Han Bi Kwang and his love interest Dam Hwa Rin
The Murim (martial art world) is divided into two opposing forces: the Jongpa (or White Force, the "righteous" martial art sects) and the Sapa (or Black Force, the evil martial art sects). The two have battled for many years but unable to overcome each other. For several decades, things seem to be at peace on the outside, but it is only a matter of time before war erupts again. In the shadow, a mysterious organization starts to make its move, its agents penetrate both sides, stirring up conflicts. A wrong move at the wrong time would mean certain death for anyone involved or worse, the outbreak of another war.
Enter Han Bi Kwang.
A lecherous yet strangely heroic and trustworthy young man. He has no formal training in martial arts but possesses phenomenal skill in quigong and ability Power Copying other martial artists' techniques. He has no desire other than partying, wooing women and perhaps, one day meet the love of his life and start a family. And yet he is the sixth disciple of the dreaded Cheon Ma Sin Gun, founder of Black Wind Order and leader of the Sapa and was given the Flaming Dragon Sabre, the greatest treasure of the martial art world. One day he ran into Dam Hwa Rin, the Bishōnen swordman who is on a quest to find her missing grandfather, the famed Sword Emperor. Despite initial hostility, they become friends and travel the Murim together. During their journey, they make friends (and foes), improve their skills, learn more about the rift between Jongpa and Sapa, the emerging threat of the mysterious Sinji and perhaps, who Han Bi Kwang really are
The Ruler of the Land (Hangul: Yul Hyul Gang Ho, Vietnamese: Hiệp Khách Giang Hồ) is a Korean Manhwa written by Jeon Geuk-jin and illustrated by Yang Jae Hyun and was first released in 1994. Notable for its humors, Fanservice and copious amount of awesomeness.
Has a character sheet that is under construction.
This manhwa provides examples of
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Tropes A-D
- Absurdly Sharp Blade: Ma Ryong Sword, or Demon Conquering Sword. It can cut through hordes of fighters with ease and penetrate the Demon Face Armor, the strongest armor in the series.
- Accidental Pervert: Han Bi Kwang, sometimes. The other times are his damn faults
- Accidental Marriage: Han Bi Kwang with So-Hyang, after she passed out from drinking and slept on his bed (nothing happens, mind you). Unfortunately, Dam Hwa Rin and So-Hyang's father both find out about this.
- Action Girl: Almost all named female characters possess martial skills.
- Affably Evil: Do Wol Cheon. He is always calm and polite, and yet he is the most feared of Cheon Ma's disciples. Later it is revealed that he conspired with Sinji to kill Han Bi Kwang.
- Alas, Poor Villain: Yeob Min Cheon, Hyun Woo. Both were screwed by love.
- Anachronism Stew: The story took place in a vaguely Dynastic period Korea with associated level of technology. However, Sinji possesses advanced technology like a full-fledged defense system with mechanized robots and weapons and ability to create sentient bio-weapons that can use martial arts.
- Animal Motifs: Several of the Ten Master Swordmen of Sinji have these.
- Gi Baek Ki -> Tiger.
- Ra Su Yeon -> Fox.
- Ancient Conspiracy: Sanji, whose aims is to Take Over the World.
- And I Must Scream: Han Sang Wu. Locked in perpetual struggle against a bloodthirsty demon isn't good for your mind.
- An Ice Person: Dan Wu-Hyeon's signature technique Frozen Palm, which he uses to freeze his opponents solid then shatters them.
- Anime Hair: Jin Pung Baek.
- Anti-Villain: Fung Yeon, Hyol Roe.
- Arrogant Kung-Fu Guy: Jin Pung Baek, again. Too bad he does have power to back up his claim.
- Art Evolution: The manhwa has been running for more than 20 years, newer chapters look noticeably different compared to 10 years ago.
- Asleep for Days: Han Bi Kwang, usually after being severely injured.
- Asskicking Leads to Leadership: As expected for a fighting/martial arts manhwa.
- Jongpa: The White Force (or Jongpa) is led by Sword Emperor, the strongest swordman of the world.
- Sapa: The Black Force (or Sapa) is led by Cheon Ma Sin Gun, their strongest martial artists.
- Sinji: Their fighters are given a number according to their fighting prowess; the smaller the number, the stronger they are. The number 1 fighter is the ruler of Sinji and the original Sword Demon.
- Awesomeness by Analysis: Many exhibit this trope but Han Bi Kwang is the most notable. He often starts the fight slowly but by analyzing his opponent's strength and weakness he gradually improves and overcomes them.
- Ax-Crazy: Yu Se Ha under the influence of Ma Ryong Sword.
- Badass Boast: Jin Pung Baek is quite fond of this. His enemies won't last long after that.
- Balance of Power: The current situation between Jongpa and Sapa. Sanji plans to disrupt this balance, sending the Murim into another war.
- Batman Gambit: Han Bi Kwang's favorite tactic. He keeps attacking with the same technique so his opponent gets used to the pattern then suddenly switch in the middle of an assault to catch him/her off guard. He also fakes injuries and insults his opponents to goad them into attacking recklessly then unleashes a lethal counterattack.
- BFS: Hyol Roe and the Blade God have these.
- Battle Aura: Show up every time a formidable martial artist decides to get serious.
- Beauty Is Never Tarnished: Dam Hwa Rin always looks beautiful despite the brutal battles she has been through.
- Berserk Button: Han Bi Kwang is laid back and tries to avoid fights whenever possible, but if you dare to hurt Dam Hwa Rin then you will be on the wrong end of Flaming Dragon Sabre very soon.
- Big Bad: Jaha Masin seems to be this for the whole Murim
- Big Badass Battle Sequence: The combined force of Jongpa and Black Wind attacked Sinji.
- Big Damn Heroes: Several times.
- Han Bi Kwang arrived and challenged Jin Pung Baek to a fight to save Yu Won-Chan and Song Mu Guild.
- Baek Gang came to rescue Han Bi Kwang, Dam Hwa Rin and Me Yujin from Jaha Masin
- Jin Pung Baek and Byuk-Ryuk came to save the combined army of Black Wind and Jongpa from the pursuing Sinji forces.
- Big Eater: The Southern Jungle tribe. They depleted Song Mu Guild's food reserve in a few days.
- Big Fancy Castle: the ruler of Sinji's hideout. It is actually a hollowed-out mountain.
- Blade Spam: Any decent swordman can do this.
- Blood from the Mouth: Everyone after taking a particularly nasty hit.
- Body Horror: Sinji's Super-Zombie, which are montrosities created from bodyparts of multiple martial artists
- Bounty Hunter: Ji Yun Eun, Bu Young.
- Break the Cutie: Poor Me Yujin. She gets better, though.
- Calling Your Attacks: Of course.
- Can't Catch Up: Dam Hwa Rin is feeling this way towards Han Bi Kwang, to the point she considers herself a burden to him. It's the desire to protect him and stand as his equal that make her crave power and fall prey to the Ma Ryong Sword.
- Chivalrous Pervert: Han Bi Kwang. He might hit on girls constantly but actually respect them and will defend them from harm.
- The Clan:
- The Devil Eyes tribe in the Western desert. Their members have a special ability which double their power if their eyes see sunlight, with markings appear on their bodies when using this power.
- Sinji is made up of 8 clans, each one specializes in a particular brand of martial art. Recently, the Sword Clan has united Sinji under their banner and rejected the use of other weapons.
- Clothing Damage: Dam Hwa Rin's pants got ripped to shreds when fighting the elders of Sanji. Luckily the Demon Face Armor quickly covers the inappropriate part.
- Combat Hand Fan: Chun Oon-ak's weapon of choice.
- Cooldown Hug: Dam Hwa Rin did one to Han Bi Kwang after he lost his mind to Flaming Dragon Sabre.
- The Corruption: Ma Ryong Sword. It gives the user great power while slowly takes over their mind and body, sapping away their life force in the process. Overusing its power will lead to the user being sucked dry and crumble to dust.
- Cruel and Unusual Death: Sinji often make their agents ingest a pill which contains a special worm. The worm will lie dormant for a year and if the host is not given antidote, it will wake up and destroy his body inside out. The result is not pretty, to say the least.
- Curb-Stomp Battle: Several times.
- The first fight between Han Bi Kwang and Jin Pung Baek. He did a little better the second time but still lost.
- Dam Hwa Rin vs Hyol Roe. It ends in one hit and nearly got her killed.
- To sum up, almost every time an orthodox martial artist meets a Sinji swordman.
- Everyone vs Jaha Masin
- Dark and Troubled Past: Me Yujin,Yu Se Ha.
- Dangerous Forbidden Technique: Maha Singong, Jaha Masin's technique. It requires the user to forsake all feelings and morality to achieve. Failure to properly perform the technique will make the user's body explode.
- The Dreaded: Cheon Ma Sin Gun to Jongpa, Sword Demon to everyone.
- Dual Wielding: Lee Hwa.
- Dude Looks Like a Lady: Choi Sang-hwe, Cheon Ma Sin Gun fifth disciple, to the point he is often mistakened for a beautiful woman.
Tropes E-Z
- Easy Amnesia: Han Bi Kwang's father erased his memory of his true parents and made him think that his parents were hunters and were killed by a bear when he was a child.
- Empathic Weapon: The Eight Sacred Treasures.
- Enemy Mine: Black Wind Order teams up with Jongpa forces to battle Sanji since the latter threatened to destroy them both.
- Even Evil Has Loved Ones: Yeob Min Cheon truly cares about Juryeo, in his own twisted way.
- Face–Heel Turn: Shin-Gong joined Sinji after witnessing Sword Demon's power.
- Field of Blades: The entrance to Sword Emperor's hideout is littered with swords taken from his fallen enemies.
- Fighting from the Inside: Han Sang Wu tried to fight Jaha Masin for 20 years for control over his body. He finally lost. For now.
- Fire-Forged Friends: Han Bi Kwang with Noho and Me Yujin.
- Glass Cannon: Me Yujin can dish out considerable damage with Hyonmu Heavenly Bow, but can't take a heavy hit.
- Grand Theft Me: Jaha Masin took over Han Sang Wu's body in exchange for reviving his wife.
- Hellish Pupils: Han Bi Kwang, when tapping into the Superpowered Evil Side.
- Heroic Sacrifice: Dam Hwa Rin stayed behind to fight the elders of Sinji and then Jaha Masin himself so Han Bi Kwang and Co. can escape.
- Hidden Elf Village: The Eastern Tribe.
- Kill It with Fire: Flaming Dragon Sabre at full power.
- Implausible Fencing Powers: Many, but the Sword Emperor takes this to another level.
- Leave No Survivors: Jin Pung Baek wiped out a Jongpa sect responsible for destroying his home village and killing his lover. Later he destroyed Me Yujin's sect and killed her family.
- Long-Runners: The manhwa has been running since 1994.
- Life Energy: Inner energy.
- Loyal Phlebotinum: The Eight Sacred Treasures choose their owners, not vice versa. Only the true owners can converse with them and fully awaken their powers. If others take hold of a treasure, it only functions as a normal weapon, if not outright reject them.
- Love at First Sight: Han Bi Kwang to Dam Hwa Rin. Doesn't stop him from chasing other tails, though.
- Made of Iron: Fighters with high level of defensive skills tend to be this, but Han Bi Kwang really takes the cake.
- Ms. Fanservice: Dam Hwa Rin, much to her dismay. She even comments that the author really want to show off her figure. Bu Young and Mi Go also qualify.
- My Kung-Fu Is Stronger Than Yours: All the time.
- Not Quite Dead: Dam Hwa Rin woke up after being seemingly killed by Hyol Roe with improved power due to Demon Face Armor protecting her.
- Official Couple: Han Bi Kwang and Dam Hwa Rin. Noho and Mi Go seems to be this as well.
- Oh, Crap!: Many times.
- Jongpa members when Black Wind Order is mentioned.
- Han Bi Kwang's opponents tend to have this when he woke up after being beaten bloody, accompanied by a fiery inferno and a Death Glare.
- Whenever a high ranking Sinji fighter appears.
- Omnicidal Maniac: Jaha Masin. The only thing he wants is death and suffering
- Only Known by Their Nickname: The ruler of Sinji is called "that person" when mentioned by his surbodinates. His real name is Han Sang Wu
- One-Man Army: Any fighters worth his salt can be this. Sword Emperor single-handedly held back Sinji's forces for two years.
- One-Winged Angel: Many martial artists can use Burning Soul technique, which greatly enhances their power for a short amount of time, after that the pressurized blood will rush to their brains and destroy their minds.
- Our Zombies Are Different: They are Artificial Zombie type, martial artists are captured, drugged and turned into mindless beasts only capable of killing. Sinji manages to create Super-Zombie by mixing parts of multiple people, giving them greatly enhanced strength and healing factor
- Plot Armor: Han Bi Kwang's is frankly ridiculous. Dude survived encounter with strong martial artists he has no business fighting with, huge explosions able to level mountain, even Jaha Masin's attacks failed to kill him.
- Power Copying: Han Bi Kwang's specialty. He is able to perfectly imitate others' techniquies, no matter how complicated, with one look.
- Professional Killer: Hyun Woo turned into this after leaving Black Wind Order.
- The Purge: Cheon Ma Sin Gun initiated one to get rid of Sapa sects that collaborated with Sinji.
- Really 90 years old: Guegue. He learned a inner energy skill that give the user longevity and youthful appearance. His son Bek Li Hyang also has this.
- Red Oni, Blue Oni: Han Bi Kwang is the Blue Oni to Noho's Red Oni.
- Revenge: Me Yujin's original goal is to kill the Cheon Ma Sin Gun's disciple who killed her family.
- Running Gag: Han Bi Kwang getting mauled by Dam Hwa Rin after pissing her off.
- Science Is Bad
- Byuk-Ryuk creates powerful explosives and uses them to wreck havoc.
- Shin-Gong, after defected to Sinji, created machines to defend Sinji from attack and even worse, created an army of zombies and super zombies to invade the Murin.
- Sensor Character: Powerful martial artists can sense others' inner energy from several miles away. Han Bi Kwang and Me Yujin are the most notable.
- Sliding Scale of Idealism Versus Cynicism: Firmly on the idealism. Friendship, detemination and the will to follow your dream always triumph. Things start to get darker towards the Sinji arc.
- Sorting Algorithm of Evil: Han Bi Kwang's enemies gradually increase in power level throughout the series. The first major enemy is Hyun Woo, who is just a former Black Wind soldier. The next one is Yu Won-Chan who is the master of a major Jongpa sect. The next is Ja Seom Pung, a Sinji swordman who represents a completely different level of power. The Sinji arc presents a whole host of incredibly powerful martial artists with Jaha Masin as the most powerful character shown so far
- Stronger Than They Look: Choi Sang-hwe. Don't let his feminine appearance and womanly pursuit fool you, once he got pissed you'll be praying soon.
- Superpowered Evil Side:
- Han Bi Kwang has one inherited from his father Sword Demon
- Anyone who learns Sword Demon's martial art will get this. Just ask Yu Se Ha.
- The Berserker: Han Bi Kwang when under Flaming Dragon Sabre's influence. He's able to snap out of it later and gain full control of Flaming Dragon Sabre.
- Talking Is a Free Action: Played straight some times.
- The Stoic: Nam Jung-Bo has one facial expression and it's "dead serious".
- The Fighting Narcissist: Chun Oon-ak. He couldn't stop praising his own beauty every 5 minutes or so.
- The Reveal: Han Bi Kwang is the son of the ruler of Sanji, Han Sang Wu, or the original Sword Demon
- The Rival: Han Bi Kwan has Yu Won-Chan, Noho and Fung Yeon.
- Taking You with Me: Im Cheol Geon tried to take Sa Eumin with him. He failed.
- Took a Level in Badass: The main cast took several levels towards the Sinji arc. Han Bi Kwan goes from complete novice to "wiping out hundreds of Sinji swordmen in one strike" level of badass.
- Tragic Villain: Han Sang Wu. He gave up his own body to become the host for Jaha Masin so that Jaha Masin would revive his wife. He spent the next twenty years holding back Jaha Masin so he couldn't launch his invasion upon the world
- Undying Loyalty: The Black Wind divisions towards their respective masters.
- Weak, but Skilled: Dam Hwa Rin at the beginning, many people comment that her swordplay is superb but lacking in power. Thanks to Demon Face Armor her inner energy got a massive boost to the point she could hold her own against Jaha Masin for a short time.
- We Have Reserves: Sinji's manpower is so great they casually throw hundreds of skilled swordmen to their death without a thought.
- Whip Sword: Im Cheol Geon uses one.
- With Great Power Comes Great Insanity: People who learn Sword Demon's technique or inherit his blood will get this lovely side effect.
- The Worf Effect: Noho tends to get this just to show how serious the new enemy is.
- You Have Outlived Your Usefulness: Sinji's standard procedure for failure. There can be exception if the guy is valuable enough.
