimeList Score: 8.67
Solo Levelingis a notoriously popular manhwa with dungeons appearing all over the world and hunters fighting to close them.The story follows Sung Jinwooas he works as a hunter to support his family, but his low rank provides little profit. After a terrible incident, he learns he can grow and get stronger unlike other hunters, and with his new power, he’s able to escape poverty.
This manhwa is popular for a variety of reasons, namely fantastic art and intense fights. As one of the first hunter manhwa, it made a name for itself because it was a polished project with a protagonist that was overwhelming in the best way. It’s still considered a classic, even if it may not seem impressive compared to more contemporary manhwa.
