TL;DR: The best gang manhwa start with Weak Hero, where a small, calculating student takes apart the bullies running his school, then Viral Hit for a scrawny kid who learns to fight from a video channel. Questism has the strongest gang focus on AniList. For grown-up gangsters, Mr. Baek puts an agent in charge of a Seoul syndicate.
The best gang manhwa are mostly school crew stories, so that's where this list leans, with two picks set among adult gangsters. The rule: AniList's community tags must rank Gangs, Delinquents or Yakuza at 70 or higher, and the series needs an official English edition.
Key Takeaways
The best gang manhwa fall into three groups: school crew fights, game-system school stories, and adult underworld stories. Five of the eight are finished in English.
- Best overall: Weak Hero,
FINISHEDat 268 chapters on AniList. - Best for learning-to-fight stories: Viral Hit, written by Lookism creator Taejun Pak.
- Most gang-focused: Questism, with a Gangs tag rank of 95 on AniList.
- Best older pick: Hellper, a biker gang leader's afterlife, finished in 2018.
- Best adult gangster pick: Mr. Baek, still weekly every Monday.
- On break: God of Blackfield, between Season 3 and Season 4 on Tapas.
Overview: what counts as a gang manhwa here
A gang manhwa, for this list, is one where crews, gangs or delinquent hierarchies drive the plot. AniList's tag ranks are the test here because they're a public, checkable measure: any series ranked 70 or higher for Gangs, Delinquents or Yakuza qualified. A school fight story with no crew structure didn't make it.
All eight were checked on October 8, 2026, against AniList and the official English page on WEBTOON or Tapas. All eight are Korean, and none is marked adult on AniList.
One omission is deliberate. Lookism is the most popular Gangs-tagged Korean series on AniList, with a Gangs tag rank of 95, but it already has its own pages on this site, so this list covers the next tier. If you've finished Lookism and want more, start here.
Why use tag ranks at all? Because "gang manhwa" means different things to different readers. Some want school crew wars, some want yakuza and syndicates. The tags show that split cleanly: Viral Hit (92) and Weak Hero (89) rank highest for Delinquents, while Mr. Baek and Hellper qualify on Gangs alone and carry no School tag at all.
The 8 best gang manhwa, ranked
These eight are the best gang manhwa we could verify, ranked by how strongly the crew conflict drives each story and how well it's told. Five are finished on AniList and three are still releasing. Each entry gives the official English route, the platform's status label and the AniList tag rank that qualified it.
1. Weak Hero
Weak Hero (cover via AniList).
The best starting point. WEBTOON's synopsis says "the school is run by tyrants whose favorite hobby is tormenting the weakest kids in class," then "Gray arrived." He's "small in stature," but his "calculative and brutal fighting leaves unsuspecting opponents lying on the floor begging for mercy."
What sets it apart is that Gray wins by thinking, not by being secretly huge. The fights read like problems he solves. Our Weak Hero review covers why that works, and the Weak Hero reading guide maps all 268 chapters.
AniList lists it as FINISHED at 268 chapters, with tag ranks of 89 for Delinquents and 81 for Gangs. The WEBTOON page labels it COMPLETED with 247.5M views and credits SEOPASS as writer and RAZEN as artist.
Readers single out the supporting cast. In an r/manhwa thread on all-time favourites that started from Weak Hero, one reply says, "The characters are strong enough that the series can spend an arc on supporting characters flashbacks."
It's also a live-action series: per Wikipedia, the first season came out on Wavve on November 18, 2022, and the second, Weak Hero Class 2, on Netflix on April 25, 2025. Netflix's trailer:
Video: Netflix's official trailer for Weak Hero Class 2, the live-action adaptation's second season.
2. Viral Hit
Viral Hit (cover via AniList).
The learning-to-fight pick. WEBTOON describes "scrawny high school student Hobin Yu" as "the last guy you'd expect to star in a NewTube channel that revolves around fighting." Following advice from "a mysterious NewTube channel," he starts "knocking out guys stronger than him."
The money angle keeps it grounded. Early English episode titles include "Calling Out Bullies on Camera" and "We Made $17,000!" It's written by Taejun Pak, whose other WEBTOON works include Lookism.
AniList lists it as FINISHED at 222 chapters, with tag ranks of 92 for Delinquents and 73 for Yakuza. WEBTOON labels it COMPLETED with 134M views. For similar picks, see manhwa like Viral Hit. WEBTOON's own channel has a short trailer for the comic:
Video: WEBTOON's official trailer for Viral Hit.
3. Questism
Questism (cover via AniList).
The most gang-focused pick. WEBTOON's synopsis says gaming geek Suhyeon Kim "faces relentless bullying" until "a quest prompt pops up in real life with an easy quest and an enticing reward." Quest by quest, he goes "from being an ostracized nobody to the top of the school."
The game system gives the crew fights a clear structure: a quest, a reward, a refusal penalty. AniList ranks its Gangs tag at 95, the highest of these eight and level with Lookism. For more stories with game rules in the real world, see best game manhwa.
AniList lists it as FINISHED at 174 chapters. WEBTOON labels it COMPLETED with 55.4M views, credits YuNuni as writer and TAEWAN as artist, and puts Lookism and Viral Hit in its "You may also like" row.
If Weak Hero's fight-smart lead is what you want more of, sorts the field by school setting, strategy and tone.
8 Manhwa Like Weak Hero →
4. Hellper
Hellper (cover via AniList).
The oldest pick here. WEBTOON's synopsis is short: "When the leader of a biker gang dies and finds himself with a ticket to Hell, he sets out on a quest to change his fate." To qualify for reincarnation, "he needs to collect 100 black bracelets of other condemned souls."
It's the only pick where the gang story continues after death. That makes it stranger and darker than the school picks, and it's a good fit for readers who want a gang leader as the lead rather than a kid fighting one.
AniList lists it as FINISHED at 189 chapters, with a start year of 2011 and a Gangs tag rank of 86. On WEBTOON, "Ep. 188 - AND (Last Episode)" is dated January 12, 2018, and the page labels it COMPLETED with 27.8M views. The creator is credited as SAKK.
5. Random Chat
Random Chat (cover via AniList).
The bait-and-switch pick. WEBTOON sells it as a romance: Joon-Woo, "an outcast and a loner," gets matched in a private chat with "a pretty young girl his age" who turns out to be "his classmate Seung Ah." The synopsis says nothing about fighting.
AniList's tags tell a different story. They rank School at 93, Bullying at 90 and Gangs at 83, so the school-hierarchy side runs much deeper than the WEBTOON blurb suggests. Read it if you want romance and crew conflict in the same series.
It's also the longest finished pick here. AniList lists it as FINISHED at 351 chapters, and WEBTOON labels it COMPLETED with 49M views, credited to PARK EUN HYUK.
6. God of Blackfield
God of Blackfield (cover via AniList).
The OP lead pick. Tapas says Kang Chan, "the 'God of Blackfield,'" was shot from behind in battle and "revived three years later" as "a wimpy high schooler with major problems," from "savage bullies" to "shady business dealings."
That mix of school bullies and business crime is why it's here. A soldier who already knows how to fight lands in a crew-run school, and the "shady business dealings" pull the story beyond the classroom. Our God of Blackfield review covers it in more depth.
AniList lists it as RELEASING, with a Gangs tag rank of 79. Tapas showed 280 episodes and a hiatus note: "Season 3 has come to a close and so we will be taking a hiatus before returning with season 4!" Tapas ends service on March 31, 2027 at 23:59 PT, so check the Tapas shutdown tracker first.
7. Designated Bully
Designated Bully (cover via AniList).
The hired-gun pick. WEBTOON says high school dropout Daegun Kwon is "working part-time at a convenience store" when he's harassed by "a group of punks" at work and teaches them a lesson. Then he's approached about a project called "Designated Bully." His job is "to take down the other bullies, and restore order to the school."
It flips the usual setup. Instead of a victim fighting back, the school hires a fighter to clean house, which makes it a good read for people who like the premise of Weak Hero but want a lead who starts strong.
AniList lists it as RELEASING, with tag ranks of 75 for Bullying and 73 for Gangs. WEBTOON showed an "EVERY SUNDAY" label and 30.3M views, credited to GRIMZO.
For more stories where a lead gets even with the people who wronged him, ranks eight that earn their payoff.
Best Manhwa Revenge →
8. Mr. Baek
Mr. Baek (cover via AniList).
The adult gangster pick. WEBTOON's synopsis follows "two twin brothers" with "two opposite lives": "an elite HID agent discards his identity, becoming his twin brother--the boss of a major syndicate in Seoul." One early episode is literally titled "Play Gangster."
Its synopsis never mentions a school, and AniList gives it no School tag. If what you want from gang manhwa is syndicates, loyalty tests and a lead pretending to be someone else, this is it. It's also the newest series here, with a 2023 start on AniList.
AniList lists it as RELEASING, with a Gangs tag rank of 73. WEBTOON showed an "EVERY MONDAY" label and 5.4M views, crediting Haetae, Punch Kick and SGT.
Our Take: how to choose among the best gang manhwa
This take rests only on the AniList and platform facts cited in each entry above. Choose by the kind of crew conflict you want. For a smart underdog, read Weak Hero. For a fight-learning comedy, Viral Hit. For a game-system climb, Questism. For a gang leader in the afterlife, Hellper. For an adult syndicate, Mr. Baek.
If you only want finished stories, five of the best gang manhwa here are complete on AniList: Weak Hero (268 chapters), Viral Hit (222), Questism (174), Hellper (189) and Random Chat (351). WEBTOON labels all five COMPLETED in English.
For weekly reading, Designated Bully updates every Sunday and Mr. Baek every Monday. God of Blackfield is the one to watch for a return, since Tapas says Season 4 is coming after the current hiatus. For more school-set series beyond crews, the best manhwa school settings list is broader.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best gang manhwa?
Weak Hero is the best place to start. Its school is run by bullies until a small, calculating new student named Gray starts taking them apart. AniList lists it as FINISHED at 268 chapters, and the English WEBTOON edition is complete.
What is the best gangster manhwa with adult gangsters?
Mr. Baek is the adult pick. An elite HID agent takes his twin brother's place as the boss of a major syndicate in Seoul. Hellper is the other one, starting with the death of a biker gang leader.
Which gang manhwa have an OP MC?
God of Blackfield and Designated Bully both start with a lead who can already fight. Kang Chan is a feared soldier revived as a high schooler, and Daegun Kwon is a dropout hired to take down a school's bullies.
Which gang manhwa are completed?
AniList lists Weak Hero (268 chapters), Viral Hit (222), Questism (174), Hellper (189) and Random Chat (351) as FINISHED, and WEBTOON labels all five COMPLETED in English.
Is Lookism a gang manhwa?
Yes. AniList ranks Lookism's Gangs tag at 95 and it is the most popular Gangs-tagged Korean series there. It isn't ranked on this list because it already has its own pages on the site.
Where can I read gang manhwa legally?
Seven picks are on WEBTOON in English. God of Blackfield is on Tapas, which ends service on March 31, 2027 at 23:59 PT, so check the Tapas shutdown tracker before buying episodes.
Related Reading
- Weak Hero review
- Weak Hero reading guide
- Manhwa like Weak Hero
- Viral Hit manhwa review
- God of Blackfield review
- Best manhwa school settings
How We Checked This
Every status, count, tag rank, credit and premise here was checked on October 8, 2026 against AniList's record for each of the eight series and their official English pages on WEBTOON and Tapas, plus Tapas' end-of-service notice. The live-action dates come from Wikipedia's Weak Hero page, the two trailers from Netflix's and WEBTOON's YouTube channels, and the reader quote from one r/manhwa thread. Each fact has a row with a quoted line in our sources table.
Last reviewed: October 8, 2026
