Best Isekai Manhwa With Protagonists Who Refuse to Be Heroes, Ranked

Summary

• Some manhwa protagonists reject hero roles and instead become avengers, hunters, or survivalists.
• These manhwa feature dark fantasy settings with brutal action, deep storytelling, and characters who refuse to conform.
• The stories focus on survival, betrayal and growth and feature unique anti-hero journeys into different worlds.

What happens when a hero is summoned to another world and refuses to be a hero? Does he automatically become the villain of the story or does another factor come into play that determines his fate? This list features manhwa with protagonists who refuse to be heroes.

From a reincarnated gamer thrown into his favorite Souls-like game to an otherworldly barbarian sent to Earth by his parents at a young age, these thrilling stories feature main characters who, despite refusing, beat the odds , dancing for gods and interdimensional beings, are brutal and full of tension with action and ultimately inspiring.

8 Dark fantasy paladin

A dark story about a player trapped in a Soulslike

• Genres: Grimdark, Dark Fantasy, Action, Adventure, Drama, Martial Arts, Isekai
• Authors: Jung Jongru, Neimdeu
• artist: sum

Eden is trapped in a dark fantasy soul and the world is dying – these are undeniable truths. How does he know that? Because he was the best player in the game and is now trapped in a terrible dream from which he can't wake up. His powers as a paladin are theoretically powered by the miracles of the God of Justice, but he knows that there is no such being overseeing this world.

So he is not a hero and has no intention of being one; at best an avenger – judge, jury and executioner. There is no room for doubt in this exciting story of a man who wants to repair a broken world. He doesn't want to be the hero Dark fantasy paladin. He just wants to get out of this nightmarish world, whatever the cost.

7 The primal hunter

He will transcend humanity for the thrill of the hunt

• Genres: Action, Adventure, Fantasy, Isekai, Seinen, Grimdark
• author: Zogarth
• artist: UnoDay Studio

When Jake and a group of his colleagues are suddenly transported to a tutorial realm to prepare Earthlings for merging with the multiverse, he rediscovers his passion for archery. He begins to transform into a powerful hunter who lives for the thrill of the hunt. His prey are animals, monsters and any human who tries to get in his way. Little by little, his humanity peels away like melted skin, revealing a truly terrifying new being.

The primal hunter it's not just about a person who doesn't want to be a hero; It's about survival and betrayal in a world where only the strongest win. Through in-depth storytelling, Jake and his Imp friend will attempt to get to the bottom of this mysterious tutorial – and the cause of everyone being summoned to another world.

There's no hero here – just a survivalist babysitting the real MC

• genre: Action, Isekai, Sword & Sorcery, School Life, Shounen, Drama
• Authors: Corita
• artist: Girin Geurin

The Extra Academy survival guide has a little bit of everything that's good in the Isekai genre: great worldbuilding, action, and romance. Even though Ed is reborn as a failure of the Rothtaylor family, he is determined to escape the bad ending of this story. By choosing his wits over brute force, he dominates the academy from the shadows and turns his precarious situation as an exile into an opportunity for growth.

But is he the hero of the story? Not at all; He is only there to oversee the main plot and prevent dangerous deviations towards the many bad endings. Therefore, he spends his academy life protecting the true heroes and protagonists of this story. But soon others notice his commitment to the common good, and he earns the respect of his colleagues despite being the scum of the Rothtaylor family.

5 Limited-time Genius Dark Knight

The protagonist is a walking tragedy, far from a hero

• genre: Adventure, Drama, Dark Fantasy, Reincarnation, Isekai
• author: Jung seonyul
• artist: nagi

Limited-time Genius Dark Knight tells the story of a dying player who manages to finish his favorite game, only to be sent to the same realm as Nox Von Reinhafer, a young and promising noble who is a candidate for the position of Dark Knight. But this isekai manhwa has another twist: the MC also dies in this other world where he is reincarnated, and a screen appears in front of him with a countdown telling him that he only has six months to live.

A thrilling dark fantasy series with a protagonist who can be a little frustrating at times, and whose impending doom constantly looms over him, is bound to cause some anxiety among readers. But there's a whole world of great developments to explore.

4 The slow life of the reincarnation professional

A lazy and silly prince leads a comfortable life

• Genres: Action, Adventure, Fantasy, Historical, Shounen, Isekai
• author: Song Sooha
• artist: Ebipo

This manhwa follows a human who has been reincarnated over a hundred times and is now tired of living the life of a hero chosen by the gods and this time he will do things his own way. So he decides to become a trading tycoon and live a relaxed life, enjoying food and the comfort of wealth. In this relaxed everyday adventure, the main character repeatedly avoids the hero's path and leaves the dirty work to others.

A great comedic Shonen Isekai with a touch of romance and fantasy adventure. The slow life of the reincarnation professional was recently concluded (around Chapter 96) with a great ending, making it ideal for those who aren't interested in endless looping stories that last thousands of chapters without a single development.

3 The ingenious blinker from the Magic Academy

Hard-working anti-hero who wants to avoid the bad end but refuses to be the hero

• Genre: Action, Isekai, Fantasy, Sword & Sorcery, School Life, Shounen
• Author: Eunmilhi
• Artist: Seoyu

The ingenious blinker from the Magic Academy follows a player who is sent into a hardcore fantasy role-playing game and is reborn as a supporting character – a weak one at that. His abilities are almost nil and his only redeeming feature is the ability to control Blink, a really difficult spell that allows him to teleport a short distance. With this power and the sword in hand, he will try to survive the worst outcome as a student of the Magic Academy.

The world might have chosen him to prevent the evil ending, but that doesn't mean he will be a hero. Baek Juseol does everything he can to stay out of the spotlight while slowly but steadily integrating into this new and dangerous world. A captivating story about the challenge of survival in another world.

2 The Druid of Seoul Station

He's neither a hero nor a villain – he's simply a druid

• Genres: Action-Adventure, Fantasy, Science Fiction
• author: Jin Sol U
• artist: Mun Sung-Ho, liveBear

If readers have learned anything from the many isekai manhwa and fantasy role-playing games, it is that druids cannot be considered part of normal society; They live in harmony with nature, free from all burdens and rules. The Druid of Seoul Station does an excellent job of portraying the behavior of a powerful druid who gained his powers by being summoned to another world.

So Park Seohoo can't be considered a hero because he constantly does things his way – even if that means wiping out an entire planet because someone hurt an animal he tried to befriend. When an order of ancient elven warriors from a Wuxia world tried to kill him, he showed them no mercy. After all, he is a powerful archdruid who is said to have almost god-like powers.

1 The Barbarian of Seoul Station.

• Genre: Action, Reverse Isekai, Urban Fantasy, Comedy, Drama, School Life
• Author: LICO
• Artist: Jin Seol Woo

Cheoldu was sent to Earth by his mother, a shaman from a barbarian tribe, and was raised by a caring Korean man who picked him up from the streets The Barbarian of Seoul Station.. But at the age of 18, he has far exceeded the peak of the human condition and his appearance resembles that of a professional bodybuilder. So there's no one who looks more like an outsider than this barbarian living in modern Korea.

When a new opportunity arises to return to his original world, Cheoldu jumps into a portal and begins hunting prey. Shortly after arriving on this new planet, he challenges the local warlord, “steals” his crew members and forms his own “tribe”. Cheoldu is anything but a hero; He is indeed the embodiment of rage and bloodlust.