10 Isekai Manhwa Protagonists Who Use Cheats

Summary

Protagonists in isekai manhwa benefit from unique systems or cheats that give them an edge in the new world.
These systems help in gaining skills, items, or knowledge to navigate new worlds and challenges.
The inclusion of sentient systems, ancient artifacts, and game-like mechanics adds depth and excitement to the manhwa.

The isekai genre has always been a favorite in many forms, such as anime, manga, and manhwa. The idea of crossing into another world with modern knowledge and experiences intact has always made for thrilling narratives. It allowed the protagonist to gain the upper hand in solving most medieval problems in fantasy worlds.

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Players who enjoy grand, rip-roaring adventures will love what the following manhwa have to offer.

While traditional isekai only consisted of reincarnating or transmigrating to another world, some recent ones include the addition of ‘systems’ or other cheats. Such an addition gives the protagonist an edge in tackling their new realities with minimal effort. These cheats also fuel the grand change in power hierarchies, magic, and combat. Whether it is a broken skill, a rare artifact, or a game-like system with level-ups or upgrades, these cheats can be a delight to read about in these unique manhwa titles.

The Greatest Estate Developer

Sentient System That Helps The Protagonist With Various Skills

MyAnimeList Score: 8.76
Published: Jul 30, 2021
Authors: Moon, Back-kyung (Story), Kim, Hyunsoo (Art)

Lloyd Frontera is one of the biggest trash in the Frontera estate who only intimidates others and drinks all day. One day, Suho Kim finds himself in Lloyd’s body in the world of a novel he has read. Knowing about Lloyd and his family’s fate, he hopes to change it for the better and live a luxurious new life that he couldn’t live before. However, a sentient system keeps giving him a hard time as he tries to save and improve lives while fate tries to correct itself onto its original path of doom.

The Greatest Estate Developer is one of the most recommended manhwa for many reasons. It covers everything from intricate world-building to unforgettable characters and rolling-on-the-floor-laughing comedy. The protagonist relies entirely on past-life knowledge and civil engineering expertise in the first few chapters. However, that first bout of hard work grants him a sentient system that makes designing and constructing more elaborate structures easier. He also gains a gacha system to obtain magical beasts, future knowledge, and other information to help him on his journey.

Protagonist Knows The Game By Heart And Easily Gains Skills & Items

MyAnimeList Score: 7.95
Published: Dec 28, 2023
Authors: Green Kyrin (Art), Korita (Story)

Ed Rothstaylor is a minor villain in a popular game that meets an early end after being humiliated by the hero, disowned by his family, and kicked out of the academy dormitory. However, the protagonist finds himself in Ed’s body right after he is kicked out of the dormitories. Without explanation, he focuses on letting the main story flow, ensuring his survival, and not getting involved with any of the main characters. However, he keeps finding himself driving the main scenarios, and the main characters flock to him at every turn.

The Extra’s Academy Survival Guide is an excellent manhwa with one of the smartest protagonists. He meticulously plans his way leagues ahead and hones his existing skills to ensure his survival. His system is similar to Lloyd Frontera’s in The Greatest Estate Developer, but the difference is that it is not sentient. Hence, Ed Rothstaylor raises his skills by working hard and doing specific things. After that, he continues to repeat the action to level it to its max. It helps him to gain an edge over other students or people who may have the same skill but with increased proficiency.

The Perks of Being an S-Class Heroine

The Protagonist Can Buy Skills & Items From The System With Money

MyAnimeList Score: 7.90
Published: Mar 31, 2022
Authors: Irinbi (Story), Grrr (Art)

A sudden phenomenon called “The Age of Transmigration” takes the world by storm when people get spam text messages about a life insurance plan on the verge of death. When the protagonist meets an untimely end, she gets the same message and empties her entire savings on the package. To her surprise, she is given VIP treatment to choose her next life and the genre of the world she wishes to live in. Having lived an unfateful life, she hopes to be reborn in a fantasy romance novel but finds herself in a world with S-class difficulty.

Regarding isekai manhwa protagonists who use cheats, The Perks of Being an S-Class Heroine beats most of the titles in the list. While others focus on showing fantastical adventures, the system cheat in this manhwa is the core focus of the story. The protagonist has paid an enormous sum for its benefits, and she can make the most of it to live a little easier in a hellish world. She can use the balance to ‘buy’ skills and information and adjust her status any way she wants. Moreover, the manhwa has a good balance of action, comedy, and heartfelt moments.

The Protagonist Has A System & Laptop To View And Edit Current Events

MyAnimeList Score: 7.77
Published: Jun 30, 2022
Authors: Ji, Gapsong (Story), Carrot Studio (Art)

Hajin Kim is transmigrated into the world of his written novel as a mere extra. An unknown being wishes for him to see his story until the end when he has little to no say. However, he knows the world like the back of his hand. Unfortunately, the plot begins to sway in unpredictable directions, and he soon realizes it may not be as simple as he had thought.

The Novel’s Extra is similar to the Tyrant of The Tower Defense Game, where the protagonist is isekai’d by a ‘God’ to help the world. The protagonist is summoned as a background extra and tasked with reaching a better conclusion for the fantasy world. He receives a sentient system to help him know about the upcoming events and the slight modifications the being has made to it. Apart from that, he can gain unique points by interacting with the main characters to help boost his stats and weapons. The protagonist is also primarily aware of the novel’s flow of events because he is the story’s author.

Tyrant of The Tower Defense Game

System and an “Admin” Rewards The Protagonist For Successful Defense

MyAnimeList Score: 7.77
Published: Aug 5, 2022
Authors: Ryueun, Garam (Story), Gyong (Art)

“Protect the Empire” was considered one of the unbeatable games for over a decade. That is until a streamer called “Mr. Gamer Geek” defeats the game on its hardest difficulty while streaming it on his channel. Just then, he is whisked away into the game world as Prince Ash, a minor useless character in the game. He is equipped with a system and told to achieve the best ending for the new world. With a promise to go back to the real world upon achieving that ending, he is armed with a newfound passion to help the new world.

Tyrant of The Tower Defense Game is a great manhwa set in a war-ridden world where the protagonist is the weakest character. As a result, he has to stick to his wits and game knowledge to command those around him. Hence, the system grants him skills related to leadership with additional tangible and intangible rewards for each successful defense. Moreover, the being who summoned him also works closely with him as his consultant to help the world reach its true ending.

Cleric of Decay

Game Knowledge, A Goddess, and a System Help The Protagonist

MyAnimeList Score: 7.47
Published: Jun 23, 2023
Authors: Yoo, Jetae (Art), Sadadm (Story)

Marnac suddenly finds himself in the game he was trying to play as one of its worst job classes. He becomes a cleric of decay who serves a goddess who is left with only a hand and continues to repeat the word “Murder.” While trying to navigate the new world, he quickly realizes how overpowered this unpopular class may be.

Cleric of Decay is a fun manhwa exploring the love of a fallen goddess towards her follower, who happens to be a protagonist isekai’d from the modern world. While the protagonist doesn’t mind the attention, he cannot wait to be done with the story to get back to his real world. Due to the goddess, he has become immortal and can use his holy powers to fight the people blocking his path. The system works on behalf of the goddess, who grants him overpowered skills in exchange for harvesting souls and devouring other religions’ sacred relics. Moreover, each holy power varies depending on the points he accumulates, which can range from summoning beasts to proficient combat prowess.

Magic Academy’s Genius Blinker

The Protagonist Uses the Game System and Knowledge To Become Stronger

MyAnimeList Score: 7.43
Published: Jun 8, 2024
Authors: Eunmilhi (Story), Seoyu (Art)

Transmigrated into a game world as a trash character, Baek Yuseol, the protagonist, feels like the world has come crashing down. Everyone back on Earth knew this character to have the worst performance with the highest difficulty. The sole reason is that the character could not use magic as freely as others in a fantasy world. What’s more, he is tasked with helping the new world reach the “True Ending”, armed with nothing but a single magic skill called “Blink”.

Magic Academy’s Genius Blinker is a great manhwa that forces most readers to binge-read it in one sitting. Plenty of unique factors make it stand out among other otome isekai manhwas. The protagonist finds himself as the weakest character with a single skill, but the system helps to upgrade it as the story goes on. The skill “blink” acts similar to short-range teleportation for a few meters. However, Baek uses it expertly to gain an edge over his enemies and competitors. The other characters are interesting as well, which makes the story enjoyable overall. The manhwa also highlights the challenges of him returning to the academy after living as an adult in his past life.

A Modern Man Who Got Transmigrated Into the Murim World

Modern Knowledge And A Jade Pearl Necklace Helps The Protagonist Become Unrivaled

MyAnimeList Score: 6.97
Published: Nov 30, 2022
Authors: Park, Hui-Jin (Art), Cheong, Ruyeon (Story)

While completing a late-night delivery, the protagonist meets an untimely death after getting knocked out by a speeding car. During his final moments, he desperately tries to latch on to a jade pearl necklace that his father left behind. Suddenly, he is isekai’d as Jo Hwi, the second son of a small clan, in an ancient era set in the murim world. He quickly finds out that the family is drowning in debt and his family has no authority in the new world he is in. As a result, he uses his modern life knowledge and past life experience as a public official to overcome his adversity and live a luxurious life.

The manhwa sets itself apart from the absence of a comprehensive system by replacing it with a unique jade pearl necklace. This necklace houses the spirits of many ancestors skilled in different fields. As a result, they help the protagonist now and then. Some examples include superior martial arts and medicinal arts. Additionally, the protagonist is proficient in economics due to his attempts to pass the civil exams on Earth. Hence, he primarily uses his knowledge to build businesses in the murim world. However, he does use the skills obtained from his ancestors to clear the way towards his goals.

Reincarnation of the Murim Clan’s Former Ranker

Past-Life Skills And A System Makes The Protagonist Stronger In New Life

MyAnimeList Score: 6.66
Published: Oct 31, 2021
Authors: Sanbo (Story), Inyong (Art)

Kang Taeha is a legendary SSS-rank hunter who meets an untimely end after being hunted by top guilds. They attacked him to get a mysterious stone he had received as an award, and when things looked grim, he ended up ingesting the stone out of spite. Next thing he knows, he finds himself in the body of an unhealthy young lord in ancient China. Although he tries to live an easy life, he soon finds himself amidst power-hungry relatives and murim drama. As a result, he has to level up once again to become an overpowered boss.

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Reincarnation of the Murim Clan’s Former Ranker is a unique manhwa where the isekai’d protagonist previously belonged to a hunter/dungeon/monster world. Hence, his previous system as a necromancer hunter carried over to his new life as the young son of a major family. While building his strength, the system began offering new options he hadn’t seen before. Moreover, his class as a necromancer evolved in a new way due to the undead being proficient martial artists. Therefore, Kang can become stronger than he was in his previous life and expand his influence in the murim world.

How to Live As a Bootleg Healer

Sentient Game System Helps Protagonist Gain Various Skills

MyAnimeList Score: 6.82
Published: Apr 28, 2023
Authors: Saesongi Deopbap (Story), Nayen (Art)

Songhyun Kang suddenly finds himself with many other people in the Azul Continent, a fantasy world. All of them were granted a status window and various jobs to help them survive in the new world. What’s more, Songhyun gets the healer job without any healing skills. As a result, he has to resort to modern medical practices to work as an unlicensed healer. While he tries to navigate the new world, he begins to unlock the secrets of the system and the key to returning to Earth.

How to Live As a Bootleg Healer is a unique manhwa with a unique system. Even before that, the protagonist has a unique class that relies on modern medical knowledge to help heal people. As such, his system grants him related skills for controlling bleeding and stitching, among others. When it comes to the system, it has a specific agenda for which it has summoned people from Earth. Moreover, they can earn certain points by doing tasks related to their jobs and use those points to spin a roulette wheel for random rewards. As the story goes on, the protagonist is able to make direct contact with the beings behind the system, and he begins learning about their secrets.

The Holy Emperor’s Grandson Is a Necromancer

Game System With Necromancy Skills In a Holy Body

MyAnimeList Score: N/A
Published: Oct 19, 2023
Authors: Geurimjakkun (Story), Gimung (Art)

The protagonist wakes up in the body of Allen Alfalls after dying while playing a VR video game. Moreover, he discovers that his necromancer game character’s skills have been mixed with the holy blood of Allen Alfalls. As a result, he possesses a mysterious mix of necromancy and holy power where curses can heal people or undead summons become holy undead. Although he tries to have a luxurious life, he keeps getting roped into unpredictable scenarios and ends up playing the hero.

Readers who love manhwa with necromancer protagonists will get a good kick out of The Holy Emperor’s Grandson Is a Necromancer. The protagonist had built his game character as a necromancer for years before hitting the bucket and getting isekai’d. Moreover, the game’s systems traveled along with him with all his necromancer skills. Due to a unique twist of fate, he finds himself in the body of the Holy Emperor’s grandson. As a result, all his necromancy skills become infused with holy energy to become something else entirely.