In manhwa, the most common form of isekai is reincarnation or transmigration, taking over the body of someone living in a fantasy world and assuming their identity. These stories are usually smaller in scope, focusing on the immediate area and events that concern their new persona, so the author doesn’t need to spend time with the greater world building. They can instead develop the plot and characters with more intent.
Summoning stories are often the opposite. Because the characters are in a completely new world, the stories tend to be longer and require much more time spent on cultivating the world’s locations and settings. However,these manhwa also have grand plotswhere the characters go on epic adventures to save the world or defeat villains, which have always been fun and entertaining.
8Terrarium Adventure
Magic Plant People Save The World
In a typical isekai, the protagonist is summoned to the fantasy world. While that’s technically true in this manhwa, Jae-hee does most of the summoning herself. After getting an achievement in an auto-farming game, Jae-Hee is transported into Terrarium Adventure, a new gacha game made by the same developers. In this world, Jae-hee is a druid capable of growing dryads, special beings who fight the fire that threatens to burn down Yggdrasil.
Terrarium Adventure is a video game isekai that focuses on comedy and adventure. Jae-Hee is overpowered like any other protagonist excepther cheat skill is being pay-to-win. She’s able to afford any luxury she wants, including multiple chances to summon heroes. The beginning is a little slow, but the story ramps up after she gets her first dryad and the adventure actually starts.
7Newbie Management
A Hero Needs A Hero
In isekai, there’s always a catch to being a hero. For Presidio Cage, it was never being able to return home even after defeating the Demon Lord. After hundreds of cycles, he decides to summon another hero to do the job and see if it stops the regressions. Unfortunately, Shin Yubi hates him on top of being incredibly difficult to work with, leading to tons of problems and tons of resets.
This isekai is unorthodox but fun. On the surface, it’s a gag comic with many recurring jokes and great comedic timing, but it actually has quite a bit of depth to it. The author presents this manhwa as a simple story about two heroes working together when it’s actually a pretty complex story with twists and turns. It’s a surprisingly good read despite its basic art style.
6The Max Level Heroine
A Gamer Gets Isekai’d By God
Isekai involving video games usually starts with the protagonist being transported into the game world, but in this manhwa, Joo Se-young accepts a quest while playing her favorite game, which sends her to another world where she’s asked to complete a task assigned by God. Unfortunately, Se-young is not happy being kidnapped and isekai’d, so she demands a contract that ensures her three wishes and a ton of money for completing the mission.
There are very few isekai where the protagonist is capable of taking immediate control. Even in a traditional power fantasy, it can take some time for the main character to gain influence, butThe Max Level HeroineSe-young iscapable of dominating everyonefrom the moment she is summoned. With all her game abilities intact, she’s basically a god herself.
5Chitra
Gacha Rolling For A Reverse Harem
In Chitra, the main character is actually reincarnated as Chitra Serekina, a fallen noblewoman who was abandoned by her family. In this story, she is not the hero being summoned. After her death, she was approached by the god of beauty, who gave her a second chance at life and game-like powers, and all she needed to do was complete tasks that would make the world more beautiful. The tasks usually involve correcting the economy, arresting criminals, and providing support for the public.
Despitebeing a reverse harem story, this manhwa actually includes a good amount of world-building and setting development. There’s politics, there’s business, and there’s even some social commentary. It’s not the most complex story, but for a concept that could have focused solely on romance, it has surprising depth.
4Her Summon
A Loner Becomes Someone’s Familiar
If there’s one thingHer Summonis known for, it’s the fantastic illustrations. It’s clear the author put a lot of time and effort into making this manhwa extremely beautiful. The story is about Jin-kyung, a social pariah who made one too many comments online. Out of nowhere, he is summoned to another world by a young girl named Maina, and the transfer gives him amazing powers. They soon begin an adventure that will change their lives.
When it comes to themes, this manhwa is similar toJobless Reincarnation, where a man must learn life lessons in a new world. Jin-kyung is described as an otaku who has some bad behaviors, and this story is about his journey to become a well-adjusted member of society. Although the writing can be a bit slow at times, the character development is great, and if anything, it’s worth reading purely for the illustrations.
3Escape From Another World
Framed And Trapped After Being Summoned
In isekai, the main characters are often tasked with something huge, like defeating the Demon Lord or finding ancient relics, but in this one, they get sent to jail. Kim Seojoon leaves his home only to find himself in a different world with some strangers. Just as he’s meeting the princess who summoned them, she’s assassinated, and he’s blamed as the culprit. Seojoon is takento the maximum-security prisonGehenna, and he soon becomes involved in multiple conspiracies that could get him killed.
Escape From Another Worldis a thrilling adventure story that is set in a vast world with an interesting history and political landscape. Although it has relatively few chapters, it’s incredibly immersive and entertaining with many unexpected twists. It has great potential, and as long as it doesn’t get too confusing, it will be a fantastic manhwa.
2FFF-Class Trashero
The Summoned Hero Hates His Isekai
Unlike other manhwa, this story is set up as traditional isekai. Kang Hansoo is summoned to the world of Fantasia as a Hero and asked to slay the Demon King. After ten long years, he was able to achieve his goal, but in the process, he killed all his companions, which earned him a failing grade in God’s final examination. As a punishment, Hansoo was forced to restart his entire journey, causing him to lose all his powers.
FFF-Class Trasherois a satire of the isekai genre that stars a hero-turned-villain who is determined to destroy the world himself. This story is especially great for fans ofdark heroes or villain protagonistsbecause Hansoo truly doesn’t care anymore. He’s thrown away his morals and will stop at nothing to complete his goal. It’s an unconventional adventure story that may not be for everyone.
1Pick Me Up
Summoned Into A Gacha Game
Gacha games are well known for their summoning mechanic that allows players to gamble for rare items, and inPick Me Up, Han Seoljin becomes an item himself ashe’s transported into the game. Assuming the identity of Han Yslat, he must fight and survive if he wants to return home, but it’s much harder now that he’s no longer a player. Han must guide his newbie master to victory if he wants any chance at learning the truth about his sudden isekai.
This manhwa is a fast-paced action story with great characters that go through tremendous growth. The author spends extra time building up each character, explaining their strengths, weaknesses, and goals, only to threaten their lives in every chapter. What makesPick Me Upso thrilling is the idea that any of the important characters can die at any time.
