Summary
Martial arts is one of the most popular themes in manhwa, and they normally use elements from Eastern tradition and fiction.Return of the Blossoming Bladestands out because of its style, characters, and good writing. Many people love the main character, Cheongmyeong, for his strength and attitude, making the story fun, entertaining, and unpredictable. It’s filled with great fights and funny moments.
Given that chapters are still releasing, there are many great manhwa readers can enjoy in the meantime. There areother martial arts manhwathat follow the same themes or have similar plots, and there are some that are completely unrelated to Murim that have the same general atmosphere and energy.
Updated July 19, 2025 by Garrett Huon:Return of the Blossoming Blade remains one of the most popular martial arts manhwa to date, but there have been many new manhwa released that revolve around the same concepts, themes, and ideas.
Reincarnated Murim Lord and Absolute Regression started publishing in 2024 and have proven to be good stories with great writing and action. Murim Login was added to this list due to its similarity and style more than its content, even though it does feature martial arts.
1Reincarnated Murim Lord
Reincarnated To Rebuild What’s Been Broken
A common aspect of reincarnation stories is fixing reputations and mending relationships. InReincarnated Murim Lord, the Alliance Lord Hajin Cheon dies a sudden death and is reincarnated as Ridan Byeok, the young master who caused many problems in the past. As a result, the Byeok clan has many debts and lacks martial artists, and their reputation is at rock bottom. Although he’d like to focus on remastering his martial arts, Ridan must fix what he’s broken first.
Similar toReturn of the Blossoming Blade,this story focuses on the main character’s efforts to rebuild his clan while also improving his skills. Where Cheonmyeong worked to reintroduce traditional fighting styles and skills, Ridan had to completely reinvent himself to make up for the losses he’d caused. While these stories are similar, the atmosphere of the manhwa differs greatly because Ridan is much more mature, so there isn’t as much humor in this story.
2Volcanic Age
A Warrior’s Dedication To His Sect
Volcanic Ageis a regression story, but it matchesReturn of the Blossoming Blade’s themes and story points. Joo Seo-Chan was taken in by the Hwasan faction when he was young. Due to the turbulent era he lived in, he rose to become its leader. On his deathbed, he lamented living a boring life, but when he next woke up,he was a child again. Using information from the future, he plans on saving his master and the rest of the Hwasan faction.
The biggest similarity between the two manhwa is that their protagonists dedicate their lives to their communities, using their experiences to improve the lives of the people around them. Where Cheongmyeong revives lost ideals from the past, Seo-Chan seeks to prevent the troubles of the future. They both also use plum blossoms as a motif for their martial arts and way of living.
3The Academy’s Genius Swordsman
The Regression Of A Ruthless Warrior
This manhwa is about a manreturning to the pastafter the world is destroyed by outer gods. Ronan’s natural talent left him as the last man standing, so at the request of Grand Marshal Adeshan, he is sent to the past to receive formal training. As the only one who can harm the foreign enemies, starting his journey as a swordsman earlier will help prevent the world’s destruction.
Though this manhwa is quite different fromReturn of the Blossoming Blade, similarities can be found in its protagonists. Ronan is an extremely skilled fighter with an attitude to match. He cares deeply for his family and those he’s built connections with, but he’s not afraid to push them to their limits. He trains his peers to be prepared for the future, similar to Cheongmyeong.
4The Grand Mudang Saga
Being Reincarnated Can Be Difficult
LikeReturn of the Blossoming Blade, this is a reincarnation story. The leader of the Dark Realm dies and reincarnates into a member of the Mudang clan, his sworn enemies. Now inhabiting the body of Jinmu, he must learn to use the Mudang’s pure martial arts with the evil techniques he mastered in his previous life. That is only possible by becoming the master disciple.
People love Cheongmyeong because he defies expectations, and Jinmu does that too. Coming from an upright and orderly clan, he’s expected to be dignified and noble, buthe’s evil on the inside. The reactions are some of the best parts of the story. Not only are his peers shocked to see his behavior, but even the villains find him too cruel. Jinmu’s character is what really carries this story.
5Best Teacher Baek
The Story Of Another Great Teacher
Best Teacher Baekis about a reincarnated martial arts master named Suryong Baek who lives in a rural village. To make more money, he applied to Blue Dragon Academy, which is one of the most prestigious martial arts schools in the world. Through various incidents, he was able to make friends and gain disciples of his own. However, the evil Blood Cult from his past is disturbing his peaceful life.
Cheongmyeong and Suryong both play similar roles in their respective stories.As teachers, they not only train their studentsbut also maintain the legacy of past masters. Both stories are like never-ending training arcs with little adventures mixed in, which leads to some great character development. The overall atmosphere is pretty light in this manhwa, so it’s enjoyable to read.
6Absolute Regression
A Cultivation Story On The Serious Side
One of Cheongmyeong’s biggest goals in the story is to rebuild the Mt. Hua Sect and restore it to its former glory. InAbsolute Regression, Mugeuk Geom goes back in time for a similar reason: to prevent the death of his father and the destruction of his clan at the hands of Mugi Hwa. With a second chance to live his life, Mugeuk changes the future by correcting his mistakes and becoming stronger to protect the people he cares about.
Mugeuk and Cheongmyeong are almost complete opposites. One is serious and mature, and the other is childish and lazy. However, they are both dedicated to making themselves stronger and taking care of those they consider family. This manhwa has many similar themes while also focusing on the main character’s growing martial prowess through intense fight scenes and training moments.
7Masters Of Lightning Knives
A Protagonist Who Shares Cheongmyeong’s Ideals
One thing many people love inReturn of the Blossoming Bladeis the supporting cast. The author does a great job of making the side characters feel important. The same can be said inMaster of Lightning Knives. The story is about Ryu-Yeon, an orphan who has just lost his father. He’s approached by an old man, claiming he could teach the strongest martial arts. With nowhere to go, Ryu-Yeon agrees to become his disciple.
While this story starts off focusing on two characters, it quickly expands to feature many other characters, including a separate group of disciples taught by Ryu-Yeon. There is an entire arc dedicated to him working as a teacher, a position he stole. Just like Cheongmyeong inBlossoming Blade, Ryu-Yeon is not afraid to scam people for a quick buck.
An Incredible OP Main Character
One of the best aspects ofReturn of the Blossoming Bladeis its powerful protagonist. Cheongmyeong is skilled enough to intimidate with just his confidence. The protagonist of this manhwa is very similar. This manhwa follows Lee Jaha, the Mad Demon. After stealing a precious treasure from the Demonic Cult, he’s driven off a cliff and dies, but then he wakes up in the past. With his youth regained, he’s determined to achieve what he couldn’t before.
As a morally gray protagonist, Lee Jaha is perfectly okay with crushing his opponents if it means getting what he wants. Some of Cheongmyeongs’s best scenes are when he’s defeatingother martial arts masters, and the same can be said for Jaha. It’s always incredibly satisfying to see him beat other martial experts no matter the odds.
9Murim Login
A Funny Murim Story With A Twist
UnlikeReturn of the Blossoming Blade,this story has nothing to do with reincarnation or a specific martial arts organization.Murim Loginfollows hunter Jin Taekyung as he struggles to make a living by raiding gates and defeating monsters. After falling asleep in a VR game capsule, he wakes up as the lazy young lord of a martial arts family in a Murim video game, and the only way to leave the game is to meet certain conditions and complete quests.
While the premise of this manhwa is completely different, it still focuses on a power system related to Eastern martial arts, and most of the story is set inside the Murim game world. Jin Taekyung’s personality is also very similar to Cheongmyeong. He’s loyal, kind, and has a strict sense of morality, but he can still be petty and greedy. As a result, both manhwa have the same comedic style.
10The Legend Of The Northern Blade
Another Example Of Great Martial Arts Action
Compared toReturn of the Blossoming Blade, this manhwa is much more serious and has darker undertones. After the Northern Heavenly Sect was betrayed by the Martial Arts Alliance, the only one to survive was the son of its leader, Jin Muwon. Barred from learning any martial arts, he lived alone in the cold north until a series of events freed him from his prisonto finally seek his revenge.
Legend of the Northern Bladeis a much darker take on Murim compared toReturn of the Blossoming Blade, but the two aren’t completely different. There are many instances where Cheongmyeong and his friends engage in fights to the death. Those battles are balanced by the slice-of-life aspects of the story. Jin Muwon’s story is great for people who like those tense life-or-death situations.
