The best Isekai Manhwa where villains are reincarnated as heroes

Summary

• Former villains turned heroes in an isekai manhwa create unexpected twists.

• Stories like Standard Reincarnation & A villain lives twice worth a read.

• Solo leveling follows Sung Jin-woo's thrilling journey of death and rebirth.

Isekai manhwa is often criticized for following the same old formula of the hero reincarnating in another world. But what happens when a former villain is reincarnated as a hero chosen to defend the world? This is definitely an unexpected twist and a recipe for disaster if not handled carefully.

So we've picked out a few stories worth reading where the hero of the story is actually a reincarnated villain. This ranked list highlights the five best series about an evil doer who turns to the light side for once (sort of) and reforms as he gains a new perspective on life. This series features family, friends, lovers and even the occasional animal companion. Let's take a look at it isekai manhwa with unlikely villains turned heroes.

5

Standard Reincarnation

Reincarnating as the son of his rival family is perfect for him

• Genre: Adventure, Shonen, Dark Fantasy, Sword & Sorcery, Action, Reincarnation
• Author: Ilhwang
• Artist: Ramwoo

This story begins with the death of the One-Armed Devil and the hands of the Samion family. The devil was an outlaw and enemy of the kingdom who tried to slaughter his entire family for rejecting him. After being killed, he is summoned by the spirit of a boy named Vincent Adenca, the son of a rival family to the royal line.

It is to occupy Vincent's body and become a guardian spirit, the previous stage of ascension to godhood. Together, they plan to renew their plans for revenge against both families who rejected them for their “weakness”. So the story of two villains inhabiting a single body begins, but as things progress, they end up becoming the heroes of this story.

4

66666 years: The arrival of the dark mage

The devil you know wears the face of an innocent child

• Genre: Action, Dark Fantasy, Sword & Sorcery, School Life, Drama
• Author: Hwabong
• Artists: Tara

Diablo Volpir is the name of an ancient dark sorcerer who ascended to godhood and challenged the gods to overthrow them and free humanity from their evil power games. Because he was too powerful to be killed, all the gods gathered their strength to drive him out, but were only able to hold his power for 66666 years. After this time, the dimension holding him back collapses and Diablo is free. He just doesn't come into the world as his former self. Instead, his soul is reincarnated in the body of a young nobleman: Jamie Welton.

The heir to the prestigious Welton House is quickly considered an emissary of the gods as he receives the blessing of one of the goddesses he most despised, an intriguing proposition he cannot refuse: to help her rid the world of other deities. Now a former villain-turned-hero, he gathers allies (both old and new) in a crusade to destroy the corrupt divine beings once and for all.

3

Solo leveling

An ancient being from beyond Earth fuses its soul with an aspiring hunter

• Genre: Action, Dark Fantasy, Sword and Sorcery, Reverse Isekai
• Author: Chu-Gong
• Artists: Gi So-Ryeong, Jang Sung-Rak

The story of Sung Jin-woo and how he died and how his soul merged with one of the worst “villains” in the universe is quite exciting. Destined to become the new Shadow Monarch, this hero displays a brutal demeanor, killing his enemies and raising them from the grave to do his bidding. Solo leveling is a powerful story of death and rebirth as well as an action adventure where heroes from our world try to fend off an extradimensional invasion coming from some mysterious “portals”.

As with many Urban Fantasy stories, this reverse isekai manhwa features “awakened” superhumans called Hunters who form an association and rank their members from D (lowest) to S (highest). First, Jin-woo is rated D and at the end of the level. However, as the story progresses, he quickly rises to become a powerful necromancer who wields both blade and dark magic.

2

Trashero class FFF

The villainous hero is redeemed by an infinite loop and then falls again

• Genres: Action, Adventure, Comedy, Drama, Fantasy, Shounen, Isekai
• Author: Farnar (Art and Story)
• Position: Complete

A hero called against his will, Kang Han Soo is evil and has a less than heroic attitude. However, no one can question his results as he managed to kill the Demon Lord. The bad thing is that he brutally sacrificed his entire team, so the goddess condemns him to repeat the cycle in an endless loop until he gets her approval.

This is the story of a villain who became a true hero, then realized that to become the hero the world needed, he had to become the next demon. An endless cycle of misfortune awaits all readers who pick up this wicked manhwa, with heavy doses of black comedy.

1

A villain lives twice

She gets a second chance to correct her mistakes

• Genres: Romance, Adventure, Drama, Fantasy, Shoujo, Isekai, Reincarnation
• Author: Mint
• Position: PEACHBERRY

Artesia, the most mischievous child of the nobility, is reincarnated and offers a second chance. He decides to turn away from his old misdeeds and come to the hero's aid and help him bring peace to a kingdom full of wars, political conspiracies and the suffering of the “lesser people”.

This story that builds on the concept noblesse obligè through the eyes of a former villain, she became the heroine of the story. It's a good read, with lots of heartwarming moments, spicy romantic scenes, and plenty of action and adventure.