While the past few years have been particularly rough for the trans and gender-fluid communities, there's been a rise in trans and gender-fluid media, and media on the nature of gender as a whole. As varying as their quality can be, it shows audiences are willing to keep their eyes, ears, and minds open towards the T & Q in LGBTQ.

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It also coincides with a rise in Korean media, particularly their manhwa comics, as they're now more readily available than ever thanks to Webtoons, Tapas, and other websites. Even here, readers can find some of the best gender bender manhwa around. Whether they're deep, introspective stories about gender or simple lighthearted tales about the subject, there's something for everyone.

Updated June 7, 2024 by David Heath: Pride Month seems like a good time to update an article on gender-bending manhwa. Beyond discussing portrayals of trans and gender-fluid people, they can also test what people think they know about L, G, and B. People can say it's another person's heart that matters, but they can't help what side their toast is buttered, so to speak.

These issues, and more, often pop up in these gender-bender manhwa, with twists on the formula. Sometimes, their protagonists discover wrinkles in how the other side lives, or that their tastes are more fluid than they realize. Either way, it's fertile ground for drama, heartbreak, joy, romance, and more, as the new additions to this list show, with additional details and reorganization to inform readers better.

15 The Lady I Served Became A Master

MyAnimeList Score: 6.76

• Writing taken from Tabby's Star's original novel.
• Illustrated by Sigma.
• 119 Chapters.
• Available on Tappytoon

Most of the stories on this list stray across gender lines through less drastic measures like dress and mannerisms. It fits the bill, though some readers might prefer something stronger, like a full transition. Which is what happens in The Lady I Served Became a Master. It sees Sua getting isekai’d into her favorite novel as Blair, the maid to Chloe, the illegitimate daughter of a noble family and Sua's favorite character in the book.

As Blair, Sua stands by Chloe’s side throughout her darkest moments, where the two form a special bond. One that gets too special, as Chloe loses interest in her male suitors in favor of black magic. It all culminates in one day when Sua comes across a man called Claude who heavily resembles Chloe. What seems obvious to others forms a comedy of errors as Sua slowly realizes Claude used to be Chloe and wants to take their friendship to the next level.

14 His Majesty’s Secret Heroine

MyAnimeList Score: 6.96

• Written by Su-Yeong Han.
• Illustrated by Do-Gyung Lee.
• 205 Chapters.
• Available on Tapas.

Lok Heun’s life takes a tragic turn when her mother is murdered, and her father is made into a fugitive after exacting revenge. To help clear his name, she places herself in the care of Emperor Garyun, who aims to atone for the reign of his more brutal father. But he’s prone to mistakes, as he thinks Lok Heun is a boy. As such, he does all he can to help her become the ultimate fighter. Or as the English title says, His Majesty's Secret Heroine.

He goes as far as sending her to hell to fight demons. Needless to say, this strains their relationship a bit. But tensions ease as Garyun gives Lok Heun the one thing she lost: a shot at a happy life once again. The manhwa did get an official English translation via Tapas. However, it suffers from typos, mistranslations, and other mistakes, leading teener readers to go back to its unofficial but more accurate fan translations.

13 Normal City

MyAnimeList Score: 7.09

• Written and Illustrated by Kyungok Kang.
• 15 Volumes, 121 Chapters.
• Fan translation only.

Normal City might be a hard one to track down, as it's a fairly old strip that ran from 1993 to 2001. It's set in the far future where humanity has managed to spread to other planets, and they've begun to accept people with extra-sensory powers, or ESPs, in society. Kind of. They're largely used as military tools. One in particular, Kitty 101, was genetically engineered with the ability to shift from male to female among other abilities.

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But one of the scientists, Jason Haven, didn't want her to be turned into a weapon of war. He stole her away and raised her as his child in place of his late daughter. Jason tries to give her a normal upbringing, complete with a new identity as Mars Haven. But with her abilities, and with other ESPs under experimentation, it's unlikely things will remain normal for Mars.

12 My Girlfriend Is A Real Man

Anime Planet Score: 3.6/5 Stars

• Written and Illustrated by Massstar.
• 146 Chapters.
• Fan translations only.

This manhwa doesn't waste time getting started on its premise. Yoonjae is called over to a café by his girlfriend Jieun, only to discover she's turned into a man. Yoonjae doesn't believe "him" at first, calling her on his phone, only for the male Jieun to pick up his phone in front of him and answer back. Yoonjae is eventually convinced, though he's in as much disbelief as Jieun.

Jieun doesn't know how he became male either. He just woke up one morning, looked in the mirror, and saw a handsome man looking back instead of a pretty girl. As they try to figure out how Jieun changed, the two go through a range of misunderstandings and mishaps. Yet their relationship persists as, despite Jieun's new masculine exterior, he's still the sweetheart Yoonjae fell in love with. Compared to that, the matter of gender seems superfluous.

11 Queen’s

MyAnimeList Score: 7.21

• Written & Illustrated by Ha Sung-Hyun.
• 5 Volumes, 26 Chapters.
• Fan translation only, or by buying the 2004 Tokyopop volumes.

Readers will have to keep a sharp eye, as Ha Sung-Hyun also created the similarly named historical time-traveling romance Queen’s Man. It’s good, but not a gender-bending story like their earlier work, Queen’s. Briefly published in the West in 2004 by Tokyopop, it’s about Pil-Hyun 'Teddy Boy' Jung, a pretty boy who likes to make teddy bears in his spare time.

But when his crush opts for his more masculine classmate Gyung-Ju, Pil-Hyun tries to shed his delicate nature by asking the manhwa artist Bok-Nam for help. They made their name with their strip ‘How to Escape Being a Pretty Boy’, so surely they and their friends can help. But they have their own plans. As a result, Pil-Hyun goes on a journey of laughs and tears as he learns to accept himself for who he is.

10 Click

MyAnimeList Score: 7.16

• Written and Illustrated by Lee Youngran.
• 8 Volumes, 33 Chapters.
• Available on Netcomics

For another story with transition, Click takes things in a more scientific direction, albeit still rather fantastical. For the first 16 years of his life, Joonha was an ordinary boy who went through life with few problems despite his pigheadedness. But then he faints in shock when he loses a certain part of himself. It’s only when he wakes up that he discovers the truth about his family. They have a genetic mutation where they switch sexes following puberty.

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His father was actually born a woman and became a man, and now Joonha will go the opposite direction and become a girl. Now he has to eat crow as he adjusts to his new life. It's funny enough, as Joonha's sexism gets turned on its head. But not everyone clicked with his path to become a better person, most notably Yuricon founder Erica Friedman via her Okazu blog ("I will never understand straight women’s attraction to men who are loathsome").

9 My Boyfriend Is A Vampire

MyAnimeList Score: 7.32

• Written and Illustrated by Yu-Rang Han.
• 14 Volumes, 48 Chapters.
• Available via Seven Seas Entertainment.

Not to be confused with the Eva Knight book or the short story in Miyake Madoka's Pet Wa Binyanshi, My Boyfriend is a Vampire somehow manages to make the "vampire" part of the title the least surprising thing about it. It follows Da-In Yoo, the ringleader of a gang of hoodlums at his all-boys school. He's pretty enough to look like a girl, but if he hears anyone say so, he and his friends will beat them to a pulp.

But things take a funny turn when he spots something strange going on in the nearby forest. He goes to investigate and ends up getting bitten by a vampire. Da-In is sure they killed him, yet he was able to wake up and recover. He soon learns he's been turned into one of the undead, and into a girl at the same time. Left with no choice, he delves deeper into the world of vampires to find out what happened to him, why he became a girl, and what became of the handsome vampire that turned him.

8 Secret Alliance

MyAnimeList Score: 7.53

• Written and Illustrated by Lero.
• 45 Chapters.
• Available on Lezhin Comics.

Secret Alliance takes things in a more horror-orientated direction. Eun ‘Shanshan’ Sian suffered a traumatic experience with an ex-boyfriend, developing a fear of men in the process. She gets sent to an all-girls school to avoid inflaming her fears, where she becomes popular. However, she feels suffocated by her overbearing mother, and she doesn't care for the other girls' attention. Scared as she is, she's still into guys.

Unfortunately, she catches the attention of Yuri, the prettiest girl in school, who won’t take no for an answer. She becomes the yandere from hell, stalking Eun after school and at work. Her only help comes from Hyun, the boss at her part-time job. He starts stuck up but eventually warms to Eun’s plight. It’s a twisted psychological horror that requires a strong stomach but rewards the reader with a sweet ending.

7 Mookhyang: Dark Lady

MyAnimeList Score: 7.55

• Written by Dong-jo Jeon.
• Illustrated by Gugit.
• 220+ Chapters.
• Available on Tappytoon.

Mookhyang: Dark Lady is a little different from the other entries here, as it's an adaptation of a novel. Partially. The original Mookhyang novels by Dong-jo Jeon are big sellers in Korea, detailing the adventures of the titular character, the hierarch of the Demonic Sect. He rises through the ranks, seeking what it means to become stronger and master Chinese kung fu while taking on a range of old masters and evil forces.

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Dark Lady adapts the novel's second arc, where Mookhyang is cursed by his rivals in the Blood Sect. They send him to another realm full of Western fantasy figures like elves, wizards, and knights. He tries to overcome the curse with his manipulation of mana, only to end up cursed again and turned into a woman. Now the martial arts master/mistress has to overcome two curses while adjusting to how things are for the fairer sex for a while.

6 The Dawn In Moscow

Anime Planet Score: 3.8/5 Stars

• Written by Jangmi Hwang.
• Illustrated by Shano Lee.
• 130 Chapters.
• Available on Tappytoon.

All Siyoon Lee wanted to be was a concert pianist. Even when his parents were against it, he pursued his dream. But his career ended as soon as it began when he got in a car accident that rendered his right hand immobile. Having lost everything, he tries to commit suicide. However, instead of facing oblivion, he comes face to face with a horde of servants.

The Dawn in Moscow sees Siyoon become Tatiana Belchenova, a Russian heiress. As strange as it is, it gives him, or rather her, an opportunity for a fresh start. With her old skills intact, she enrolls at a prestigious music academy to resume her dream of becoming a pianist. Her only obstacles are her jealous rivals, amorous admirers, her new family's dark secrets, and the real Tatiana, who's still lingering inside her head. Tickling the ivories on the national stage will be the least of her worries.

5 Change

Anime Planet Score: 3.8/5 Stars

• Written & Illustrated by Jin Yuan.
• 135 Chapters.
• Fan Translations only.

For such a simple title, Change (a Chinese manhua rather than a Korean manhwa) has a dramatic start. Da Wei and He Jun dreamed of working together to become the strongest in the country. That is, until He Jun had to go abroad to study, leaving Da Wei to head to high school alone. He passes on his ring and title of 'Qingfeng's Big Boss' to his friend before leaving. Putting it on, Da Wei promises to use his strength to reach He Jun wherever he goes.

Then he gets struck by lightning the moment he raises his ring-clad fist in the air. He wakes up later in the hospital to find he's lost his buff, muscular body, and a lot more. The lightning turned him into a dainty, cute girl. It's played for yucks, but his search for another way to gain fame and He Jun's attention is no laughing matter, as it takes a different kind of strength to make it as a woman in the world.

4 Be Still My Heart

MyAnimeList Score: 7.71

• Written and Illustrated by Ha Il-Kwon.
• 3 Volumes, 30 Chapters.
• Available on Webtoon.

The premise behind Be Still My Heart sounds curious, yet it’s innocent enough for Webtoon to recommend it to readers of all ages. Its lead, Sugu, is straining under the pressure of having to keep his grades up and impressing his school's vice principal, who just happens to be his father. The only way he can get relief is through his secret interest: swimsuits. He’s more into the outfits than who’s fitting into them, so to speak.

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But when he’s caught peeping at the all-girls water polo team, the homeroom teacher gives him one way out: disguise himself as a girl and join the team. What would otherwise be a legal mess becomes an awakening for Sugu, as he learns there’s more to the sport and his disguise. It takes a sweet turn as the story becomes less about fanservice and more about one boy learning to appreciate water polo and his newfound friends.

3 Savage Garden

MyAnimeList Score: 7.77

• Written and Illustrated by Lee Hyeon-Sook.
• 7 Volumes, 29 Chapters.
• Volumes available for purchase from the Crunchyroll Store.

Lee Hyeon-Sook made her name with dark romances like The Flower of Evil, and Seduction More Beautiful Than Love. So, it’s no surprise that Savage Garden isn’t exactly light or fluffy beyond her eerily attractive artwork. It takes place in 18th Century England, where Gabriel, the orphaned daughter of a fallen noble family, falls in love with Jeremy, the illegitimate son of a noble.

However, when Jeremy gets killed in a tragic accident, Gabriel is made to take his place at an all-boys school for noble children. To anyone else, this would be the chance of a lifetime. But as Jeremy, Gabriel soon discovers it’s a harsh place that’s more brutal than she could’ve ever imagined. It’s a sad tale that’s perfect for readers looking for something more bittersweet.

2 Surviving A Harem

Anime Planet Score: 3.9/5 Stars

• Written & Illustrated by Jeonbun.
• 59 Chapters.
• Available on Webtoon.

Change saw one guy's athletic abilities altered by a sudden gender change, but they still had better luck than Jun Yu in Surviving a Harem. He's a lightweight boxing champion whose fortunes take a downward turn when he's dumped by his girlfriend Ji-Hye, and then hit by a car. Instead of regaining consciousness in the hospital, or not at all, he wakes up as Yujun Russell, the female lead in the dating game "Love Paradise."

The game's AI sets him a challenge: if he's able to charm all three of the game's main characters, he'll get a shot at regaining his old life. Otherwise, he'll have to live on as the foster daughter of a noble family. It sounds cushy, but Jun wasn't all that good at charming women, let alone appealing to men. With his old life on the line, he's now got to learn to do that fast and, in the process, see where he went wrong in his old relationship.

1 From Today On, I’m A Boy

Anime Planet Score: 4/5 Stars

• Written and Illustrated by Jelack.
• 77 Chapters.
• Available on Foxtoon (Korean only).

Usually, most gender-bending undercover stories involve the protagonist having a tricky time adjusting to their disguise, and the love interest having a crisis over learning the truth. From Today On, I’m a Boy manages to avoid those clichés, as Shiru was already more masculine than the average girl. She just has to go full man until graduation to win a ₩1 billion bet (approx. $77,000).

Instead of struggling to be ‘manly’ enough, Shiru’s pretty secure in her new (if temporary) identity. The drama comes from how other people outside her group react, from bullies trying to ‘expose the truth’, to romantic struggles that break the usual crisis formula. It’s more down-to-earth and often heartwarming in how supportive Shiru's friends can be. This manhwa is a great recommendation for readers looking for something sweet and platonic.

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