Summary
In the past, it took a lot of searching to find manga volumes, and even then, they weren’t always translated into other languages. Now, all the top strips can be found everywhere, from stores to online apps and websites, and it’s easier to find newer, rising media. For example, if Japanese comics feel old-hat, readers may prefer Korean comics, known as manhwa.
They can offer a new perspective on classic genres, especially historical ones. They can delve deep into Korean culture or simply tell a good story set back in the day withplenty of dramaand interesting characters. With enough browsing, readers can findsome truly great historical manhwa.
Updated July 27, 2025, by David Heath:There’s still no shortage of good manhwa coming out, nor great historical manhwa at that. The only limits appear to be whichever era or setting a reader would prefer, as there are plenty of tales that cover ancient China, the Joseon era in Korea, 18th-19th century Europe (and Europe-ish places), and the early 20th century. People can even find the medieval era and Ancient Egypt among others if they dig far enough. This is why this list has been updated with more standout historical entries, from medieval isekais to time-traveling romances, war gods wandering Lone Wolf & Cub style, to royal marital issues. Whatever one’s fancy in historical manhwa, they’ll find it here.
26Baroness Goes On Strike
MyAnimeList Score: 7.29
Baroness Goes On Strikesticks to a European-themed fantasy land while following a trend that spun off fromthe isekai boom: reincarnation. In her first life, Countess Cassia Ruberno was ordered by the Emperor of Simone to marry Baron Zester of Greze, a mercenary knighted for his war efforts. After a decade of trying to run Zester’s land alone, she died from an incurable disease.
But her death takes her back 10 years to the day she met Zester. Given a new chance at life, she rebels against the Emperor’s orders and declares she’d rather live a stress-free life alone than marry the Baron. Yet despite starting this new path, Zester still tries to woo her, which intrigues her. Like a manhwa-themed version ofPeggy Sue Got Married, maybe things will get better for both of them on this new path.
25The Elixir Of The Sun
MyAnimeList Score: 7.47
The Elixir of the Sungoes to a fantasy world based on ancient Korea rather than the Middle Ages. It follows Bayan, a member of the Siyo clan. Their members usually have the power to heal sickness, but Bayandidn’t inherit this ability. To get her out of the way, the Siyo sent her to the court of Dhan, the Great Sun Emperor.
But this isn’t a cushy position; it’s a death sentence. Dhan suffers from violent outbursts that cause him to slaughter his own concubines, and Bayan is next on the chopping block. However, there’s something about her that soothes Dhan’s mood. Through their encounters, some more adult than others, they discover Bayan may be more of a healer than they know.
24Return of the War God
Before he was sealed away, Yuxian Duan was feared across the land as a ferocious war god. But after 1,000 years of solitude, he breaks free from his prison to find everyone has long since forgotten about him. He starts wandering the land, seeking a fresh purpose when he bumps into a young girl called Xiaomei. Despite being sick, she offers the war god a dumpling out of the goodness of her heart.
Touched by her generosity, he revives her back and decides to become her guardian. However, he doesn’t have his fearsome reputation anymore, so there’s nothing stopping any bandit, martial artist, or other threat from thinking they could take him. So, to protect Xiaomei, he’ll have to re-establish himself in the world inReturn of the War God.
23The Divine Surgeon
MyAnimeList Score: 7.53
Joining the medium’s wide range of isekai, reincarnation, and isekai-reincarnation stories isThe Divine Surgeon. However, it’s unique in that, instead of some 17th-19th Century European theme, or Joseon-era Korea, it takes its lead back to Ancient China. Dr Jinsoo did his best to live a noble life, only to get conned, fired, and killed by his professor. But a mysterious being takes his good deeds to heart and rewards him with a second chance at life.
However, his second chance is being reborn as the legendary physician Hua Tuo, who lived through the end of the Eastern Han dynasty just as it split into the infamous Three Kingdoms of Wei, Wu, and Shu. Aside from having to survive these turbulent times, Jinsoo/Tuo has to figure out how to treat people without modern conveniences, making medicines, anesthetics, and more from scratch.
22My Royal Awakening
MyAnimeList Score: 7.62
My Royal Awakeningis an isekai with a difference. This time, an average guy struggling to get by in modern Korea gets a shot at the high life when he’s reborn as a noble during the Joseon Dynasty. Unfortunately, he was reborn as Grand Prince Jin-seong, the younger foster brother of King Yeongsan, Korea’smost notorious tyrant.
During his 11-year reign, he suppressed free speech and education, purged scholars, and abducted women from across the nation to serve as his court entertainers. The new Jin-seong could let history take its course, and he would succeed Yeongsan after a coup. But perhaps if he took a more active role, he could change things for the better.
21Barbarian Quest
MyAnimeList Score: 7.85
There are plenty of isekai stories about people going to medieval worlds. ButBarbarian Questis more old-school, as its adventurer finds a new realm on his journeys. It follows Urich, a member of the Stone Ax tribe who’s destined to become a great warrior, or so the local shaman says. He didn’t put much faith in her words until his bold attempt to go near the Sky Mountains with his friends saw him get kidnapped.
After breaking free and fighting off his attackers, he discovers a whole new world that’s more advanced than his own. With bustling cities, horse-drawn carts, and money to buy items instead of bartering, he finds himself a Dark Ages barbarian in a Middle Ages society. He’s got a lot to learn about this new world and civilization, and the best way he knows how to do that is to prove his strength.
20The Crown Princess Scandal
MyAnimeList Score: 7.86
From princesses having to fight for themselves and consorts turning a death sentence into a romance comes a tale of a girl who didn’t want to be a noble in the first place. Well, kind of. The English title may beThe Crown Princess Scandal, based on the imperial palace’s crown princess selection. But the role is more akin to a concubine, which might be why its lead, Hwa-yeong, is angry at her little sister for signing her up for it.
She does her best to get disqualified and sent home early, but as luck would have it, she meets Crown Prince Shin-yeong himself. Seeing through her scheme, he intends to make sure she passes the process just to annoy her. Now, Hwa-yeong has to try harder to avoid winning and getting stuck with Shin-yeong for 6 months in the palace. But as she gets to know him and the court well, the role may start sounding more appealing.
19Ennead
MyAnimeList Score: 7.87
The term ‘Ennead’ refers to the 9 Egyptian gods worshiped at Heliopolis, including the likes of Osiris, Isis, and Set. Inspired by the pantheon, Mojito’sEnneadsees Set, the god of storms and disorder, take control of all Egypt and subject it to his tyrannical rule. The only one able to challenge his rule is Horus, son of the deposed Osiris. Though he is of divine birth, he hasn’t been officially deemed a god yet, stacking the odds against him.
Yet, despite the two hating each other, their feelings change over time. The line between obsession and desire becomes more blurred as the two confront each other, producing a keen psychological drama involving love and trauma. It can be a harsh read sometimes, so it isn’t for the faint of heart. But anyone in need of a heavy, historical BL romance with strong art will find it all inEnnead.
18The Unwelcome Guests Of House Fildette
Anime Planet Score: 3.93/5 Stars
The problem with some historical strips is that they focus on the same few settings, like Middle Ages European-style worlds, 19th-century noble courts, etc. At leastThe Unwelcome Guests of House Fildettechanges things slightly by being about nobles in the early 20th century instead. Even then, it focuses lesson political intrigueand more on domestic drama.
Hayden Fildette’s life with his parents, the Count and Countess of Fildette, used to be idyllic and stable. But it gets turned upside down when someone from his father’s past comes back and introduces everyone to Hayden’s long-lost half-brother. His prospects as the family heir are now in jeopardy, but Hayden is more worried about what it’ll do to his family. Will they manage to stick together, or will they fall apart? Fildette’s future now isn’t as certain as he thought it’d be.
17The Remarried Empress
MyAnimeList Score: 8.02
Together, Emperor Sovieshu and Empress Navier of the Eastern Nation managed to keep their country as stable as their bonds. Though their union wasn’t formed out of love, they managed to maintain a friendship that kept them devoted to each other. In turn, Navier got to maintain her place as a beloved noble living a luxurious life. Then things hit a snag when Sovieshu found something more in a former slave girl called Rashta and demanded that he and Navier get a divorce.
Usually, this would turn Navier’s world upside down. Instead, she agrees to it, so long as he approves of her remarriage to Heinrey, a mysterious man who happened to be a noble himself. AsThe Remarried Empress, Navier gets to retain her life in the lap of luxury, but the rest of the Eastern Nation risks being torn apart by their royal court’s lies, conspiracies, and love affairs.
