Summary
Ah, the Zombie trope — it somehow never loses its charm. That’s precisely why the same old theme keeps making creative and successful comebacks. Every demographic enjoys it and is genuinely very thrilling to witness. After all, what person wouldn’t find themselves captivated by a highly improbable fictional scenario where the world is taken over by a virus that turns humans into violent, flesh-eating monsters, leaving only a handful of “chosen ones” to fight them off? It’s all very exciting.
Manhwa are particularlycreative when it comes to the zombie trope. They mix and match different themes and come up with the coolest, most intricate stories ever. Some of these hit so hard with the public that they even get adapted into mega-hit Korean dramas. Their art (with their thankfully colored panels), plot, and accessibility contribute to the ultimate well-rounded entertainment experience.
Updated August 03, 2025 by Fatima Naeem:Despite zombie-themed content being so common in entertainment, there’s something exceptionally different about the way manhwa portray this genre. Even the dullest manhwa in the scene has unique elements that set it apart from other works. The best part is that the “post-apocalyptic” trope, featuring any sort of undead, otherworldly, or supernatural domination (not necessarily just zombies), is one of the most prevalent themes in the manhwa industry. Even the biggest names in the business incorporate this trope in some way, and it never starts to feel old.
Status
Completed
Deadlifeis a 2018 manhwa with 103 chapters under its belt, and it kicks off with a bang. It ventures into the less-explored topic of “intelligent zombies” existing in a zombie apocalypse.
Kim Seung Hoon, an asthmatic high school student, finds himself trapped in his school alongside other students when a zombie outbreak occurs. They hold hopes of being rescued from the massive hordes of zombies patrolling outside the school building but have not had any luck yet. Sadly, a seemingly “intelligent” zombie crashes a massive truck through the metal gates guarding the school, allowing all the wild zombies outside to pour in. Amid all the chaos and panic, Seung Hoon gets left behind and bitten. He transforms into a zombie, but, unlike the typical ones, he can still think, sense, and move consciously.
DEY (Story & Art)
Dead Daysis an older entry thatdives into the psychological impactof a zombie apocalypse on a survivor. It was published in 2014 and ended after 61 chapters. It’s a relatively quick read but does a great job of portraying human vulnerability in a hopeless situation.
It revolves around various stories, each depicting different people and their coping mechanisms in a zombie outbreak. The first story features a 16-year-old kid barricaded in his room in an apartment complex, with his infected mom going rampant outside. After four days without food and water and on the verge of giving up, he spots a girl around his age in the adjacent apartment complex, willing to lend him a hand.
Manhwa and drama fans have most likely heard aboutAll of Us Are Deadbefore. It was a super popular K-drama that hit the screens in 2022. Its corresponding manhwa was published way before in 2009 and ended in 2011 with 130 total chapters. It may even be considered one of the classics.
The story ofAll of Us Are Deadunfolds at the premises of Hyosan High School, a seemingly normal school with seemingly normal students and staff. Unbeknownst to everyone involved in the story, this high school was on the verge of becoming the epicenter of one of themost deadly virusesto ever hit the world, changing their lives forever.
Shotgun Boyis a Kim Carnby series that acts as a prequel toSweet Home. Despite that, the manhwa is a complete standalone and has a lot of different themes that give it an edge over other similar manhwa. Specifically, it takes place in an ethically ambiguous setting, and the lead characters make multiple ‘gray’ decisions to survive.
The story revolves around a quiet and mistreated high school kid, Gyuhwan, whose only respite from his horrible school life is thinking about the revenge he’ll inflict on his bullies. As the days go by, the bullying inflicted on him becomes worse to the point where he eventually has to run for his life and hide away. One day, while hiding out in the woods, he stumbles upon a shotgun. Thinking enough’s enough, he takes the shotgun and goes back to his campus only to find out it’s been taken over by a strange virus that’s turning everyone into mindless violent creatures.
Happening, orThe Happening,is a 2017 zombie apocalypse manhwa that tackles a fairly unconventional idea in an even more unconventional way. It features the themes of emotions and some people’s inability to feel them — mainly, the main character’s. He doesn’t feel many emotions, and even if he does, he doesn’t feel them intensely enough to react. This makes him an easy target for the people of his school to pick on.
Things go wrong when a normal school day in Lee Park’s life becomes an absolute nightmare. He finds himself amidst a large group of exceedingly aggressive people who cannot seem to control their anger bursts and rage and are killing everyone who crosses their path. What makes it even more terrifying is that this condition appears to be contagious, with one of the key symptoms being the infected’s skin turning completely red.
TACITis perfect for people who enjoy unique art. It’s a sci-fi, action, and adventure manhwa that centers around a post-zombie-apocalypse world. It was first released in 2021, and after 85 chapters, it had its final run in 2023.
TACITcenters around a reckless young girl called Ruby who lives in a survivor camp with her father, Bevrian. Ruby is out on one of her little adventures one day when she comes across a boy with pale skin and white hair. While initially suspicious of him being a zombie, she eventually realizes that he’s completely normal and lets him in the survivor camp with her. From that point on, a series of unfortunate events prompt Ruby and her father to leave the camp in search of answers.
Hiveis a 2014 manhwa that had a four-year run. It ended in 2018 with 243 chapters under its belt. While this manhwa does feature a virus that turns humans into “mindless violent creatures,” itapproaches the concept very differently.
Lee Eun Sung is an average office worker with a deadbeat job and a horrible boss. The sole motivations that drive him to go to work each day are his daughter and wife. However, on one very normal day at the office, Eun Sung Lee and his colleagues get attacked by a colony of giant human-sized wasps. Those who survive the wasps' cannibalistic rampage end up turning into hive-centric zombified beings.
For something as serious as undead hordes being unleashed on humans and driving them into extinction,My Daughter Is a Zombiehas a surprisingly light take on it, providing a much-needed respite from the usual gore. It’s a comedy manhwa that was released in 2018 and ended in 2020 after 90 chapters.
South Korea has just been hit by a zombie virus, and now everyone around Su Ah is transforming into one. Her father decides that the safest way to avoid all the havoc would be to move in with her grandmother. However, on the very perilous (and ridiculously hilarious) journey there, Su Ah gets bitten by a zombie and is infected. Her father now has to hide her and take care of her, even after the virus has been eradicated.It’s comedy gold!
Kim Yeong Hwan’s take on a zombie apocalypse, and consequently on sentient zombies, is a bit more unique than one would expect.Wake Up Deadmanis a bizarre manhwa that somehow manages to incorporate themes of a large-scale zombie outbreak with romance, action, comedy, tragedy,andmusic. On paper, this manhwa has one ofthe most unconventional premiseshere.
It follows the one-sided, unreciprocated love of a high-school loner, Sahu, as he tries to find ways to confess to his long-time friend and crush Ju-hyeon. Incidentally, on the day he decides to confess his love, Sahu ends up saving Ju-Hyeon’s life from a truck crash, seemingly losing his own life in the process. However, like all zombie outbreaks, the one in this particular world hits the people like a truck (no pun intended). Instead of dying, Sahu unexpectedly becomes a zombie with all his memories and intelligence intact. He’s now determined to seek Ju-Hyeon out and do what he’s wanted to do for a long time.
Do not be fooled by this manhwa’s cutesy art and apparent romance plot, it’s not what it seems.Surviving Romanceis a reincarnation-romance turned zombie-thriller that catches its readers off-guard in the best way. It was released in 2021 and wrapped up with 101 chapters in 2023.
Eun Chaerin isisekaied into her favorite romance novel, and she’s perfectly content with it. Because of how obsessed she was with the said novel in her previous life, she has all its events memorized by heart. However, on the day she thinks she will get a confession from the novel’s male lead, Jeha, things veer in an unexpected direction. Instead of a confession, she gets attacked by a zombified version of Jeha!
