(ThyBlackMan.com) It’s February 2020 and there’s a ton of awesome manga, webtoons, and manhua out there to check out. South Korean and Chinese creators are really doing the damn thing with the series they put but Japan is no slouch. Let’s check out some series for martial arts fans I recently discovered that are worth a read.
Apotheosis (fantasy, adventure, romance)
Here we have the tale of Luo Zheng, a young martial artist from a branch of the family that has pretty much been dismantled. A common trait you’ll find in these series is a weak character experiencing a come up in power and building from there. Our hero gets one such come up where he shares his spirit with a dragon released from a cauldron.
His goal initially is to free his sister, a powerful martial artist who is imprisoned. She left to cultivate her power so that a powerful, dark martial artist can use her to reach a higher level. The series follows Lou Zheng as he becomes stronger, learns new abilities, and makes allies and enemies along the way.
It’s all really stock fantasy martial arts but the story progression and following as Luo advances through levels of skill just works for Apotheosis.
Rating: 9.5/10 (Highly Recommend)
Soul Land (fantasy, comedy, romance, adventure)
It took me a while to discover Soul Land which is a very popular series. The series starts out a little slow but when it warms up the battles are good. Our main character here is Tang San who is reincarnated into a world where magic and martial arts mix. Actually, everything leans more towards magic with a smattering of martial arts.
Tang starts out with a weak martial spirit but it is revealed he is a rare wielder of dual spirits. The series progressed with Tang becoming more powerful, learning new skills that puts him over the top of his peers, and forming close bonds with a group of classmates.
What I dig about Soul Land is that it focuses not just on Tang San but his close friends and their improvement over the years. It also helps that the other characters are likeable and written in a way that they don’t come off as supporting characters but main ones. Yes, everything revolves around Tang but the development of his friends is top notch.
Oh yeah, I’m a fan of time skips in series. Soul Land nails these time skips. The one flaw Soul Land has is that sometimes there’s a gap between big battles.
Rating: 8.5/10 (Recommended)
Noragami (fantasy, comedy, romance)
While Apotheosis and Soul Land are manhua, Noragami is a manga series that isn’t really martial arts-oriented at all. It’s more of a fantasy/supernatural series that has been around for a bit. As a matter of fact, it even had an anime series that got two seasons (still waiting on season three). Noragami follows a nameless god Yato, his weapon and close friend Yukine, and close friend/love interest Hiyori.
Yato is a god without a shrine and takes on roughly any job for a small amount—five yen. He meets Hiyori who “saves” him from getting hit by a car and is struck herself. While she doesn’t die, her soul is disconnected which leads to a number of situations, most notable is her falling asleep wherever when her soul leaves her body.
Hiyori learns about the world of Shinto gods in Japan. Who is related to who, who gets along with who, a god’s greatest secret, and shiiki, souls who take a human form but become a tool of the gods—mainly for battle. At the start of the series, Yato’s shiiki leaves him and he gets a new one, a blade named Yukine.
The story combines drama, comedy, and action for a really great mix. I’d liken it to Inuyasha only with more stuff happening. You know what, let’s add a splash or two of Yu Yu Hakusho and you’ve got Noragami.
Rating: 9.5/10 (Highly Recommended)
Strongest Anti M.E.T.A (comedy, romance, action)
Xue Que is a rotten, disrespectful punk who ends up dying—how is never really explained—and is reincarnated into the body of a prince left for dead. The situation should prove dire for him off the bat except for the System which serves kind of a video game menu to help him through the world. This world is one of powerful martial arts experts and the prince Xue Que possesses was a prodigy initially.
Now he has to start from scratch and regain all of the power. The best way to do that is through bluffing and lying which earns him points if he’s successful. He also gains experience points just like a game which makes him more powerful. The points he gains can be used for roughly anything in the System’s store as long he’s able to use it.
What I love about Strongest Anti M.E.T.A is just how disrespectful Xue Que is. This guy is basically an anti-hero who thinks nothing of lying to people and outright killing others. It’s a refreshing take when you often read about heroic martial heroes who get powerful rapidly.
Rating: 9/10 (Highly Recommended)
Cultivation Chat Group (comedy, adventure, action)
Our final entry is Cultivation Chat Group. Most of the series on this list except for Noragami—which is based around Shinto—uses Taoism and cultivation as the foundation for the story and the setting. Cultivation Chat Group is based in modern times and is about a college freshman Song Shuhang who is added to a group for Taoist martial arts masters by accident.
Initially, he believes it’s a roleplaying group or just a bunch of people who have lost touch with reality. Slowly, he begins to believe that’s not the case and is drawn into this community, becoming a cultivator himself. While becoming stronger, he has to balance roommates, school, enemies, and keeping the world of cultivators a secret.
This series is amazing. We’re not given a hero who is born into the world of fantasy martial arts but who kind of stumbles into it and is skeptical of everything. Once he realizes it’s real, he takes to it and makes friends with several of the elders in the group—most of which are centuries old but have taken to 21st century technology.
Several of these fantasy martial arts series deserve anime series but this one should really get one.
Rating: 10/10 (Official Seal of Dopeness)
Staff Writer; M. Swift
This talented writer is also a podcast host, and comic book fan who loves all things old school. One may also find him on Twitter at; metalswift.