Tomb Raider King, fortune favors the bold

Tomb Raider King is one of the latest animated adaptations from the webtoon of the same name, which in turn is inspired by the South Korean web novel by Sanji Jiksong. Understanding the mechanism of all this can sometimes confuse the viewer: for this reason, it's best to tell you right away that the animated series on Crunchyroll (available from July 8, 2026, with one episode per week) re-proposes the events of Jooheon Suh in a unique and choreographic style that we definitely appreciated.

After all, adaptations from South Korean comics like Solo Leveling and Tower of Gods (both available on the platform and dubbed in Italian) have achieved enormous success both at home and abroad, confirming themselves as interesting and compelling productions. Therefore, the arrival of Tomb Raider King doesn't surprise us, a "transposition" that somewhat mimics Solo Leveling in certain aspects, but presents itself to the viewer with a very precise identity... but we'll get to that. 

Tomb Raider King is a work that also makes you reflect, making us understand how the greed of various predators has, inevitably, turned the world into a desolate land without any law. After watching the first two episodes, we grasped a bit of the essence of the series, which ultimately intrigued us: not having had the opportunity to read the manhwa (unpublished in our beautiful country), we don't know how far Tomb Raider King will go. However, apart from a protagonist who might seem a bit unlikeable, the series seems to have potential.

Greed inevitably transforms people

In 2040, the world is not what we know: humanity is searching for mysterious tombs that, within them, guard powerful relics linked to real legends and the history of humanity. These artifacts allow people to acquire enormous powers and therefore represent the object of desire, or rather, from the moment they appeared. And free access to the tombs, over time, was denied to common mortals and granted only to corporations that acquired the rights to them.

And TKBM Corporation, one of the largest in the world, could not miss the opportunity to have Jooheon Suh among its ranks, a skilled raider with an incredible unique ability with whom he will form a partnership. A bond not so indissoluble given that, for reasons we will not reveal, it will send the boy on a suicide mission.

However, at the very moment Suh is about to breathe his last, his opponent (an insolent yet curious crow) sees potential and sends him back in time 15 years. Jooheon Suh thus finds himself at a precise point in time, in a younger (but less capable) body, retaining all his experience and discovering new abilities, unlockable somewhat in the vein of Solo Leveling. 

Imagine now being a Tomb Raider, with so much accumulated experience and the knowledge of what each individual tomb can offer. The protagonist, who turns out to be decidedly cunning and opportunistic (let's be honest), seems to feel at ease in this second chance that will open up a world of opportunities and, perhaps, he can also change some small choices he made.

There would be much more to say, but we will avoid giving you further spoilers so as not to ruin the surprise of a series that will be published regularly on Crunchyroll. 

There are no good guys in Tomb Raider King

Forget the concept of heroes and good deeds, starting with the protagonist himself who, to all intents and purposes, we could define as the villain of the story. After all, in his past (or future?), Jooheon Suh has done all sorts of things, carrying out dirty jobs such as smuggling, espionage, theft, and (of course) tomb raiding. Imagine him sneaking into government-forbidden tombs and, likewise, smuggling the relics present to obtain "filthy lucre". 

And what happens when a villain is betrayed by the bigger villain he works for? Revenge enters the scene, now tackleable with exceptional new abilities. So, what should we expect from Suh? A villain who will give his all to become even greedier than ever. However, even if we can consider him the "bad boy" of the story, sometimes his swagger manages to attract the viewer like a bee to honey, even if some might consider him decidedly unbearable (and perhaps they wouldn't be entirely wrong).

Tomb Raider King is certainly not Solo Leveling, that's a given, and the story itself is less compelling than other productions. Jooheon Suh knows the past, he knows what to expect, and perhaps this can also be a double-edged sword because the element of surprise is missing, making him quite arrogant on more than one occasion. However, the story is complex, and it's difficult to judge with only two episodes: we believe the charm of this series is more linked to the tombs and the enigmas related to the relics, inspired by legends and ancient deities.

As for the animations, we believe a good job has been done. After all, the anime adaptation was entrusted to Studio EEK, a South Korean team specializing in webtoons and some video game trailers. Some might think that Tomb Raider King is a clone of the already (too often) cited Solo Leveling: in reality, the style adopted by South Korean action comics is characterized by distinctive features, such as dark contrasts and well-defined outlines (including facial ones). So, don't be fooled, this work has an identity all its own and could prove to be a pleasant surprise.

All things considered, Tomb Raider King seems to have perhaps overly fast and shallow pacing; however, there are some pretty good adrenaline-pumping moments, and it also makes us reflect on human greed (and the presence of corporations is no small addition). This reimagining of dungeons that "invade Earth" could also prove to be an enjoyable experience. The appointment is set for every Wednesday starting July 8, directly on the Crunchyroll platform.