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It’s always exciting when a great title comes along at the absolute perfect time and it feels like everything aligns for the story to hit even harder. WEBTOON Unscrolled’s Viral Hit, created by Taejun Pak and illustrated by Kim Junghyun, is an exciting breath of fresh air that presents a simple premise in a rewarding way. Hobin Yu is a scrawny high school student who is constantly bullied, despite minding his own business and keeping his head down while he struggles to pay his mom’s mounting hospital bills.
Hobin finds himself in a unique situation where he gets pushed too far and starts beating someone up, only for this act of violence to get recorded and uploaded to “NewTube,” which makes him a viral sensation. Soon, Hobin is pulling in huge revenue from his NewTube streaming, which finally means that he can pay his mom’s bills. However, he needs to take on progressively stronger bullies to appease his channel’s fans, all while he communicates with a mysterious streamer who helps him with his cause.
Viral Hit is kind of like Fight Club or Megalo Box meets Oshi no Ko, with some Solo Leveling thrown in for good measure. It’s a unique entity because it’s able to indulge in constant action, but through an interesting lens because Hobin isn’t driven by any desire to become stronger or intimidate others. All of this is done to help his mother. It’s a fascinating angle for an underdog action story, which are plentiful with Webtoon Unscrolled graphic novels.
What’s also so appealing is that Viral Hit becomes the ultimate character study. The audience truly loves Hobin, cares for him, and wants to see him succeed. However, there’s an understandable concern that the endless NewTube fighting is gradually turning him into a more hardened individual. He begins this adventure as someone who fights against his will, but there’s a growing concern that he begins to relish this combat and the money that he makes for his mom is just a nice bonus.
While Viral Hit gets pretty dark, there’s also a rich sense of humor in the storytelling and an earnestness when it comes to Hobin’s efforts to make headway with his crush. The story is full of action, which is frequently its priority, but it makes sure to present a broader tone that isn’t afraid to get silly and pull at the reader’s heartstrings. WEBTOON Unscrolled titles expertly cater to all audiences and Viral Hit teases enough romance and slice of life situations that balance out the more aggressive ideas.
Viral Hit delivers an impact because it tells a heightened story that almost feels like the natural extension of where the world is at right now. It’s tragic that the only way that Hobin can help his mother is through streamed fighting, but it reflects society’s desperation. Hobin is so lovable and relatable because he feels stuck in an oppressed system where all he wants to do is provide for his family. The comic explores fame and fortune, but these aren’t what initially drive Hobin. It’s a selfless, altruistic quest that’s more a reflection of society and the Top 1% than himself. He wouldn’t be doing any of this if there wasn’t an audience for it, which is such rich, timely material for Viral Hit to explore.
Hobin is dependent upon society for views – and therefore revenue – but there’s also a level of disdain for the people who desire this twisted material. Viral Hit has interesting things to say about how people engage with fandom and how this level of communication is crucial to evolve. During a time in which so many anime and manga are set in fantasy worlds or some version of the world that’s too far removed from reality, it’s staggering to get a series like Viral Hit that’s not only grounded, but critical and introspective of the current world.
Viral Hit digs far deeper than many of its peers that examine comparable material. It’s a title that constitutes endless dissection and discussion, which makes it all the more convenient that Viral Hit now exists as a WEBTOON Unscrolled graphic novel. Viral Hit’s first volume is available April 1, 2025 and it’s the perfect way to get into the ground floor of what’s likely to be one of 2025’s standout titles.
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