Weak Hero

Weak Hero

Okay, I’m positive that there are a ton of people out there who have read or at the very least have heard of the webtoon Weak Hero, especially since it’s been adapted into a Korean television series. This manhwa with the “bullied high schooler” trope, or what I like to jokingly call “bullied teen turns MMA,” is anything but boring and predictable. Spanning 267 chapters, Weak Hero is plugged solid with action, heart-breaking backstories, and an in-depth emotional plot, which is presented by a large cast of colourful and unique characters with Gray Yeon as their unofficial spearhead.

Webtoon Blurb

Once the bullies target you, it’s game over. The school is run by tyrants whose favorite hobby is tormenting the weakest kids in class. But then Gray arrived. This mysterious new student threatens to dismantle the established order. He may be small in stature, but his calculative and brutal fighting leaves unsuspecting opponents lying on the floor begging for mercy. Now the school's toughest bullies have to scramble to take down this new and unusual hero.

Weak Hero

Medium: Webtoon and Manhwa (paperback)

Year: 2018 (complete)

Author: Seopass (서패스, Seopaeseu) and illustrated by Razen (김진석, Kim Jin-Seok)

Genre(s): Action, Drama, Psychological, School Life, Slice of Life

Warning: Violence, Bullying, Swearing, Crude Language

Publisher: Naver Webtoon then Line Webtoons

The main protagonist Yeon Gray, a cold and reserved, pretty-boy intellectual, transfers to rough school in a rough neighbourhood, his way of escaping his past. Only to find himself back in the same predicament he was in before. However, to everyone’s shock, the small statured Yeon shows the school bullies what brutality means. Eventually word spreads, and Yeon’s actions have far-reaching repercussions from hurting those around him, including newfound friends, to creating enemies and an ominous reputation that he uses to his advantage in the gang war. But he isn’t the only character to run the show. Many others make extended appearances, and most with a backstory. My favourites characters were Yeon Gray, Ben Park, Alex Go, Donald Na, and Wolf Keum.

Truth be told, I couldn’t stop reading this webtoon. Honestly, every chapter had me on the edge of my seat, hesitating to want more, and gradually filling me with this mounting dread. That’s how I had felt. Hesitant, but greedy, then fearful. In just three days I’d digested the entire 267 chapters, and then I sat quietly at my desk feeling overwhelmed and tad cheated by the ending. Don’t get me wrong. When I say cheated, I don’t mean the ending was bad, but rather very unexpected, and somewhat anti-climactic; off-in-left-field from what I had believed was coming down the pike. And that “mounting dread” I mentioned, yeah, after reading the last few chapters it made complete sense.

Now this story isn’t all doom and gloom. Great friendships emerge along the way, and a lot of understanding and acceptance happens, and there’s also this wonderfully brilliant psychological tête-à-tête that goes on between Yeon Gray and gang leader Donald Na; his intellectual equal. Adding to this, the dialogue has moments of perfection, the art is very well done, and the plot kept me interested right until the last page. All in all, I enjoyed Weak Hero. 

4.5 Stars!

D.G. Pearse