The isekai trope is a popular form of story found within the fantasy genre and it’s only growing more popular by the day. In this trope, a person is summoned, reincarnated, or accidentally stumbles into an alternate world that is usually different from their homeworld.
It’s there that these protagonists can start their new lives, whether it’s to grow up, live in peace, or complete a quest that they were tasked with. For some protagonists, however, they can meet death and constant assassination attempts. Similar to manga, the isekai trope is quite popular in manhwa. In fact, there are several isekai manhwa like Who Made Me A Princess by Plutus and Spoon that are must-reads for fans of this trope.
10 Athanasia Must Choose A Path To Avoid Being Killed By Her Father (Who Made Me A Princess)
In Who Made Me A Princess, Athanasia was killed at the hands of her father and the Emperor, Claude de Alger Obelia. This was all just a story until a woman is transported into the story and becomes Athanasia.
She knows what her future holds and must figure out how to change her destiny by either running away, living quietly so the Emperor doesn't notice her, or worming her way into her father’s good graces. It’s a great manhwa filled with many funny, enjoyable, and heartbreaking moments.
9 Cale Is A Minor Villain Who Plans To Avoid Being Beaten Up By The Hero (Lout Of The Count’s Family)
Lout Of The Count’s Family by Ryeohan Yu and Pan4 is a manhwa filled with fantasy, action, and adventure. After falling asleep halfway through reading a novel, Kim Roksu wakes up as Cale Henituse, one of the minor villains in the novel that he was reading.
At this point in time, his family oversees the territory, and village Choi Han, the hero, first visits. However, after arriving at the village the hero changes and sends assassins to kill everyone and eventually beats Cale to a pulp. To avoid this, he does what he can to change his fate before the hero arrives.
8 Kasiya Del Roman Is Betrayed By Her Comrades And Reincarnated Into A World Filled With Knights And Magic (Crimson Karma)
In Crimson Karma by Ssalsup, Lemon Gaeguri, and Rada, Kasiya Del Roman has spent her life training to be a soldier and an assassin. She became a tool that was used by others (which is very similar to what happened to Violet Evergarden).
She was betrayed by her comrades, but before she could die, she was transported to another world and onto a different battlefield. She must figure out what she’s going to do to survive and if she wants to be a knight in this dangerous world that she has no knowledge of.
7 Seo Young Is Reincarnated As Estelle Castielo And Lives Both A Harsh And Loved Life (I Belong To House Castielo)
I Belong To House Castielo is a wonderful manhwa by Cotton and Siya. In this manhwa, Seo Young was a 23-year-old woman who reincarnated into an alternate world. When she turned eleven, she was sold to Ein Castielo, the Duke of the empire and Estelle’s father.
As she’s the opposite of her brother and father, she is seen as a target who many people want killed or captured. She has to learn how to navigate her position and survive in a world where she is both hated and loved.
6 Eunha Takes Her Brothers Place And Is Conscripted To The Military (Caught By The Villain)
In Caught by the Villain by So-hui Cha and Chara, Eunha Evan is a fencing prodigy and the daughter of a legend. Eunha, however, has memories of her past life and knows that she was reincarnated into a story. When her brother abandons their family after being conscripted into the military, she has no choice but to take his place as Sir Constantine.
To not draw attention to herself, she pretends to be horrible at wielding a sword and tries to live her life under the radar. But with the villainous Crown Prince watching her every move, it turns out that her plans of staying under the radar were all for nothing.
5 A Doctor Is Killed While Protecting A Patient And Is Reborn Into A Murim Novel That He Was Reading (Doctor’s Rebirth)
Doctor's Rebirth by Geulim Dobin follows the story of a man named Jin. While overseas doing medical relief work, he’s swept up in a civil war and is killed. Instead of going to heaven, he was reincarnated into the body of a young boy in another world surrounded by a destroyed carriage and unconscious people.
As if on instinct, he began tending to their wounds with his first aid knowledge. He soon realizes that he’s been transported into a novel that he was reading and must figure out how to survive in this dangerous world.
4 Arienne And Arhen Suffer Greatly At The Hands Of Their Mother And Discover Many Truths After Her Death (The Twins’ New Life)
In The Twins’ New Life by Nicca and Aidera, Arienne Yuriana and her twin brother, Arhen, were twins in their past life who were reborn as the twins of the Emperor. Their life should have been filled with all the luxuries that are afforded to royalty, however, their childhood was filled with abuse, loneliness, and pain.
After the death of their mother, they were moved into the main palace. It’s here that they learn about their heritage and what happened between their mother and father all the while trying to overcome their pain and find love again.
3 Dawoon Is Summoned To A Deadly Dungeon And Must Survive In Order To Leave (Dungeon Reset)
From Daul and Ant Studio, Dungeon Reset follows the story of Dawoon who led an ordinary life. That is until he was summoned to a dangerous dungeon where he must play a deadly game by surviving the onslaught of monsters and traps.
So, when Dawoon falls into a trap, he believes that will be the end of him. But because of a glitch in the system, everything resets, and he’s given helpful skills. Now that he has these useful skills, he plans on doing everything in his power to break free of the dungeon.
2 Jinny Died From Studying Too Hard And Wants To Live Her Next Life Without The Same Pressure (The Golden-Haired Summoner)
The Golden-Haired Summoner by Domak and Geulbi is a fantasy and romance manhwa. Similar to many isekai protagonists, Jinny died from overworking but was reborn into a world filled with magic, orcs, and talking spirits. As Jeanie Crowell, the daughter of a noble and a genius, people have high expectations for her.
To get out from underneath the weight of their expectations, she decides to become a summoner and have her spirits do all the work. However, she soon comes to realize that there’s more to being a summoner than she thought.
1 Elizabeth Lily Decides To Stop Waiting For Someone To Rescue Her And Plans To Change Her Future (Pure White Elizabeth)
Pure White Elizabeth by Yoo-Hyeon Nam (the original creator), Dusik Yong (creator of the adapted version), and UPU, is an intriguing story. Elizabeth Lily has dreams of being told that she is the beautiful and powerful female lead of a story that was created for her. But upon waking, her reality is much different. She is enslaved, brainwashed, and suffers through unspeakable abuse.
She feels as though her suffering is never-ending and that she won’t ever meet the male lead of the story-- the man that she’s supposed to work with to save the world and grow to love. Elizabeth decides that she doesn’t want to be rescued and that she will be the one to change the course of her future.