Summary
Apocalyptic worlds and the evergreen concept of human beings not remaining the dominant species on earth, after being overthrown by otherworldly fantasy creatures or some astronomical natural disaster, is one that refuses to die down — especially in the world of entertainment. It’s the one trope that’s been rehashed countless times, in countless narratives, and it still shows no sign of waning. However, because the trope is so expansive and ‘roomy’, it keeps attracting new versions all around.
That being said, while manga andanime have ventured into the dark realms of dystopia— cueAttack on Titan, the anime that has traumatized an entire generation of anime fans — manhwa just hasn’t leaped this far into the catastrophe, no pun intended. Nevertheless, there are some truly good manhwas set in the post-apocalyptic landscapes that fully capture the looming sense of dread and doom of living in a world that’s on the brink of destruction (or after it).
Updated July 17, 2025, by Fatima Naeem:Post-apocalyptic stories are timeless for their ability to endlessly recreate themselves. They are highly adaptable, depicting almost anything the creator and the reader desire. Most of these stories play on psychological themes, following feelings of hopelessness in a dire situation, and the joy the main character feels after they’ve achieved something otherwise considered impossible. The idea of growth and reconstruction following major setbacks — which, in this case, is literally an apocalypse — strikes a deeply personal note. It’s exactly why these stories are popular and will remain so. Given their popularity, particularly in manhwa form, a few more post-apocalypse manhwa have been added to this list.
Year
2014
Dead Daysis a post-apocalyptic psychological manhwa that is largely unsettling, yet surprisingly not in a bad way. In fact, it’s one of those series that is occasionally so profound that it leaves its readers/ viewers with some sort of existential dread. Since it focuses more on human trauma and the mental vulnerability of a person in a possible major extinction event, it hits uncomfortably close to home despite being purely hypothetical.
It featuresmultiple stories of multiple people, each grappling with their own inner demons, battling self-destructive tendencies, yet possessing a will to survive that’s stronger than anything — in other words, human nature. The manhwa starts off 4 days into a zombie apocalypse and is, for the most part, a typical one. But, the intricacy of its characters, their background stories, and their highly human actions make up for the conventionality of its premise.
2016
The Survivingis a conventional black-and-white manhwa with exaggerated characters and a bold art style that turns a bleak, almost hopeless situation into something more dramatic. Instead of taking away from the seriousness of the story, this over-the-top approach adds an extra layer of dread.
The Survivingfollows a bunch of high-school students who prefer living in their school dorms rather than going home. Even on the weekends, most of these students go out of their way to look for reasons not to return to their respective houses. That is, until some actual unforeseen circumstances force them to stay at school over one particular weekend. Their school is suddenly overtaken by three bizarre, disfigured, and highly aggressive figures with tentacles sprouting from unsettling parts of their bodies, who are now on the hunt for the students.
2021
TACIT, unlikeDead Days, starts off deep into the apocalypse and shows human survivors divided into factions, struggling to survive after everything hit the fan. Its art, backdrop, and occasionally its story give it vibesthat are sort of similar toThe Last of Us. It also dives into the “humans retaining their humanity post-infection” trope and surprisingly pulls it off really well.
It’s a gorgeous manhwa that follows the story of a young, spirited, and highly curious girl, Ruby, who tends to get herself in a lot of trouble because of her unending need to explore. During one of her exploration trips, she comes across a pale, sickly-looking boy, whose appearance is oddly similar to that of a zombie in theTACITworld. Despite that, the boy is seemingly completely normal and converses with her like an ordinary person. Positively convinced by his demeanor, she brings him back with her to the human survival camp.
WhileWhamangadoes not have the most meticulously thought-out and scientifically rational plot on this list, it definitely takes the cake for its unique world-building. It’s a short and quick read with artwork that rivals some of the top manhwa in the scene. Then again, it does have an absurd premise, and is best suited for someone who wants to turn off their rationale and fully immerse themselves in a story without asking too many questions.
It’s set in a post-apocalyptic world struck by a strange phenomenon — the utter extinction of fire itself.Whamanga’s world collapsed simply because everything combustible in it (every source capable of creating or sustaining fire) had disappeared out of the blue and left humanity on the brink of extinction. Years after the incident, the now fresh governments of the new world order are on the hunt for one woman, who still has the ability to make fire. It is worth noting thatWhamangacontains certain themes that might not be suitable for all readers and should be approached with caution.
One Day, Suddenly, Seoul Isstarts off pretty tame — even uninteresting — but picks up the pace only after a chapter or two. Though the manhwa doesn’t instantly dive too deep into a full-blown apocalypse, it tackles the early stages in a pretty unconventional way.
One Day, Suddenly, Seoul, Isfollows Yeon Woo and his classmates on a trip to Seoul. Yeon Woo isinherently an introverted personand has problems interacting with almost everyone in his class. Despite that, he’s determined to attempt to get to know his class crush and popular girl, Yeon So. Unfortunately, his budding love story is cut short when a strange virus alert hits the city. As if on cue, one of his friends contracts the virus and instantly transforms into an odd, violent, creature covered in barnacle-like wounds.
sing N song (Story), Undead Gamja (Art)
2022
The World After the Fallis a post-apocalyptic action, power-scalingmanhwa similar toSolo Levelingthat’s set in a world, well — after the fall. At first glance, this series comes off as nothing special. It’s the same old story of the world being overrun by monsters after a supernatural phenomenon, and in turn, some select humans acquire supernatural abilities to fight them off. However, what makes it stand apart from other manhwa of the same trope isnotthe unexpected incorporation of science fiction and regression, but the hardcore MC of the series outright rejecting getting isekai-ed.
The World After the Fallis set in a world doomed to destruction, where survival for an average human seems utterly impossible. It’s infested with strange otherworldly monsters appearing from a supernatural phenomenon called “towers”. “Tower walkers” are the only thing standing between them and complete annihilation. Unfortunately for the powerless, these tower walkers are forced to make a choice: either stay and fight for a world that has no chance of surviving or regress into another timeline that starts before the appearance of the towers. While most walkers decide to regress, the protagonist, Jaehwan, refuses to abandon the original timeline.
2018
There’s barely any good romance set with a backdrop as extreme as a post-apocalypse. Unsurprisingly, that number dwindles drastically when shounen-ai, or “boy love,” is involved.When the Star Sleepsis a rare BL manhwa that features a very solid world-building, and an even stronger character bond that borders on the ‘enemies-to-lovers’ trope.
It essentially sets itself as an almost political commentary about the discrimination between two different groups of people who have been divided based on their immunity to the nuclear radiation caused by multiple deadly asteroid collisions. One of the main characters is part of a group with unnaturally strong genetic resistance against said radiation, while the other is part of the inferior group — the ordinary, vulnerable humans.
Distant Skyis a horror rendition of a post-apocalyptic world that borders on crossing the uncanny valley because of its strange and impressive art. It may evenremind some people of Junji Ito’s work. The story makes use of the mystery element very cleverly and does a great job of portraying the protagonist’s very palpable fear and will to survive. It’s also pretty smart with its plot twists and flashbacks, although some might find them redundant after a point.
Kang Haneul wakes up to find himself surrounded by complete, total darkness. He doesn’t know where he is, nor does he remember how he lost consciousness. With his phone barely holding onto life, he lights up the scene only to find bodies over bodies of dead people around him. To top it off, he keeps hearing strange, grotesque sounds coming from the darkness around him.
2020
Polar Nightis another ‘early onset of apocalypse’ manhwa that slightly shifts its narrative and takes its setting to the middle of Antarctica, in a snowy research facility with no chance of escape. It’s a small twist, but it adds to the looming sense of doom, especially given the extreme conditions and the dire consequences of losing control over the situation.
Polar Nightkicks off with a detached, insensitive firefighter who’s sent to the research facility because he’s great at his job — despite his unlikeable attitude. As expected, he’s not thrilled about the assignment. He’s told it will be an easy gig, given how remote and dangerous the location is — so people there are naturally good avoidants. However, this changes drastically when he arrives at the facility and realizes just how bleak the situation is. And it’s not only because of its location, but because he and his team are suddenly being terrorized by zombies.
2012
At first glance,Duty After Schoolappears to be a comedic piece of writing, given its quirky, simplistic art style and dry humor. But the more one starts to get immersed in it, the more they realize that it’s actually more of a psychological series with a myriad of very complex characters and situations. Adding to its uniqueness, the story kicks off with the characters narrating theirownstories and ‘experiences’ through one-on-one interviews.
It follows a class of high schoolers who are essentially compelled to enlist in the military due to being undermanned after an alien invasion of sorts. They document their lengthy, almost sad journey from being ordinary studentsto becoming war machines.
