Serial killers are undeniably chilling figures, prompting one to ponder the inner workings of their minds and what drives them to derive pleasure or fulfillment from taking the lives of others.
To be classified as a serial killer, an individual must have committed the heinous act of murder on more than three occasions, with a pattern of ongoing activity, typically allowing a few weeks to elapse before striking again.
Some serial killers develop distinctive trademarks associated with their crimes, while others operate without leaving a discernible signature.
Manhwas centered around serial killers have garnered significant attention and amazing readers with their dark artistry, compelling plots, and intricately crafted characters.
These characters are often depicted as harboring deep-seated traumas that serve as catalysts for their descent into committing unimaginable atrocities.
The narrative proceeds from the perspectives of various characters, whether it be the serial killer themselves, an intrepid investigator, or someone intimately connected to the perpetrator.
Killing Stalking and 6 Other Manhwa Based on Series Killers
Here is a list of the top 7 best manhwa series that you should watch if you like the stories of series killers.
7. Killing Stalking
Sangwoo’s true core remains shrouded in mystery to most, known only to those who have either met their demise at his hands or found themselves ensnared within the confines of his grim abode. Among the select few who have peeked into the depths of Sangwoo’s dark psyche is Bum, a soul ensnared by a complex web of love, obsession, and manipulation.
Bum’s infatuation with Sangwoo traces back to a fateful encounter in the military, where Sangwoo intervened to save him from a brutal assault by their superiors.
This act of salvation ignited a fervent devotion within Bum, leading him to begin a perilous journey into Sangwoo’s world. Breaking into Sangwoo’s residence, Bum assumes multiple roles within their twisted dynamic, serving as both caretaker and captive, lover and victim and ultimately, accomplice to Sangwoo’s sinister machinations.
The origins of Sangwoo’s malevolent nature lie in a harrowing past marked by abuse and tragedy. Raised in a household plagued by violence, Sangwoo’s descent into darkness was catalyzed by a traumatic incident that saw him inadvertently take the life of his father in defense of his battered mother.
Subsequent revelations of his mother’s insidious betrayal, as she poisoned him slowly over time, shattered any semblance of familial bonds, propelling Sangwoo onto a path of merciless retribution.
Fuelled by a relentless thirst for vengeance and unbridled rage, Sangwoo began on a relentless killing spree, indiscriminately selecting victims to sate his insatiable appetite for bloodshed.
Each unfortunate soul ensnared by Sangwoo’s grasp is subjected to unspeakable horrors within the confines of his basement, enduring tortures beyond comprehension before meeting their grisly demise at his hands.
As the chilling saga proceeds, “Sangwoo’s House of Horrors” unearths the grim realities of human depravity and the tangled web of love and obsession that binds its central characters. Through its dark and twisted narrative, this manhwa goes into the darkest recesses of the human psyche, leaving readers haunted by the unnerving question: what lurks beneath the facade of normalcy?
6. Unhinged
“Unhinged” offers a riveting and intriguing narrative, following the tumultuous journey of Erika as she explores through a life-altering encounter. While Erika herself is not the central figure of the manhwa’s serial killer narrative, her story is deeply entwined with the pursuit of justice and vengeance.
Erika’s life takes a drastic turn when she is wrongfully convicted for the murder of her husband, a crime she did not commit.
Upon her release from prison, fueled by a relentless determination to uncover the truth behind her husband’s death, Erika begins a quest for justice that leads her down a dark and perilous path. Her investigation brings her face to face with a suspect, thrusting her into the sinister murderous gang.
Within this nefarious group, Erika encounters a trio of individuals whose chilling deeds paint a grim portrait of their twisted psyches. Box, the leader, orchestrates the gang’s operations, dispatching his cohorts Paul and Boom to carry out their grisly assignments.
Boom, haunted by a tragic past, bears the weight of his heinous actions, including the brutal murders of his own family members, with a chilling detachment that belies his inner turmoil.
Meanwhile, Paul’s volatile temperament renders him a lethal force, his killings driven by primal urges triggered by perceived slights or provocations.
As the narrative proceeds, “Unhinged” goes into the depths of human depravity, exploring the darkest recesses of the human psyche and the harrowing consequences of unchecked violence.
With its complex characters and suspenseful plot twists, this manhwa offers a chilling peek into a world where morality is blurred and the line between victim and perpetrator grows increasingly indistinct.
5. Vigilante
Serial killers are typically portrayed as the villains, with law enforcement tasked to apprehend them and ensure they face the full force of justice. However, the reality may not always align with societal perceptions, as those responsible for upholding the law are not always as faultless as they appear.
With the authority and support at their disposal, some law enforcement officers may resort to taking matters into their own hands, justifying their actions under the guise of fulfilling their duty.
Kim Ji Yong serves as a stark example of this phenomenon. Despite exhibiting traits characteristic of a serial killer, his position as a police officer affords him a cloak of legitimacy, shielding him from the consequences of his violent deeds.
Operating under the pretext of dispensing justice, Kim Ji Yong resorts to brutal methods to apprehend criminals, a course of action that has resulted in fatalities. Yet, his actions often go unchecked and are even commended, highlighting the unsettling reality of how power and authority can distort moral boundaries.
“Vigilante,” crafted by Kim Kyusam and CRG, goes into the murky waters of morality, shedding light on the twisted rationale that may drive individuals to commit heinous acts in the name of righteousness.
With a staggering 141 chapters, this narrative invites readers to confront uncomfortable truths about the complexities of justice and the blurred lines between right and wrong.
4. Doomed
Su-ae’s harrowing tale begins in the confines of an orphanage, where her only crime is being bereft of family. Trapped within its walls, she becomes a victim of unspeakable horrors at the hands of the director and other malevolent figures who exploit her vulnerability to satisfy their own depraved desires.
For years, Su-ae endures a relentless onslaught of abuse and exploitation, her pleas for freedom falling on deaf ears as the director’s hold over her tightens with each passing day. It isn’t until a fleeting moment of compassion from the director’s friend offers her a glimmer of hope, albeit tainted by yet another violation of her autonomy.
At the age of twenty, Su-ae seizes a fleeting opportunity to break free from the suffocating grip of the orphanage, only to find herself ensnared once more by the predatory intentions of her would-be savior.
Faced with the prospect of being shackled to yet another tormentor, Su-ae summons the last vestiges of her strength and flees into the night, determined to carve out a new existence for herself.
In her quest for redemption and solace, Su-ae encounters Jin, a beacon of light amidst the darkness that has enveloped her life. Their love blossoms, offering Su-ae a peek of the happiness she so desperately craves. However, the specter of financial hardship looms large, casting a shadow over their burgeoning romance.
Tragically, Jin’s descent into desperation and moral decay leads him down a path of betrayal, as he callously trades Su-ae’s dignity for financial gain. The ultimate betrayal comes in the form of Jin’s callous abandonment, his cruel words serving as the final blow to Su-ae’s fragile psyche.
Driven to the brink of madness by the anguish of betrayal and the weight of her own suffering, Su-ae succumbs to the darkness within, unleashing a torrent of righteous fury upon those who have inflicted immeasurable pain upon her. In a chilling act of retribution, she becomes the instrument of her own justice, exacting vengeance upon the perpetrators of her torment with ruthless efficiency.
3. An Uncomfortable Truth
“An Uncomfortable Truth” goes into the chilling narrative of Yoseob, a seemingly unassuming high school student whose quiet demeanor belies a dark and deadly secret. At the heart of the story is Jaeha, Yoseob’s older brother, who harbors a painful truth about his sibling’s capacity for violence, choosing to conceal it in a misguided attempt to protect their fragile familial bond.
As Yoseob’s sinister nature begins to unravel, Jaeha finds himself caught in a web of deceit, torn between his loyalty to his brother and the safety of those around him.
His silence becomes a dangerous liability, endangering the lives of his childhood friend Taeoh and his unrequited love, Yura, who become unwitting targets of Yoseob’s malevolent intentions.
As the manhwa proceeds, peeks at Yoseob’s troubled past to shed light on the roots of his obsession with Jaeha, unraveling the tangled threads of trauma and obsession that bind the brothers together. Despite Jaeha’s belated attempts to seek help for Yoseob, the tragic consequences of his silence manifest in a devastating climax, culminating in a horrifying act of violence that claims the lives of innocent bystanders.
In the wake of Jaeha’s untimely demise, the stark reality of his failure to confront the uncomfortable truth about Yoseob’s behavior becomes painfully apparent.
The devastating toll of his silence serves as a poignant reminder of the profound impact that secrets can have, underscoring the importance of transparency and communication in exploring the complexities of familial relationships.
Tragically, the lives lost in the wake of Yoseob’s rampage stand as a stark witness to the irrevocable consequences of denial and complacency.
2. Death Row Boy
Shin Kim’s twisted vendetta against happiness casts a chilling shadow over unsuspecting families, as he ruthlessly targets their blissful existence with deadly intent. With a staggering tally of 28 victims from various households, Shin Kim’s reign of terror strikes fear into the hearts of those fortunate enough to have found solace within their familial bonds.
Despite the grim specter of impending doom that looms over his victims, Shin Kim possesses a macabre sense of civility, offering them a slim chance at survival amidst the horror of their impending demise.
Engaging in a sadistic game of cat and mouse, he subjects his victims to unspeakable torment, demanding that they sing a lullaby as he inflicts unimaginable pain upon them. In a perverse twist of fate, the completion of the lullaby becomes a harrowing test of parental love and endurance, with the lives of their children hanging in the balance.
Tragically, the vast majority of Shin Kim’s victims succumb to the agony of their ordeal, their desperate attempts to safeguard their loved ones ultimately proving futile in the face of his relentless cruelty.
However, amidst the sea of despair and anguish, one glimmer of hope emerges in the form of Ji-woo’s father, whose unwavering resolve and fortitude enable him to fulfill Shin Kim’s twisted challenge, sparing his child from a fate worse than death.
As Ji-woo grows up in the shadow of unspeakable tragedy, fueled by a burning desire for vengeance, he vows to confront Shin Kim and exact retribution for the unspeakable atrocities inflicted upon his family.
With each passing day, his thirst for justice intensifies, driving him ever closer to a confrontation that will test the limits of his humanity and the depths of Shin Kim’s depravity.
1. Bastard
Living with a serial killer is akin to dwelling in the depths of a waking nightmare, a grim reality that Jin knows all too well as he grapples with the sinister truth that his own father is a notorious murderer.
Yet, as the chilling tale proceeds, Jin is forced to confront an even more unsettling revelation: he, too, has become a serial killer by association, inexorably bound to his father’s dark legacy.
From Jin’s perspective, the manhwa provides a harrowing peek into the twisted psyche of Dongsoon, whose insatiable thirst for blood knows no bounds.
With a penchant for targeting women with natural hair colors and a lack of makeup, Dongsoon’s perverse fixation on innocence and vulnerability drives him to commit unspeakable acts of violence, leaving a trail of death and devastation in his wake.
However, amidst the horrors of his father’s depravity, Jin emerges as a beacon of hope and defiance, determined to shield the innocent from his father’s malevolent grasp.
Fueled by an unwavering resolve to protect Kyon Yoon, the object of Dongsoon’s twisted desires, Jin begins on a perilous journey of self-discovery and redemption, honing his skills and strength in preparation for a confrontation that will determine the fate of those he holds dear.
As Jin grapples with the weight of his own complicity and the chilling realization of his father’s influence, he stands poised at the precipice of a dark and uncertain future.
With each passing day, his resolve to break free from the shackles of his father’s legacy grows stronger, driving him ever closer to a reckoning that will test the limits of his courage and the depths of his humanity.