Tomb Raider King English dub is now on Crunchyroll—but this isn't a Lara Croft anime. Full cast, streaming guide, and honest review of Summer 2026's most misunderstood show.

Tomb Raider King English Dub: Why Hundreds of Gamers Thought Lara Croft Was Finally Getting an Anime

2026年7月23日

Sora Tanka

I am an anime enthusiast who loves deep-diving into the shows that keep us hooked and the ones that make us quit. My writing explores the highs and lows of the anime experience, one review at a time. Follow me on Instagram, Facebook, X/Twitter, and LinkedIn.

Published: July 23, 2026 | 18 min read | Last updated: July 23, 2026

When the headline "Tomb Raider King English dub now streaming on Crunchyroll" hit social feeds on July 22, 2026, a predictable wave of confusion followed. Comments like "Wait, Lara Croft is on Crunchyroll now?" and "Is this the Netflix one?" flooded Reddit and X within hours. The answer is a definitive, slightly awkward no — Tomb Raider King has absolutely nothing to do with Lara Croft. It is a Korean manhwa adaptation about a relic-hunting anti-hero who gets sent back in time, and it has been one of the most anticipated anime premieres of Summer 2026. This article untangles the naming chaos, walks through what the show actually is, covers the full English dub cast and crew, and tells you whether it is worth watching if you are coming in cold.

⚡ Quick Answer

Tomb Raider King is a Korean manhwa anime airing on Crunchyroll — not a Lara Croft series. Based on SAN.G's 500-million-view webtoon, the English dub launched July 22, 2026, with Monty Thompson voicing protagonist Jooheon Suh. It has no connection to Crystal Dynamics, Netflix, or the Tomb Raider video game franchise.

The Name Problem: Why Everyone Thinks This Is About Lara Croft

Let's start with the elephant in the room. The phrase "Tomb Raider" has belonged to Lara Croft since 1996. Three decades of video games, two Hollywood films, and a Netflix animated series (which aired from 2024 to 2025 and was ultimately cancelled after two seasons) have cemented "Tomb Raider" as Lara Croft's property in the Western cultural imagination. So when a brand new anime hits Crunchyroll carrying those two words in its title, the confusion is not just understandable — it is almost inevitable.

The Anime News Network's own Summer 2026 Preview Guide reviewer captured the collective confusion perfectly:

"Where the hell is Lara Croft? Did someone seriously make a series with the phrase 'Tomb Raider' in the title that's completely divorced from the globally iconic video game franchise?"

— Anime News Network Summer Preview Guide, July 2026

Yes, someone really did. And legally, there is no issue — "tomb raider" as a generic descriptor predates the Crystal Dynamics franchise. But the branding creates a wall of noise that the show has to fight through before Western audiences even give it a fair look. The Korean title, Dogul-Wang (도굴왕), translates more accurately as "King of Looters" or "Grave Robber King" — a title that would never have sparked a single tweet of confusion. By the time the English localization settled on "Tomb Raider King," the overlap with Lara Croft's franchise was presumably accepted as an occupational hazard.

Adding to the pile-on: the Netflix Lara Croft anime Tomb Raider: The Legend of Lara Croft aired its second and final season in December 2025 — barely seven months before Tomb Raider King dropped its English dub. Many casual viewers had "Tomb Raider anime" as a fresh mental category, making the mix-up even more likely. A reviewer might see "Tomb Raider" trending and assume it is a Season 3 announcement, a spinoff, or a reboot. It is none of those things.

⚠️ Important: Tomb Raider King has zero creative, legal, or narrative connection to Crystal Dynamics, Eidos, Square Enix, or the Lara Croft franchise. They share two words in the title. That is the extent of it.

What Is Tomb Raider King Actually About?

Strip away the branding confusion and what you get is a sharp, fast-moving power-fantasy action series that sits comfortably in the manhwa-to-anime pipeline that has been driving a significant chunk of the genre's growth since Solo Leveling's animated debut.

The premise: in 2025, mysterious tombs begin appearing all over the world. Each tomb contains a relic — an ancient artifact tied to mythological deities — that grants its owner supernatural abilities. A global arms race erupts as powerful organizations and individuals scramble to claim these relics. Jooheon Suh is one of the best tomb raiders alive, but betrayal by his employer leaves him on the brink of death. A sentient crow relic intervenes, sending Jooheon back 15 years to before any tomb or relic existed. Armed with future knowledge, a burning grudge, and zero patience for second place, he sets out to collect every relic before anyone else can — and to make the people who betrayed him pay dearly.

Key Characters

Jooheon Suh (voiced by Monty Thompson in the English dub): The protagonist. A strategic, morally grey anti-hero who uses his knowledge of the future as a cheat code. Not a hero in the traditional sense — more of a ruthless operator with a very specific hit list.
Crow (voiced by Cassie Ewulu): A sentient relic in the form of a crow who forms a unique bond with Jooheon. Acts as a partner, a weapon, and occasionally a comedic foil.
Geonwoo (voiced by Alex Hom): A key supporting character navigating the relic economy alongside Jooheon.
Julian (voiced by Charles Nguyen) and Kyungtae (voiced by Trey Upton): Antagonistic figures tied to the organization that betrayed Jooheon.

Production Details

Detail	Info
Studio	STUDIO EEK (South Korea)
Director	Seung Wook Woo
Character Design	Hyun-Jung Lee
Music	Ju Young Kim
OP / ED Theme	"SHOW DOWN" / "To Be Continued" by QWER
Japanese TV broadcast	Fuji TV, July 8, 2026 (title: Tōkutsuō)
International streaming	Crunchyroll (simulcast)
English dub debut	July 22, 2026
Based on	Manhwa by SAN.G / 3B2S (Redice Studio)

Video by @crunchyroll on YouTube — used for informational/commentary purposes.

The Manhwa Behind the Anime: 500 Million Views and Counting

The fact that casual Western audiences are only now discovering Tomb Raider King through its anime says more about the state of manhwa visibility than it does about the quality of the source material. This property has been a genuinely massive hit in Korea for nearly a decade.

📊 Key Stat: The Tomb Raider King web novel accumulated over 120 million views on KakaoPage before a webtoon adaptation was even produced. The webtoon, which ran from 2019 to 2023, then surpassed 500 million views — making it one of the highest-read manhwa series in Kakao's catalog.

The story began life as a web novel by SAN.G (also listed as Sanji Jiksong), serialized on KakaoPage from November 2016 to May 2018. That novel alone pulled in over 120 million reads — substantial numbers that convinced Kakao to greenlight a full webtoon adaptation. Illustrated by 3B2S under the Redice Studio banner, the manhwa ran 412 chapters across two seasons before wrapping in March 2023. Ize Press (Yen Press's imprint) licenses the English print edition in North America, and Tapas hosts the digital English release.

The anime project was officially teased at Anime Expo 2024 in Los Angeles, where a surprise PV was screened. Director Seung Wook Woo confirmed STUDIO EEK as the production house, with a 2026 release target. The project was also selected for the Korea Creative Content Agency's 2024 IP Utilization and Youth Animation Production Support Project — a government-backed grant that spotlights the Korean government's investment in turning homegrown IP into internationally competitive animation. The series began its Japanese broadcast on Fuji TV on July 8, 2026 under the localized title Tōkutsuō, and simultaneously launched on Crunchyroll for international audiences.

In a move that signals real confidence in the franchise's longevity, Kakao Entertainment launched a sequel, Tomb Raider King: Endline, on July 5 — three days before the anime premiered. The sequel continues Joo-heon's story in a multiverse arc and is running simultaneously with the anime's first season, giving both existing fans and new arrivals fresh material to dig into.

💡 Pro Tip: The full 412-chapter manhwa run is available in English on Tapas. If you want to read ahead of the anime or catch up on what the show is adapting, it is one of the cleaner reading experiences for a completed series in this genre.

The English Dub: Full Cast, Crew, and Where to Watch

The English dub for Tomb Raider King dropped on Crunchyroll on July 22, 2026. The dub was produced in-house at Crunchyroll, with a cast that skews toward voices familiar to fans of dubbed manhwa adaptations and Crunchyroll originals. Here is the full picture.

English Voice Cast

Character	Voice Actor
Jooheon	Monty Thompson
Crow	Cassie Ewulu
Geonwoo	Alex Hom
Julian	Charles Nguyen
Kyungtae	Trey Upton
Mother	Hayden Daviau
Student	Drew Kocour
Seungwoo	Chase Kloza
Taejoon	Max Hartman

English Dub Production Staff

Voice Director: Lee George
Assistant Voice Director: Jonathan Rigg
Adaptation: Jessica Sluys
Adaptation Supervisor: Ben Phillips
Producers: Zach Bolton (producer), Justin Cook, Michael Harcourt, Nathanael Harrison (studio producers)
Mixer: Matt Grounds | Engineer: Zachary Davis

The dub streams on Crunchyroll and through the Crunchyroll Amazon Channel. New subtitle and dub episodes drop on Wednesdays, simulcast alongside the Japanese broadcast on Fuji TV, Kansai TV, Tokai TV, BS Fuji, and Hokkaido Cultural Broadcasting.

I will be honest: I was specifically watching for whether the dub could carry the weight of Jooheon's internal monologue, which is the engine of the early manhwa chapters. It is a character who is perpetually two steps ahead of everyone in the room, and conveying that mix of strategic confidence and barely concealed rage requires a voice that can do cold without going flat. Monty Thompson's take in the early episodes lands closer to controlled intensity than full-on detachment, which works better for a dubbed version aimed at viewers who may not know the source material. The writing in those internal monologues stays faithful to the tone without becoming stilted — a balance that is harder to hit than it looks in this genre.

TikTok video by @animemel — used for informational/commentary purposes.

Is Tomb Raider King Just Solo Leveling With a Different Label?

This is probably the second most common question about the show after the Lara Croft one. The comparison to Solo Leveling is not random — both series share visual DNA because they both have art produced under the Redice Studio umbrella. The same pointy chins, sharp angular features, and spiky hair that define Sung Jinwoo appear again in Seo Joo-Heon, and that visual family resemblance has led some readers to call Tomb Raider King a copy before they even open the first chapter.

The structural similarities are real and worth acknowledging. Both series drop their protagonist into a world reshaped by dungeon-like supernatural locations. Both center a regression/upgrade loop where the hero rapidly outpaces everyone around them. Both share the power-fantasy DNA that has made the broader manhwa action genre one of the fastest-growing reading demographics globally. Screen Rant noted that even Crunchyroll's documentary The Leveling of Solo Leveling acknowledged how Solo Leveling created an entire subgenre of system-mechanics manhwa.

But the differences are meaningful once you spend actual time with either property:

Factor	Solo Leveling	Tomb Raider King
Core premise	Zero-to-hero level grind	Already-elite hero running a revenge scheme
Protagonist tone	Earnest, grows through sincerity	Cynical, manipulative, morally grey
Tension source	Will he survive the next gate?	How will he outmaneuver this time?
Mythological layer	Monsters and dungeons	Named deity relics (Anubis, Mammon, etc.) with distinct rule sets
Regression element	No	Yes — central to the entire plot
Overall tone	Epic, emotionally driven	Scheming, strategic, occasionally darkly funny

CBR put it well: "Jinwoo and Joo-Heon share physical characteristics and similar journeys from a distance, but their respective narratives set them apart from each other." If you liked Solo Leveling's premise but found Jinwoo a little too earnest, Tomb Raider King's protagonist will probably suit you better. He is not trying to save the world. He has a list and a plan, and he is going to work through both methodically.

📊 Key Stat: Tomb Raider King accumulated over 500 million views and 200 million worldwide readers on its webtoon platform — numbers that rival Solo Leveling's documented reach at the same stage of that series' life.

Should You Watch It? A Honest Take

Here is where I'll stop being neutral and just tell you what I actually think.

Tomb Raider King works best if you go in knowing what genre you are dealing with. This is a power-fantasy regression action series — not a mystery, not a slow-burn character study, not a nuanced examination of revenge. Jooheon is fun to watch precisely because he is not particularly sympathetic in the traditional sense. He is competent, ruthless, and strategically brilliant, and the show does not ask you to root for him so much as it asks you to appreciate watching someone play 4D chess in a room full of checkers players.

The relic system is the show's most interesting design element. Rather than generic "levels" and "stats," each relic ties to a real-world deity — Egyptian, Greek, Norse — with its own abilities, limitations, and personality. The crow relic that accompanies Jooheon is particularly well-used as a device that can exposit, comment, and react without ever feeling like pure exposition. It gives the show a sense of voice that a lot of similar series lack in their early episodes.

The ANN Preview Guide reviewer found the first episode underwhelming in terms of world-building setup, and that is a fair criticism. Episode 1 drops you into the action fast and the regression mechanic means Jooheon spends a lot of early screen time aware of things the audience is not yet, which creates a peculiar tension where you know he knows something, but you do not know what. Readers of the manhwa will find this effective. Cold viewers may need two or three episodes to find their footing.

Who This Is For

Fans who finished Solo Leveling and want something in the same neighborhood but with a different energy
People who enjoy strategic, morally grey protagonists over traditional heroes
Viewers interested in manhwa adaptations as a category — this is one of the most high-profile Korean aeni productions of 2026
Anyone who came for the Lara Croft connection and stayed out of spite — the show is genuinely good enough to earn that attention

Who Might Want to Skip It

Viewers who need a strong supporting ensemble — the manhwa's side characters are serviceable, not memorable, and the anime appears to follow suit
Anyone looking for a complete story in Season 1 — 412 chapters of source material means this is a long-game adaptation
People who genuinely wanted a Lara Croft anime (check out the completed Netflix two-season run while you wait for news on any future installment)

💡 Pro Tip: If you want to go in informed, the Tomb Raider King webtoon's first 20–30 chapters are available free on Tapas. They cover approximately what the first few anime episodes adapt, so you can decide whether the premise clicks for you without committing to the full run.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Tomb Raider King related to the Lara Croft Tomb Raider video games?

No. Tomb Raider King is a Korean manhwa and anime adaptation with zero connection to Crystal Dynamics, Square Enix, or the Lara Croft franchise. The name similarity is coincidental — the Korean title translates more closely to "King of Grave Robbers." The two properties share nothing beyond two words in the English title.

Where can I watch the Tomb Raider King English dub?

The Tomb Raider King English dub is streaming on Crunchyroll and through the Crunchyroll Amazon Channel. The English dub launched July 22, 2026. New episodes release on Wednesdays as part of Crunchyroll's Summer 2026 simulcast lineup. A paid Crunchyroll subscription is required to access the content.

Who voices Jooheon in the Tomb Raider King English dub?

Jooheon Suh is voiced by Monty Thompson in the English dub. The dub was produced by Crunchyroll, with Lee George serving as voice director and Jessica Sluys handling English adaptation. The full cast also includes Cassie Ewulu as Crow and Alex Hom as Geonwoo, among others.

Is Tomb Raider King the same as Solo Leveling?

They share surface similarities — both are manhwa action series featuring a lone protagonist in a world of supernatural dungeons — but differ substantially. Solo Leveling follows a zero-to-hero growth arc; Tomb Raider King centers on a regression plot where the protagonist is already elite and uses future knowledge as a weapon. The tone is also more strategic and morally grey in Tomb Raider King.

Is the Tomb Raider King manhwa completed?

Yes. The original Tomb Raider King manhwa ran for 412 chapters and concluded in March 2023. It is available in full in English on Tapas and in print through Ize Press (Yen Press) in North America. A sequel, Tomb Raider King: Endline, launched on Kakao in July 2026 alongside the anime premiere.

When did the Tomb Raider King anime start airing?

The Tomb Raider King anime began airing on Fuji TV in Japan on July 8, 2026, under the Japanese localized title Tōkutsuō. Crunchyroll launched the international simulcast on the same date. The English dub was added on July 22, 2026, making it part of Crunchyroll's Summer 2026 dubbed lineup.

The Bottom Line

Tomb Raider King is not a Lara Croft anime. It is not a Solo Leveling rip-off. It is a well-constructed, long-form manhwa adaptation with a genuinely interesting premise — a revenge plot wrapped inside a relic-collection game, built around one of the more strategically compelling anti-heroes in the genre. The naming collision with one of gaming's most famous franchises has created a wave of confusion that the show's actual quality does not deserve.

The English dub launched today on Crunchyroll, which means the barrier to entry has never been lower for Western audiences. Give it two episodes. If you are the target audience — and you probably know if you are — you will stay for the scheme.

And if you were genuinely hoping for more Lara Croft content: the two-season Netflix run is complete and worth watching for what it is. Just do not go looking for her in Crunchyroll's Summer lineup — the only thing tomb raiding there is Jooheon Suh, and he is not sharing.