Return of the Disaster Class Hero

Another promising fantasy manhwa I recently stumbled upon… if not for its biggest flaw.
If One Punch Man received a full Korean manhwa makeover with a Zodiac-themed twist, you’d pretty much get Return of the Disaster-Class Hero.

The story follows Geon Lee, an exceptionally powerful man who stood alongside the Twelve Zodiac Saints as the unofficial thirteenth wild card. After a brutal betrayal leaves him for dead inside a tower dungeon, Geon Lee miraculously survives, returns stronger than ever, and begins a relentless quest for vengeance against the comrades who betrayed him.

Return of the Disaster-Class Hero feels like a Korean take on One Punch Man, with Geon Lee playing the role of an unstoppable force while the Zodiac Saints serve as this world’s equivalent of S-Class heroes. The series delivers the flashy, high-quality visuals expected from top-tier Korean power fantasies, and at first glance it seems poised to be another heavy-hitter in the genre.

However, the series suffers from a fundamental character issue. If you thought Tomb Raider King had a problematic main character, Geon Lee takes the “Mary Sue” trope to another level. Korean power fantasies often rely on a familiar character template; tall, muscular, dark-haired, and overwhelmingly arrogant and Geon Lee embodies that formula to an extreme.

Because of this, the story, which begins with a solid premise, becomes stale surprisingly fast. Geon Lee bulldozes through every obstacle or trap with sheer brute force, effortlessly overcoming challenges that should, at least narratively, push him to his limits. With no real struggle or tension, the plot quickly loses its weight, and the stakes never feel genuine.

In the end, Return of the Disaster-Class Hero may have the potential to reach mainstream popularity, but without meaningful character development, it remains a second-rate power fantasy, entertaining on the surface, yet ultimately shallow.