My Top Twelve Lead Male Webtoon Characters

So, last week I did a list on the leading women in Webtoons. Now it’s the guy’s turn! Like last week, we will not be doing side guy characters. Basically, the same rules will apply for the guys this week as it was for the girls last week. I.E, spoilers…spoiler warning, just in case. I will also put in a fan art for each character if I can find it.

Here are the honorable mentions, which will have 1-2 lines for each character:

Ian and Shon, Siren’s Lament, instantmiso: 

John, unOrdinary, Uru-Chan: 

Shen, Bluechair:

 Kreyul Arroyal, Nightmare Factory, Snailords: 

Now, here’s the list:

12. Colodi Carlo, Gepetto, Jewon Yeon:

Link: Gepetto

In the first season, Colodi was a sweet eight year old prodigy. He could come up with theories most adults couldn’t think of. Despite his intellect, he endured more hardships than an eight year old should; you just wanted to reach through the screen to give him a hug. He also didn’t hate androids, despite the fact that his mother was killed by one and his father became an alcoholic. In the second season, ten years had gone by, and he gained fighting skills to match his intellect. One of the best parts about him, is that although he went through such horrors, he hasn’t become embittered, or shut down emotionally. He may be strong mentally and physically, but he has amazing emotional strength.

11. Dr. Andreas Marino, Miss Abbott and the Doctor, Maripaz Villar:
Link: Miss Abbott and the Doctor

At first glance, he is the perfect Victorian gentleman. But in this comic, Maripaz Villar takes the Victorian era and spins it around. While Miss Abbot is the most noticeable character that defies Victorian stereotypes, Dr. Marino is subtle. Yes, he  fusses over manners and properness, but he is also one of the most accepting of those who aren’t conventional. He’s also   smart; he is a doctor after all. That’s probably why it’s fun to see him fumble with romance, or even dismiss it entirely. One of the best things about him, though, is that he doesn’t mind being the one rescued by Miss Abbott; in fact, he appears to be totally okay with it! Not many guys can be so relaxed about it.

10. Aidyn, Snailogy, Snailords:

Link: Snailogy

Although he is a real person, I had to put Aidyn on this list because he is really admirable. He’s honest and frank about his beliefs, art, and life in general. He doesn’t sugar coat things. He talks about his troubles frankly, and what it’s like having gender dysphoria. He doesn’t act like a Tumblr user faking their sexuality, which is a major relief. On top of all this, he has hand problems, and yes, he does complain sometimes (who wouldn’t?) but he continues to make some of the most stunning art. When he put Nightmare Factory on hiatus because of his hand, he still thought about his readers and decided to bring Snailogy back. That’s impressive; even with major pain problems, he still thinks about his readers. 
9/8. Jung and InHo, Cheese in the Trap, soonkki: 

Link: Cheese in the Trap

As they are in the same Webtoon, I decided to just talk about them at the same time. Also, the order in which they appear is not an actual order…I like them both, although it wasn’t always that way. Jung Yu is the main male character, and he is very difficult to talk about. He seemed like a sweet, childish rich kid who was a genuinely kind guy. But in reality, he doesn’t like a lot of people. He’s shady and kind of manipulative, but he’s interesting because we don’t know why he’s like this. Is it natural? Is it a psychological problem influenced by his dad? We don’t know what problem he has, though some speculate that he’s a sociopath, and others think he has an undiagnosed Victim Complex. I haven’t caught up yet, but I hope we find out. I fluctuate between liking him, and then being creeped out and disliking him. InHo is Jung’s complete opposite, physically and personality-wise. While Jung seems like a nice guy on the outside, InHo seems like an arrogant loudmouth with some anger management problems. However, his true personality also reveals itself; he’s kinder, loyal to his friends and sister, and he feels lost. It is revealed that he and Jung used to be friends, until an accident happened that hurt InHo’s hand, so he can’t play the piano anymore, which he was a genius at. He blames Jung for it, but we still don’t know what happened. I found him annoying at first, but he’s growing on me. Both characters may not be totally likeable, but they are interesting and more than they appear. They are opposites, as Jung seems nice and kind but is actually dark, and InHo seems like arrogant and easily angry, but actually is kind.

7. Dorian, Hooky, Miriam Bonastre Tur:

Link: Hooky

Everyone in Hooky has some of the best character development I have ever seen, and Dorian is no exception. When we first meet him, he’s a sweet, socially awkward wizard who is unpopular (neither Nico or Monica liked him for some reason). His only friend was Dani, his twin, but even then he was lonely because of how popular she was. However, the tables are slowly turning; he’s becoming the confident one, but Dani is becoming more and more lonely. He is really good with spells as well, and has a pet dragon frog thing (I dunno what to call it) named Carlo. He has plenty of faults; at first it was just him being so awkward, but now it’s more like he does the right thing at the wrong time, and messes stuff up.

6. L/The Magician, Annarasumanara, Ilkwon Ha:

Link: Annarasumanara

L is a roller coaster of a character. While he is consistently likeable, our perceptions of him change. One moment he’s a charismatic magician, the second a childish adult, the next mentally unstable, and then back to charismatic. When we first meet him, there’s a rumor going on in Ai Yun’s school, which is him being crazy. They meet by accident. L is very mysterious until the end of the story, and even then he becomes even more mysterious. He encourages and helps Ai to follow her dreams, but it is revealed that he is scared of being alone, and that he can be deeply hurt. L is someone that many characters have idealized images of, but the Webtoon shows him as completely human, with virtues and faults.

5. Oliver, Space Boy, Stephen McCranie: 

Link: Space Boy

What is with all these mysterious characters? And why are they all over my lists? It is ridiculous! Anyway, some commenters have said that they noticed similarities to Jung from Cheese in the Trap, and another character who hasn’t made his appearance yet. While Oliver is not nearly as manipulative as Jung, he definitely has similar problems. Oliver was involved in some sort of accident,  and it left him consumed with the Nothingness of space. Basically, he has problems with reality, and distinguishing reality from what he wants to believe is real. He seemed to be doing better, accepting reality and emotions. But he is now relapsing. I hope that he can find the root of his problem and, with time, heal.

4. Simoon Lee, S.I.D, Sadaham:

Link: S.I.D

Simoon Lee is different from many detectives nowadays. He isn’t cynical, embittered, gruff, or even a genius. Instead, he’s kind, sympathetic, and idealistic. In that way, he’s a breath of fresh air in the mystery genre. S.I.D deals with the  Supernatural Investigation Department, investigating ghosts. Simoon isn’t afraid of the ghosts they find, although many are deadly. Instead he tries to symphasize and help them move on. He doesn’t want to destroy them or possibly hurt the ghosts anymore than they have. Instead, he wants to bring those who have wronged them to justice. He is human, however, and he makes a lot of mistakes, sometimes making situations worse. But he always learns from his mistakes.

3. Oscar Zahn, The Strange Tales of Oscar Zahn, Tri Vuong:

Link: The Strange Tales of Oscar Zahn

Why would a British skeleton paranormal investigator with a floating head be this high on my list? Well, besides the reasons above, because he is one of the most unique characters I have ever seen in my life. Remember the British guy in The Wind and the Lion who, when  attacked, ran out of bullets, said, “Damn!”, and was then killed? I’m half convinced that was Oscar. Oscar uses a lot of British humor, such as understated reactions. Like, a door slams shut ominously? “All right, then.” He is also incredibly kind and gentle to the souls he investigates. But he does have a cocky, overconfident side to him that gets him in over his head. We have yet to find out what happened to him, but I hope it’ll be revealed.

2. Jin Seon, Bastard,  Youngchan Hwang, Carnby Kim:

Link: Bastard

Jin is one of the most complicated and morally grey characters in a Webtoon I’ve seen. While readers certainly root for him  in his battle against a near demon, (metaphorically), he has a dark side to his personality that’s probably from a mix of genetics and mental and emotional abuse. (SPOILER) This is because he has been an accomplice in murders since he was young, when he couldn’t do anything about them. (SPOILER END) He’s quiet, and despite his exposure to horrors, he can be naïve in other, less dark aspects. But his dark side is sociopathic; it comes out when he experiences strong, negative emotions. When he gets this way, there are dark glares, and he can beat someone up…A LOT. He has strong emotional attachments; most notably to Kyun Yoon, the girl (and love interest) whom he’s trying to protect from the serial killer, and Manny Kim, his friend and potential ally. His loyalty for his friends could be his downfall; he will do anything for them. 

1. Dr. Frost, Dr. Frost, JongBeom Lee:

Link: Dr. Frost

Honestly, I can say I was surprised when I decided on Dr. Frost (or Professor Baek) as my number one male lead Webtoon character. I must say a lot of that may be because I love a good Sherlock Holmes like character, and Frost is unique among Holmes like characters. Mainly because it’s shown that he isn’t naturally this way, as in, cold, emotionless, with genius intellect and observation skills. Some accident happened that made him emotionless, and  was traumatic enough to make his hair all white. He does have a few emotions though; anger, cynicism, fear, surprise, and curiosity. But he can’t feel emotions like affection, pity, and compassion. It is implied he may be able to get a little better; remember Pavlov the puppy? The reason Frost adopted him was that the most common treatment for those who lack affection is getting a pet. Although he can’t symphasize, the fact that he has acknowledged his problem and wants to feel more emotions makes him a sympathetic character.

Who is your favorite male character in Webtoons? If you liked this list or have any suggestions on future lists, please do me a favor and either comment or follow me for more fun content! Thanks!