Manhwa is a term that refers to Korean comics. Just like the usual comics and manga, there are tons of different genres in manhwa. Starting from romantic, action, horror, and even virtual world or isekai. Aside from those genres, there are lots of manhwa creators that focus on sad stories. The poignant storylines are guaranteed to play with the readers’ emotions. 

Some of these sad manhwa have tragic stories that can be the guilty pleasure you’re looking for. Here are some of the saddest manhwa guaranteed to make you sob. Without further ado, let’s get into it.

Saddest Manhwa

1. Utopia (Neuk Dae Sam)

Utopia tells the story of two teenagers who meet each other at the lowest point of their lives as they both experience physical and mental torture. Jae Gal Neuk used to live a normal life prior to a fatal accident that took the lives of his parents. When he woke up, he lost a leg, his face was disfigured, and his brain sustained damage. One day, he meets Hwang Sam, who saves his life one fateful night. Their meeting slowly brings them closer and their story turns into a heartbreaking romance.

2. Diamond Dust

This manhwa follows the life of Hyerin, a piano prodigy who rose into prominence by practicing 12 hours a day as her strict father forces her to. One day, a tragic and traumatic accident befalls her, so now she can no longer play the piano. One day, she meets Joo Won, a musician in an indie band who deals with his illness. This manhwa provides quite a heartbreaking romance story for you to follow, so don't read it if you are looking for something light.

3. Navillera: Like a Butterfly

This manhwa tells the story of an old man who wants to pick up ballet. He first discovered ballet when he was young, but before he got the chance of pursuing his dream, he got tangled with his responsibilities as a son, husband, and father. But when he loses a close friend at the age of 70, he gets reminded again of the thing that used to get him excited so many years ago. This manhwa has a heartbreaking story about the perception that exists in the society as it contradicts with one's dream. This manhwa is quite fascinating as it takes the life story of an old character unlike most manhwa.

4. Second Home

It tells the story of two neighbors separated by walls, before a unique relationship blossoms between the two, as they share the same experience, yet from different perspectives. The story follows a male student and his married neighbor. The story revolves around the two, how their interactions lead to a relationship. There’s no over-the-top drama in this manhwa, yet you may end up crying reading this manhwa.

5. Duty After School

Most high school students would usually study hard to get to college or work, whereas the students in this school must witness the end of the world and they must fight to survive by fighting against mysterious, deadly creatures. As the Korean military forces dwindle, the government orders these students to be conscripted for those aged 11 and over to fight the horrific creatures. This manhwa provides emotional stories and profound life experiences with intense battle scenes.

6. Seasons of Blossoms

This manhwa is quite unique as it follows a group of friends, focusing on each of them. The volumes are based on the seasons; with the summer being the first season. Thus, the story begins with a warm, jolly romance. You’ll see various aspects of life, from the struggles, achievements, setbacks, and progressions of each protagonist in the different situations they find themselves in.

7. The Friendly Winter

This Korean manhwa focuses on the two characters who both have growth disorders. Da Jeong is a 19-year-old girl trapped in a body of that a small child, whereas Min Seong is 17-year-old who’s mentally still a child. They face clashes against the society that is yet to understand their conditions, as people judge, ridicule, and even take advantage of their disorders. They protect each other in many ways they can.

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8. Karina’s Last Days

This manhwa tells the story of Karina Leopold, who never lives her life as her own self. Her family always dictates her in every aspect of her life, making her feel like a puppet. The only way Karina escapes this prison is with her magical ability that allows her to bring her drawings to life. However, this power actually takes her life gradually. Despite her short life expectancy, Karina still tries to escape her family. This manhwa depicts Karina’s tragic struggles, so you may end up crying following her story.

9. Days of Hana

One dreary winter day, Hana and her family stumbled upon a bloodied werewolf child. They took him in and raised him like their own. But with age, the romance between Hana and the werewolf starts to grow. But their forbidden love story is hindered by the double standards that exist in society. You can witness their heartbreak and struggles. This manhwa certainly has a poignant story.

10. Your Letter

This manhwa revolves around the charming friendship with some elements of trauma, alienation, and struggles of growing up. If you're looking for a poignant, melancholic story with the watercolor aesthetics reminiscent of Studio Ghibli's works, you should consider reading this manhwa.

11. Into The Depths

This heartwarming manhwa will play with your emotions and make you reminisce about growing up. The two main characters have physical disabilities, one is partially blind and is recovering from an accident, whereas the other is deaf. The backgrounds of both characters can be a touching start for most. This manhwa mainly focuses on friendship. The bond between the two protagonists also makes this manhwa very meaningful.

12. Can’t See Can’t Hear But Love

Once you read this tragic, heartbreaking manhwa, you will certainly shed some tears. You will find its sad storyline quite profound with most supporting characters in it being very inhuman. The story may not be very profound itself, but it can be a good read for when you want to cry to a heartbreaking story. A certain must read if you’re looking for a sad manhwa.

13. Cha Cha on the Bridge

The South Korean government is faced with a high and skyrocketing suicide rate. As a preventive measure, the Korean government decided to create a humanoid robot called AI: CHA-88K. This robot is placed on the Mapo Bridge and programmed to monitor and provide therapy to those who have the potential to commit suicide. This manhwa follows the stories between robots and humans that describe how the world begins to experience destruction in the absence of its human component.

14. See You in My 19th Life

Fate has given Jieum Ban a mysterious gift that allows her to remember all the memories of her past life. Although it sounds like a great gift, the longer she lives, this ability rather turns into a curse instead of a blessing. But in her 18th life, she begins to be interested in living life after meeting a boy. But unfortunately his life is cut short due to a tragic accident that befalls him. This regret makes her promise to meet the young man again in her 19th life.

15. Amanza

Having a simple art style, this sad manhwa shows you the physical, emotional, and mental struggles of a patient suffering from cancer. Revolving around how the main character has to control his illness and keep the people he loves unharmed, making this manhwa with a simplistic art style is quite poignant.

Amanza gives you a picture of life as it is, yet still makes you feel emotional to the point you shed some tears.

So those were the saddest and most touching manhwa that are guaranteed to make you cry. Have you read any manhwa from this list above?

FAQ About Manhwa

What is Manhwa?

Manhwa (or 만화) is the Korean word for comics. Outside of Korea, Manhwa refers to comics made in South Korea. Actually, this word is similar to "manga" in Japanese and "manhua" in Chinese, so it's actually just a language difference.

In South Korea, Manhwa is usually synonymous with comics that are only published through apps or websites. But because of the great interest of Manhwa readers, in the end, the creator of the work made a comic book version. If you usually only know comics in black and white, in the printed version of the Manhwa, the images published look more attractive because the prints are in color and the printed images are also very good and clear.

Where People Can Read Manhwa?

For manhwa lovers, it's only appropriate for you to support your favorite creators by reading their work through existing legal manhwa sites or applications. Because making a manhwa is not easy, therefore, here are some applications that you can use to read manhwa, but some applications are only available in South Korea, so the language used is mostly Korean.

• Lezhin
• Manta
• Tapas
• Webtoon / Naver Line
• Kakao Page
• Toomics
• TappyToon
• Netcomics
• INKR
• Komik Saku

Which App Are the Most Used to Read Manhwa?

If you are an Android or iOS user, here are some apps that you can use to carry Manhwa and Webtoon comfortably, easily, and legally. Here's the list:

• LINE Webtoon: where this application provides many manhwas with various genres and has a very large community of readers.
• Lezhin: This South Korean app is devoted to publishing comics by South Korean creators. There are various kinds of genres that you can read and follow.
• Tapas: is the largest indie comic platform that provides manhwa from various industries ready to accommodate new creators who want to dive into the world of indie writing.
• Tappytoon: This manhwa app is also widely used because it provides several popular manhwa including Solo Leveling and The Legend of the Northern Blade.
• INKR: other apps that provide various kinds of popular manhwas, besides that you can also bring manga, webtoons, and several other types of comics.
• Manta: This comic reading app is devoted to publishing manhwa and webtoons, and provides a variety of reading materials that provide translations that can be accessed by readers.

What is the Greatest Manhwa of All Time?

There are various kinds of popular manhwa titles and many are read by fans. However, based on the MyAnimeList, here are some of the best manhwas of all time:

1. Solo Leveling (8.69)
2. The Horizon (8.68)
3. Wind Breaker (8.58)
4. Bastard (8.50)
5. Who Made Me A Princess (8.44)

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