Gosu manhwa review, short version: 8.0/10, and worth reading. It's a finished murim story with a very funny opening joke, and it earns its turn into a serious revenge story. The middle runs long and the ending splits readers. There is an anime in the works, but it's still early, so there's no reason to wait for it.
Reviewing
Gosu
Giun Ryu · Naver Webtoon
Score
Pros
- The setup is a real joke: the hero trains for revenge and finds his targets already dead
- Complete, so you can read the whole story without waiting
- The prologue and Episodes 1 to 21 open on WEBTOON's website without an account
- Stands on its own even though it is a sequel to Yongbi the Invincible
Cons
- Readers often call the middle stretch draggy
- The ending splits readers
- Most of the English run is in the WEBTOON app, not on the website
Verdict
Gosu is a finished murim revenge story that starts as a joke about revenge and earns its serious turn. Read it now; the anime is still early.
Correction (October 21, 2026): Earlier versions of this review said the Gosu anime was titled "Takate", that production was confirmed in late 2025, and that a Gosu sequel exists. None of that is true. The linked Anime News Network URL didn't lead to a Gosu story, and no studio has announced an anime title. The real status, from NAVER and Anime News Network, is below. We also corrected the hero's name to Gang Yong, as WEBTOON spells it, and the plot summary.
Gosu volume 1 (Korean edition). Image via AniList.
What Gosu is
WEBTOON's English blurb sets up the joke: "When his master dies, Gang Yong pledges to avenge his teacher at all costs." He trains in seclusion, heads to town to hunt down the traitors, and finds they're "already dead? Well, what's he supposed to do now?!" Wikipedia fills in the rest: Gang Yong is the disciple of Dokgo Ryong, Supreme Overlord of the chaotic murim, and the targets are the four Heavenly Kings who betrayed and tried to kill his master.
Giun Ryu writes and Mun Jeong-hoo draws it. Gosu ran on Naver Webtoon from September 2015 to April 2021, in two parts, and it's the sequel to the same pair's 1990s series Yongbi the Invincible. You don't need Yongbi first; our Gosu reading guide explains why and maps both parts. By 2023 NAVER put its worldwide views at 1.4 billion.
Gosu manhwa review: what works
The premise is the best thing about it. A typical murim revenge story spends its opening on the hero getting stronger; Gosu spends it on a hero who is already strong and has nobody left to kill. That gap between his power and his pointless situation drives the early comedy, and readers who stick with it describe the same arc: "A strong dude went on revenge for his master. Its a bit slice of life in the beginning, then the plot kicked off hard."
The other thing it has going for it is that it's finished. You can read Gosu start to end, and one reader in a "is it worth it" thread said the ending "tied up everything nicely."
What drags
The same reader added that "the latter parts towards the ending felt draggy," and another in the thread gave it 9/10 but called it "a bit draggy around the middle." Not everyone likes how it ends, either; one reader in a separate thread called it a "great series, rough ending though." Naver's own list shows a long break in Part 2, from December 2018 to December 2019, which is worth knowing if the pacing shifts on you around there.
On WEBTOON in English the series is marked completed, but the website only shows the early episodes and asks you to read the rest in the app.
The Gosu anime: what's real
On April 17, 2023, NAVER announced that its Studio N had signed an agreement with Toei Animation to "jointly produce WEBTOON's into an animated adaptation." Anime News Network later updated its story: Studio Mir confirmed on September 24, 2024 that it is also producing the anime. In a May 2026 ScreenRant interview, Studio N's CEO said, "We're still early in this project, so it's too early to share much."
So the anime is real, but it has no title, no trailer, no cast and no premiere date as of October 21, 2026. AniList lists it as not yet released. Our manhwa anime adaptations list tracks it alongside the other announced shows.
Gosu vs Return of the Blossoming Blade
WEBTOON lists Gosu under "You may also like" on Return of the Blossoming Blade's page, and the pairing is fair: both get big laughs out of an overpowered murim lead before the stakes climb. The difference is that Blossoming Blade is still running. Read Gosu if you want the whole story now; read Blossoming Blade if you want more of the same mix every week.
Return of the Blossoming Blade's official trailer, from WEBTOON's YouTube channel. Gosu has no official trailer yet.
Yongbi the Invincible, the earlier series Gosu follows. Image via AniList.
Our Take
8.0/10. Gosu is an easy murim recommendation: complete, with the first 21 episodes on WEBTOON's website, and built on a setup that's funny for a reason. Push through the slower middle. Don't hold off for the anime; nobody involved has shared a date. If you finish it and want more, our manhwa like Gosu list picks up from there.
How We Checked This
On October 21, 2026 we read Gosu's WEBTOON page for the blurb and status, pulled Naver's full episode list for the run dates and the Part 2 break, checked AniList for the chapter count, the Yongbi link and the anime entry, and read Wikipedia for the character names. For the anime we read NAVER's 2023 press release, Anime News Network's story and its Studio Mir update, and ScreenRant's 2026 interview. Reader quotes come from linked r/manhwa threads. The score is our editorial rating; we haven't claimed any reading of our own.
Last reviewed: October 21, 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Gosu manhwa worth reading?
Yes, if you like murim with jokes. It's complete, WEBTOON's website shows the prologue and Episodes 1 to 21 (the rest is in the app), and its setup is a genuinely funny gag. Readers often say the middle drags, and the ending splits opinion.
Is there a Gosu anime?
Yes, but only announced. Studio N and Toei Animation signed to make it in April 2023, and Studio Mir joined in September 2024. There's no title, trailer or date yet.
How many chapters is Gosu?
AniList counts 233 chapters. Naver's list has 236 entries because it also counts a prologue, notices and afterwords. The final chapter ran on April 27, 2021.
Related Reading
- Gosu Reading Guide: where to start, whether you need Yongbi, and how the two parts split.
- Manhwa Like Gosu: what to read next if you want the same mix of murim comedy and revenge.
- Return of the Blossoming Blade Review: the ongoing series closest to Gosu's tone.
- Manhwa with Anime Adaptations in 2026: every announced manhwa anime and where each one stands.
