Korean manhwas are gaining more and more traction in mainstream media nowadays. With some even getting their own animated adaptation as the genre influence further expands. We’re not complaining, though. After all, Korean creators also have their stories to tell. Even though they may have been influenced by manga one way or another, they also have their own allure. They can distinguish themselves in terms of themes, story, and characterization. The Breaker joins the likes of The God of High School and Tower of God in the English market.

Discussion Time

The Breaker follows a high school student named Shi-Woon Yi. He’s kind of weak and frail. Unfortunately, he’s a usual victim of bullying, but that’s set to change. His life literally turns 180 degrees after meeting his school’s new teacher. Instead of teaching anything academically, he teaches him how to defend himself. Shi-Woon later on learns that his teacher, Chun-Woo Han, is involved in a secret martial art society called the Murim. In order to survive in this world, one must become strong beyond belief.

1. Fight, Fight, Fight

Even though Shi-Woon has been bullied most of his years, the series surprisingly isn’t a revenge story. Even so, it still has pretty intense action. It turns out that Chun-Woo Han isn’t just a typical Murim fugitive. In fact, he’s one of the most, if not the most, feared and known enemy of the Murim. He has so many enemies that they literally have to fight a building full of people towards the end. It’s not just that, though. They’ve also had multiple to-the-death fights prior to that, and the series does a great job showing them too. If you’re an action junkie, then you’ll definitely like this series.

2. From Zero to Hero

As already stated above, Shi-Woon literally starts from nothing. He doesn’t even know how to protect himself. Throughout the series, he gradually becomes stronger. This isn’t like some badass training that immediately makes him overpowered after a day or two. In fact, the whole volume is actually like a long training montage. Nevertheless, training montages are one of our favorite parts. We find it really amusing to see how the characters actually improve themselves. It’s also a good measure of how much the author actually developed his world and power rankings. The Breaker does a good job showing how and how much Shi-Woon gets stronger by the day.

1. Kind of Generic Plot

If you’re already familiar with common Eastern martial arts stories, The Breaker doesn’t hold much promise in terms of plot. There’s the protagonist who literally goes against the world. He’s trained by an overpowered expert and gets chased for doing so. Even his motives aren’t that original. He doesn’t really want to fight, but he’s forced to do so given that others are aiming at his throat. Okay, you get it. What we’re trying to say is that The Breaker doesn’t really have a ground-breaking plot. It’s not necessarily a bad thing, since there’s a reason why such a formula works. However, it’s also better to set your expectations prior to picking this up.

Final Thoughts

The Breaker Omnibus Vol. 1 may not have the best of plots, but that doesn’t make it a mediocre series. It has lots of intense action scenes and a rather good zero-to-hero setup. The best part about it, however, is that it contains more than 400 pages, since it’s an omnibus. That means there’s enough stuff to get your daily fix of action and martial arts for days.

Writer

Author: Christian Markle

I am a copywriter, proofreader, and editor. I love watching anime, reading manga, and writing my own stories. Watch out in the future as you may see one of my works one day. Manga and anime were big parts of my childhood. I grew up watching Yu Yu Hakusho, Slam Dunk, One Piece, and Dragon Ball Z. Those were probably one of the happiest and most carefree days of my life. In fact, most of my values are probably molded by manga. No, that's not an exaggeration.

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