The Breaker Reading Guide: 275 Chapters, Three Arcs

The Breaker reading guide starts with the thing that confuses most new readers: the series has three titles, three separate publication entries, and one continuous story. Part 1 (72 chapters), New Waves (203 chapters), Eternal Force (ongoing). Two of those are already finished. You can read 275 chapters right now without waiting for updates.

TL;DR: The Breaker reading guide -- 72 chapters (Part 1, complete), 203 chapters (New Waves, complete), Eternal Force ongoing. Story by Jeon Geuk-jin, art by Park Jin-hwan. Read in publication order. The chapter 72 transition is a real shift in scope; knowing it's coming makes it easier to adjust. English print through Ablaze; digital availability varies.

Key Takeaways

• The Breaker (Part 1): 72 chapters, completed; story and cast focused
• The Breaker: New Waves: 203 chapters, completed; ensemble expands significantly
• The Breaker: Eternal Force: ongoing, chapter count rising
• Total bingeable right now: 275 chapters of finished story
• Story/Art: Jeon Geuk-jin (story), Park Jin-hwan (art)
• English: Ablaze print volumes; digital availability varies by region
• Not suitable as a first murim read -- assumes genre familiarity from chapter 1

The Breaker reading guide: three parts, one continuous story

The naming situation catches readers off guard. Searching "The Breaker manhwa" returns three separate AniList entries, three different chapter counts, and sometimes the impression that these are separate series with overlapping names. They're not.

The three parts are sequential arcs of a single ongoing story. The Breaker (Part 1) introduces Shi-Woon Yi and Chun-Woo Han and runs 72 chapters. When it ends, the story continues immediately in New Waves. When New Waves ends at chapter 203, Eternal Force begins. The protagonist is the same. The world is the same. The events flow directly from one arc to the next without a time jump or continuity reset.

They're published separately because each arc marks a different phase of Shi-Woon's position in the murim world. Part 1 is entry: outsider, uninitiated, still being evaluated. New Waves is navigation: a figure other factions now have to take seriously, with the politics that come with that. Eternal Force picks up with him as an established player dealing with what the first 275 chapters set in motion.

For the full critical breakdown of the series, the The Breaker review covers all three parts at 8.0/10.

The Breaker by Jeon Geuk-jin and Park Jin-hwan -- 275 completed chapters available now.

The Breaker reading guide: reading order, Part 1 first

Do not start with New Waves. Do not start with Eternal Force.

The story assumes you've read what came before. New Waves opens with the aftermath of Part 1's ending. Characters reference events and relationships established across 72 chapters of setup. Eternal Force does the same for New Waves. Starting anywhere but the beginning means reading callbacks you don't have context for and being introduced to characters who already carry emotional weight you haven't earned yet.

The correct order is: The Breaker (Part 1) -- The Breaker: New Waves -- The Breaker: Eternal Force.

On AniList, Part 1 is listed separately from New Waves. Some platforms link them, some don't. If you're tracking your reading on AniList or searching for chapters, search for each title individually.

For context on where The Breaker fits in the broader murim genre:

Best Murim Manhwa 2026 →

What to expect from Part 1 (72 chapters)

Part 1 is the tightest of the three arcs. The scope is deliberately narrow: one protagonist, one master-student relationship, one introduced conflict. Shi-Woon is a high school student who discovers his teacher is the Nine Arts Dragon, a top-tier martial artist from the hidden murim world. What follows isn't the standard "student goes on an adventure" setup. Chun-Woo has reasons he can't afford to get attached to a student. Shi-Woon has reasons he can't afford not to push for instruction. The dynamic is genuinely complicated before it becomes anything else.

The murim world is introduced gradually across these 72 chapters. Factions, hierarchies, rival schools -- the structural elements that murim manhwa is built around -- are present but don't overwhelm the early material. You understand the world through what Shi-Woon encounters, not through extended exposition about how it works.

The fight craft is immediate. Park Jin-hwan's art gives each ki technique a distinct visual signature from the first time it appears. You don't need the technique name to recognize what you're looking at by chapter 20. That visual language -- technique-on-sight recognition -- is part of what made The Breaker a reference point for the murim genre. It's there from the first fight.

Part 1 ends with a real conclusion. Not a cliffhanger that forces New Waves. A payoff to what was built across 72 chapters that changes the situation in a way that makes the next arc's premise make sense.

What changes at chapter 72: New Waves

New Waves is a different kind of story. It runs 203 chapters -- nearly three times Part 1's length -- and it uses that space to expand the cast and political landscape in ways Part 1 kept off-screen.

Shi-Woon is no longer an outsider trying to understand the murim world. He's navigating it as a known figure, which means other factions have opinions about him, rival characters have their own agendas, and secondary characters get arcs that don't route back through him. The master-student focus that made Part 1 work shifts. Chun-Woo is still present, but the dynamic between them is different after how Part 1 ends.

The split on New Waves is real: Part 1 readers who wanted more of what those 72 chapters were doing will find the ensemble expansion frustrating. Readers who wanted the murim world to get complicated finally have it. Both reactions make sense.

The honest read: the first third of New Waves (roughly chapters 73-120) feels looser than Part 1 because threads are being set up that won't pay off until later. Don't stop here. The threads that seem unconnected in chapter 100 have pulled together by chapter 150. The second half of New Waves is better-constructed than the first third, and the ending is a real conclusion.

Don't stop at chapter 100 because the scope feels unwieldy. Finish the arc. The payoffs are distributed across the ensemble, but they're there.

For another murim series with multiple complete arcs that require patience with the expanded cast:

Nano Machine Reading Guide →

Eternal Force: where the series stands now

Eternal Force is the ongoing third arc. The AniList community score sits at 70/100 -- lower than Part 1 (80) and New Waves (81) -- and the main criticisms are a slower opening and some changes in scope from what New Waves established.

If you've finished Part 1 and New Waves and want to know what happens next, Eternal Force is worth continuing. The fight craft is consistent. The premise -- Shi-Woon dealing with who he's become after 275 chapters -- still has somewhere to go.

If you're new: finish the first two arcs first. The quality drop is real (the AniList gap between 80-81 and 70 isn't noise), and starting on an incomplete arc is a bad entry point to a series that earns its weight through accumulated setup. The 275 finished chapters are the argument for The Breaker. Eternal Force is what happens after you've already decided you like it.

Where to read The Breaker in English

Official English: Ablaze print volumes. Ablaze has published the series in English, covering Part 1 and New Waves. Physical volumes are available through major retailers. Digital English availability from Ablaze varies -- check their current catalog at their website, as availability changes.

Korean original: Naver Webtoon. The complete run, including Eternal Force updates, is on Naver.

Community reading lists: AniList series pages for each arc link to reading options. These change more frequently than official distributor pages and reflect current actual availability.

The digital situation for older manhwa is messier than for current WEBTOON originals. Platform licensing for series that predate the current distribution system is inconsistent. If you can't find a legal digital option, the print volumes are the confirmed official path.

Related Reading

• The Breaker Review: full critical assessment at 8.0/10 -- Part 1 vs New Waves breakdown, art analysis, and where Eternal Force fits
• Best Murim Manhwa 2026: where The Breaker sits in the genre relative to current titles
• Nano Machine Reading Guide: another complete murim run; better first entry for readers new to the genre
• Doom Breaker Reading Guide: regression mechanic with murim elements; shares the action density

Frequently Asked Questions

Is The Breaker completed? Parts 1 and New Waves are complete: 72 + 203 = 275 chapters. Eternal Force is ongoing.

What order to read? Part 1, then New Waves, then Eternal Force. Publication order. Don't start mid-series.

How many chapters total? 275 completed chapters (Part 1 + New Waves). Eternal Force adds more as it updates.

Where to read in English? Ablaze print volumes officially. Digital English availability varies -- check Ablaze's current catalog or AniList for updated reading links.

Is New Waves a sequel or continuation? A direct continuation. Same protagonist, same world, story picks up immediately. The title change is structural, not a reboot.

Is Eternal Force worth it? For readers who've finished the first two arcs: yes, if you want to see what happens next. For new readers: start with Part 1 and New Waves first. Don't touch Eternal Force until you've read the finished material.

Is it good for first-time murim readers? Better suited for readers who've read one murim title already. The genre conventions are assumed from chapter 1.

References

• The Breaker on AniList: Part 1 series metadata and community score
• The Breaker: New Waves on AniList: New Waves chapter count and score
• The Breaker: Eternal Force on AniList: current status and ongoing chapter count
• The Breaker via Ablaze: official English print publisher