Viral Hit (2024) is funny, but are the fights and dark comedy all there is to the series?

Viral Hit (2024) is based on the manhwa series, or Webtoon, that’s written by Tae-Jun Park and illustrated by Jeong-Hyeon Kim.

The series is about a high school student named Ho-Bin Yu who often finds himself the target of bullies. But after a live-streamed fight against the cowardly “NewTuber” Ji-Hyeok Woo, one of Ho-Bin’s bullies, the pair become instant internet sensations. Motivated by money, Ho-Bin and Ji-Hyeok begin working together to livestream Ho-Bin’s confrontations against notorious bullies.

I started watching the anime mid-April and have been working my way through the series ever since. I didn’t want to write anything more about the show until the first season was over. The eleventh episode was just released this week with a twelfth and final episode of Season 1 releasing next week… But I couldn’t help myself.

I’ll cut to the chase: Viral Hit is a hilarious anime with a compelling underdog for a protagonist, Ho-Bin. But out of the whole cast of characters, the most surprising to me is Ji-Hyeok Woo, who became a loyal friend to Ho-Bin. The pair seemed to be able to put their differences aside to become business partners for online entertainment. However, their friendship developed quickly with Ho-Bin’s display of bravery and Ji-Hyeok’s (often pitiful) attempts to protect Ho-Bin from tougher opponents. The main pair are passionate dorks who love money.

[gif source]

And while the story seems simple, the series tackles interesting themes, such as bullying, money, influence, and the market for online entertainment. You could ask just how far people would go for money, but Viral Hit answers the question in the first episode. Some people will choose to livestream their video games while others choose a more humiliating path…

Now to answer my initial question: Viral Hit is driven by its fight scenes. However, the fights are detrimental for the characters’ growth. For instance, Ho-Bin teaches himself how to protect himself against bigger and stronger opponents with the guidance of an unknown NewTuber’s videos. His new fame and developing skills have made him slightly more confident in himself, which has caught the interest of his crush Bo-Mi, and a fangirl of combat sports named Ga-Eul.

[gif source]

As for Ji-Hyeok, his character development stems from his admiration for Ho-Bin, the least likely guy who would stand up for himself. This admiration often leads him to scolding Ho-Bin for choosing impossible-to-beat opponents for their streams because Ho-Bin willingly puts his life at risk. And if Ho-Bin is badly beaten up, Ji-Hyeok cries for him, not out of pity, but out of care (though he’s too stubborn to admit it).

Season 1 of this anime sets up Ho-Bin to be an unlikely hero for victims of bullying. But it seems as though the first season also emphasizes the friendship that builds between the two main characters.

It’s too early to say if there’ll be a Season 2. With other popular anime returning to livestreaming platforms, Viral Hit seems to be one of many other titles that’s buried under the successes of big hitters like Kaiju No. 8, Demon Slayer, and My Hero Academia, just to name a few. But if there is a second season of Viral Hit, I’m curious to see if the series will continue to explore the comical dynamics between the main characters now that a third member of their production team, Ga-Eul, has entered the business as an editor.

What I look forward to the most if a second season is in the works:

• Ho-Bin and his situationship with Bo-Mi
• The impact that Ho-Bin’s fights will have in the future as he continues to attract the interest of professional athletes
• What Ga-Eul’s presence will do to the small group’s friendship (spoiler alert: she’s in love)
• The appearance of Ho-Bin’s former opponents; will they want to retaliate?

I recommend Viral Hit to fans of combat sports, turf-war anime, and battle shōnen anime fans. If you’ve seen the show, what are your thoughts on it?