Manhwa Like Solo Leveling: 16 Picks, Ongoing and Finished

If you want one manhwa like Solo Leveling to read next, make it Tomb Raider King. It's finished at 411 chapters, it runs on the same private-advantage loop (a hero who knows where the power is before anyone else does), and its 12-episode anime is a cheap way to test it. The closer structural matches, SSS-Class Revival Hunter, Second Life Ranker and Level Up with the Gods, are all on English season breaks right now: great next-in-line picks, bad weekly reads.

Past that, "manhwa like Solo Leveling" is really four searches: the system mechanic, the dungeon structure, the lone hero who starts weak and becomes something extraordinary, or DUBU's art. The sections below follow those four, so jump to the part you miss. This list takes every status, ongoing and finished; if you only want stories that have already ended, our completed manhwa like Solo Leveling list is the shorter route. Statuses and counts were checked on the official platform pages on October 13, 2026.

For how the original's ranks and Shadow Extraction work, see our Solo Leveling Power System Explained.

Platform note: Tapas ends service on March 31, 2027 at 23:59 PT. For the Tapas entries here, check the latest Tapas shutdown update before buying episodes there.

A list that treats those four as interchangeable sends system-mechanic readers toward tower-climbers and art-driven readers toward dense ensemble stories they may bounce off. That's why the picks are split by entry point.

The original, briefly

Solo Leveling is a finished Korean action manhwa about a hunter picked by a system no one else can see. The closest follow-ups split its appeal: SSS-Class Revival Hunter matches the private-advantage mechanic, Level Up with the Gods the tower escalation, and Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint the production scale and world-ending stakes.

Solo Leveling by DUBU (REDICE STUDIO), Chugong and h-goon. Cover via AniList.

The webtoon adaptation of Chugong's novel launched on KakaoPage on March 4, 2018, illustrated by Jang Sung-rak (DUBU), and its main story concluded on December 29, 2021 with its 179th chapter. AniList counts 201 chapters in total, running to May 2023, and Tappytoon's English page now carries an "Epilogue now available" banner. In Tappytoon's summary, Sung Jinwoo is "the weakest hunter of all mankind" until "a mysterious System chooses him as its sole player." In English, the webtoon is licensed on Tappytoon and Tapas, with print volumes from Yen Press.

The gate-hunter premise sets it apart from isekai: the protagonist never leaves his world. A-1 Pictures adapted it for TV: Season 1 aired January 7 to March 31, 2024 (12 episodes) and Season 2, "Arise from the Shadow," aired January 5 to March 30, 2025 (13 episodes), with Crunchyroll streaming both. A sequel film, Solo Leveling: Beyond the System, was announced at Crunchyroll's Anime Expo 2026 panel, again from A-1 Pictures, directed by Tao Tajima.

Crunchyroll's official trailer for Solo Leveling Season 2, Arise from the Shadow.

Why Solo Leveling is hard to replace

The series works because those four elements hit at the same time: a progression system with stat windows that reward grinding, dungeons that escalate in step with the protagonist's growth, a lone-wolf arc from the weakest hunter to the strongest, and DUBU's illustration.

No single series below has all four. SSS-Class Revival Hunter has the private mechanic but different art. Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint has the scale and a singular protagonist but runs on knowledge rather than power accumulation. The Beginning After the End has the long underdog-to-unstoppable arc but is set in a magic world with no gate hunters.

Manga like Solo Leveling: what the query usually means

"Manga like Solo Leveling" is usually a broad search label for Korean manhwa and webcomics, not a request for Japanese manga only. Solo Leveling and most picks here are Korean webtoons; The Beginning After the End is a Tapas Entertainment comic adapted from TurtleMe's novel.

If you mean Japanese manga literally, this is not a manga-only list; the platform column in the table is the reliable way to tell where each entry is officially published in English.

Quick reference

Statuses and counts are from the official platform pages on October 21, 2026.

Manhwa Like Solo Leveling: System Fantasy

For readers who want the blue-window feeling, the best matches are SSS-Class Revival Hunter, Second Life Ranker and The Tutorial Is Too Tough!. All three hand one person an advantage nobody else has, but they change the cost: death, a dead brother's notes, or a difficulty setting with almost no survivors.

The system mechanic is the most directly imitable element of Solo Leveling: the stat window, the skill acquisition, the visible gap between where Jinwoo starts and what he becomes.

SSS-Class Revival Hunter (Tapas). In Tapas' summary, Confucius Kim (Kim Gong-ja on AniList) lives "a mundane existence, envying all the star hunters" until he gets a legendary skill "to copy others' abilities… at the cost of his life." Killed by the #1 hunter, the Flame Emperor, he copies the ability "to travel back in time upon death." Every power he holds is one he died for. Tapas lists 154 episodes, and its February 27, 2026 notice says Season 4 "has come to a close" before a break ahead of Season 5. A TV anime from Studio fu is set for January 2027 on Crunchyroll. Pick it if the cleverness of Jinwoo's power loop was the hook; skip it if you want Solo Leveling's straight face, because the comedy here is drier and stranger. Buy the volumes at Better World Books

What it replaces from Solo Leveling: the power-acquisition loop. Jinwoo's system grows him through tasks and grinding; Kim's skill grows him through deliberate deaths to specific enemies. Both end with a protagonist holding an implausible range of abilities from what started as one weak trait.

SSS-Class Revival Hunter by Bill K, Neida and Sinnoa. Cover via AniList.

Second Life Ranker (Tapas). Yeonwoo's brother disappeared years ago; after learning of his death, Yeonwoo is given a pocket watch and finds out his brother "was betrayed while competing in the Tower of the Sun God." He climbs the same tower with "the knowledge his brother left behind," aiming to defeat his brother's enemies. Tapas lists 219 episodes and an April 10, 2026 notice that Season 3 has ended before a break ahead of Season 4. If the revenge undercurrent of Solo Leveling's early arcs was part of the appeal, Second Life Ranker makes it the whole engine.

What it replaces from Solo Leveling: the tower structure and the revenge motive. Each floor works like a gate rank: a contained threat that Yeonwoo outpaces through preparation as much as raw power.

Second Life Ranker by Nongnong and Sadoyeon. Cover via AniList.

The Tutorial Is Too Tough! (often searched as The Tutorial Is Too Hard; Tapas). Former pro gamer Lee Hojae is invited to "the tutorial world," confidently picks "Hell" difficulty, then learns he is trapped there "with a mere 0.01% survival rate." Tapas lists 273 episodes, but a September 29, 2026 notice says the English edition is entering a hiatus "due to a production review of the title's localization schedule." Worth starting if you want growth that's earned through suffering rather than a lucky awakening, as long as the pause doesn't bother you.

For a longer list that covers the system-fantasy genre with status tracking for each series.

Best Action Manhwa 2026 →

If the dungeon or tower structure is what you want

If the dungeon rooms and escalating floors were the hook, choose Level Up with the Gods, The Return of the Disaster-Class Hero, Tomb Raider King or I'm the Max-Level Newbie. Each turns progression into a run of contained challenges, but the advantage differs: a second attempt, 20 years of pent-up strength, foreknowledge of the tombs, or a game the hero has already beaten.

Solo Leveling's dungeons are a specific kind of escalation: a contained threat, rising in difficulty, with the protagonist's growth measured against each one. These series borrow that architecture.

Level Up with the Gods (also searched as Leveling with the Gods; Tapas). Yuwon Kim, "a plucky, high-ranking warrior," loses badly and becomes "a returnee," starting "back from where he began," relearning his skills "before taking on the tower once again." Tapas lists 169 episodes, Friday updates, and a June 26, 2026 notice that Season 3 has closed before a break ahead of Season 4. The appeal is a hero who already knows how strong the tower's top can be. It's the best pure tower match here; we'd start it now only if you're fine catching up to a wait. Buy the volumes at Better World Books

The Return of the Disaster-Class Hero (Tapas and WEBTOON; REDICE STUDIO). The zodiac gods awakened 12 humans as saints, but "one more" awoke "unchosen but the greatest hero of all: Geon Lee." His allies betrayed him, and "20 years later, he's more powerful than ever." WEBTOON's summary adds that he was trapped inside the Tower of Demons. Tapas still lists Sunday updates, but nothing new has appeared there since September 27; WEBTOON's English page launched on October 25, 2025 and keeps most episodes in the app. GlobalComix has also announced it is adding the series this fall, per Anime News Network. Pick it if you want Jinwoo's late-series power fantasy from page one; skip it if the weak-to-strong climb is what you came for. Our Return of the Disaster-Class Hero review covers whether the already-strong premise holds up.

Tomb Raider King (Tappytoon). Tombs appear across the world, each holding "a relic which grants its owner supernatural abilities." Excavator Jooheon Suh is betrayed by his employer and sent "15 years in the past, before any relics or tombs made their debut," so he knows where every relic is before anyone else. The relic hunt does the job Solo Leveling's shadow collection does: every new piece makes him visibly stronger. It finished at 411 chapters in March 2023, and Tappytoon marks it completed. The Tomb Raider King anime aired in Japan from July 9 to September 30, 2026, and Crunchyroll streams it. Our first pick for most readers, for the reasons at the top. Buy the volumes at Better World Books

Tomb Raider King by 3B2S, Yuns (REDICE STUDIO) and SAN.G. Cover via AniList.

I'm the Max-Level Newbie (WEBTOON; REDICE STUDIO). Jinhyeok is "the only person who has cleared the game, [Tower of Trials]," and is about to end an "11-year-long relationship with the game" when the tower "appears in reality" with a warning that humanity will perish unless players clear each floor "within 90 days." The inverted Solo Leveling setup: the lead starts at the ceiling instead of the floor. Pick it if you'd rather watch an expert than an underdog. The English web page shows only the opening episodes and sends readers to the app; the French WEBTOON edition reached Ep.263 (#264) on October 12, 2026. Our I'm the Max-Level Newbie review covers how the premise keeps its stakes.

If the protagonist arc is what you want

For the weakest-to-strongest emotional rhythm, The Beginning After the End is the longest and slowest option, while Nano Machine gives an interface-driven rise in a martial-arts setting. Both differ from Jinwoo's hunter world, but they keep the satisfaction of watching a protagonist outgrow every expectation.

The underdog-to-unstoppable arc is the third major draw. Jinwoo's trajectory is satisfying in a way that has more to do with structure than mechanics.

The Beginning After the End (Tapas). King Grey "has unrivaled strength, wealth, and prestige in a world governed by martial ability," but lives in solitude; "reincarnated into a new world filled with magic and monsters," he gets "a second chance to relive his life." The early chapters are his childhood, and they're slow: skip this one if you need a fight in the first ten episodes. The weekly Thursday run on Tapas stopped after Episode 259 on October 29, 2026; Tapas calls it a hiatus and says its length "is still to be determined." The anime is a quick preview: Season 1 aired April 3 to June 19, 2025 and Season 2 ran April 1 to June 24, 2026, both from studio A-CAT, with Season 2 on Crunchyroll. Buy the volumes at Better World Books

What it replaces from Solo Leveling: the long protagonist arc, in the version where the hero is already extraordinary and becomes more. Jinwoo's arc runs from the weakest to the strongest; Arthur's runs from former king to something greater. The emotional shape is the same; TBATE stretches it across a larger world and a slower burn.

Nano Machine (WEBTOON). In WEBTOON's summary, "nanotechnology meets martial arts at the Mashin Academy": Yeo-un's mother is not one of the high priest's six official wives, but his father's blood still qualifies him to compete for minor priest, helped by "a mysterious nanomachine injection from a future descendent." The genre blend of martial arts and a sci-fi interface shouldn't work as well as it does. The English WEBTOON page updates Wednesdays and shows its first five episodes on the web, with the rest in the app.

Nano Machine by Great H, GGBG and Hanjung Wolya. Cover via AniList.

Want a complete look at isekai manhwa with power arcs that go the distance?

Best Isekai Manhwa Ranked →

Murim manhwa similar to Solo Leveling

Murim alternatives replace gates and hunters with sects and martial-arts hierarchies. Return of the Blossoming Blade is the traditional martial-arts climb; Log-in Murim is the closest hybrid because it starts in a modern hunter world. Nano Machine sits between both by putting a literal interface inside a sect succession story.

The murim subgenre, Korean martial-arts fiction set among sects and schools, shares Solo Leveling's core loop: a protagonist starts at the bottom, trains obsessively, and the power gap widens toward the implausible.

Return of the Blossoming Blade (also searched as Return of the Mount Hua Sect; WEBTOON). Cheongmyeong of the Mount Hua Sect "awakens a hundred years in the future," his last memory a battle against "the evil Cheonma," and finds his sect "reduced to a mere shadow of itself." He sets out to restore it. After a one-week break with a "will return!" note, WEBTOON posted (S3) Episode 180 on October 27, 2026, so the English release is running again. Readers who want Solo Leveling's power ceiling expressed through swordsmanship rather than dungeons will find this the closest match outside the gate-hunter genre.

Log-in Murim (also searched as Murim Login; Tapas and KakaoPage). In a world that defeated its monster invasion and turned fighters into "hunters," Taekyung Jin, "a struggling, low-ranked hunter," logs into a game "on a beat-up VR console" and can't log out. KakaoPage's February 6, 2026 notice says the Korean run ended Season 3 at episode 250 and will return with Season 4, and KENAZ's October 21, 2026 notice sets that return for November 7 (22:00 KST on November 6), with episodes 251 and 252 at once and then one episode every Saturday. Tapas lists 117 English episodes and an April 24, 2026 notice that Season 1 has ended before a break. It's the most direct pick if you want Solo Leveling's modern framing with martial-arts training as the growth engine. Our Murim Login Season 4 tracker follows the Korean return.

Manhwa like Solo Leveling with system windows and stats

If the stat panel is the non-negotiable feature, start with My S-Class Hunters, The Player Who Can't Level Up or Gourmet Gaming. These series put rules and numbers on screen, but not all turn the hero into a solitary fighter. Some update weekly; others are between seasons.

The status window is one of Solo Leveling's most imitated elements: a visible interface that tracks growth and treats the protagonist like a game character.

My S-Class Hunters (official English title; also known as The S-Classes That I Raised). Yoojin "is an F-ranker overshadowed by his little brother, an S-ranker." When a dungeon raid goes wrong and "costs Yoojin his brother's life," he uses the wish granted for clearing the dungeon "to reset his timeline." The tone is lighter and the protagonist is a raiser of hunters rather than a front-line fighter, so pick it for the hunter-world rules, not for solo fights. Season 2 is running on WEBTOON with Tuesday updates.

The Player Who Can't Level Up (Tapas). Kim Kigyu becomes a unique-ability player but "just can't seem to get past level 1." After "five years of working as a guide on the lower floors of the tower," he discovers he can link with "egos" and raise his stats. The stagnation-then-breakthrough shape is the closest emotional match to Jinwoo's early arc. Tapas lists 220 episodes and a June 10, 2026 notice that Season 4 has ended before a break ahead of Season 5.

Gourmet Gaming (AniList also lists it as Leveling Up, by Only Eating!; Tapas). Kang Minhyuk has a rare disorder that makes it impossible to stop eating, and his doctor prescribes Athenae, "a VR game where one can eat as much as they want." Inside, "all food tastes real, but earning it is no cakewalk." It's lighter than everything else here, but it's a game-system story with a closed ending: Tapas marks it completed at 208 episodes. Our best cooking manhwa list covers it alongside other food stories.

If the art quality was the draw

If DUBU's art is what you miss, Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint is the strongest visual follow-up, while Eleceed offers polished action with a warmer cast. Neither copies Solo Leveling's shadow-army staging. What they share is production confidence: clear motion, readable powers, and pages that make escalation feel expensive.

This is the category where most lists fail the reader. DUBU's illustration is not a genre feature; it's one artist's work. Only a few series are in the same visual tier.

Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint (WEBTOON, as Omniscient Reader). Dokja is "an average office worker whose sole interest was reading his favorite web novel 'Three Ways to Survive the Apocalypse.'" When the novel becomes reality, "he is the only person who knows how the world will end." The series uses that for irony rather than power accumulation, since knowing the ending doesn't mean surviving it. The webtoon is credited to singNsong (original), UMI (adaptation) and Sleepy-C (art). The English edition reached Episode 308 on June 1, 2026, and WEBTOON shows an "Omniscient Reader will return!" note during the break. A TV anime co-produced by Aniplex and Crunchyroll was announced at Anime Expo 2024 and still has no premiere date. Our ORV anime tracker follows the date, and the ORV reading guide explains whether to start with the manhwa or the novel. Buy the volumes at Better World Books

What it replaces from Solo Leveling: the production scale and the singular protagonist. Jinwoo outgrows the category other hunters occupy; Dokja is isolated by knowledge instead of power. If the draw was reading something that looked and moved better than most manhwa, ORV is the next step.

Omniscient Reader by Sleepy-C, UMI and singNsong. Cover via AniList.

Eleceed (WEBTOON). Contemporary setting, lighter tone, no isekai. Jiwoo "is a kind-hearted young man who harnesses the lightning quick reflexes of a cat," and Kayden is "a secret agent on the run" stuck in the body of "a decidedly fat old fluffy cat." The premise sounds like comedy, and the series is often funny, but the fight choreography is clean. It updates on WEBTOON every Tuesday, credited to Jeho Son and ZHENA. Read this if the draw was execution quality and you're willing to drop the wish-fulfillment frame.

If you need an ending: the finished picks on this list

If you need a fully finished replacement, the shortlist is short. Solo Leveling, Tomb Raider King, Gourmet Gaming and The God of High School are finished runs. SSS-Class Revival Hunter and Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint have natural pause points, but their manhwa are not complete. Treat a seasonal break as a pause, not an ending.

Solo Leveling itself: the main story ended with chapter 179 on December 29, 2021, and AniList counts 201 chapters through May 2023, side stories included. If you stopped at chapter 179, the epilogue material is still there to read.

Tomb Raider King: finished at 411 chapters, with the anime as a compact preview. The closest finished match for the regression-plus-collection loop.

Gourmet Gaming: completed at 208 Tapas episodes. A lighter game-system story that you can finish.

The God of High School: finished at 569 chapters on AniList. It's tournament action rather than system fantasy, and MAPPA's 13-episode anime (July to September 2020) is a quick way to test it. See our God of High School review.

The honest gap in this genre: system-fantasy manhwa at Solo Leveling's scale tend to run for years. The list above is the realistic set from this page for readers who need an ending before they start. For eight finished series picked for the climb rather than the status window, see our completed manhwa like Solo Leveling list.

If you started with the anime

If the anime is your entry point, the manhwa is the way to see the rest of the story: both TV seasons are out (12 and 13 episodes), and the next announced project is the Beyond the System film. The recommendations here are for after you've caught up, not substitutes for finishing Solo Leveling.

A-1 Pictures' adaptation brought a wave of new readers into manhwa. For what to watch or read next, the picks on this list break down by anime availability:

• The God of High School: MAPPA anime, 13 episodes, July to September 2020. Watch it first if you want a finished anime before committing to the 569-chapter manhwa.
• Tomb Raider King: 12 episodes, aired in Japan July to September 2026, streaming on Crunchyroll with an English dub.
• The Beginning After the End: Season 2 aired April to June 2026 on Crunchyroll, after Season 1 in spring 2025.
• SSS-Class Revival Hunter: TV anime from Studio fu in January 2027, on Crunchyroll.
• Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint: announced in July 2024, no confirmed premiere date yet.

Our Take: what to read after Solo Leveling

The awkward truth about this genre in October 2026: the three closest structural matches are all paused in English, which is why Tomb Raider King tops our list despite being a looser fit than SSS-Class Revival Hunter. Readers do lump these together. In an r/manhwa thread about the Overgeared anime, a commenter wrote that "People say solo leveling, overgeared and tomb raider king are all the same type of manhwas," then added, "But at least solo leveling had a clear and proper end." That's the right expectation: Tomb Raider King is a long run, not Solo Leveling's tight finish. If you want something updating every week, Eleceed, My S-Class Hunters and Return of the Blossoming Blade all posted a new English episode on WEBTOON in the last week of October 2026.

Related Reading

• Best Action Manhwa 2026 →
• Completed manhwa like Solo Leveling: eight finished series only, for readers who want an ending before they start.
• Tomb Raider King anime episode guide: the anime of one of the picks on this list, with season 2 status.
• Best Isekai Manhwa Ranked →
• Solo Leveling reading order →: novel, manhwa and anime in sequence, if you haven't finished the original yet.
• Solo Leveling review →: where the original underperforms, and why the side stories matter.
• Solo Leveling Reading Guide: the arc-by-arc breakdown with chapter ranges.
• Solo Leveling: Ragnarok review →: the sequel following Jinwoo's son Suho, and whether it is worth reading.
• SSS-Class Revival Hunter review →: the death-copy pick, with arc breakdown and rating.
• SSS-Class Revival Hunter reading guide →: where the death-copy mechanic gets strange.
• Second Life Ranker review →: the 219-episode English run, Season 3 break, and best entry point explained.
• Best Hunter Manhwa 2026: a stricter rank-and-association list for readers who want the hunter system itself to matter.
• Manhwa like ORV →: what to read after one of the picks here.
• Player Who Can't Level Up Review: the stuck-at-level-1 hook taken to its logical extreme.
• Dungeon Odyssey Review: 8/10 Dungeon-Lord Fantasy Manhwa
• Best Cooking Manhwa: 9 Korean Food Stories to Read: a focused list that includes Gourmet Gaming.
• 100th Regression of the Max-Level Player Review: 7.5/10

How We Checked This

We checked every status, count, date and premise on October 13, 2026 against the official Tapas, Tappytoon, WEBTOON and KakaoPage pages, AniList, Wikipedia (broadcast dates) and Crunchyroll, one quoted row per fact in our sources table. That pass corrected several premises (Second Life Ranker's pocket watch, the Tutorial hero's confident Hell pick, Eleceed's hero being Jiwoo, Solo Leveling's English platforms) and removed claims we couldn't source. On October 21 we re-opened every Tapas and WEBTOON page in the quick-reference table: Return of the Blossoming Blade went on a break, Disaster-Class Hero's Tapas run hasn't moved since September 27, and four counts moved forward.

Last reviewed: October 21, 2026

References

• Solo Leveling on Tappytoon
• Solo Leveling (Wikipedia)
• SSS-Class Revival Hunter on Tapas
• Second Life Ranker on Tapas
• The Tutorial Is Too Tough! on Tapas
• Level Up with the Gods on Tapas
• The Return of the Disaster-Class Hero on Tapas
• Tomb Raider King on Tappytoon
• The Beginning After the End on Tapas
• Nano Machine on WEBTOON
• Omniscient Reader on WEBTOON
• Eleceed on WEBTOON
• Return of the Blossoming Blade on WEBTOON
• Murim Login notice on KakaoPage
• Log-in Murim on Tapas
• I'm the Max-Level Newbie on WEBTOON
• My S-Class Hunters on WEBTOON
• The Player Who Can't Level Up on Tapas
• Gourmet Gaming on Tapas