10 Books/Manga Like The Breaker
The Breaker is a drama and comedy webtoon with a strong emphasis on martial arts. It was written by Geuk-jin, Jeon, and illustrated by Jin-Hwan, Park. It revolves around Shioon, a bullied kid who blackmails his substitute English teacher Chun Woo to teach him martial arts. After accepting his terms, Shioon’s journey to becoming a formidable fighter begins. This work was serialized in Daiwon C.I.’s Young Champ magazine between 2007 and 2010.
If you’re in the mood for more action, comedy, or drama books/manga that offers a similar vibe, fear not! We’ve gathered together 10 books/manga to check out when you’ve caught up with The Breaker. Of course, if you feel we’ve missed any of your favorites, do comment below and let us know!
Holyland – Kouji Mori
Similarities – Martial Arts & Characters
Holy Land is a dark boxing manga that will get you excited. We follow Yuu, a delinquent who drops out of school because he doesn’t feel like resonates with anybody there. After taking several strolls in his area, he gets into multiple fights and trains to perfect his boxing capabilities. We follow his journey to reach the “holy land” of his wildest imagination.
This manga contains brutal imagery. You’ll cringe at the sight of characters screaming in pain. Like Shioon, Yuu was a bullied kid who want to become stronger to protect those who aren’t capable of retaliation. Holy Land feels more grounded and realistic compared to The Breaker due to the way Kouji Mori portrays Yuu and the rest of his cast members.
Furthermore, boxing isn’t the only martial art you can look forward to in Holy Land. Yuu will meet people who are killed in judo, kickboxing, karate, and other fighting styles. This allows the manga to feel unique and refreshing as time flies by. For those looking for a gritty martial arts manga featuring a character who adopts some of Shioon’s traits, check out Holy Land.
Kenichi: The Mightiest Disciple – Syun Matsuena
Similarities – Martial Arts, Characters, Comedy
At first glance, you might think Kenichi: The Mightiest Disciple is a generic and boring martial arts manga. If you think that way, then you’re in for quite the surprise. It offers well-drawn fights, a well-developed cast, and enough heartwarming segments that’ll make you teary-eyed and smile proudly. Like Shioon, this story’s protagonist Kenichi suffers from bullying but grows to become a strong fighter.
Kenichi endures multiple training regimes and fights many skilled martial artists who’ll help him excel in his craft. The characters in this manga undergo vast development and there’s some romantic tension put in to entice romantic fanatics to read the story. Both stories offer similar comedy that’ll get you chuckling at our characters’ reactions to things. If you want a deep, compelling martial arts manga to read after The Breaker, check out Kenichi: The Mightiest Disciple.
Veritas – Joon-shik Yoon
Similarities – Action, Comedy, Drama
Veritas is another fun webtoon that’ll get you excited. It focuses on martial arts and has characters with incredible fighting potential like The Breaker. Both are incredible coming-of-age webtoons with protagonists who’ll mature by their story’s end. In Veritas, we examine a high schooler named Gangryong, who happens to be the strongest in his school.
He receives training from Yoochun and learns a new skill. Things go south for Gangryong when he learns of his master’s demise. Encouraged to attend a new school where everybody has supernatural powers, Gangryong must endure multiple obstacles if he hopes to reclaim his beloved status. Although both series feature protagonists undergoing serious training regimes, they offer different tones.
The Breaker feels more serious and dramatic. It offers occasional humorous moments to give readers a break. However, Veritas is more lighthearted and offers more comedy moments to balance out the intense fight scenes brewing within its storytelling. Therefore, if you’re up for a story with a similar protagonist but a more comedic approach toward everything else, check out Veritas.
Great Teacher Onizuka – Tohru Fujisawa
Similarities – School-life & Comedy
Great Teacher Onizuka takes the comedy a step above Veritas and The Breaker. It’s filled with all types of humor from puns, gags, one-liners, slapstick, exaggerated facial expressions, and others. Nonetheless, this series offers a similar setting as the Breaker and involves our protagonist Eikichi getting his hands dirty when his students’ lives are in jeopardy.
Eikichi shares similar characteristics with The Breaker’s Chun Woo. He even saves a child from ending their life in a similar fashion. Although his goal is to score a date with a good-looking girl at the school, Eikichi will attain something far more wholesome than he expected. This will make many people appreciate him more as the story continues. Some may even wish they had a teacher like him.
The manga contains some incredible fights, but it’s not on par with The Breaker’s top-notch quality. Therefore, give Great Teacher Onizuka a read if you’re after a school-themed comedy with fun action elements and an astonishing lead protagonist.
Hajime No Ippo – George Morikawa
Similarities – Story, Characters, Comedy
Hajime No Ippo is often regarded as the greatest sports manga of all time. It offers incredible artwork, emotional storytelling, and charming characters who’ll motivate you to achieve your wildest dreams. In it, we follow a bullied kid named Ippo. He has a kind heart and likes to support his mother with the family business. One day, he bumps into a professional boxer named Takamura.
After sharing his tales with Ippo, Ippo trains vigorously to impress Takamura. After impressing the boxer one night, Takamura agrees to take Ippo to his boxing gym so he can learn how to become a professional like himself. Afterward, the story hones in on Ippo’s journey to becoming a stronger person and fighter in the ring. This story offers great drama, action, and lighthearted segments.
George Morikawa’s artwork will make anyone’s jaws drop toward the ground with his bold lines and realistic depictions of the sport. Ippo and his friends will develop incredible techniques over time that will be as iconic as many other shonen character attacks. This is a coming-of-age tale you don’t want to skip out on.
Tokyo Ghoul – Sui Ishida
Similarities – Characters, Action, Themes
The Breaker fanatics who are looking for a similar tale about a disheveled boy who later becomes a formidable threat will enjoy what Tokyo Ghoul offers. This manga has gorgeous, gritty artwork, likable characters, and an enticing world with a gothic aesthetic. In it, we follow college student Kaneki as he goes on a date with a mysterious woman named Rize.
Things go awry, though. Kaneki wakes up in the hospital the next day, only to discover that he’s no longer fully human anymore. He’s become a carnivorous ghoul who craves human flesh and blood. Kaneki must endure a new life of hardship and sorrow and leave behind the mundane life he once lived for a daunting one full of action, thrills, and chills.
Both characters have relatable backgrounds but transform into entirely different characters toward the end. They have incredible fight scenes that evoke the brutal aspects of their respective worlds. Kaneki and Shioon will endure numerous internal and external conflicts that will help them grow and meet new people who’ll cherish their company and some who will hate them. If you’re looking for a story that leans more toward the horror side, Tokyo Ghoul is worth checking out.
Katekyo Hitman Reborn – Akira Amano
Similarities – Characters & Action
Katekyo Hitman Reborn is a stylish, action-packed Shonen Jump manga not many people know about in the modern era. With its fun characters, fun mafia-themed plot, and alluring fights, it’ll appease any fans of The Breaker. Being a bumbling nerd is tough on our series protagonist Tsuna. He just wants to make it in life but doesn’t have the courage to do so.
That all changes when he meets Reborn, a small hitman who wants to recruit Tsuna as the new head of the esteemed Vongolla Mafia Family. After accepting Reborn’s offer, Tsuna receives incredible fire powers that will turn him from a wimpy teenager to a determined leader. In Katekyo Hitman Reborn, readers can expect Tsuna to embark on a long quest themed around hardship and maturation.
His journey mirrors that of Shioon’s on a thematic level. Both characters will fight through countless foes who will push them to their absolute limits and must overcome mundane hurdles that will improve their internal issues. The side characters in both stories receive equal development and have a moment to shine in each work. If you’re a fan of Shioon’s character arc in The Breaker, chances are, you’ll grow to adore Tsuna and the path he embarks on in Katekyo Hitman Reborn.
Terraformars – Yu Sasuga
Similarities – Action
Terraformars was a hyped-up manga series for a short time. It had superpowered cockroaches fighting off against humans with animal and bug-like powers on Mars. Unfortunately, the excitement for this series died due to its poor anime adaptation. Not only did it make the story feel rushed but the animation wasn’t to its fanbase’s liking.
Despite having a sour adaptation, many people appreciate its source material to this very day. Like The Breaker, this series features well-drawn action-focused sequences that will get you pumped up. From its horrifying close-ups to the mind-numbing maneuvers its roach enemies and human heroes perform in the series, you’ll be baffled by how well-detailed Kenichi Tachibana’s illustrations are.
Some characters receive more development than others. You can expect many human warriors to die in this series in dramatic and hilarious ways. This is a great story with themes of survival and revenge. If you’re after a sci-fi manga with action that’s on par with what you’d find in The Breaker, give this a read.
Ashita no Joe – Ikki Kajiwara
Similarities – Action & Story
Ashita No Joe is one of the earliest sports manga that touched the hearts of martial arts and boxing fans alike. It contains a great view of life, hones in on the dark aspects of its sport, and features a likable and strong protagonist in Joe. Joe comes off as a troubled individual like Shioon. He likes to get into fights with gangs and winds up winning every single bout.
His victories catch the eye of a former boxing coach named Danpei. He gives Joe a chance to put his skills to good use by offering to help him become a professional boxer. Although Joe doesn’t insist on throwing his current lifestyle away, he accepts Danpei’s offer and we examine his life to becoming the world’s greatest boxer.
Many praises this work for its motivational themes and its well-developed cast. The fights look great and capture the old-fashioned retro manga aesthetic beautifully. Joe must triumph over countless physical and mental obstacles to better himself internally and externally like Shioon. Both receive help from a trained professional and establish a strong connection with this individual. Give Ashita No Joe a read if you’re after a tale about growth, strength, and courage.
Over Drive – Tsuyoshi Yasuda
Similarities – Comedy, Characters, Sports
Over Drive is a fun sports manga that delves into the competitive cycling sport. It may not sound as alluring as others on this list, but Tsuyoshi Yasuda adds enough depth and nuance to his story that it’ll be hard for people to put it down. In it, we follow Mikoto, a timid high school sophomore who suffers from verbal harassment and physical bullying.
Yuki, a girl Mikoto admires, introduces him to their school’s cycling club since she feels he has a passion for the sport. After becoming acquainted with the club and its members, we examine Mikoto’s cycling journey that will help him become a stronger person. Like Shioon, Mikoto is introduced as a weak person, but meets many people and endures numerous obstacles that’ll help him grow.
Readers will adore Yasuda’s take on professional cycling and how he implements romance and comedy. Its romantic and comedic elements give fans time to contemplate the principles of cycling Yasuda incorporates into the narrative. It also adds more allure to the world to keep things interesting and less dull and dialogue-heavy. Although both tackle different sports, you’ll find a lot of commonalities between the two that will make Over Drive just as fun to read as The Breaker.
So there we have it, our 10 books/manga to read after you’re caught up with The Breaker.
What do you think of our picks? Do you agree? Are there any notable omissions? Let us know in the comments below!