Much like the unimpeded and steady rise to popularity of the manhwa industry, the Sports manhwa genre has also been on a continued ascendancy within the ranks of the manhwa medium. The genre offers readers captivating and thrilling stories through a competitive and athletic lens, cutting across a wide range of sports.

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The most captivating feature of sports manhwa lies in the ability to vividly convey the thrill of the game to its readers, immersing readers in the goal-driven lives of the various protagonists and simultaneously exploring the different aspects attached to sport-driven lives chosen by these multiple characters. Be it the depiction of the exhilarating matches or the emotions accompanying the feelings of victory and loss; sports manhwa capture the essence of sportsmanship. Through the ability to deliver, the genre appeals to sports enthusiasts and even more to readers unfamiliar with the genre. In regards to the genre, below are its best yet.

10 Green Boy: Shouting to You

Anime-Planet Rating: 4.0/5

• Author: Jung Jae-Han, Im Jin-Gook
• Release Years: 2010-2013
• Genre: Drama, Sports, Romance, Slice of Life

Green Boy explores the lives of two high school students as it revolves around sporting interests and a one-sided quest for love. The relatively brief manhwa focuses on the two central characters, Ja In (Jane), the irrepressible girl whose only goal is to become a boxing champion, and Tae-Jin, the boy hopelessly in love with Ja In who will do anything to be by her side.

What follows through the series is a tale of the two’s struggles and gradual change in relationship dynamics on the road to the Championships.

9 Backcourt

Anime-Planet Rating: 3.8/5

• Author: Sta-Road
• Release Years: 2017-2019
• Genre: Sports

Backcourt is a sports manhwa focused on female basketball. The manhwa tells a tale of a team that surpassed every expectation of high school basketball. The series revolves around the once-upon-a-time basketball prodigy, David Suh, who now works as an employee at a convenience store.

A friend offers him a job as a high school basketball coach after a surprise visit. Deluded by the thought of making a glorious comeback to basketball as the coach of a famous high school basketball team, David accepts the job offer. However, his excitement quickly fades into regret when he realizes the sort of team that will become his.

8 King Of The Octagon

Anime-Planet Rating: 4.0/5

• Author: Philip, Gopubi
• Release Years: Ongoing
• Genre: Sports, Action, Drama

King Of The Octagon delves into the MMA (Mixed Martial Arts) sports with its exciting visuals and thrilling storyline. The story is about the exciting conquest of rookie genius Hwiseong Lee. This promising and talented individual gave up on it all in high school despite being considered a prodigy, now working part-time at a convenience store.

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Hwiseong is invited to an MMA amateur match that will change the course of Hwiseong’s life. Overwhelmed by the thrill of what he just witnessed, Hwiseong will once more bet his everything on the conquest of the ring.

7 Attaque

Anime-Planet Rating: 3.6/5

• Author: Lee Sae-Hyung
• Release Years: Ongoing
• Genre: Drama, School Life, Sports

Attaque is a profoundly resonating manhwa that explores the constant impermanence in life and how sports have purpose-giving abilities. The story’s central character, Leesu, comes from a low-income family but is not worried about his origins since he is his school’s strongest fighter.

Still, even the one thing he has is taken away from him when he is involved in a car accident. The accident leaves him unable to fight, essentially useless. Desperate to get back what he once had and the thrill of what he could do, Leesu turns his attention to fencing to regain what he once had.

6 Sweet Spot

Anime-Planet Rating: 4.0/5

• Author: Boyseason, Seyang
• Release Years: 2018-2019
• Genre: Sports, Yaoi

Sweet Spot is a baseball manhwa that explores the romantic relationship that develops in the most unlikely manner between two unlikely individuals. The story revolves around Yoon Geon Yeong, the ace pitcher of the Professional League baseball team Amber Elephants.

Despite being more than a capable pitcher, Yoon keeps getting distracted by the club’s mascot, which should not be happening. What exactly is it about this mascot? A mascot’s job is simply to cheer on players. It turns out that Yoon had something to do with Wonwoo, the man behind the mascot in the past. However, the nervy tension between them seems to be transforming into something more.

5 The God of Pro Wrestling

Anime-Planet Rating: 4.0/5

• Author: Coby Noejo
• Release Years: Ongoing
• Genre: Action, Sports, Martial Arts

The manhwa, The God of Pro Wrestling, follows Junho Kim, the pro-wrestler who loved pro-wrestling more than anything else but was never able to make it as a top-rated pro-wrestler due to racial standards.

Retired with a win rate percentage of 0.7%, Junho works at a construction site where he gets caught in an unexpected accident. Junho suddenly awakens a day before the WWF entrance exam; he has been brought back to the past. Now armed with all the knowledge and experience of his previous life, Junho is determined to reach the pinnacle of pro-wrestling.

4 Build Up

Anime-Planet Rating: 3.9/5

• Author: 911
• Release Years: Ongoing
• Genre: Sports, Action, Comedy, Slice of Life

Build Up focuses on Kang Maru, a kid who had ordinary interests and never did anything out of the ordinary or spectacular, but all of that changed the day he was forced to watch a game of football: a World Cup match by his father.

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Enthralled by what he witnessed, the game unearths an obsession within Maru: to become a fantastic football player. However, there is one obstacle between Maru and his new goal: he has been dubbed ‘the King of Losers’ at school. Only through the story’s progression will it be seen whether Maru can overcome his limitations and become an amazing player.

3 Winning Shot!

Anime-Planet Rating: 4.0/5

• Author: Kang Kyeon,
• Release Years: Ongoing
• Genre: Adventure, Slice of Life, Sports, Shounen

Winning Shot is a tale of high school baseball at its best. The manhwa focuses on Ahn Shiyun, a pitcher who doesn’t mind if his team loses a game as long as it means he still gets to play baseball.

Ahn continues to chase after his ideal in middle school. Still, his life begins to change when he meets Bake Tae-Oh, a catcher of an opposing team: an encounter that will change Ahn’s perspective and opinion on how baseball is meant to be played.

2 The Boxer

Anime-Planet Rating: 4.4/5

• Author: Jeong Ji-Hoon
• Release Years: 2019-2022
• Genre: Sports, Drama

The Boxer explores the different perspectives and life experiences that shape humans into what they are or become, and it does this through the sport of boxing. The central character, Yu, has only known suffering and bullying for the better part of his seventeen years of life, so much so that he has become emotionally numb and dissociated from reality.

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Despite possessing genius-level movement, Yu prefers to get beat up rather than dodge, as he no longer finds meaning in life. After a coincidental meeting with world-famous boxing coach K, Yu is promised a meaningful life in boxing, and in the hopes of finding the light that he once sought, he accepts the offer of a new life.

1 Windbreaker

Anime-Planet Rating: 4.4/5

• Author: Jo Yongseok
• Release Years: Ongoing
• Genre: Action, Drama, Sports

Windbreaker presents a story of a boy, burdened by the expectations of success by his family, especially his mother, that he has no choice but to try to fulfill her expectations. However, he soon realizes that the road to success may have multiple paths.

The story focuses on Jay Jo, the top student in his class and student council president, who aims to be a medical doctor just like his mother wants. After being convinced to join his school’s biking crew, Jay soon realizes that there may be more to success than passing exams, and this reignites a passion in him he had long buried.

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