DarkDeltaKai

“Can manhwa ever be as popular as manga?”

But isn’t it?

I won’t look up and show statistics and such. This answer just comes straight from what I’ve observed in the country/state where I’m from.

And where I’m from, more people definitely read manhwa and webtoons than they do manga. And the reasons are pretty obvious.

(Shoutout to CurtRichy from “Get in the Robot”/”Beyond the Bot”, he has a very popular "Anime you can't watch in public" series on YouTube.)

If I was in public and was watching, let’s say, “Kill la Kill”, I would instantly be labeled, and honestly? Probably be reported depending on where I am and how many people can see it. No matter how good or cool I think the story and animation are, that’s just not the issue here.

A lot of Japanese media is heavily sexualized, and sometimes for absolutely no reason. The small number of female anime fans who find wardrobe malfunctions, unrealistic proportions, and jiggle physics “entertaining” is dwindling and fast.

I can’t remember the name of the anime, but for Valentine's Day, my university Anime Club had an event where singles and couples could all come to watch romantic animes together. They went all-in with decorations, games, candy, and more. Normally the club would carefully review the animes in advance before blasting them across those large lecture room projectors. But this time, someone screwed up. The anime we ended up viewing was about some yandere chick kidnapping a little boy for salacious intentions.

Oof...

We had an unusually high turnout that night of about 30 or so people, and it was a great way to socialize and introduce more people to the world of anime/manga. And we lost 90% of them 30 minutes into the event. It wasn't an "H-anime", but it was still pretty disturbing and walked a very thin line. Luckily, no administrators or deans were present and no one was reported...

I also have another funny story about a 10-year-old(?) kid trying to get his dad to let him buy manga and watch anime at an anime merch store. But TLDR, the dad’s first exposure to manga was Peter Grill. Tough break, kid… See ya in a few more years.

Manhwa, on the other hand, is very tame and appeals to larger demographics. The “free-to-read” and “read-online” formats only make it that much easier to access.

A large number of friends who I thought had no interest in comics or manga all have Webtoon downloaded on their phones. Last year I went to a birthday party with a dozen or so friends and strangers, and come around 8:30 p.m., half of our phones went off at the same time. We all looked at each other and realized it was the Webtoon app. It was a pretty good laugh and a long discussion about what we were reading.

Shockingly, at least to me, most of the guys (who didn’t seem like the type) were reading stuff like “Lore Olympus” and “Cursed Princess Club” while the girls were reading everything from that to “The Boxer” and “Sweet Home”. Some of them aren’t Korean manhwas, but still.

I’m constantly recommending manga to my anime/manga friends, I’m pretty much the “manga guy” in my friend groups. No matter how much I recommend “Terraformars” or “Killing Bites” to those who I KNOW would love it, those black and white pages for 14.99$ (or incomplete to read free online with “You won’t last 5 seconds playing this game” ads) would just be put aside for “later”. But if I bring up the colorful “Jungle Juice” that’s being updated on a reliable schedule and free-to-read right now on a popular mobile app?

It’s no contest.

I think a lot more people are opting out of all the shonen, large “plot”, and Isekai manga stories, and getting into the deeper/emotional and more varied stories manhwas have to offer.

Oh, that’s a pretty cool question, but every main, side, villain character? That’s pretty broad there, buddy. I make long Quora posts explaining my answers, but even I don’t wanna make one that long... Sh*t… f**k it, I’ll try my best.

To keep this to a manageable size, I’ll just go over the properties of each ring and why they would choose their specific host, or vice versa, and list the characters under it. It is also important to remember that a person can have certain levels of compatibilities with each ring. You can have incredible will power, making you a Green Lantern, but if your hope, your faith, supersedes your will power, then you are better suited to be a Blue Lantern. Wearing multiple rings is also possible in the Green Lantern Universe, but not always recommended, as not all rings are compatible with each other, and always comes with a catch. So I will avoid listing combinations, but just state who can possibly wear what.

1. Green Lanterns, as we all know are about will power; to be brave, to have courage, to overcome fear. A lot of good-willed characters can fit here, almost all of them:    1. Any diligent, brave Shinobi.    2. Naruto, Kakashi, Haku, Konohamaru, Ebisu, Konohamaru, Iruka, Kiba Inuzuka, Shino Aburame, Shikamaru Nara(?) Asuma Sautobi, Temari, Tenten, Neji Hyuga(?), Rock Lee, Might Guy, Shizune, Tsunade(?), Yamato(?), Sai(?) Killer Bee(?) Third Tsuchikage(?), Darui(?), Yugito Nii, Yagura Karatachi(?), Utakata(?)

2. Yellow Lanterns use the power of fear. Just like Green Laterns, a lot evil characters can fit here:    1. Any villain.    2. Zabuza, Kankuro, Orochimaru, Kabuto(?), Ibiki Morino, Kisame Hoshigaki, Itachi Uchiha(?), The Sound Four, Deidara, Sasori, Obito/Tobi(?), Zetsu, Hidan, Kakuzu(?), Suigetsu(?) Jugo(?), Danzo, Pain(?), Yagura Karatachi (Controlled)

3. Blue Lanterns are about hope; giving hope, having hope; faith:    1. Hizuren Sarutobi (Third Hokage), Konohamaru(?, for sure Adult Konohamaru), Naruto(?), Asuma Sarutobi(?) Neji Hyuga (post-Naruto fight), Jiraiya, Minato Namikaze, Obito Uchiha (Young), Killer Bee

4. Red Lanterns, with great rage in their hearts, use the power of rage, putting the wearer constant state of anger:    1. Sasuke, Gaara (Part 1), Neji Hyuga (?, pre-Naruto fight), Obito/Masked Man(?), Jugo(?), Kushina Uzumaki(?), Fourth Raikage(?)

5. Violet Lanterns, or Star Sapphires, use the power of love. These are always women; the Violet Ring has never chosen a man as its wearer, but a couple of men have worn them:    1. Sakura, Ino, Hinata Hyuga, Kurenai Yuhi, Rin Nohara, Karin, Konan, Kushina Uzumaki(?), Mei Terumi

6. Orange Lanterns, or should I say THE Orange Lantern is fueled by greed. And there can only be one at a time because the current wearer will only allow one wearer; they will not share the power source:    1. Mizuki, Kakuzu, Tsunade(?), Orochimaru(?), Suigetsu(?)

7. Indigo Lanterns are powered by compassion, but not quite in the apparent sense like the others. An Indigo Lantern will always choose the path to the least suffering, and while that may seem kind and altruistic, this does not put them above things like mercy killing, especially for the greater good. And just as the Red and Orange (and some times Violet) rings alter the wearer’s mental state. Indigo Lanterns, if previously criminals/villains, will become remorseful and be “good guys” seeking redemption, so long as they wear it:    1. Choji Akimichi, Gaara (Part 2), Jiraiya(?), Itachi Uchiha(?), Sasuke (Adult/Blank Period), Nagato (post-Naruto fight), Chojuro

8. Black Lanterns are special in the sense that they are reanimated by the ring’s power. Becoming soulless shells of their former selves, their mental state is also warped, believing only in death:    1. Every/anyone resurrected by Edo Tensei.    2. And by proxy for using the Jutsu: Kabuto, Orochimaru, and Tobirama Senju    3. Hidan would make a decent living Black Lantern.

9. White Lanterns were made to fight back the Black Lanterns by actually resurrecting them. Just as Black Lanterns are powered by death, they are powered by Life and a desire to live:    1. Naruto (Nine-Tails Chakra Mode/Six Paths Mode), Minato (Nine-Tails Cloak)    2. Madara Uchiha and Itachi Uchiha for breaking Edo Tensei    3. Aside from them, technically anyone who has been dead and fully resurrected could have been temporary White Lanterns. This would’ve included everyone Pain revived had another threat shown up afterward.

Characters with a (?) by their name are just possible or temporary wearers, this doesn’t mean I necessarily think their views align with that respective corps. If they don’t have one, then I firmly believe they do fit there. I wish I was paid for this... But I did it because I’m a huge fan of both universes, and I thought how fun it would be to see the Naruto world through the eyes of the Green Lantern universe.

Imagine Neji, a Red Lantern, full of hatred for the way his clan functions, and then after his fight with Naruto, a Blue Lantern ring appears, going over his finger, and breaking his Red ring, symbolizing the release of his fatalistic views. Would love it.