This Noblesse reading guide starts with the simple part: read it on WEBTOON from Episode 1, and use the app once the website runs out. Noblesse is finished. Son Jeho (story) and Lee Kwangsu (art) ran it on Naver Webtoon from December 30, 2007 to January 7, 2019, and it was among the first webtoons to get an official English translation when Line Webtoon launched in July 2014.
Reviewing
Noblesse
Noblesse, Korean Season 1 volume 1. Image via AniList.
What Noblesse is about
WEBTOON's blurb is short: "Rai wakes up from an 820-year-long sleep and starts his new life as a student in a high school founded by his loyal servant, Frankenstein." The peace doesn't last; his human classmates are soon targeted by a secret organization called the Union. Rai, full name Cadis Etrama di Raizel, is the Noblesse, the protector of the Nobles, an ancient race living apart from humans.
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The early chapters split time between action and school comedy, much of it about Rai working out modern life. As the cast grows, so do the Union's experiments, the Noble politics, and the fights.
Rai in Noblesse banner art. Image via AniList.
Noblesse reading guide: chapters and where to read
AniList counts 544 chapters. Naver's own list has 545 entries, the last of them an epilogue. The early chapters are much shorter than the later ones, so the count looks scarier than it reads.
Noblesse on WEBTOON is the official English edition, marked completed. On the website, the list stops at Episode 50 under a "Read more episodes on the app!" banner (checked October 21, 2026). Past that, you read in the WEBTOON app.
For our verdict on the full run, read the Noblesse review.
Does the long middle drag?
For some readers, yes. In an r/manhwa thread asking for thoughts on the series, one reader wrote that it "was really good, but for like first 200 chapters (Vampire kingdom invasion arc), after that it repeats so much that I dropped it 3 times." The more common verdict is gentler. Asked whether Noblesse is still worth reading, another answered: "read it, trust me its really good, get a bit repetitive later but still reaallllyy good."
So plan for it. Read the early school chapters straight through, since they're short and quick. When the fights start to feel familiar, switch to shorter sessions instead of quitting; the series does reach a real ending.
How the anime fits in
There are three animated versions, and none of them covers the whole story:
| Version | Released | What it covers |
|---|---|---|
| Noblesse: Beginning of Destruction (Studio Animal) | DVD, December 4, 2015 | A 37-minute Korean OVA |
| Noblesse: Awakening (Production I.G) | Crunchyroll and YouTube, February 4, 2016 | A 31-minute ONA condensing the first volume, with minor changes |
| Noblesse (Production I.G, 13 episodes) | Crunchyroll, October 7 to December 30, 2020 | Picks up right after Awakening, from the second volume |
If you want to watch first, start with Awakening, then the series. Expect the show to feel thin next to the webtoon. One r/noblesse reader who'd just finished the show said "The OVA is very good, it's the prequel to the actual story in the Manhwa. The anime series is extremely disappointing. They rushed everything."
The official trailer for the 2020 series, from Crunchyroll's YouTube channel.
For who's who among the Nobles, the Union and the modified humans, see the Noblesse character guide.
Step-by-Step
Here's how to read Noblesse manhwa from start to finish:
1. Start at Episode 1 on WEBTOON. No prequel needed. The first 50 episodes are on the website.
2. Move to the WEBTOON app after Episode 50. That's where the rest of the English run lives.
3. Read the short early chapters in big batches. They go fast, and they set up the cast you'll care about later.
4. Slow down, don't stop, in the long middle. If the fights start feeling familiar, read in shorter sessions.
5. Watch the anime afterwards, Awakening first. It's a bonus, not a substitute.
Our Take
Noblesse is worth reading for the same reason it got so many people into webtoons in the first place: Rai and Frankenstein are great company, and the ending is a real ending. Go in knowing the middle repeats itself, read it in shorter sessions, and don't let the anime stand in for the story.
How We Checked This
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On October 21, 2026 we opened Noblesse's WEBTOON page (blurb, status, the app notice), pulled Naver's episode list for the start and end dates and the entry count, checked AniList for the chapter count, creators and the three animated adaptations, and read Wikipedia's anime section for dates, studios and what each version covers. The trailer is from Crunchyroll's official channel. This pass removed a percentage and a chapter range for how much of the story the 2020 anime covers, the chapter ranges for five arcs, and a reading-time estimate, none of which we could source. Reader quotes come from linked r/manhwa and r/noblesse threads; we haven't claimed any reading of our own.
Last reviewed: October 21, 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
How many chapters does Noblesse have?
AniList counts 544 chapters. Naver's Korean list has 545 entries, ending with an epilogue on January 7, 2019. Either way the series is finished.
Does the Noblesse anime cover the whole story?
No. The 2016 ONA Noblesse: Awakening condenses the first volume, and the 13-episode 2020 TV series picks up from the second volume. Together they adapt only the opening of a story Wikipedia lists at 25 volumes, so the webtoon is the way to get all of it.
Where can I read Noblesse in English?
On WEBTOON. As of October 21, 2026 the website lists episodes up to Episode 50 and sends readers to the WEBTOON app for the rest.
Related Reading
- Noblesse Review: our verdict on the full run.
- Noblesse Character Guide: the Nobles, the Union and the RK team, explained.
- Manhwa Like Noblesse: calm, overpowered leads in series that came after.
- Unholy Blood Review: a much shorter finished WEBTOON with a vampire lead.
