Are you getting tired of the same old mainstream shonen manga narrative? Don’t take this the wrong way, My Hero Academia, Naruto, and Bleach are all top-class anime with excellent main protagonists.
But once you’ve seen them, all the stereotypical shounen stories can get dry and predictable. Manga like solo leveling, on the other hand, is a non-stop hype journey.
What Is Manga?
Manga are comic books or graphic novels from Japan. They usually follow a distinct cartoon style developed in the 19th century. In Japan itself, the word just refers to comics and cartoons, but for the rest of the world, they are comics and cartoons made in Japan. Here are the 5 major genres of manga:
• Shôjo Manga (For girls under 18) and Josei Manga (For girls over 18)
• Shounen (Action & Adventure)
• Seinen Manga (Violence & Psychological Thrillers)
• Kodomomuke Manga (For Kids)
The world of manga is vast and complex, offering something for everyone. It has turned into a popular gateway to Japanese culture in the west.
What is Solo Leveling?
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Solo Leveling is an adaptation of a South Korean web novel of the same name written by Chugong. In 2016, it was serialized on KakaoPage, the digital comic and fiction platform of Kakao, with illustrations by Jang Sung-rak. Later that same year, D&C Media’s fantasy fiction label Papyrus officially published Solo Leveling.
Plot
Ten years ago, “the gates” appeared that connected the real world to the magical realm of monsters. This phenomenon also resulted in the human race gaining superhuman powers through a process called “the awakening,” helping them protect the human race.
Sung-Jin Woo is an E-class hunter, the weakest of them all. But in a mission gone terribly wrong, Sung-Jin Woo believes he’s been abandoned to become monster fodder and accepts his fate.
Three days later, however, he wakes up in a hospital with a mysterious screen hovering in front of him that shows his stats, store, inventory, levels, and a bunch of quests he must complete.
In this seemingly typical “zero to hero” story, we follow our protagonist face unbeatable odds as he keeps leveling up in strength by completing the quests on his screen.
Manga Like Solo Leveling
Solo Leveling can be described as the avant-garde of shounen manga. There aren’t many like them. If you like unpredictable but action-packed stories, you will no doubt also enjoy these:
#1. Attack on Titan
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If you’re a sucker for dark, sadistic themes and unruly complicated protagonists, Attack on Titan is arguably one of the heaviest reads and is still under progress.
Story
All of humanity is trapped within 3 concentric circles of ginormous walls to keep the titans away. Titans are human-like giants with an endless appetite for human flesh. The only reason humanity has survived is because of the impenetrable walls.
Eren Yaeger, the protagonist, is an aggressive, hot-headed kid who wants to avenge his mother’s death from a titan invasion 3 years ago. Eren wants to slaughter all the titans, free humanity from the bounds of the walls and see the snowy mountains, deserts, and oceans that are rumored to exist far beyond the walls.
Similarity to Solo Leveling
Much like Sung-Jin Woo, Eren also starts off powerless. But his character’s transformation in conjunction with the story world making a 180 makes for a plot-twist marathon each season.
#2. One-Punch Man
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One Punch Man is basically a parody of every shounen ever made. It draws ideas from all of the worst clichés of anime with powers, power levels, protagonists, or villain archetypes made over time and combines them to create a hilarious satirical epic, essentially mocking the entire enterprise of shounen.
Story
Saitama is part of the Hero Association created to fight the monsters and villains on supercontinent Earth. Saitama’s power far exceeds even the topmost ranked heroes of his universe — he can eliminate any opponent with just a single punch.
What makes one punch man so hysterical is that there are countless characters with actual tragic backstories, years of training far more intense and longer than Saitama but when compared to him are like a house of cards against the wind.
Similarity to Solo Leveling
Both One Punch man and Solo Leveling have protagonists who go from regular humans to tremendously powerful beings. If you keep the tones of the two manga aside, the world-building is also quite similar.
#3. Berserk
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Berserk is an equally shady and dark story as Solo Leveling. This is a really well-done revenge story that will keep you on edge.
Story
Set in medieval Europe, in this dark fantasy world, we follow the story of Guts, a lone mercenary and swordsman who joins a mercenary band called the “band of hawks.” Driven by a thirst for revenge, Guts struggles against grotesque monsters while constantly grappling with a strange power called the Godhand.
Similarity to Solo Leveling
Guts’ greatest exploits as well as his background are a lot like Sung-Jin Woo’s, although his temperament is the polar opposite. He’s a furious monster-hunting mercenary who turns his rage into power.
#4. Hunter X Hunter
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Speaking of professional hunters, Hunter X Hunter is another manga that simply cannot be missed.
Story
The story is set in a universe where human beings have an ability called nen that can be used both offensively and defensively. Each character’s nen abilities are distinct.
Gon and his best friend Killua try to gain power and find Gon’s missing father by developing their nen abilities. But to become a Hunter, Gon has to pass the Hunter Examination.
Similarity to Solo Leveling
Just like Sung-Jin, Gon has to struggle and overcome increasingly dangerous tasks to prove his worth and become a great hunter.
#5. Tomb Raider King
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With spectacular art style and visuals, you’ll be hooked to this manga in no time.
Story
The Tombs of God suddenly appeared in several places on Earth. There are ancient relics contained within these tombs that grant people extraordinary powers. Those who can steal these artifacts, known as tomb raiders, can become all-powerful!
But then a revived tomb raider appears who wants to steal all the relics and tombs for himself. Jooheon Suh, the Tomb Raider King, is fueled by revenge when he found himself at the doors of death and flung 15 years in the past when there were no tombs or relics.
Similarity to Solo Leveling
The comparisons between Solo Leveling and Tomb Raider King are unavoidable. Like Sung-Jin in Solo Leveling, Jooheon is also a lone wolf. Both characters also have inside knowledge about their tasks that no one else knows about. Besides, there’s also the unexplained phenomenon of mysterious tombs and gates creating portals.
#6. The Gamer
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Did you ever wish you could level up your life? Jee-Han can!
Story
Jee-Han, an average high school student, is a hardcore gamer. One day, he suddenly develops a unique power that turns his entire world game-like. He can superimpose RPG features in the real world!
Jee-Han can see people’s power levels, the stats of regular items, gain new abilities, and level up! Mundane chores like going to the grocery store turn into fun quests that let him earn experience points.
But what starts as fun soon turns into a game of life and death as Jee-Han realizes there are monsters he must kill, gain more skills, and there are even others like him!
Similarity to Solo Leveling
Much like Solo Leveling, our lead protagonist’s life has become gamified. And like Sung-Jin, Jee-Han has to fight to get to the top of his game.
#7. Second Life Ranker
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A story of revenge and justice, Second Life Ranker will keep you on the edge of your seat.
Story
Five years back, Yeon-woo’s twin brother vanished into thin air. As Yeon-woo continues to struggle with the loss of his brother, one day, he stumbles upon a pocket watch that belonged to his brother. Inside it, he finds a hidden diary with a record of his brother’s life.
Through this pocket watch, Yeon-woo learns about what happened to his brother while he was in the Tower of the Sun God. As his brother tried to climb the Tower, he was betrayed.
This truth urges Yeon-woo to climb the tower himself by using the information that his brother left behind in his diary. Can he defeat his brother’s enemies?
Similarity to Solo Leveling
This manga is as action-packed as Solo Leveling, with a similarly vibrant art style and an engaging storyline.
A Few Parting Words
Solo Leveling has almost turned into a niche that many prominent shounen manga writers are beginning to catch up to.
After all, the Narutos and Gokus have been written over and over again, it’s time for something new. And the manga like solo leveling does not disappoint.
