Manhwa is renowned for its vibrant storytelling, art, and diverse genres from a global standpoint. While many manhwa series captivate readers, some titles fall short due to unsatisfying conclusions. Plus, some of them span years due to the author and artists upholding their quality to ensure consistency.

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As a result, manhwa with bad endings can leave the readers questioning their entire journey in which they invested time and emotion. These endings can vary due to unresolved plotlines, character arcs, rushed conclusions, or failure to deliver on the story's potential. Some manhwa also get 'axed' (canceled) for different reasons. Although it is no different from some mangas, readers continue to enjoy manhwa for its beautiful storytelling. Here are a few manhwa titles that have left many readers heartbroken, angry, unsatisfied, and confused.

10 Noblesse

Eleven Years of Storytelling Undone in the Final Act

• MyAnimeList Score: 8.12
• Published: Dec 30, 2007 to Jan 7, 2019
• Chapters: 544

Noblesse is one of the most popular manhwa titles. It is about the immortal character Cadis Etrama Di Raizel "Rai," who wakes up from a white coffin in an abandoned building. While trying to blend into human society, he comes across his long-forgotten aide – Frankenstein. However, modern society continues to cause problems for those around him, and he is forced to use his powers to protect them.

With around 11 years of plot-building, the ending of Noblesse greatly confused its reader due to its abrupt conclusion. It left many unanswered questions about Rai's survival, and it made no sense at all. In a way, the ending made their existence pointless, with years of plots revolving around them. New readers may shake it off with a 'meh' ending, but those who invested a decade reading it were pissed. Some also stated that the author (Son Je-ho) had admitted his mistake and vowed to do better in his subsequent work Eleceed.

9 God Of High School

Chaotic Climax Leads To A Disappointing Conclusion

• MyAnimeList Score: 7.68
• Published: Apr 8, 2011 to Oct 13, 2022
• Chapters: 569

The God of High School is another beloved manhwa about a fierce fighting competition between high school students. It is the ultimate competition, and the prize is to grant the ultimate fighter's wish. Each character in the series has goals they must fulfill by coming out as the victor. However, the tournament is not as simple as it may seem.

The last arc of this manhwa was all over the place, leading to a bad ending. The story was excellent initially and dropped in quality towards the end with illogical villains and stalled-out fights. Although there were some significant character developments, the last arc had a lot of events going on simultaneously, which confused the readers. Characters were dying but getting resurrected, random abilities popped up here and there, multiple dimensions came out of nowhere, and even clones appeared. Eventually, the plot's conflicts degraded the overall story of what God of High School could've been.

8 The Girl Downstairs

A Disappointing Ending Out Of The Usual Expectations

• MyAnimeList Score: 7.47
• Published: Jul 17, 2019 to Jun 16, 2022
• Chapters: 149

Joon moves into a new apartment to find his neighbor, an ex-celebrity figure named Duna. Although he tries to avoid her, he becomes more curious about her life and gets closer.

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The Girl Downstairs was a beloved manhwa by the global audience. It also has an anime and K-drama adaptation. However, each of them has a different ending, with the manhwa's one being the most disappointing. Fans of the series commend the anime for having the best ending, while the manhwa and K-drama had mixed reviews. Some readers liked the manhwa's ending, citing it as 'close to real life' while others were left heartbroken due to its ambiguity. Overall, they could not justify Duna's reaction to Joon returning from the military and ending things for good. However, the anime's ending will always remain in the hearts of the fans.

7 The Return Of The 8th Class Magician

Rushed Plot Progression And An Unsatisfying Ending

• MyAnimeList Score: 7.43
• Published: Jul 2, 2021 to Dec 25, 2022
• Chapters: 81

Ian Paige was an 8th-class mage who did the emperor's bidding without a second thought. Despite their closeness, the emperor deems him a threat and poisons him. As Paige is nearing his end, he casts a powerful spell to regress 30 years in the past. He sets out to build his class as a mage to get revenge on the emperor and reclaim his glory.

Although The Return Of The 8th Class Magician has positive ratings, the manhwa fell short due to its rushed plot and abrupt ending. The beginning was great, but then the series skipped half the novel's content for a rushed conclusion. The novel better portrays the story by exploring the protagonist's history and character in detail. It shows his journey of learning the world's history to increase his abilities and learn the truth about his father. Sadly, the manhwa skipped this whole journey and confusingly ended the story.

6 Martial Artist Lee Gwak

An Unfortunate Finale at the Height of Its Narrative

• MyAnimeList Score: 7.23
• Published: Mar 13, 2021 to Oct 10, 2022
• Chapters: 100

Gwak Lee was a military officer who became disabled due to being beaten by the Ilhyeon Gwan of the Shinmaryeon clan. As a last resort, he turns to learn the Jade Temple System and overcomes his disabilities through a proper recovery. Eventually, he strives to train harder to become the strongest warrior.

Martial Artist Lee Gwak was a great wuxia murim manhwa that got axed for uncertain reasons. It had great potential for world-building and was quite different from a generic manhwa without harems, power-tripped protagonists, or other elements. It had a good storyline with a smart and humble protagonist. However, some may argue that its straightforward storytelling may have escaped the grasp of the usual manhwa readers. As a result, the plot leading up to the conclusion was intriguing, only to freefall without any warning.

5 My Office Noona's Story

An Ending That Could Be Better With Simple Logic

• MyAnimeList Score: 7.05
• Published: Sep 28, 2020 to Nov 8, 2021
• Chapters: 65

My Office Noona's Story started with a great premise of crushing on a colleague in the workplace. It revolves around a manager, Son, who is transferred to a new department. Eventually, he gets closer to his older colleague Ahn (also a manager), and his life takes a sweet turn. However, office crushes can get troublesome in the blink of an eye.

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Many readers were left depressed after the ending of My Office Noona's Story. It left them questioning their life and feeling empty inside due to the weird conclusion. What's more, the ending is based on the author's real-life experience. However, it did not please the series' fans and only made them unsure of what to feel. It also left some readers sympathizing with the author, who lived through the story of being a disappointing couple who couldn't communicate with each other.

4 Dice

A Single Reset Undoes Years Of Plot Progression

• MyAnimeList Score: 6.73
• Published: May 18, 2013 to Jul 17, 2021
• Chapters: 388

Dice has a unique plot in which the protagonist, Dongtae, is able to change his fate with a single roll. Initially, he was at the bottom of the barrel with no social life, bad grades, and no unique appearance. Luckily, a popular transfer student took pity on him and introduced him to the world of DICE. Eventually, Dongtae goes on to change his life for the better, but unknown dangers creep up on him.

Many readers have compared Dice's ending to that of Solo Leveling. Both had an ending where the world was reset, and only the protagonist remembered what had occurred. However, Solo Leveling does it better with the help of additional chapters that make it bittersweet. Sadly, Dice undid things in a way that left a bad taste in the mouth. It had a better concept but left readers upset when everything was reset, and even the protagonist was left without powers at the end. The journey was eventful, but the reset made everything pointless for the overall story and the characters that have grown since.

3 Reverse Villain

An Abrupt Conclusion Ends The Story Without Warning

• MyAnimeList Score: 6.66
• Published: Jan 9, 2020
• Chapters: 110

Jung-Woo and Shin-Ryong are stuck in a reincarnation cycle, and they fight it out until Jung-Woo is killed by Shin-Ryong. After being defeated in each cycle, Jung-Woo is reborn in the modern world, and his ultimate goal changes. Since Murim no longer exists, he changes his approach to emerge as the victor differently.

Reverse Villain had great potential in world-building, like Martial Artist Lee Gwak. However, it was abruptly cut short with a terrible cop-out ending. Even readers of the series were engaged with the storyline only to see it end out of the blue. They were left in disbelief that such an enjoyable manhwa met such a bitter conclusion.

2 A Useless Villain

A Rushed Plot Meets An Unexpected Ending

• MyAnimeList Score: 5.50
• Published: Feb 2, 2021 to Jan 18, 2022
• Chapters: 53

A Useless Villain was another intriguing manhwa with a unique concept. It revolves around a high school student, Dongjin Kim, who wishes to become a villain by destroying humanity. However, his goal is met with an unexpected challenge where using his powers sends him back in time. After being caught up in a never-ending time loop, he learns from the events surrounding himself to work toward his ultimate goal.

The manhwa started amazingly, but the author picked up its pace and ended it in a few chapters. Readers were perplexed by the outcome as A Useless Villain left much more to be desired. Plus, the story started to make less sense as it went on, and eventually, the readers were left looking out for two protagonists in one manhwa. Despite the premise being a time loop, even the plot of the manhwa seemed to go on and on in circles with no development. Even the last few chapters tried introducing new characters and plot elements but ended without an explanation or sequel.

1 Nice To Meet You

Confusing Conclusion Makes The Ending Ambiguous

• MyAnimeList Score: Unlisted
• Published: 2022
• Chapters: 78

Mew is a happy-go-lucky university student who finds a lost student card belonging to Daze. She has fun with it until she meets the card's owner, who approaches her about the things she did. Eventually, they become friends, and the manhwa follows the journey of these goofballs throughout their student lives.

Nice To Meet You had a fantastic first season with a great story, character development, and beautiful moments. Sadly, the second season dropped hard in every aspect, leaving readers heartbroken and confused. Many readers already disliked the love triangle idea and felt that Daze was wronged. Some even suspect the author chose the ending because the other couple's shipping became popular on social media. Mew and Daze had a significant buildup, but it was useless. Even the epilogue showed a time skip, worsening the already lousy ending.

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