Revenge Dramas with Constant Power Play & Smart Chess Moves

These dramas usually depict constant tension episodically and not reduced down by romance on the part of the main leads. The main protagonist could be a hero, or an anti-hero, depending on the path that the writer chooses to take.

Tae Ho Dec 18, 2019
52 Titles Loves
0% Watched
46 Voters Report
  • Doctor Prisoner

    1. Doctor Prisoner

    Korean Drama - 2019, 32 episodes
    8.3
    1,193 points by 12 voters
    Doctor Prisoner centers around an ace doctor in a university hospital’s emergency care center, a skilled professional who treats his patients with full devotion and without discrimination. However, his medical license gets ...more
  • Stranger

    2. Stranger

    Korean Drama - 2017, 16 episodes
    8.8
    1,182 points by 12 voters
    Hwang Shi Mok underwent brain surgery as a child to curb his violent temper, which left him devoid of emotions. Hwang becomes a prosecutor known for his piercing intelligence and logic, but ...more
  • Nirvana in Fire

    3. Nirvana in Fire

    Chinese Drama - 2015, 54 episodes
    9.1
    889 points by 9 voters
    In sixth-century China, the Emperor of Great Liang orders the unjust execution of his brother-in-law Marshal Lin Xie alongside the Lin family, his 70,000 army soldiers, and Crown Prince Qi. Secretly surviving ...more
  • Six Flying Dragons

    4. Six Flying Dragons

    Korean Drama - 2015, 50 episodes
    8.7
    877 points by 9 voters
    A fictional, historical drama about the ambition, rise and fall of real and fictional characters based around Yi Bang Won. Yi Bang Won was the third king of the Joseon Dynasty in ...more
  • The K2

    5. The K2

    Korean Drama - 2016, 16 episodes
    8.2
    870 points by 9 voters
    Kim Je Ha is a former mercenary soldier known as “K2” who suddenly turns into a fugitive when he is wrongfully accused of killing his girlfriend while he is serving in Iraq. ...more
  • Good Manager

    6. Good Manager

    Korean Drama - 2017, 20 episodes
    8.5
    686 points by 7 voters
    Can corporate politics turn a bad person into a good person? Kim Sung Ryong is a skilled accountant who works for gangsters. He makes his way into a company called TQ Group ...more
  • Hanzawa Naoki

    7. Hanzawa Naoki

    Japanese Drama - 2013, 10 episodes
    8.6
    592 points by 6 voters
    An idealistic banker takes on corruption and wrongdoing at his large corporate bank. While forging ties with some unlikely allies, he must use his financial expertise, his instincts about human nature, and ...more
  • Money Flower

    8. Money Flower

    Korean Drama - 2017, 24 episodes
    8.1
    586 points by 6 voters
    Managing director Kang Pil Joo is envied by many inside the Chungah Group where he is known for his intelligence and high-performance. He keeps his real identity a secret from the Chungah ...more
  • The Innocent Man

    9. The Innocent Man

    Korean Drama - 2012, 20 episodes
    8.0
    580 points by 6 voters
    The drama is a melodrama which depicts the story of a man, Kang Ma Roo who has been betrayed by the love of his life, Han Jae Hee. Years after the incident, ...more
  • Voice

    10. Voice

    Korean Drama - 2017, 16 episodes
    8.5
    484 points by 5 voters
    Popular detective Moo Jin Hyuk who is filled with guilt for his wife’s death, works with professional voice profiler Kang Kwon Joo, whose father is killed, to solve a different crime, chasing ...more
  • Doctor John

    11. Doctor John

    Korean Drama - 2019, 32 episodes
    8.5
    479 points by 5 voters
    "Doctor John" is a medical drama centered on pain management specialists. It offers a unique perspective, treating the doctors' quest for the source of their patients' enigmatic pain as an exhilarating pursuit, ...more
  • Graceful Family

    12. Graceful Family

    Korean Drama - 2019, 16 episodes
    8.3
    476 points by 5 voters
    Mo Seok Hee, the heiress to the MC Group empire, is haunted by her mother's mysterious death. After years abroad, she returns to South Korea, where her life and the fate of ...more
  • Joy of Life

    13. Joy of Life

    Chinese Drama - 2019, 46 episodes
    9.0
    396 points by 4 voters
    Fan Xian is born in the ancient empire of Southern Qing with memories of the 21st century. He lives in a rural town as the illegitimate son of the Minister of Finance, ...more
  • Orthros no Inu

    14. Orthros no Inu

    Japanese Drama - 2009, 9 episodes
    7.8
    388 points by 4 voters
    Ryuzaki Shinji, who possesses a "God Hand", the power to heal wounds and illnesses just by touching the patient, is, in fact, a dark introvert who does not reveal his true self ...more
  • Prison Playbook

    15. Prison Playbook

    Korean Drama - 2017, 16 episodes
    9.0
    387 points by 4 voters
    Kim Je Hyuk, a famous baseball player, is arrested after using excessive force while chasing a man trying to sexually assault his sister. Shockingly to him and the rest of the nation, ...more
  • Life on Mars

    16. Life on Mars

    Korean Drama - 2018, 16 episodes
    8.7
    386 points by 4 voters
    As the leader of a crime investigation team, Han Tae Joo has propelled his career and risen through the ranks by trusting data over all else. One day, while investigating a serial ...more
  • Shark

    17. Shark

    Korean Drama - 2013, 20 episodes
    7.7
    385 points by 4 voters
    After being left for dead and witnessing the death of his father, Han Yi Soo / Yoshimura Junichiro returns to Korea from Japan after changing his looks and identity to take revenge ...more
  • Empress Ki

    18. Empress Ki

    Korean Drama - 2013, 51 episodes
    8.6
    384 points by 4 voters
    Genghis Khan built an empire that spanned vast regions in East Asia and East Europe. And there was one woman who held immense power in the Yuan Dynasty, which Genghis Khan founded, ...more
  • Behind Your Smile

    19. Behind Your Smile

    Taiwanese Drama - 2016, 19 episodes
    7.8
    298 points by 3 voters
    Consumed by revenge, Zhao Yi Ting’s life becomes cold and meaningless. But when he meets Lei Xin Yu, a young woman whose wealthy family has fallen on hard times, everything changes. He ...more
  • The Bridal Mask

    20. The Bridal Mask

    Korean Drama - 2012, 28 episodes
    8.5
    296 points by 3 voters
    Lee Kang To is an ambitious and callous Korean officer employed by the Japanese colonists. Despite his mother's disapproval of his work and his own brother's antagonistic history with the Japanese, Kang ...more
  • Vagabond

    21. Vagabond

    Korean Drama - 2019, 16 episodes
    8.5
    294 points by 3 voters
    Cha Dal Gun becomes an awakened tiger in the face of his nephew’s death in a mysterious plane crash. As an orphan himself, he had raised his nephew singlehandedly in place of ...more
  • Hua Jai Sila

    22. Hua Jai Sila

    Thai Drama - 2019, 27 episodes
    8.3
    292 points by 3 voters
    Tor is the love child of a mistress and a wealthy hi-so man. After his mother dies from neglect, Tor is forced to live with his father’s family. Abused by his stepmother ...more
  • A Man's Story

    23. A Man's Story

    Korean Drama - 2009, 20 episodes
    7.7
    200 points by 2 voters
    In the blink of an eye, Kim Shin loses everything dear to him. His father's company goes bankrupt, his brother commits suicide, his girlfriend leaves him, and he himself ends up in ...more
  • The Rise of Phoenixes

    24. The Rise of Phoenixes

    Chinese Drama - 2018, 70 episodes
    8.4
    197 points by 2 voters
    Feng Zhi Wei is the unfavored daughter of the Qiu Family, who has to flee due to unfortunate circumstances. Owing a favour to the 6th prince Ning Yi, Zhi Wei cross-dresses as ...more
  • Maou

    25. Maou

    Japanese Drama - 2008, 11 episodes
    8.3
    197 points by 2 voters
    Naruse Ryo, who is an able attorney that can turn any case in his clients’ favour, takes cases for the disadvantaged and defends them free of charge; therefore, he is called an ...more
  • Karamazov no Kyodai

    26. Karamazov no Kyodai

    Japanese Drama - 2013, 11 episodes
    7.9
    197 points by 2 voters
    ‘Karamazov no Kyodai’ is a psychological suspense drama based on Fyodor Dostoyevsky’s last novel ‘The Brothers Karamazov’. Set in present-day Japan, three brothers are being suspected of having killed their father, Kurosawa ...more
  • Alice no Toge

    27. Alice no Toge

    Japanese Drama - 2014, 10 episodes
    7.8
    196 points by 2 voters
    Asumi Mizuno gives up everything to take revenge on the doctors who are responsible for her father’s death.
  • Bad Guy

    28. Bad Guy

    Korean Drama - 2010, 17 episodes
    7.6
    194 points by 2 voters
    Shim Gun Wook is a stuntman whose secretly plotting revenge against Haeshinm Group, a large corporation to whom Hong Tae Sung is the heir. As he works to destroy the family by ...more
  • Rebel: Thief Who Stole the People

    29. Rebel: Thief Who Stole the People

    Korean Drama - 2017, 30 episodes
    8.5
    192 points by 2 voters
    “The culprit who is posing as a royal official is not stealing wealth. He is stealing the hearts and minds of your people, Your Majesty.” There was a divisive figure in the ...more
  • Guilty Akuma to Keiyakushita Onna

    30. Guilty Akuma to Keiyakushita Onna

    Japanese Drama - 2010, 11 episodes
    7.7
    192 points by 2 voters
    A pet groomer at a salon in Shirogane, Nogami Meiko has a lot of celebrity dog-lovers as customers. She cheerfully serves customers with care, and her skills are tried and tested. The ...more
  • The Crowned Clown

    31. The Crowned Clown

    Korean Drama - 2019, 16 episodes
    8.4
    190 points by 2 voters
    Joseon is in a state of disorder due to uprisings and a power struggle surrounding King Lee Hun. To avoid assassination, a clown named Ha Sun is brought to the palace to ...more
  • Lucifer

    32. Lucifer

    Korean Drama - 2007, 20 episodes
    7.9
    187 points by 2 voters
    When Homicide Detective Kang Oh Soo hit a dead end in his investigation of two seemly unrelated murders, except for the Tarot cards left behind at both crime scenes, he sought help ...more
  • Zeni Geba

    33. Zeni Geba

    Japanese Drama - 2009, 9 episodes
    7.6
    100 points by 1 voters
    Gamagori Futaro has been poor since the day he was born. As a child his recklessly wasteful and abusive father sunk the family into debt and disappeared, leaving Futaro and his sick ...more
  • My Country: The New Age

    34. My Country: The New Age

    Korean Drama - 2019, 16 episodes
    8.4
    100 points by 1 voters
    Set during the end of the Goryeo period to the early Joseon period. Two friends aim their swords against one another due to differences in opinion about "my country." Seo Hwi is ...more
  • Secret Boutique

    35. Secret Boutique

    Korean Drama - 2019, 32 episodes
    7.4
    100 points by 1 voters
    Do Young lived and worked in a public bathhouse after leaving the orphanage. Yeo Ok, the head of Deo Group, finds favor in her eyes of Do Young, and with Yeo Ok's ...more
  • War and Beauty

    36. War and Beauty

    Hong Kong Drama - 2004, 30 episodes
    7.7
    99 points by 1 voters
    Fifteen years after Qing Emperor Ka Hing was crowned, the country appears to be in harmony. However, fights between the imperial concubines escalate. Beauty never lasts. All the imperial concubines, including the ...more
  • The Fallen Leaf

    37. The Fallen Leaf

    Thai Drama - 2019, 21 episodes
    7.8
    99 points by 1 voters
    Nira is like a young leaf, which is always there beside the flowers but will never be one of them. Her name, Nira, derives from Niranam which means the anonymous one. The ...more
  • The Equator Man

    38. The Equator Man

    Korean Drama - 2012, 20 episodes
    7.4
    99 points by 1 voters
    Jang Il, the smartest of the school, and Seon Wu, the strongest kid in Yeosu, are best friends. Influenced by Jang Il, Seon Wu starts studying and working hard towards his dream. ...more
  • Moon Embracing the Sun

    39. Moon Embracing the Sun

    Korean Drama - 2012, 20 episodes
    8.4
    98 points by 1 voters
    Thirteen-year-old Heo Yeon Woo, the daughter of a high-ranking official, accompanies her mother to the royal palace to attend her brother, Heo Yeom's civil service examination congratulatory ceremony. By chance, she comes ...more
  • Ouroboros

    40. Ouroboros

    Japanese Drama - 2015, 10 episodes
    8.5
    98 points by 1 voters
    Ryuzaki Ikuo and Danno Tatsuya are orphans who grew up in an orphanage called Mahoroba no Ie. When they were elementary school students, an orphanage staff, who took care of them like ...more
  • Boku no Yabai Tsuma

    41. Boku no Yabai Tsuma

    Japanese Drama - 2016, 9 episodes
    8.1
    98 points by 1 voters
    Mochizuki Kohei married Maria, the beautiful and talented daughter of a wealthy family. He quit his job at a medium-sized advertising agency to run a café and appears to have everything going ...more
  • Game Sanaeha

    42. Game Sanaeha

    Thai Drama - 2018, 14 episodes
    8.1
    98 points by 1 voters
    Within two years so much happened: Muanchanok studied abroad, her parents got divorced, and her father is getting remarried to a much younger former beauty queen. This broken family transformed Nok into ...more
  • Nothing Gold Can Stay

    43. Nothing Gold Can Stay

    Chinese Drama - 2017, 74 episodes
    8.1
    97 points by 1 voters
    Zhou Ying is sold to the powerful Shen family by her foster father, yet successfully escapes by sneaking into merchant Wu Ping’s palanquin. The Wu family agreed to take her in after ...more
  • Return

    44. Return

    Korean Drama - 2018, 34 episodes
    7.8
    96 points by 1 voters
    Choi Ja Hye is a famous television lawyer and Dok Go Yeong is a hot-tempered detective. Ja Hye is hired to defend a member of a chaebol family, but the pair ends ...more
  • Zeni no Senso

    45. Zeni no Senso

    Japanese Drama - 2015, 11 episodes
    7.8
    95 points by 1 voters
    Tomio Shiraishi graduated from a prestigious university and now works for foreign securities company. He has a beautiful fiancée, Kozue Aoike, and no complaints with his life. One day, his father kills ...more
  • Soldier of Fortune

    46. Soldier of Fortune

    Hong Kong Drama - 1982, 30 episodes
    7.6
    94 points by 1 voters
  • Time

    47. Time

    Korean Drama - 2018, 32 episodes
    7.7
    94 points by 1 voters
    This is the story of two polar opposite people that come together in tragedy. One remains stuck in time, whilst the other only has a limited amount of time left to live. ...more
  • Mist of Love

    48. Mist of Love

    Thai Drama - 2020, 14 episodes
    7.8
    93 points by 1 voters
    From a young age, Plerngfah could see people's previous lives. In order to treat these strange symptoms, his family relocates to the US, i.e. eliminate them. After twenty years, Plerngfah returns to ...more
  • Punch

    49. Punch

    Korean Drama - 2014, 19 episodes
    8.1
    93 points by 1 voters
    Park Jung Hwan is the chief of the anti-corruption investigation team for the Supreme Prosecutors' Office. To get to his position, he has made compromises on achieving justice. Jung Hwan then learns ...more
  • Cross

    50. Cross

    Korean Drama - 2018, 16 episodes
    7.9
    93 points by 1 voters
    Kang In Kyu’s father was brutally murdered 13 years ago. To take revenge on those who are responsible for his father’s death, he becomes a doctor. Kang In Kyu volunteers at a ...more
  • Byakuyako

    51. Byakuyako

    Japanese Drama - 2006, 11 episodes
    8.0
    92 points by 1 voters
    When Ryoji finds out that the object of his father's perversion is his first love, Yukiho, he kills him. To his horror, Yukiho's mother forced her to do so to relieve their ...more
  • Mad Dog

    52. Mad Dog

    Korean Drama - 2017, 16 episodes
    8.4
    88 points by 1 voters
    Choi Kang Woo, who is a former police and leader of Taeyang Insurance's investigators team, decides to create his own investigation team, after an airplane crash that took the life of his ...more

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