Webtoon Manhwa ‘Teenage Mercenary’ Getting Anime...

Teenage Mercenary, the well-reviewed action thriller on Wattpad’s Webtoon platform, is being developed as an anime series by Webtoon Entertainment’s Japan-based Line Digital Frontier (operator of Line Manga and ebookjapan). Since launching in 2021, the manhwa created by YC and Rakyeon has racked up more than 1.8 billion views and is translated into 10 languages. The series ranked No. 1 on Line Manga’s charts in 2023 and 2024.

“Teenage Mercenary is one of those rare series that hits every note — action, emotion, suspense, and style,” said Sinbae Kim, Chief Growth Officer of Line Digital Frontier. “It’s a global sensation that’s dominated across regions, and now it’s getting the anime adaptation fans have been asking for. We’re excited to bring this incredible story to new fans all over the world.”

Webtoon Synopsis:

At the age of eight, Ijin Yu lost his parents in a plane crash and became stranded in a foreign land, forced to become a child mercenary in order to stay alive. He returns home ten years later to be reunited with his family in Korea, where food and shelter are plenty and everything seems peaceful. But Ijin will soon learn that life as a teenager is a whole other feat of survival. With only one year of high school left, Ijin must master new tactics to maneuver his way around the schoolhouse battleground. Can he survive a year of high school? Or rather, will the school be able to survive him?

“I still remember when I first started planning Teenage Mercenary, and how nervous I was about how readers would respond when the series launched. This anime adaptation wouldn’t have been possible without the incredible support from our fans,” said co-creator YC. “I’m truly grateful and excited to share this moment with them.”

Rakyeon added, “When we first launched the series, I never imagined it would receive such immense love. I’m deeply moved and thankful to meet global fans through this new form of storytelling as an anime.”

Teenage Mercenary joins a busy anime development slate at Webtoon Ent., which has already launched the popular Tower of God (two seasons) as well as Sempai Is an Otokonoko, True Beauty and Viral Hit, all of which are available to stream on Crunchyroll. Webtoon is currently developing 20 other titles, including Omniscient Reader with Crunchyroll and Aniplex.