Solo Leveling has taken the anime world by storm, cemented by being crowned Anime of the Year at Crunchyroll’s 2025 Anime Awards. On the surface, the series isn’t too dissimilar from other action-oriented shonen properties, featuring an underdog protagonist grinding his way to the top in a tournament-style story. But Solo Leveling is more unique in that it originates from a webtoon, which are also usually manhwa, the Korean equivalent to Japanese manga.
Unlike traditional manga and other comics, webtoons and most manhwa are exclusively published online, using a vertical format optimised for mobile or tablet devices. Growing in mainstream popularity by the year, Solo Leveling isn’t the first and certainly won’t be the last webtoon to receive an anime adaptation. Here are 10 webtoon anime to watch if you’re eager for more.
Tower of God (2020-2024)
One of the highest-ranking webtoons for readership, Tower of God is also the closest forebear to Solo Leveling in terms of genre and plot. In a dystopian, Hunger Games-esque world, the seemingly weak Bam is thrust through a series of increasingly difficult challenges to reach the top of a mysterious tower along with his childhood friend, Rachel.
Adapted as a Crunchyroll original anime, creative battles, unexpected alliances, and shocking betrayals keep the story moving at an absorbing pace while the depth of lore and sprawling cast make Tower of God feel like a true high-fantasy epic.
The God of High School (2020)
This is another Crunchyroll original anime and battle shonen with a tournament structure at its core. If you like beat ‘em up games with fast-paced action backed up with interweaving storylines like Tekken, The God of High School might be for you.
Set in South Korea, the series revolves around an international martial arts competition for high schoolers. However, these are not just any high schoolers, though. These kids’ punches pack supernatural power. Add in demonic forces, criminal conspiracies, and classic Chinese folklore, and The God of High School is essentially Dragon Ball for a new generation.
Noblesse (2020)
What else is a pure-blood vampire to do after nearly a century of sleep but enroll in a modern-day high school? That’s the premise of Noblesse, in which the noble Rai, a particularly powerful vampire, and his loyal servant Frankenstein navigate our world and investigate Rai’s hidden past, as well as a shadowy cabal.
Anime adaptations include two ONAs (Original Net Animation), Noblesse and Noblesse: Awakening, followed by a Crunchyroll original anime series that picks up directly after the latter, so it’s worth either familiarising yourself with the manwha or watching Awakening before diving into the TV show.
ReLIFE (2016)
A popular and award-winning Japanese webtoon, ReLIFE is about an experiment that allows 27-year-old Arata, whose life hasn’t gone the way he wanted, another shot to reach his true potential, making him appear as a 17-year-old again with all his adult life experience.
Though there is a romantic subplot and sci-fi conceit, ReLife will strike a chord more with slice-of-life fans for its gentle pace and focus on character development. There’s a one-season TV series followed by four OVAs for fans to get sucked into.
Viral Hit (2024)
Combining the toxicity of YouTube prank videos and real-life bullying, a down-on-his-luck schoolkid, Hobin, gets his own back on his tormentors in Viral Hit. Things get going when Hobin, sick of being picked on, turns on one of his aggressors during a livestream. When it goes viral, he launches a channel centred on attacking bullies.
Viral Hit is created by the same author as another high school revenge series, Lookism, both of which have been adapted into TV anime; gimmicky but addictive for those who love prolonged action scenes and eccentric mentors.
The Beginning After the End (2025)
The Beginning After the End is a Western-made webtoon, like Lore Olympus, and one of the first to receive a proper anime version. Like many popular action-oriented web comics, it also uses the reincarnation trope: The main character, Arthur, is a young boy who was a tyrannical king in his previous life.
Taking place in a fantastical kingdom, The Beginning After the End is as character-driven as it is focused on world-building and action, with Arthur having to reconcile past wrongs with a new, more innocent perspective. The newly-released anime series has garnered controversy for its quality; watch it for yourself and make your own mind up.
Semantic Error (2021)
Boys Love/yaoi is as prevalent in the webtoon/manhwa sphere as it is in manga, and Semantic Error is a breakout example. In a classic “opposites attract” setup, its two romantic leads—one a fine arts student and the other a computer science major—are thrown together when the latter takes the former’s name off a group presentation.
Enemies-to-lovers fans are well-served by this slow-burning comedy of errors that has not only been turned into an anime miniseries but also a highly successful K-drama.
A Returner’s Magic Should Be Special (2023)
What if the heroes failed to win in the end? That catastrophic predicament is how A Returner’s Magic Should Be Special begins. But hope isn’t lost, however, as one of their number, a mage called Desir, is somehow thrust 13 years into the past to try and course-correct.
Stylish animation, engaging character dynamics and a magic system grounded in actual magic rather than video game mechanics give the anime iteration the feel of an isekai without some of the repetitive trappings.
Doctor Elise: The Royal Lady With the Lamp (2024)
A curiously popular fixture in webtoons and manga alike is the reincarnated and reformed villainess trope, usually with an isekai bent. Doctor Elise: The Royal Lady With the Lamp takes this a step further with more than one rebirth for the titular heroine, who unexpectedly goes from wicked empress to talented doctor.
Those who like the look of classic shojo series like Sailor Moon will appreciate the romanticised art of the webtoon and its anime series, and Elise’s newfound skills make her a compelling, redemptive heroine.
True Beauty (2024)
Much like the YA dystopian franchise Uglies, True Beauty takes place in a world in which one’s appearance is even more important for success than it is in our reality. To get ahead, Ju-Kyang, a young girl not considered attractive, masters the art of beauty to the point that she becomes famous for her looks.
Naturally, one of the story’s main appeals is its critique of beauty standards via exaggeration, but its love triangle subplot adds extra spice. One of the biggest series on the Webtoon platform, True Beauty has been adapted into a homegrown, South Korean aeni (anime) and live-action show.
Where To Watch More Webtoon Anime Online
To discover more about TV shows and movies currently streaming in the UK, check out the JustWatch streaming guide! You can filter your search by streaming service, genre, price, age rating, and score. Be sure to build your watchlist and receive helpful notifications on what to watch next based on your preferences!
