Training arcs are understandably looked upon with skepticism whenever they occur in shonenanimejust because the demographic has a tendency of over relying on them to explain how a hero gets exponentially stronger than a more powerful opponent. However,theViral Hitanimeis showing how it can be done, and the series isn’t even a shonen, let alone Japanese. It’s a manhwa. Incredibly, the series even has the protagonist, Hobin undergo even more training than shonen series that are considered to be the worst offenders in this regard, andViral Hit’s whole premise actually justifies this higher amount.
Hobin is actually quite weakand even referred to as a “normal” person as opposed to an actual fighter. The reason why Hobin must constantly train is that he’s in a unique situation where he canquickly earn a good deal of money by fighting bulliesthat then get streamed on the show’s equivalent to YouTube. Especially since he’s not a natural fighter, Hobin has yet and likelywill never meet a foe he can defeat just by relying on his current knowledge base,so he must always train. Hobin’s form of training just so happens to be a channel on the same social media platform that serendipitously has published videos that explain how he can win in each fight.
Viral Hit’s Formula Mixes Action Shonen With One Major Genre
In essence,Viral Hit’s unique format makes it more akin toboxing/martial arts manga likeHajime No Ippo, exceptViral Hitprovides the added drama of Hobin not being able to benefit from the extra guidelines and support systems that naturally come with fighting in a legitimate sport with rules. The similarities are that, in boxing, it doesn’t matter how great each fighter is. Each contender must always train their bodies and adapt their fighting styles in accordance to their opponent, essentially honing themselves into the perfect weapon for that specific fight. Each match is different in this regard, and that’s exactly the case in Viral Hit.
However,Viral Hitadds even more variables that further require Hobin to train, besides the fact that he isn’t a professional by any means. For example, he has to contend with multiple fighting styles that he’s unfamiliar with, like taekwondo, and, in the latest case, multiple opponents simultaneously. A lot of the training he undergoes is also very unconventional, especially in comparison to professional sports, since he is allowed to incorporate the environment into his fights in some cases.
Moreover, Hobin even repurposes some of the training regimens to use in unprecedented ways, another popular aspect of shonen. There’s even the amusing fact, and the naturally associated mystery, that Hobin’s trainer is an unknown individual who wears a rooster mask for whatever reason.
Training arcs in any seriesmight be overused in shonen, to the point where most series include numerous ones and in a short time span, but the anime adaptation of the manhwaViral Hitis not only justifying their use but doing so by including even more in basically every other episode to glorious effect.
