6 Exciting Korean Anime You Must Watch

The Most Exciting Korean Anime You Must Watch

The Hallyu phenomenon is currently trending all over the world, with South Korean culture and entertainment being of interest to many people.

The world of entertainment, such as idol artists, music and animated films, is really hyped, especially among teenagers.

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However, one that is currently hyped is anime. Korea or Aeni who has relatable visuals and stories.

Starting from the Webtoon adaptation to the original story with fantasy-action and supernatural elements, this is very exciting.

Apart from that, it also includes elements of South Korean culture such as background sound, setting and local food.

For those of you who want to try watching Korean anime, you can get the best recommendations in this article, OK!

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Korean Anime

Anime Korean is an animation produced in South Korea, usually by a Korean animation studio, with Korean voice actors and using Korean language, especially Hangukmal, the official language of South Korea.

The local people in South Korea call Korean Anime "Aeni" or "Hanguk Aeni".

On average, these Korean Anime come from Webtoons or Comics from Korea (Manhwa), then adapted into animation.

For storytelling, it is usually more casual and has elements of Korean culture such as showing food, festival language and the atmosphere of Korean cities.

Visually, some Korean anime are similar to Japanese animation styles, some are softer, more colorful, have detailed backgrounds and digital effects (Computer Graphics/Computer-Generated Imagery) are commonly used.

This is because Korea, including South Korea, has studios with the best technology so the animation quality is cool.

Korean anime is generally more kid-friendly. However, with the rise of streaming platforms, many Korean anime now feature adult themes.

Overall, Korean anime is animation created based on culture, comics/webtoons and the creative industry in Korea, including South Korea.

Although the animation style is similar to Japanese anime, the story is about Korean culture and is distributed on several different streaming platforms.

List of the Best Korean Anime

After knowing the definition of Korean Anime, now you can find out the recommendations for the best Korean Anime that you can add to your watchlist, including the following:

NOBLESSE

The first Korean anime is entitled “Noblesse”, which is an anime adapted from a Manhwa or Webtoon from South Korea with the name 'Son Je-ho'.

Noblesse is illustrated by Lee Kwang-su and the Webtoon was released in Naver Webtoon since December 30, 2007 – January 7, 2019.

Due to the popularity of this webtoon, it was adapted into an animated series. One of the adaptations is the Original Video Animation (OVA) titled 'Noblesse: Awakening,' released on February 4, 2016, by the Japanese studio Production IG.

Then, for the TV series adaptation, it was produced by the same studio, namely Production IG, directed by Yasutaka Yamamoto, series composition by Harada Sayaka and music arrangement by Yoshihiro Ike.

The TV series Noblesse Season 1 aired on October 7 – December 30, 2020 with a total of 13 episodes.

The Original Video Animation (OVA) and Original Net Animation (ONA) 'Noblesse: Awakening' aired on February 4, 2016.

Apart from that, there is also a short prequel entitled 'The Beginning of Destruction/Pamyeol-ui Sijak' which was broadcast on December 4, 2015.

Noblesse is streaming on Crunchyroll globally with subtitles. In Japan, it airs on Tokyo MX and BS11.

The main story begins after 'Noblesse: Awakening', where Cadis Etrama di Raizel, a Noble, awakens from his 820-year slumber.

The world he once knew has changed drastically, including technology, culture and society.

Then, he meets his butler named 'Frankenstein', a high school captain.

He enrolled as a student at the high school to learn about the modern world.

At this school, he meets several students who are now his friends, adapts and overcomes conflicts such as facing a secret organization called 'Unions', supernatural threats and supernatural battles and other Nobles until finally Cadis Etrama's past in Raizel is revealed.

In the OVA 'Noblesse: Awakening', it summarizes the beginning of the Webtoon story such as Cadis Etrama in Raizel waking up, character introductions to the conflict.

The series continues the main point and develops the story with a school arc, friendship between humans and Nobles and supernatural threats.

Noblesse is a Korean anime because it comes from a South Korean Webtoon, the characters have a Korean background and are already popular among Webtoon and Manhwa fans.

Even though the anime is produced by a Japanese studio, it includes Korean culture, characters, background stories and publications in South Korea.

This is an example of how a South Korean work can be adapted internationally with a combination of local South Korean concepts and Japanese animation production.

Noblesse's advantage as a Korean anime is that it tells the story of a supernatural world, Nobles and mixed conflicts.

The characters are very unique, where the visual design is very good and the soundtrack has a dark vibe.

This anime was produced too quickly so that some parts of the Webtoon story were cut and changed.

The nuances of South Korean culture or the details of the original story still feel lacking because the setting has been changed.

The God of High School

The second Korean anime is titled “The God of High School”, which is an adaptation of a South Korean Manhwa/Webtoon by Park Yong-Je.

The webtoon has been published on the Naver Webtoon platform since April 8, 2011 until now.

This webtoon is becoming increasingly popular because it features action, art and stories about martial arts and the supernatural in it.

Until finally, this webtoon was adapted into a TV anime series produced by Studio MAPPA and Sola Entertainment.

Then, directed by Sunghoo Park, the screenplay was written by Kiyoko Yoshimura, designed by Manabu Akita and the music arrangement was by Arisa Okehazama.

Until now, the anime series only has 1 season which has aired from July 6 – September 28, 2020 with a total of 13 episodes.

The anime aired on Japanese TV stations such as Tokyo MX and TX-X and in South Korea on Aniplus and Naver Series On.

In addition, The God of High School is also broadcast on the Crunchyroll, Muse Asia and iQIYI platforms.

This anime tells more about a martial arts tournament between high school students in South Korea who are looking for a winner to get the title of The God of High School and can get whatever they want.

Jin Mori is a Taekwondo expert who pursues his passion while participating in tournaments.

There he met Yu Mira and Han Daewi who were both taking part in the tournament too.

In the middle of the season, tournament participants can use extraordinary powers, the emergence of mysterious organizations, battles between spirits and other creatures.

The conflict is more about who deserves to be the winner, the students' motivations and the truth behind the tournament.

In the final episode, after going through various battles, all the main characters will face a major threat that triggers a plot twist.

Although this anime adaptation was produced by a Japanese animation studio, Studio MAPP, all elements are sourced from Korean Webtoons such as the story, culture, local terms and martial arts featured there.

True Beauty

The third Korean anime is titled “True Beauty” which is an anime adaptation of Manhwa/Webtoon by Yaongyi which was published on Naver Webtoon on April 2, 2020 – June 28, 2023.

The webtoon was read by many readers and became a hype at that time because it told about self-confidence, beauty standards and social pressure regarding appearance.

Due to its success, this webtoon was adapted into a live-action drama in South Korea which aired from December 9, 2020 – February 4, 2021 with a total of 16 episodes.

After that, it was also announced that an animated version would be made which would be produced by Studio N and Cocktail Media.

The anime version of True Beauty aired from August 7 to October 30, 2024, with 13 episodes.

On January 4, 2025, it was announced that True Beauty Season 2 would be released, which will likely be released in 2026.

The True Beauty anime is available to watch on Crunchyroll, ABEMA, Amazon Prime Video, and HULU. It's also available on Japanese platforms like U-NEXT.

True Beauty tells the story of Jugyeong Lim, a high school student who is often bullied because of her 'ugly' appearance.

Then, she started learning makeup to change her appearance to be more confident and different from other girls.

Thanks to her makeover, she transferred to Saeobom High School, a school that produces idols, influencers, and artists.

The school has a tradition of voting on which student is worthy of being the 'school beauty goddess'.

At her new school, Jugyeong Lim gets the attention of the students to the point where she is trusted to be one of the candidates for the next 'school beauty goddess'.

Other characters like Suho and Seo Jun begin to discover Jugyeong Lim's true face.

Conflicts begin to arise due to Jugyeong Lim's desire to be accepted, her true identity, social pressure and other people's views of her appearance.

In the final episode, it was revealed about Jugyeong Lim's real face, her relationship with Suho and Seo Jun and how Jugyeong Lim deals with the problem of social pressure at school regarding her appearance.

True Beauty is an original work from South Korea whose webtoon is called 'Yaongyi' which inserts Korean culture, school settings, beauty standards, bullying.

Even though it was released internationally, the culture, language and context are still strongly related to South Korea.

This story is very relatable in South Korea, where it depicts beauty standards, bullying, makeup and the expectation to be accepted by everyone.

Shinbi's House

The fourth Korean anime entitled “Shinbi's House” or 'Shinbi Apartment' and 'The Haunted House' is an animated series originating from South Korea.

The anime series is produced and distributed by Tooniverse and CJ E&M.

Initially, this animated series aired on December 31, 2014 entitled 'Shinbi Apartment Room 444'.

However, the regular season 1 officially aired two years later. The genres are adventure, fantasy, and horror, with elements of comedy.

This anime is directed by Lee Jong-hyuk and the voice over involves Jo Hyeon-jeong, Kim Young-eun, Kim Chae-ha.

Overall, Shinbi's House has 5 seasons with a total of 123 episodes, each lasting around 24 minutes.

Shinbi's House Season 1 'Ghost Ball' aired on July 20, 2016 – January 18, 2017 with a total of 24 episodes.

Then, Shinbi's House Season 2 'Ghost Ball Double X: The Secret of the Underground Labyrinth & Ghost Ball Double X: The Seven Worlds of the Dark' aired on November 9, 2017 – March 8, 2018 (Part 1) with 13 episodes and November 8, 2018 – January 24, 2019 (Part 2) with 10 episodes for a total of 23 episodes.

Shinbi's House Season 3 'Ghost Ball Z' aired March 5 - June 4, 2020 (Part 1) with 13 episodes and October 8, 2020 - January 21, 2021 (Part 2) with 13 episodes for a total of 26 episodes.

In between Season 1, Shinbi's House Special Episode (Part 1) aired on December 24, 2020.

Continuing to Shinbi's House Season 4 'Ghost Ball Z: Guido Exorcist' aired September 6 – December 16, 2021 (Part 1) with 12 episodes and April 28 – July 29, 2022 (Part 2) totaling 12 episodes for a total of 26 episodes.

In the middle of the Season 4 break, Shinbi's House Special Episode (Part 2) aired on December 23, 2021.

Continuing to Shinbi's House Season 5 'Ghost Ball Zero' aired March 30 – June 15, 2023 (Part 1) with 11 episodes and November 30, 2023 – March 14, 2024 (Part 2) with 15 episodes for a total of 27 episodes.

In the middle of the Season 5 break, Shinbi's House Special Episode (Part 3) aired on July 14, 2023.

In South Korea, this anime series airs on Tooniverse. However, it's also available globally on Netflix and in Indonesia, it was previously broadcast on NET TV.

Due to its high popularity, Shinbi's House Season 6 is scheduled to be released in 2025 and 2026.

Shinbi's House Season 1 'Ghost Ball' tells the story of Hari Koo and Doori Koo who move into the haunted Shinbi Apartment.

The two of them met Shinbi the Goblin who was 102 years old and was born from the energy of the apartment.

Thanks to Goblin Taffy from Shinbi, Hari Koo and Doori Koo can see ghosts. In exchange for their help in eliminating the ghosts who roam the earth and are bound to the earth due to unjust deaths.

Shinbi promises to grant the wish of every ghost whose spirit is appeased.

Assisted by Kanglim Choi and his friends such as Hyun-woo and Gaeun to fight the trapped ghosts and collect the spirits into the Ghost Ball.

Shinbi's House Season 2 'Ghost Ball Double X: The Secret of the Underground Labyrinth & Ghost Ball Double X: The Seven Worlds of the Dark', after the ghosts were calmed down, Shinbi's energy began to weaken.

However, new ghosts begin to arrive. Hari Koo and Doori Koo obtain the Ghost Ball Double X with the help of the new yellow goblin, Geumbi, who grants them timelapse abilities.

This season focuses more on the Underground Labyrinth and the conflict involving the Seven Worlds of Darkness.

Then in Shinbi's House Season 3 'Ghost Ball Z', they use Ghost Ball Z which is a powerful tool.

There starts to be trouble involving a secret organization called Guido who can handle ghosts in a different way.

Kanglim Choi must face the past and continue training, while the threat of ghosts and evil creatures continues to appear, taking the other Guido members with them.

Then in Shinbi's House Season 4 'Guido Exorcist', it focuses on the powers and roles of Hari Koo and Kanglim Choi when facing evil spirits and threats in the human world and the ghost world while uncovering the secrets and true goals of the Guido group.

Then, in Shinbi's House Season 5 'Ghost Ball Zero', it shows the threat after the Guido crisis is over.

Where Hari Koo, Doori Koo and Shinbi have to face a ghost with stronger powers, namely Ghost Ball Zero.

The story focuses more on mysterious evil entities and introduces stories that challenge their powers more.

Overall, Shinbi's House is the best Korean anime because it has a visual style like Japanese anime, South Korean identity is still strong such as the language and culture embedded in the story.

Seoul Station

The next Korean anime is entitled “Seoul Station” which is an adult animated film originating from South Korea.

This Korean anime film is a prequel to the film 'Train to Busan: Live Action'. Where it tells the events before the zombie outbreak in Train to Busan occurred.

Seoul Station is a horror, zombie and post-apocalypse genre film directed by Yeon Sang-ho as the director of Train to Busan.

Produced by Korean studios Studio Dadashow and Finecut, the dialogue, characters, and settings are still based on Seoul, South Korea.

This film is 1 hour 32 minutes long, aka 92 minutes, which was released in South Korea on August 18, 2016 and aired on several streaming platforms, Netflix and Amazon Prime Video.

The story follows Hye-sun, a girl who runs away from her life including her father named Suk-gyu.

At the same time, a zombie outbreak occurred at Seoul Station, which messed everything up.

Then, the drama of family relationships, sabotage, marginalized communities affected by the outbreak and humanity emerged.

This film also shows how the outbreak started and how society reacted, including apathy and panic.

It is called Korean Anime because the setting is in Seoul, South Korea with Korean language conversations.

Produced and directed by native Koreans and a South Korean company.

So, Seoul Station is an animated film from Korea that has strong social values with a horror-zombie genre.

This anime is also an important story, because before the tragedy in Train to Busan, an outbreak occurred at Seoul Station first.

Your Letter

The latest Korean anime is entitled “Your Letter”, which is an anime film adapted from a Korean Manhwa/Webtoon with the same title.

This webtoon was illustrated and written by Hyeon A Cho and serialized on Naver Webtoon on August 11 – October 27, 2018 with a total of 12 chapters.

The animated film was produced by Studio N and Studio Lico to make a feature film.

This anime began production in 2019 with direction by Kim Yong-hwan and music arrangement by Kim Tae-seong.

Your Letter was released in South Korean cinemas on October 1, 2025 and was screened at the International Animation Festival in pre-release at the Ottawa International Animation Film Festival on September 27, 2024 with a duration of 96 minutes.

In Indonesia, the anime film Your Letter will be shown in cinemas on October 22, 2025.

This anime film tells the story of Sori Lee, a kind-hearted and principled student.

He once defended his school friend who was being bullied and ended up becoming the target of bullying.

Then, he moved to his new school to start a new, quieter life.

However, he is still traumatized by his past, making it difficult for him to interact with other people.

At his new school, he finds a mysterious letter under his desk.

The letter is a kind of clue to other letters scattered around the school, each containing a clue and leading Sori Lee to a secret.

Finally, Sori Lee joins Park Dong-Sun as her new friend to uncover this mysterious quest.

Throughout the journey, he was unable to investigate the original author, but instead he became doubtful, lonely and wondered if the letter could change his mind.

In the ending, all the clues have been gathered and the author's identity has been revealed.

Until finally Sori Lee learned a meaningful lesson about friendship, courage and kindness.

It is called Korean anime because the story is taken from a Korean Webtoon by Hyeon A Cho, produced by Korean animation studios, namely Studio N and Studio Lico, directed by and voice actors from Korea and has Korean elements such as setting, culture and language.

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So, that's the information about Korean anime you should watch this weekend. So, which one are you planning to watch?