There’s no shortage of fantasy series in K-dramaland. Every year, we meet new characters in Korean series that impress and entertain with their supernatural abilities. Most of these K-drama characters are not entirely new, though, but rather fresh interpretations of classics, like gumihos, immortals with superpowers, and mortals who can see ghosts.

Grim reapers have also been incorporated into several K-drama narratives. They’ve been associated with death, and has an eerie imagery of a skeletal figure in a black robe, holding a scythe used for “reaping” the souls of sinners. Also called the angels of death, they’re known to guide souls to the afterlife. Grim reapers are believed to have committed grave sins in their past lives, that’s why they’ve been given that role to pay for their sins.

Related Story: Korean Actors And Actresses As Gumihos In K-Dramas

In K-dramas, this frightening image is reinterpreted into men and women who look feisty, cool, and stylish at the same time. The newly-released webtoon-based K-drama Tomorrow puts a heart-tugging spin to the core plot that explores the underworld and the job of a grim reaper.

The series stars Rowoon as Choi Joon-woong, a young man who’s struggling to find a job. Circumstances lead him to meet two employees at the crisis management team of the underworld/afterlife monopoly called Jumadeung: Kim Hee-sun as Goo Ryeon, a grim reaper and the team leader, and Yoon Ji-on as Lim Rung-gu, a deputy director. Choi Joon-woong ends up working with them in the underworld, to save people from committing suicide. Also starring in this K-drama is Lee Soo-hyuk, the leader of the Grim Reaper management team who guides the dead in Jumadeung.

Related Story: Female K-Drama Characters With Supernatural Powers

As a grim reaper who saves lives, Kim Hee-sun transformed and imbibed a cool-girl vibe with her edgy clothes and bold, short pink hair. In an interview with MBC, director Kim Tae-yoon said of the actress’ “huge visual transformation: “I want to applaud that courage. It was to the extent where the writer of the original webtoon was shocked and satisfied after seeing [her look].”

Tomorrow is film director Kim Tae-yoon’s first drama, and it’s been a welcome challenge for him to show a narrative beyond the typical two hour-length of films. On what drew him into this series, he said, “I was particularly drawn to the universe of the original webtoon. I thought the premise of ‘grim reapers who save the lives of those who want to die’ was really new and refreshing, and the emotions of the original webtoon were also masterfully depicted.”

Check out the gallery below to see the Korean actors and actresses as grim reapers in K-dramas:

Jung Il-Woo in “49 Days” (2011) - Jung Il-woo took on the role of Scheduler/Song Yi-soo in this fantasy melodrama. Like any grim reaper, he has no memory of his past. He later crosses paths with a 49-day traveler; this was portrayed by Nam Gyu-ri whose character Shin Ji-hyun goes into a coma due to a car accident caused by Lee Yo-won as Son Yi-kyung, who’s trying to end her life due to depression from her boyfriend’s death. Ji-hyun finds herself in the body of Yi-kyung, and stays there throughout her mission. Scheduler ends up violating rules set for grim reapers just to help Ji-hyun. He later turns out to be Yi-kyung’s deceased boyfriend; he volunteered to be a grim reaper to realize his final wish. SBS

SBS

Han Jung-Soo in “Arang and the Magistrate” (2012) - Han Jung-soo as Mu-young is a head ghost reaper or the leader of the local grim reapers in this fantasy period drama. Arang (Shin Min-ah)一who died, lost all her memories, and became a ghost一avoids to get caught by him while she finds out the truth behind her death. MBC

MBC

Lee Dong-Wook in “Guardian: The Lonely and Great God” (2016) - Before becoming a grim reaper who guides the souls to their reincarnations or afterlives, Lee Dong-wook’s character here is a young, power-hungry king named Wang Yeo, who orders his guards to kill everyone, including his wife and his loyal general, Kim Shin (Gong Yoo). He then takes his own life. He later becomes a grim reaper with no memory of his past, and is reunited with Kim Shin in the present-day. tvN

tvN

Song Seung-Heon in “Black” (2017) - Song Seung-heon as Han Moo-gang is a detective tasked to to uncover the truth about a series of cold case murders from 20 years ago. He dies unexpectedly and is possessed by Grim Reaper #444 (Kim Tae-woo). Things get complicated when Han Moo-gang falls in love with a mortal woman (Go Ara), as grim reapers aren’t allowed to get involved in human affairs. OCN

OCN

Kim Tae-Woo in “Black” (2017) - Kim Tae-woo played the role of Grim Reaper #444. In this fantasy thriller, his character possesses the body of detective Han Moo-gang (Song Seung-heon) when the latter dies unexpectedly.OCN

OCN

Lee Jun-Hyeok in “Mystic Pop-Up Bar” (2020) - Prior to becoming an angel of death, Lee Jun-hyeok’s Lord Kim Jin was a minister at the palace, the mentor of the Crown Prince, and the father of the Crown Prince’s best friend. His loyalty to the Crown Prince caused a dent in his relationship with his son. He later becomes a grim reaper who serves as the best friend of the former Crown Prince (who’s now a manager at the Mystic Pop-Up Bar) in the present day.Netflix

JTBC

Kim Hee-Sun in “Tomorrow” (2022)MBC

MBC

Lee Soo-Hyuk in “Tomorrow” (2022)MBC

MBC

BONUS! - Seo In-guk and Jung So-min had cameos in fantasy rom-com “Abyss” as grim reapers.The Swoon

Tomorrow is available on Netflix.

Lead photos from OCN, MBC, and tvN