The Spring 2025 K-Comics Guide

Viral Hit

What's It About? 

Scrawny high school student Hobin Yu is probably the last guy you'd expect to star in a video channel that revolves around fighting. Tormented by bullies and working a part-time job to pay for his mother's medical expenses, Hobin Yu is truly at the bottom of his school's hierarchy. After he accidentally uploads a video of a fight with his classmate and goes viral, Hobin starts to think there may be another solution to his bullying and money problems.

After following some advice from a mysterious creator, Hobin is soon knocking out guys stronger than him and raking in more money than he ever dreamed. But the pressure starts to build, and one day Hobin might meet his match.

Viral Hit has story by Taejun Pak and art by Kim Junghyun. English translation by ___. Published by WEBTOON Unscrolled April 1, 2025). Rated T.

CONTENT WARNING: Bullying, Hazing, Assault

Is It Worth Reading?

MrAJCosplay
Rating:

Viral Hit might be one of the more topical stories in this entire preview guide. In a world as cynical as ours, it's very easy for people to give into the dark side of humanity, relying on bullying and negativity for the sake of generating attention. In the world of YouTube, TikTok and Twitter, we unfortunately live in a reality where people are rewarded for being awful. Viral Hit is a story of what happens when someone tries to use that system against itself, to rally against the more commonplace negativity of social media with their own brand of negativity.

I'm sure we've all seen streamers or content creators out there who definitely don't deserve the platforms that they have. Well, what if there was somebody whose entire brand was about making themselves a giant target for the sake of getting back at those people? In a lot of ways, it would be commendable and downright dangerous but I think that's why Viral Hit works as a modern day underdog story utilizing some of the most relatable aspects of our modern society. Our protagonist is a loser by every account, but he's not a bad guy and seeing him slowly get rewarded for putting himself on the line to get back at these guys is commendable.

There are some things that feel a little bit convenient or staged in a way where I'm not sure if something is a reward or a setup for failure, but I think that also helps keep the readers on their toes. There is a lot to genuinely enjoy here, but maybe it does its job a little bit too well. If you're someone who has been hazed or has been bullied in their life, then a lot of this might hit very close to home even if you argue that the realism is all intentional. The underdog nature of the story also means that things are progressively going to escalate to a degree where I might find myself wincing as I read it. I don't know when that point will come but until we get there, I am going to keep reading it and give this book a strong recommendation if you can push through it.