Top Manhwa Recommendation – Barbarian Quest is Damn Near Perfect

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To Put This Out of the Way

The series Vikings, narrate the epic saga of Ragnar Lothbrook and his descendants. The story of how a charismatic Viking farmer became King, adventured in the unknown and tried to take over the known world, changing the course of history in the process.

Wait, don’t go this is still a Manhwa Recommendation.

If you are familiar with Vikings, selling you on Barbarian Quest becomes very straightforward. Because Barbarian Quest is almost identical in its essence to the Viking series.

It captures that same feeling of a larger-than-life protagonist exploring a world that was previously unknown to him, with his ideals and beliefs being constantly challenged and his presence so influential that he ends up shaping history itself.

If you are not familiar with Vikings, then grab a hot cup of coffee and let me tell you, why you should read one of the most popular manhwa of 2023, Barbarian Quest.

The Story

The author of the series is the amazing BaekSoo KwiJok who is also the author of the “Kill the Dragon” manwha series. Let’s get into breaking down this fantastic story!

Theme

Barbarian Quest is a tale of adventure, self-discovery, and change. It is a journey into the unknown, a quest to understand oneself and one’s place in the world.

As our protagonist embarks on this perilous journey, he must confront challenges and obstacles that test his limits and shatter his preconceived notions of reality, religion, and self.

Above all else, Barbarian quest is a story about self-discovery, luckily for us it just happens to have amazing action on top of it.

Setting

The story of Barbarian Quest unfolds in a world, not unlike our own, set in the midst of the Middle Ages. Ulrich, the hero of our tale, possesses unmatched charisma and is destined to become a legendary warrior of great renown among his tribe.

He is unquenchable in his thirst for adventure and challenges, and it is this very hunger that leads him to undertake a new quest: to scale the sky-piercing peaks of the mountain range.

It is said that beyond these peaks lies the realm of spirits, but Ulrich is determined to push on, driven by his desire for the hunt.

As Ulrich and his party make their way toward the mountains, they are ambushed by unknown assailants. The arrows that rain down upon them are like no Ulrich has ever seen; crafted from materials both shiny and strangely powerful. Its very existence seemed to mock the fleeting frailty of all that he had known.

Determined to push forward and protect his injured brothers, Ulrich embarks on his own, seeking to fight the threat head-on.

With his senses heightened to the max he hears the rustling of leaves and instinctively throws his spear. As he cautiously approaches, he is struck by a sense of shock and amazement. He hears a language that is completely unfamiliar to him, spoken by people with clothing that is both peculiar and shiny.

Then it hits him, the people in front of him are from across the mountain range.

Premise

At the beginning of this review, I made a comparison between the series Vikings and Barbarian Quest.

So, no the plot is not something like Devil Man Crybaby, which makes you feel that you saw something that you have never seen before, however as far as Manhwa is concerned Barbarian Quest has a premise that is unlike any other Manhwa out there.

No Isekai power systems, no Murim Clans, no superpowers, just a strong warrior going through a journey of self-discovery and everything that happens in between. It is a breath of fresh air in the Manhwa landscape making it a series that is quick to captivate the reader’s attention.

Plot

Barbarian Quest executes its plot almost perfectly and there are three main reasons for this.

First of all, the progression of the story is very natural. Ulrich never gains anything just because he is the protagonist. He has to earn every single thing.

As a barbarian who doesn’t even speak the language in an unknown to his world, he literally starts from the bottom, proving himself constantly with his monstrous strength and unwavering courage.

So, it feels natural that he becomes a mercenary group leader, because we have been with him from the beginning, from when he used to fight in taverns for money.

Since Ulrich’s role changes a fair bit throughout the story, the series goes through many different arcs. So, good pacing becomes essential.

There are a lot of otherwise good stories that get ruined by bad pacing, however, Barbarian Quest’s pacing is one of its clearest strengths.

Clearly, a lot of attention has been put into the pacing because every time the story is not meaningfully going forward, we are either learning something about the inner workings of the world as a whole or we see character interactions that either establish and give depth to their character or that fundamentally start changing it.

Last but not least, we have the quality and diversity of stories told within the overarching narrative.

As I also wrote before, we see Ulrich growing and his role changing within the story, with the only constants being, his hulkish strength, his ingenuity in combat, and his unquenched curiosity. That means that the stories in Barbarian Quest are different, coinciding with Ulrich’s role in the story. And all these stories are well-structured and tie with the overarching story.

Art

While bad art in Manhwa is not a deal breaker in many cases, no one can undermine the importance of great art. Great art breathes life into the world presented, having the power to elevate a mediocre Manhwa to a good one.

Well, the art in Barbarian Quest is simply amazing. Everything is high quality, from epic fight scenes to the smallest of things like how facial expressions and body language are portrayed. The art is downright insane and will go down as one of the most gorgeous manhwas in the history of the medium.

Characters

I’ve been gushing about this Manhwa for some time now, so you won’t be surprised when I tell you that yes, the characters in Barbarian Quest are on point.

Since Ulrich does not have a clear end goal in this story, the biggest driving force of Barbarian Quest is its characters. There are characters that appear for only 3 chapters here that have more depth than the main characters of Manhwa spanning hundreds of chapters.

All characters introduced feel like real people, with personal motivations, virtues, and vices. The story frequently gives us information about supporting characters that help build them up and make the reader connect with them. Furthermore, since change is one of the essential themes of this story, character development is one of the biggest strengths of Barbarian Quest.

Ulrich

Ulrich is an amazing character. With strength that defies logic and incredible charisma to back it up. He is a character that scratches the power fantasy itch that most manhwa protagonists do almost as a byproduct of his story being told. But at the same time, he does so much more. Because he feels like a real human. In the story, the very fabric of what he thinks is real gets shattered. He is shaken but due to his curiosity and adventurous spirit, he embraces the unknown and is ready to grow as a character and expand his views on everything.

Supporting Cast

The characters that make up the supporting cast of the story are well-established. When reading you feel like you know what motivates them, what makes them tick and there are many times that the clashing values and motivations of characters lead to conflicts that feel very natural. The dynamics between the supporting characters are also well-written and they keep developing as the characters themselves go through changes.

There are some characters that the author gives more love to like Prince Varcra, who is a secondary protagonist at this point, changing from a soft entitled brat to a man with ambition and the will needed to pursue it. But that does not mean that any important supporting character is left undeveloped.

Antagonists

In “Barbarian Quest,” there are times when clashes between different factions often feel like the collision of two distinct worlds. These conflicts are characterized by the stark contrast between the philosophies, ideals, and tactics employed by the combatants.

On one side, there is the reckless and frenzied approach to the battle of Ulrich and the Northmen, while on the other side stand the measured, organized, and protected Amor-wearing westerners. These opposing forces embody different approaches to combat, and their battles highlight the contrast between their respective ideologies. And there are other times when fights are just that. Fights. Violent, eye-Catching, and adrenaline-inducing.

Until this point in the narrative, there are no clear “main antagonists” in the story. Instead, the conflicts that arise are driven by fundamental differences between the characters, resulting in natural and well-crafted clashes that feel organic and inherent to the story. These conflicts, while perhaps not centered around a singular opposing force, are no less impactful or significant in driving the plot forward.

Despite the compelling nature of the conflicts thus far, I can’t shake the feeling that a formidable antagonist would elevate the story to even greater heights. In my opinion, great stories are shaped not only by their main characters but also by their “villains”.

A strong and capable antagonist can serve as a foil to the protagonist, creating a unique dynamic, and engaging narrative that makes the story more interesting. It is by no chance that the best superhero movies are those, where characters like The Joker or Thanos take the mantle of the main antagonist instead of more generic run-of-the-mill villains.

Final Verdict

Art: 10/10

Story:10/10

Characters: 10/10

Overall: 10/10

A full score in every category might seem over the top but until now Barbarian Quest is just that good. If you haven’t read it, go do yourself a favor and read it, and if a friend ever asks you what is manhwa? Show him Barbarian Quest and he will be converted!

If you’ve read it, don’t hesitate to share your opinion, I would love to read it!