For fans of Japanese manga in search of webcomics with similar world-building richness, kinetic action, and layered characterizations, the world of digital comics is replete with gems. From vertical-scroll epics to school-life dramas, these webtoons condense the essence of shonen or fantasy, or supernatural stories, and inject new twists unique to the webcomic platform. In this article, we share five award-winning series that every manga fan should read.
Tower of God
A huge adventure book with a complex world system and diverse characters by SIU (Slave In Utero).
The main character, Bam, ascends a mysterious tower in which each floor contains tests with new enemies and abilities. World-building and mythology are treated with particular care (e.g., the “shinsu” magic system) and add depth and epic dimension to the narrative.
- The hero’s climb up the tower has unique challenges per level — each “floor” is a unique theme and boss;
- A large diversity of both humans and mythological creatures — all with history and character progression;
- The rich vertical webtoon aesthetic, action-filled combat, and beautiful color art create an otherworldly fantasy world.
Like most shonen manga, Tower of God features heroism and ongoing power development of characters. Slow developments of the tower secrets and colorful action combat with puzzle elements evoke old-school adventure manga series and engage the readers.
Prank Goes Wrong
It is a colorful and emotionally rich webcomic that tracks the often messy and changing relationship between step-siblings Jerry and Laura, where harmless pranks can turn into very intimate romantic and personal disclosures.
Prank Goes Wrong manwha is about a stepbrother, Jerry, who likes to make his stepsister, Laura, suffer by playing one trick after another, rolling out all-new stunts in a bid to outdo his previous pranks. Things start out as free-spirited sibling rivalry but take a dire twist when Jerry crosses a boundary with his jokes, resulting in a ripple effect of emotions that shows how complex the characters and their relationships really are.
Noblesse
A story of a historical aristocratic vampiric being, Rai (Raizel), who, after 820 years of ice freeze, rises up to learn what the modern world is. One of the darkest fantasy webtoons is also one of the originals of that format.
The novel is a blend of mysticism and action: Raizel goes to school where there are normal students and, together, they fight against a mysterious society. Supernatural elements combined with hints of humor (especially the amusingly inept way the vampire handles all modern technologies) make Noblesse lively and memorable.
Manga fans find Noblesse appealing due to its universality of common shonen themes of magical beings and evil vs. goodness. The cryptic and epic scope of the story, combined with the elegant art design, also reminds one of popular vampire and ninja manga stories, thus creating an element of familiarity for the fans.
The God of High School
The story is about the main character, Mori Jin, a talented fighter, invited to the “God of High School” tournament.
This webtoon combines martial arts and fantasy in a tournament environment where students from across Korea engage in combat to earn the right to have any wish granted. One of its features is that it uses a magical system known as “borrowed power” — Charyeok — shared with it by gods and spirits. Throughout the series, its scope broadens to three realms (humans, demons, and gods), and therefore, the series receives an epic size.
- The fight features characters and creatures from various mythologies (beasts of Buddhist and shamanic pantheons, phoenix, dragon);
- The combat choreography offers complex battles in various styles (fencing, taekwondo, karate), emphasizing each movement;
- The action is interspersed with silly moments (school comic book strips, friendly insults) with serious plot twists — from friends to global spying.
The God of High School’s draw is in its battle scenes, equal to shonen manga and manhwa titans (comparisons to Dragon Ball and Shaman King are felt via the battlefields and godly powers). The soap opera tournament format and use of mythological powers evoke comparisons to old sports-fighting greats like Hunter x Hunter, placing the webtoon astronomically near revered manga IPs.
Solo Leveling
The story is framed as a “role-playing” fantasy where the main character, weak hunter Sung Jin-Woo, receives a unique “Personal Level” system by which he can keep boosting his power.
Solo Leveling is one of the most popular Korean webtoons these days. As the narrative unfolds, the protagonist turns into an all but invincible warrior — the Shadow Monarch. The comic’s popularity is supported by vivid battles, the hero’s relentless power growth, and well-designed monsters. In 2024, an anime series was launched, further legitimizing its fame.
- Hunters fight creatures from other realms; another “game-like” system levels action and stats (full RPG spice);
- Dynamic panel-based fighting with stunning special effects (spells, shadows, monsters). Every arena and boss is unique, with a designer’s touch to their look.
Solo Leveling greatly draws on trends from hit manga (e.g., the isekai genre of “leveling up” the protagonist). Manga enthusiasts are familiar with persevering heroes and action-packed fighting — this series has all that in an easy-to-consume webcomic format. It also draws on cyber-fantasy and global threats, which will appeal to fans of high-energy sci-fi storytelling.
Conclusion
Are you already craving the action of scaling monstrous towers, the haunting mystery of supernatural encounters, the competitive thrills of martial arts competitions, and the psychological tensions that deliver everything but the expected? Then these five webcomics can satisfy what you crave as a manga lover. The variety in each series is great, including frantic battle to emotional angst and clever twists, proving that webcomics are just as bright, imaginative, and dynamic as their traditional manga counterparts.
