Quick Answer
Yes, for readers who want a straightforward, satisfying betrayal-and-revenge power fantasy with a clear target list and real escalation.
Quick Verdict
“Revenge-against-former-allies is well-trodden ground in Korean webtoons, but Lee Geon's specific betrayal, by twelve people who were supposed to be his fellow saints, gives every confrontation a personal edge the genre often skips.”
Best for: Readers who want a clean, personal revenge structure — a named list of betrayers and a protagonist who's earned the power to go through it.
Not for: Readers who want morally complex villains instead of a clear, satisfying list of people who deserve what's coming to them.
| Quick facts | |
|---|---|
| Format | Webtoon, 181 chapters |
| Run | 2021–present · ongoing |
| Community score | AniList 7.5 · MangaUpdates 7.4 |
| Content | Violence |
| Where to read | WEBTOON — official |
Lee Geon was one of thirteen saints tasked with defending the world, until the other twelve betrayed him and trapped him inside the Tower of Demons. After surviving what should have killed him, Geon escapes far stronger than he was before, and sets out to make each of his former allies answer for what they did. The Return of the Disaster-Class Hero adapts a web novel by SAN.G into a webtoon illustrated by BGman of REDICE STUDIO, serialized since December 2021.
What separates this from a lot of similar betrayal-revenge webtoons is how specific and personal the setup is. Geon isn't working through a vague list of enemies — it's twelve named people who were supposed to be his allies, each with their own reason for turning on him, and that specificity gives every confrontation real emotional weight beyond just another power-scaling fight. BGman's art keeps the action sequences clear and impactful, which matters once Geon starts actually catching up to the saints who wronged him.
The story also does real work establishing exactly what Geon survived inside the Tower of Demons, so his overwhelming strength on return feels like a payoff rather than an arbitrary power-up. For readers newer to the revenge-webtoon genre, the clean structure — a named list of betrayers, working through it one by one — makes for an easy, satisfying entry point.
If you've already read a lot of Korean betrayal-and-revenge webtoons, the broad shape here is going to feel familiar rather than fresh. The series' release history has also been inconsistent — it went on a long real-world hiatus after episode 74 due to the artist's health before returning in mid-2024. And the antagonists are mostly written as straightforwardly deserving of what's coming, so readers looking for morally complicated villains won't find much of that here.
The Return of the Disaster-Class Hero executes a familiar revenge structure with real personal stakes and satisfying payoff. A solid pick if you want your power fantasy with a clear, earned target list.
Strengths
Weaknesses
shares the power-fantasy escalation of a protagonist who returns from near-death dramatically stronger
similar structure of a betrayed hero returning to settle scores with former allies
| Platform | Format | Pricing | Region notes | Link |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| WEBTOON | Digital chapters (vertical scroll) | Free | Region availability varies | Open |
No, it's ongoing. It began serialization in December 2021 and had a long hiatus after episode 74 before resuming in mid-2024.
Yes, it's adapted from a web novel by SAN.G, with webtoon art by BGman of REDICE STUDIO.
It's officially available on WEBTOON, along with Tappytoon, Tapas, and Yonder.
