Warning: MASSIVE spoilers for Solo Leveling ahead!In the absence of Solo Leveling’s next big anime project following an exceptional season 2, fans are understandably getting a bit antsy. They may have even taken to reading the source material either in webnovel form or its acclaimed manhwa. However, as one may expect, its ending might leave readers craving something more, or even more likely, better.
Solo Leveling’s apocalyptic manhwa premise is not by any means a new concept. In fact, it’s a prominent niche alongside its brands of otome isekai, romance, and even superhero manhwa, with some truly incredible artists and writers channeling its themes. While not necessarily a Solo Leveling replacement, any of these 15 apocalyptic manhwa are just what the doctor ordered.
Leviathan (2018)
Written by Lee Gyuntak & Illustrated by Noh Miyoung
Sporting some of the best monster design in any manhwa, Leviathan’s only true issue is its abject lack of legitimate availability after it was cut loose from the Toomics library. Leviathan‘s hook as an apocalyptic manhwa is that the sea levels have consumed the world, forcing its human inhabitants to live a seafaring life aboard boats as they scavenge and survive. The most dangerous aspect, though, is what lurks beneath the surface, with deadly and elaborate sea monsters lying in wait.
Leviathan is one of the best long-running manhwa of the past decade, with an art style not commonly found in other webtoons. It ended its acclaimed run with a length similar to Solo Leveling while remaining wholly its own. As the dual protagonists, Bota and Kana, fight to survive, readers will marvel at the beautiful visuals, stunning paneling, and satisfying, pulse-pounding thrills.
Mosquito Wars (2017)
Written and Illustrated by JH
Coming from the creator of all-timers like The Horizon and The Boxer, Mosquito Wars launched between the runs of these two legends as a bizarre apocalyptic tale. Pitting humanity’s last 5,000 survivors against the might of the world’s true ultimate apex predator 100 years into their new reign, they must find the weakness of their most underestimated enemy, the mosquito.
Mosquitoes in this manhwa have evolved far past their current state, resembling quasi-humanoid beasts with twisted eyes straight out of a psychological horror anime. Featuring JH’s heavily stylized art, this series boasts immense world-building, but don’t get attached. It features an endearing cast of characters who, true to apocalyptic tales, are too tragically likable to possibly survive.
The World After The Fall (2022)
Written by singNsong and Illustrated by Undead Gamja
From the same author as Omniscient Reader’s Viewpoint, The World After the Fall also features a plot that grows just as complex and vibrant as the world-building that fans of Solo Leveling will be able to appreciate. The manhwa is set in a post-apocalyptic setting where, instead of gates like SoloLeveling, Towers have begun to appear on Earth. The magic beasts within are poised to annihilate humanity, and only a select few dubbed Tower Walkers can fight them.
To make things interesting, the Tower Walkers each possess a stone that allows them to go back in time to when the Towers appeared and start over with the knowledge they currently have. Only one among them, the story’s protagonist, Jaehwan, refuses to regress and continues to climb the tower, fighting for the current timeline. Evidently, Jaehwan is very much a loner just like Sung Jinwoo, which is all the more reason to give the series a go.
Sweet Home (2018)
Written by Carnby Kim & Illustrated by Youngchan Hwang
With its webtoon coming out a year after Solo Leveling’s novel’s first chapters, both series have an impressive legacy as apocalyptic manhwa to which the public has flocked. Sweet Home is a tense 140-chapter reading experience depicting a protagonist, Cha Hyun, who no longer wishes to be alive following a horrific family tragedy. Despondent and alone, he finds himself suddenly part of a collective struggle to be alive as an epidemic breaks out around him, turning people into monsters, a condition he can surprisingly resist.
Sweet Home explores deeper philosophical themes than Solo Leveling. Yet, it still has a thrilling, accessible apocalypse theme, rendered by a foreboding red hue to most of its scenes to evoke a persistent sense of dread. It’s one of the best popular horror manhwa around, with its unique monsters standing in as examples of humans collapsing into their pits of depravity. If the manhwa isn’t enticing enough, the pandemic-era Netflix adaptation became a massive streaming success, having run its final season in July 2024.
Level Up with the Gods (2022)
Based on the novels by Black Ajin & illustrated by Ohyeon
With ancient evils threatening to destroy the world, Kim Yuwon, with the help of his comrades, decides to climb the tower once more with the hopes of becoming stronger to overpower his enemies. Yuwon’s knowledge helps him level up, along with his understanding of how the tower operates, including its floor managers. His lone-wolf personality is similar to Jinwoo, yet he allows himself to cautiously guide Zeus’ son.
Lovers of mythology will delight in the God of Olympus characters and their treacherous games spread throughout the tower, as well as the world of Murim, as the tower possesses different dimensions within its structure. Like Sung Jinwoo, Kim Yuwon must oppose a greater force after leveling up in order to secure a future for both himself and the tower.
Return Survival (2019)
Written by Yeon Woosol & Illustrated by Kim Muhyeon
A classic zombie apocalypse scenario set three years into the end of the world, Return Survival brings in another classic manhwa trope with its central regression. Yohan, a longtime survivor before his demise, is sent six months before the outbreak, but instead of the series predictably introducing a nonsensical power system, it builds upon what is already there.
Yohan must build alliances to survive, making tough and pragmatic decisions along the way. Thus he becomes a complicated, fascinating antiheroic figure whose handling of this scenario is truly engaging to watch. But just as much as Yohan must rely on fellow humans and strength in numbers, humanity may still be its own biggest threat to survival.
Omniscient Reader’s Viewpoint (2020)
Based on the novels by singNsong, written by UMI, & illustrated by Sleepy-C
Kim Dokja escapes from his mundane life as an office worker by reading the web novel ‘Three Ways to Survive the Apocalypse’ by TLS123. When the unimaginable happens, Dokja’s world becomes the setting of the novel, and he is the only one who knows what will happen next. In order to save the world, he will use his knowledge and wits to change the course of the story.
Besides being produced by Redice Studio, Omniscient Reader’s Viewpoint is also similar to Solo Leveling in regard to its world-building. Dokja is now part of a system that caters to higher beings, such as Constellations, Demons, and Outer-Gods. He also possesses the power to glimpse at the thoughts of others, which steadily levels up as he completes plot points and bonds with the main characters.
The Esper’s Game (2022)
Based on the novels by Niccolo, written by Two-zero, & illustrated by Plan A
Seomun Yeop, one of the world’s seven heroes, was lost after saving the world. Now that the fate of the world is secured, the Espers no longer have a need for their powers; cue the Virtual Reality game Battle Field. This VR recreates the dungeons of defeated monsters for a heated competition between Esper teams. Yeop finally takes an interest in the games, until he uncovers the evil force of the subterranean burrowers at play behind the scenes.
The Esper’s Game is a unique action manhwa with fantasy elements that alternate between the physical and virtual worlds. In a setting similar to SoloLeveling, clubs are the norm rather than guilds, and dungeons remain the same; however, the superpowers differ, and items are more commonplace.
Return of the Disaster Class Hero (2022)
Based on the novels by San. G, written by HEATS, & illustrated by BGman
The Zodiacs chose 12 Saints to combat what humanity called “calamities”, or monsters that found their way to Earth. Geon Lee was an anomaly, another chosen, and the most powerful Saint of them all. Betrayed by the Saints, Geon falls into the demon tower to a zone where calamities are known to endlessly spawn. However, 20 years later, he finds himself finally free and on the hunt for revenge.
From the studio that produced Solo Leveling: Redice Studios.
The setting is similar to Solo Leveling, in which a greater understanding of the world and its politics comes into play, as well as the continual threat of monsters attempting to take over the planet. The protagonist is also similar in that he becomes overpowered through continual training and has a set goal that he’s working toward, the same as Jinwoo in his hopes of defeating the double dungeon.
My S-Class Hunters (2022)
Based on the novels by Geunseo, written by Seri, & illustrated by Biwan
When a monster outbreak occurs and gates appear, Yoojin Han finds himself at the bottom of the food chain, an F-rank, while his younger brother Yoohyun Han is awakened as an S-rank. Used to taking care of his brother, Yoojin tries various means to increase his rank, but ultimately, his attempts end in Yoohyun’s demise.
Given another opportunity, Yoojin decides to change his future by keeping a low profile. However, his new skill makes this an impossible feat, since he can see the max level-up grade potential of a hunter. Like Jinwoo, Yoojin holds fast to his values, prioritizing his family, while also operating within an intricate political system consisting of multiple guilds. The setting also features gates and an outside influence over the system, which Yoojin tries his best to cooperate with as he surrounds himself with overpowered hunters.
