Summary
Anime/manga protagonists, particularly those seen in Shounen, are recognized by the world as a bunch of goody-two-shoes with a strong sense of justice and an even stronger power, taking the shape of the hilariously notorious talk no jutsu. And while as entertaining as that archetype is, with its long dialogues andantagonist origin stories, it is starting to become a bit redundant. Sure, there are a few really good exceptions out there that stray pretty far away from this trope—thinkDeath Note,Darker Than Black,Code Geass—but they’re just not enough.
Fortunately, where manga lacks, manhwa makes up. Manhwa and Webtoon are masters at getting the best out of the ‘arrogant protagonist’ trope. A large number of the current mega-hit manhwa have this trope featured in them, each one outdoing the other in terms of creativity and story. Yet, due to the diversity and sheer number of comics that exist, navigating through them isn’t the easiest task in the world—something akin to what pirates feel when they finally stumble upon a cursed treasure chest. So having a broad tailored TBR list may just be the way to go in this sea of stories.
Status
Completed
38-year-old Seo Joo Heon’s life comes to a pathetic end when he gets forced to confront a magical beast way beyond his ability. In a world where magical tombs, loaded with powerful relics and treasures, spontaneously appear out of nowhere, tomb raiders are the dominant faction. Seo Joo Heon is exactly that, a Tomb Raider, who works for an ambitious and nefarious benefactor. For years, he’s supplied the man with powerful artifacts to help him build his influence and empire, only for him to betray Joo Heon at the last minute. Joo Heon is now reborn, and this time, he’s the one taking on the role of the nefarious party.
Seo Joo Heon fromTomb Raider Kingundeniablyqualifies as an arrogant protagonist, but what makes him stand out from others on this list is the fact that his arrogance has always been a consistent trait of his, regardless of his reincarnation. The slight difference lies in his second life, where the only notable change is his newfound thirst for revenge.
For as long as he can remember, Kim Woo Jin has been alone. Trust doesn’t come easily to him, having been betrayed and abandoned by people close to him multiple times. Things change when the world faces the threat of destructive mythical monsters, and he’s forced to ally himself with a group of fellow ‘players,’ placing his trust in them for combat purposes. He eventually grows close to them and questions his judgment about the world being ‘untrustworthy.’ Unfortunately for him, he’s always been right. Woo Jin gets betrayed by his companions and this time, he’s killed. Cue the isekai storyline.
Kim Woo Jin was a weak and naive individual in his first life. Despite trying to be cynical and distrustful, he was pretty gullible and was taken advantage of easily. However, the man learned from his mistakes and was not only deeply wary the second time around, but was also manipulative and excessively wild.
Ongoing
Astina Lette, the just but tragic empress of Blanche in her past life, is reborn into the house of a lowly count who’s on the verge of bankruptcy. In order to protect the house from falling, she agrees to get married to Archduke Atalenta, a cursed and cruel man who’s not remembered well by the masses. His curse makes him lose control andtransform into a beast-like wolf, which makes Astina’s predicament even more terrifying. However, Astina herself isn’t a normal human. Her experience as an empress in the past not only helps her tame the so-called beast but also makes him completely obsessed with her.
The manhwa is not as light-hearted as the plot seems. It touches on some very sensitive topics and explores Astina’s (Empress Martina in her past life) deeply-rooted trauma in explicit detail. Her wisdom and maturity beyond age aren’t just limited to her previous role as an empress, but also her role as the sole surviving member of her clan. She’s cruel when she has to be, and affectionate when it is required of her, but everything she does is calculated.
Penelope Eckhart isn’t who she seems. In her previous life, she was a mistreated girl who was unfortunately taken in by her estranged father’s cruel family following the death of her birth mother. After successfully breaking free from the clutches of her former family, she was ready to take on a new chapter in her life. Sadly, just as she was on the brink of living out her new-found freedom, she met an untimely end and found herself reincarnated as the villainess from the game she had recently played. Tough luck because, according to the game, Penelope, as the villainess, is destined to die regardless of the choices she makes.
Penelope Eckhart isn’t hardened by battle, nor does she have to go through political oppression or struggles for strength and power. To put it simply, she’s a protagonist who actually has to deal with real-world personal conflicts and inner demons. Her previous life rendered her unable to trust even those closest to her. So her ‘arrogance’ stems from trauma and her determination to simply survive– even if she has to do it alone.
Most of the manhwa on this list aren’toutright comedies, except this one. Melissa Foddebrat fromBeware of the Villainesswas an ordinary college student who unexpectedly got sucked into the novel she was reading. Now, as the book’s villainess, she’s determined to make everything right and—protect the female lead from the 4 potential male leads?!
Melissa Foddebrat is the daughter of a duke, and she’s bent on taking her father’s place in his seat. The premise of the manhwa may be humorous, but the underlying theme of the book is the female protagonist rising above all sorts of challenges thrown her way, and still having a no-nonsense attitude. She schemes, plots, and even drags people through the dirt if her hand is forced.
TurtleMe (Story), Fuyuki23 (Art)
2018
Similar to Astina fromThe Lady and the Beast, Arthur Leywin was a king in his past life. However, unlike Martina, King Grey had not lived a very gratifying life and was full of regrets on his deathbed. In his second life, he gains self-awareness almost instantly after his birth and retains memories of his previous reign as king. He also realizes that the world he’s currently in usesmana and magic like it’s no big deal. Excited about his new prospects, he embarks on his journey of self-growth and power. There’s one problem though—Arthur is still an infant who has absolutely no control over his limbs and body functions.
Being a king in the past, Arthur is naturally authoritative. Which, in this case, isn’t normal considering how he’s just a kid. He exudes a commanding aura and tends to be quite patronizing toward those he doesn’t trust.
Cha Yeon Woo was always second to his younger brother in all aspects of life, but he never seemed to complain about it. In fact, he loved his family greatly and was prepared to go to great lengths for them. Everything took a terrible turn when he received the news of his brother’s death. What initially appeared to be an ordinary passing revealed itself to be something much more sinister. Understandably consumed by rage, Yeon Woo is determined to do anything to avenge his brother.
Yeon Woo possesses all the qualities of an “arrogant” protagonist and then some. To put it simply—the man is unhinged. He’s willing to go to ANY lengths necessary to get to his goal, even if he has to hurt himself or others in the process. He’s cold, cunning, and outright cruel at times and iseven compared to an ‘inhuman monster’occasionally by the people close to him. He’s also greedy when it comes to the ‘spoils of war’ and tends not to leave anything behind.
Solo Levelingis making massive rounds around the internet, thanks to its recent anime adaptation that everyone is raving about. It was among the first manhwa to successfully execute the arrogant protagonist trope, and it absolutely nailed it. The premise of the story is quite similar to some of the other ones on this list, but it’s also significantly different in terms of flow and character traits. A pushover former college student, Sung Jin Woo, initially labeled as the world’s weakest hunter, goes through a traumatic, near-death experience that turns him into the sole ‘player’ of a mysterious game—with the world as its interface. What does his being a player entail? Bottomless potential to grow stronger.
Sung Jin Woo was like any other action anime/ manga protagonist; weak beyond belief, but with very strong convictions. However, as his powers developed, he transformed into acold, ruthless, apathetic individual, harboring strong biases, particularly against monsters. He, himself, sensed the loss of his humanity and emotions every time he leveled up.
