Summary
The reluctant hero archetypeis one where protagonists who, despite their immense strength, power, influence, or heroism, refuse to accept these roles. Some might consider this trope absurd since the characters themselves deny the very essence of their existence. However, it’s this very refusal that makes this hero so unique compared to many other ‘generic’ themes in anime, manga, and manhwa.
These reluctant heroes are starkly different from every other type of protagonist found in media. They don’t fit the “arrogant and overpowered” trope, nor are they the “weak but determined” characters striving to grow for a greater cause. They aren’t anti-heroes either. Instead, they are ordinary individuals living ordinary lives who are unwillingly thrust into the role of the chosen one for a cause beyond their own lives — a responsibility they, understandably, struggle to accept.
2020
Genre(s)
Action, Comedy
My Dad is Too Strongis a manhwa that creatively fuses world-rift, murim, and multi-reincarnation plotlines to craft a bizarre yet fascinating story. What makes this manhwa stand out is its use of almost every popular theme that has gained traction over the past few years. Fromslice-of-life and comedyto action and scaling,My Dad is Too Stronglives up to its name and goes all out with its eclectic mix of elements.
The story follows Lee Doojin, a city hall worker who gets hit by a truck on his first day at work. His seemingly normal world is actually plagued by unnatural rifts in time and space, unleashing dangerous, bloodthirsty creatures. After being isekaied into the murim world, Doojin gains near-immortal powers. Despite endless battles and injuries, he never truly dies. Once he reaches his full potential in the murim world, he returns to his original one, determined to live a normal life. However, his plans change when a young girl insists he take her in and pretend to be her father.
2021
Action, Historical, Slice-of-life
The Stormy Innis a 2021 manhwa that follows a guy who’s had it with his reputation as a warmongering army commander with no sympathy. He considers his time in the military as over and is now fully prepared to retire for the rest of his life.
To do that, he buys a shabby-looking inn in hopes of repairing it and getting it up and running as a reliable source of income. He even hires a group of workers to help with the business. However, for a man accustomed to the chaos of the battlefield, the ‘normalcy’ of running an inn proves to be way more daunting than anything he’sever experienced in war.
Action, Adventure, Comedy, Fantasy
Lout of the Count’s Family, also known asTrash of the Counter’s Family, is a manhwa that not only features a reluctant hero but also a normal person getting reincarnated into the body of an unassuming, insignificant villain destined to be killed by the main character. In other words, this manhwa follows the story of a normal personunwillingly becoming a villainand ultimately being forced to become the hero to change the course of history.
Kim Roksu is an average guy with an average hobby — reading web novels. His favorite web novel has a minor character in it that goes by the name of Cale. Cale is not only a trivial villain in the book, but also a horribly written character, who, frankly, meets a pretty rough end. Ironically, Roksu transmigrates into the body of this exact character and now has to prevent his death at the hands of the novel’s original protagonist. Determined to fix his ways and live the rest of his life in secrecy, he soon finds fate has other plans for him.
2022
Action, Drama
Since most action-fantasy manhwa are based on cosmic-level cataclysmic events that somehow turn their worlds into fantasy ones, their protagonists often follow similar arcsin terms of character developmentand power scaling. Reluctant heroes simply take that trope and give it a little spice.The Carefree Life of an SSS-Class Knightis primarily set in this very backdrop.
The story revolves around a world overrun by fantasy monsters known as Celestials. The main character, like most, is an ordinary human who is suddenly thrust into the role of being the strongest man in their world. He definitely isn’t into the whole ‘hero’ thing but has to grow stronger to survive the potential life threats that come with being put on a pedestal.
Action, Adventure, Romance
An unfortunate pattern in the Korean manhwa industry is the lack offemale leads in rankingand scaling manhwa who match the strength and prominence of their male counterparts.The Rankers Guide to Live an Ordinary Lifebreaks this mold by featuring world rifts and gate breaks from the lens of a very strong, and very hardcore female lead.
After the world was infested with strange creatures through dungeons and gates, Korea’s only hope rested on its AAA-ranked heroes. Fortunately for them, Gyeon Jyo was the first ‘awakened’ person in Korea to achieve an S-rank, and that too only as a pre-teen. Now, as an adult, she’s not only the strongest person in the country but also the third strongest in the world. The only problem is, she doesn’t want to shoulder such a massive responsibility. Gyeon Jyo is just a normal girl who enjoys being lazy, playing video games, and reading web novels, and it’s a lifestyle she wants to maintain.
Romance, Fantasy
Carrying on with the ‘strong female lead’ theme,Another Typical Fantasy Romanceis a 2021 romance manhwa that features another very overpowered female lead who has the power of reincarnation on her side. In her previous life, Lithera was everything anyone would want to be. She was powerful, headstrong, and had all the influence in the world considering how she rose topower as her country’s queen. However, like a cruel joke, Lithera’s own fated lover and king ended up assassinating her, leaving her to be reincarnated in that same world, a few years before everything fell apart.
Now, instead of going through the trouble of working hard and rising to power for an ungrateful country and husband, she’s bent on moving as far away as she can to live a peaceful, unamusing life. Her ticket to safety and freedom is the disreputable Duke of the North — someone who’s known for his brutish tendencies and his lack of manners.
2017
Action, Horror
Sweet Home’s non-spoiler premise may just feel like an average power-scaling/ action-fantasy story to first-timers. However, once readers really get into the manhwa, they quickly realize how different, almost scary, this particular title is. It doesn’t feature the generic world-rift plotline, but instead, uses a much morecreative and darkway to build its world up. Additionally, it’s the only manhwa on this list that features a main character who’s not only normal but is genuinely a washout person with no prospects in life.
It follows Cha Hyun’s life as he tries to come to terms with his family’s untimely demise. He’s a shut-in gamer with no regard for the people around him, and he isn’t afraid to show his disdain for humans. When his world is struck by a catastrophe in the form of mutated humans with unhinged personalities and power, he’s forced to make a decision. Either stay a shut-in and accept his fate, or fight his way out of this nightmare with the help of a bunch of people who all look like they have ulterior motives.
