''The God of High School'' () is a South Korean
manhwa
(; ) is the general Korean language, Korean term for comics and print cartoons. Outside Korea, the term usually refers to South Korea, South Korean comics. is greatly influenced by Japanese Manga comics. Modern Manhwa has extended its rea ...
released as a
webtoon
Webtoons (), are a type of digital comic that originated in South Korea usually meant to be read on smartphones.
While webtoons were mostly unknown outside of Korea during their inception, there has been a surge in popularity internationally ...
written and illustrated by Yongje Park. It has been serialized in
Naver Corporation
The Naver Corporation is a South Korean internet conglomerate headquartered in Seongnam that operates the search engine Naver. Naver established itself as an early pioneer in the use of user-generated content through the creation of the onlin ...
's webtoon platform
Naver Webtoon
Webtoon (stylized in all caps) is a South Korean webtoon platform launched in 2004 by Naver Corporation. As the name suggests, it is a platform for posting webtoons, compact digital comics in South Korea.
The platform first launched in Korea as ...
since April 2011, with the individual chapters collected and published by Imageframe under their Root label into one volume as of April 2020. ''The God of High School'' received official English translations by
Line Webtoon
Webtoon (stylized in all caps) is a South Korean webtoon platform launched in 2004 by Naver Corporation. As the name suggests, it is a platform for posting webtoons, compact digital comics in South Korea.
The platform first launched in Korea as ...
beginning in July 2014.
It has received a
mobile game
A mobile game, or smartphone game, is a video game that is typically played on a mobile phone. The term also refers to all games that are played on any portable device, including from mobile phone (feature phone or smartphone), tablet, PDA to ...
and an
original net animation
An original net animation (ONA), known in Japan as , is an anime that is directly released onto the Internet. ONAs may also have been aired on television if they were first directly released on the Internet. The name mirrors original video animati ...
short attached to the aforementioned game's
original soundtrack
A soundtrack is recorded music accompanying and synchronised to the images of a motion picture, drama, book, television program, radio program, or video game; a commercially released soundtrack album of music as featured in the soundtrack of ...
. An
anime
is Traditional animation, hand-drawn and computer animation, computer-generated animation originating from Japan. Outside of Japan and in English, ''anime'' refers specifically to animation produced in Japan. However, in Japan and in Japane ...
television series adaptation by
MAPPA
is a Japanese animation studio headquartered in Suginami, Tokyo. Founded in 2011 by Madhouse co-founder and producer Masao Maruyama, it has produced anime works including ''Terror in Resonance'', ''Yuri!!! on Ice'', ''In This Corner of the Wo ...
aired from July to September 2020.
Synopsis
Setting
In GOH, the action takes place and involves the inhabitants of three different realms:
:The Human Realm is mainly populated by humans and identical to our known world. It is the least powerful realm followed by the Sage Realm and then the Heavenly Realm at the highest.
:The Sage Realm (
Korean
Korean may refer to:
People and culture
* Koreans, ethnic group originating in the Korean Peninsula
* Korean cuisine
* Korean culture
* Korean language
**Korean alphabet, known as Hangul or Chosŏn'gŭl
**Korean dialects and the Jeju language
** ...
: 동승신주; 신선계;
Hanja
Hanja (Hangul: ; Hanja: , ), alternatively known as Hancha, are Chinese characters () used in the writing of Korean. Hanja was used as early as the Gojoseon period, the first ever Korean kingdom.
(, ) refers to Sino-Korean vocabulary, wh ...
: 仙界, lit. "''World of the immortal/sage''"), also known as the Demon Realm, Taoist World, or Other World. It is populated by various mythical creatures, spirits, and monsters (collectively known as demons) such as
Dragon
A dragon is a reptilian legendary creature that appears in the folklore of many cultures worldwide. Beliefs about dragons vary considerably through regions, but dragons in western cultures since the High Middle Ages have often been depicted as ...
s,
Minotaur
In Greek mythology, the Minotaur ( , ;. grc, ; in Latin as ''Minotaurus'' ) is a mythical creature portrayed during classical antiquity with the head and tail of a bull and the body of a man or, as described by Roman poet Ovid, a being "pa ...
s,
Phoenixes
:The Heavenly Realm (Korean: 신계; Hanja: 神界, lit. "''Divine World''") is the last realm and the most powerful. The Heavenly Realm is home to many powerful gods of various mythologies and legends like the
Jade Emperor
The Jade Emperor or Yudi ( or , ') in Chinese culture, traditional religions and myth is one of the representations of the first god ( '). In Daoist theology he is the assistant of Yuanshi Tianzun, who is one of the Three Pure Ones, the three ...
,
Michael the Archangel
Michael (; he, מִיכָאֵל, lit=Who is like El od, translit=Mīḵāʾēl; el, Μιχαήλ, translit=Mikhaḗl; la, Michahel; ar, ميخائيل ، مِيكَالَ ، ميكائيل, translit=Mīkāʾīl, Mīkāl, Mīkhāʾīl), also ...
, and
Hercules
Hercules (, ) is the Roman equivalent of the Greek divine hero Heracles, son of Jupiter and the mortal Alcmena. In classical mythology, Hercules is famous for his strength and for his numerous far-ranging adventures.
The Romans adapted the Gr ...
.
At the dawn of time, humans, demons and gods lived together on Earth. The gods allowed the weak humans to borrow their powers, creating the "Borrowed Power" system (or "Charyeok" in Korean) so they could defend themselves from the demons who wanted to rule over them. Shortly after the demon defeat, the gods split up the humans, demons and gods among the three Realms. Humans are since able to use Borrowed Power freely but are not allowed to attack gods with it.
Plot
The main protagonist is Mori Jin, a 17-year-old martial artist from
Seoul
Seoul (; ; ), officially known as the Seoul Special City, is the capital and largest metropolis of South Korea.Before 1972, Seoul was the ''de jure'' capital of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea) as stated iArticle 103 ...
,
South Korea
South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and sharing a Korean Demilitarized Zone, land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed ...
. At the beginning of the story, he is invited to join a Martial Arts tournament called "The God of High School" (or GOH). The event, sponsored by a shady corporation, brings together people from high schools all over South Korea on a regional and then, national level in order to select three representatives for the World Tournament. As a prize, the winner gets his wish fulfilled by the hosting corporation, no question asked.
This intrigues Mori, and as he continues through the tournament, he meets many competitors each with a different way of fighting. Martial arts aside, participants fight by using "Borrowed Power", a mystical energy granted by supernatural entities (gods, demons, mythical creatures....), hence the name Borrowed Power. During the opening rounds, he comes across two other martial arts prodigies:
Full-Contact Karate
Full contact karate is any format of karate where competitors spar (also called Kumite) full-contact and allow a knockout as winning criterion.
History
Full contact karate competition comes in several different formats developed for the art o ...
expert Daewi Han and
epeeist master Mira Yoo. These two would befriend Mori after their fights with him, and will become teamed together as the Korean Team after the preliminary rounds. As the tournaments preliminary rounds finish, and teams assemble, plans for many different people within the organization, and those pitted against them begin to make their moves to achieve their goals.
Characters
Mori Jin (, ''Jin Moli''); (
Japanese
Japanese may refer to:
* Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia
* Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan
* Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture
** Japanese diaspor ...
: ジン・モリ, ''Jin Mori'' (Anime))
:Voiced by:
Tatsumaru Tachibana,
Hana Sato (Young) (Japanese);
Nam Doh-Hyeong, Kim Bo-Na (
김보나) (Young) (Korean);
Robbie Daymond
Robert Daymond Howard (né Niles; born March 11, 1982) is an American voice actor who is mostly known for his roles in audiobooks, video games, and animation, best known for voicing Jesse Cosay in the second season of '' Infinity Train'', Spider ...
(English)
:A happy-go-lucky 17-year-old martial artist from Seoul, South Korea who practices a fictional version of the Korean martial art
Taekwondo
''Taekwondo'', ''Tae Kwon Do'' or ''Taekwon-Do'' (; ko, 태권도/跆拳道 ) is a Korean form of martial arts involving punching and kicking techniques, with emphasis on head-height kicks, spinning jump kicks, and fast kicking techniques. T ...
called Renewal Taekwondo (Korean: 리뉴얼 태권도) later shorted to Re-Taekwondo. Carefree, friendly and (rightfully so) self-proclaimed "Tough guy" (Korean: 쎈놈), Mori participates to the GOH tournament so that he can fight strong opponents and wish to be reunited with his grand-father Taejin. Later in the series, after the mystical "Borrowed Power" is introduced Mori is labeled as a Genuine Fighter meaning he uses martial arts to fight rather than borrowing power from other beings (one chapter shows that he actually borrowed power from his clone). However, the reason Mori is so powerful is due to his true identity of the mythical
Jaechondaesong, or Sun Wukong, the hero of the Chinese Novel ''
Journey to the West
''Journey to the West'' () is a Chinese novel published in the 16th century during the Ming dynasty and attributed to Wu Cheng'en. It is regarded as one of the greatest Classic Chinese Novels, and has been described as arguably the most popu ...
''.
:After RagnarÖk, he assumes a new form and name via Dan Mori as a result of Park Mujin killing his grandfather and sealing his powers.
Daewi Han (, ''Han Daewi''); (
Japanese
Japanese may refer to:
* Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia
* Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan
* Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture
** Japanese diaspor ...
: ハン・デイ, ''Han Dei'' (Anime))
:Voiced by:
Kentarō Kumagai
is a Japanese voice actor affiliated with Haikyō. He was born in Saitama and grew up in Okinawa.
Biography
Kentaro has 2 younger brothers. He lived in Saitama before entering elementary school, then moved to Central Okinawa and lived there ...
[ (Japanese); Kwak Yoonsang (Korean); ]Sean Chiplock
Sean Edward Chiplock (born June 21, 1990) is an American voice actor who is known for voicing English versions of Japanese video games and anime. Based in Los Angeles, Chiplock is known as the voice of Rean Schwarzer from '' The Legend of Heroe ...
(English)
:A 17-year-old martial artist from Seoul, South Korea who practices Full-Contact
Contact sports are sports that emphasize or require physical contact between players. Some sports, such as mixed martial arts, are scored on impacting an opponent, while others, including rugby football, gridiron football and Australian rules foot ...
Karate
(; ; Okinawan language, Okinawan pronunciation: ) is a martial arts, martial art developed in the Ryukyu Kingdom. It developed from the Okinawan martial arts, indigenous Ryukyuan martial arts (called , "hand"; ''tii'' in Okinawan) under the ...
. Daewi starts off the series as a hard-working young man who works to pay off his best friend's hospital bill due to terminal cancer. After being invited to the GOH tournament, he participates to cure his friend of the disease. After his friend's death, Daewi finds a new purpose in his life through his friendship with Mori and Mira and now wants to help them fulfill their dreams. A tall, lazy-looking young man with a loner personality, he is nonetheless fiercely loyal to his friends and willing to go to great lengths to protect them. His Borrowed Power is that of a Haetae
The ''xiezhi'' () is a mythical ancient creature of Chinese origin impact to throughout East Asian legends. It resembles an ox or goat, with thick dark fur covering its body, bright eyes, and a single long horn on its forehead. It has great intel ...
, a Korean mythical creature with the ability to control water as a defensive tool or a weapon as well as augmenting attacks.
:After RagnarÖk, he has the Wisdom of the Sage, which allows him to manipulate gravity, electromagnetism, and even nature itself. He also becomes one of The Six.
Mira Yoo (, ''Yu Mila''); (Japanese
Japanese may refer to:
* Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia
* Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan
* Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture
** Japanese diaspor ...
: ユ・ミラ, ''Yu Mira'' (Anime))
:Voiced by: Ayaka Ōhashi
is a Japanese voice actress and singer from Tokyo, Japan. She is affiliated with the talent agency HoriPro International. As a singer, she is signed under Lantis. Originally a child actress, she appeared in many commercials, dramas, NHK Educat ...
[ (Japanese); Song Harim (Korean); ]Veronica Taylor
Kathleen Charlotte McInerney, also known by her stage name Veronica Taylor is an American voice actress known for her dubbing work in English-language adaptations of Japanese anime, in particular for voicing Ash Ketchum and his mother Delia in ...
(English)
:A 17-year-old swordswoman from Seoul, South Korea and the 25th master of a fictitious sword style called the Moonlight Sword, (Korean: 월강도) which emphasizes strong yet fluid attacks. She initially joins the GOH Tournament in order to fulfill her wish of finding a suitable husband to carry on the school bloodline. Thanks to her friends Mori and Daewi, Mira let go of her family burden and will make a new path for herself. Mira's borrowed power is of an Ancient Chinese general named Lü Bu
Lü Bu () (died 7 February 199), courtesy name Fengxian, was a Chinese military general, politician, and warlord who lived during the late Eastern Han dynasty of Imperial China. Originally a subordinate of a minor warlord Ding Yuan, he betray ...
, which is loosely based on the historical figure of the same name. This power gives her several abilities such as enhanced strength and the ability to summon a red horse (based on Red Hare
The Red Hare or Chi Tu () was a famous horse owned by the warlord Lü Bu, who lived during the late Eastern Han dynasty of China.
In historical records
The Red Hare was mentioned in Lü Bu's biographies in the historical texts ''Records of the T ...
, the legendary steed of Lü Bu
Lü Bu () (died 7 February 199), courtesy name Fengxian, was a Chinese military general, politician, and warlord who lived during the late Eastern Han dynasty of Imperial China. Originally a subordinate of a minor warlord Ding Yuan, he betray ...
).
:After RagnarÖk, she becomes one of The Six and leader of Neo Nox, a merger of National Assembly of the Homeless and Sang Man-Duk's faction of Nox. She also gains some abilities of Han Daewi via Fundamental Force Manipulation.
Ilpyo Park (Korean
Korean may refer to:
People and culture
* Koreans, ethnic group originating in the Korean Peninsula
* Korean cuisine
* Korean culture
* Korean language
**Korean alphabet, known as Hangul or Chosŏn'gŭl
**Korean dialects and the Jeju language
** ...
: 박일표, ''Park Ilpyo''); (Japanese
Japanese may refer to:
* Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia
* Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan
* Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture
** Japanese diaspor ...
: パク・イルピョ, ''Paku Irupyo'' (Anime))
:Voiced by: Kōki Uchiyama
is a Japanese actor and voice actor from Saitama Prefecture. affiliated with Himawari Theatre Group. He won Best Male Rookie at 5th Seiyu Awards. He also received one of Best Voice Actors at Tokyo Anime Award Festival in 2015.
Filmography Telev ...
(Japanese); KimJi-Yul (Korean), Griffin Puatu (English)
:One of the main supporting characters in the series. Ilpyo is a 18-year-old boy competing in the God of High School tournament. He is introduced as a logical and calculating fighter who uses a fictional version of the traditional Korean martial art of Taekkyon
Taekkyon, Taekgyeon, Taekkyeon, or Taekyun (Korean: 태껸/ 택견/ 托肩, ) is a traditional Korean martial art.
It is characterized by fluid, dynamic foot movement called "''pum balki''" or Stepping-on-Triangles. Taekkyon includes hands and ...
(태껸) called Ssamsu-Taekkyon (Korean: 쌈수택견). Ilpyo joined the tournament in order to wish for the recovery of his cousin, crippled during a martial arts competition against Taek Jegal. He later acts as an ally to Mori and helps him through many hardships in the series. His Charyeok is Hojosa, the nine-tail fox of Eastern Asian folklore.
Seungchul Baek (Korean
Korean may refer to:
People and culture
* Koreans, ethnic group originating in the Korean Peninsula
* Korean cuisine
* Korean culture
* Korean language
**Korean alphabet, known as Hangul or Chosŏn'gŭl
**Korean dialects and the Jeju language
** ...
: 백승철, ''Baeg Seungcheol''); (Japanese
Japanese may refer to:
* Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia
* Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan
* Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture
** Japanese diaspor ...
: ペク・スンチョル, ''Peku Sunchoru'' (Anime))
:Voiced by: Yūya Uchida (Japanese), Kyle McCarley
Kyle McCarley (born December 5Birthday tweets:
* ) is an American voice actor known for his work in video games and anime. In anime, he is known as the voice of Shigeo Kageyama from ''Mob Psycho 100'', Mikazuki Augus from '' Mobile Suit Gundam: ...
(English)
:A 18-year-old participant in the God of High School tournament who uses a metal baseball bat
A baseball bat is a smooth wooden or metal club used in the sport of baseball to hit the ball after it is thrown by the pitcher. By regulation it may be no more than in diameter at the thickest part and no more than in length. Although histor ...
as a weapon. Seungchul is of genius-level intellect and peak physical conditioning. This makes his fighting style unorthodox and unpredictable for those he is fighting.
Manseok Gang (Korean
Korean may refer to:
People and culture
* Koreans, ethnic group originating in the Korean Peninsula
* Korean cuisine
* Korean culture
* Korean language
**Korean alphabet, known as Hangul or Chosŏn'gŭl
**Korean dialects and the Jeju language
** ...
: 강만석, ''Gang Manseog''); (Japanese
Japanese may refer to:
* Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia
* Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan
* Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture
** Japanese diaspor ...
: カン・マンソク ''Kan Mansoku'' (Anime))
:Voiced by: Tomokazu Sugita
is a Japanese voice actor and author. He mainly plays young men and is characterized by his "deep bass voice," and he often performs ad-libs and imitations.
He is best known for his roles as Gintoki Sakata in ''Gintama'', Tadaomi Karasuma in ' ...
(Japanese); An Jang-Hyeok
An Jang Hyeok (Hangul: 안장혁; born October 8, 1968) is a South Korean voice actor who joined the Munhwa Broadcasting Corporation's voice acting division in 1993.
Roles Broadcast TV
* Geisters (MBC)
*Ojamajo Doremi (Korea TV Edition, MBC)
*A ...
(Korean)
:A 19-year old participant in the God of High School tournament for the metropolitan region who uses ITF Taekwondo to slaughter his opponents. Manseok is a violent street thug with a sadistic streak who has to be restrained by wearing straitjacket and heavy pants. During his match with Gamdo Go whom he tortures mercilessly, Mori intervenes and knocks Manseok out cold.
Gamdo Go (Korean
Korean may refer to:
People and culture
* Koreans, ethnic group originating in the Korean Peninsula
* Korean cuisine
* Korean culture
* Korean language
**Korean alphabet, known as Hangul or Chosŏn'gŭl
**Korean dialects and the Jeju language
** ...
: 고감도, ''Go Gamdo''); (Japanese
Japanese may refer to:
* Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia
* Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan
* Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture
** Japanese diaspor ...
: コ・カンド, ''Ko Kando'' (Anime))
:Voiced by: Hiroyuki Yoshino
is a Japanese voice actor and singer affiliated with Sigma Seven. On leading roles, he played Yoshimori Sumimura in ''Kekkaishi'', Yuji Kagura in ''Tona-Gura!'', Takumi Nishijō in ''Chaos;Head'', Yusuke "Bossun" Fujisaki in ''Sket Dance'', Me ...
(Japanese); Lee Dong-Hun (Korean)
:A skilled practitioner of Tai Chi Chuan
Tai chi (), short for Tai chi ch'üan ( zh, s=太极拳, t=太極拳, first=t, p=Tàijíquán, labels=no), sometimes called " shadowboxing", is an internal Chinese martial art practiced for defense training, health benefits and meditation. T ...
with a polite and composed demeanor. After promising debuts during the preliminaries of the tournament, he is pitted against Gang Manseok who proceed to beat him to a pulp and would have maimed him without the intervention of Mori. Gamdo quits the tournament after that. His role in the story substantially decrease, though he is briefly seen in later arcs mastering traditional medicine
Traditional medicine (also known as indigenous medicine or folk medicine) comprises medical aspects of traditional knowledge that developed over generations within the folk beliefs of various societies, including indigenous peoples, before the ...
and helping the protagonists.
Taek Jegal (Korean
Korean may refer to:
People and culture
* Koreans, ethnic group originating in the Korean Peninsula
* Korean cuisine
* Korean culture
* Korean language
**Korean alphabet, known as Hangul or Chosŏn'gŭl
**Korean dialects and the Jeju language
** ...
: 제갈택, ''Jaegal Taek''); (Japanese
Japanese may refer to:
* Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia
* Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan
* Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture
** Japanese diaspor ...
: ジェガル・テク ''Jegaru Teku'' (Anime))
:Voiced by: Kenjiro Tsuda
is a Japanese actor, voice actor, narrator, and film director. He works at ANDSTIR. Some of his roles as a voice actor include Seto Kaiba in ''Yu-Gi-Oh!'', Sadahara Inui in ''Shin Tennis no Ouji-sama'', Kazama Chikage in ''Hakuoki'', Ryuga in ' ...
(Japanese); Kaiji Tang
Kaiji Tang (pronounced "Kai-jee"; born January 25, 1984) is a Chinese voice actor who is based in Los Angeles.
Biography
Tang was born in Shanghai, China on January 25, 1984. He graduated from the University of California, Riverside with a deg ...
(English)
:Main antagonist of the first and second arcs. Sold off as a baby by his mother to become the heir of the chairman of a large company, he grew up with a ''Might is right'' philosophy. Dubbed a monster by his opponents and team mates alike, Taek has an arrogant personality and extremely violent style of fighting, viewing everyone around him as insignificant trash. The only exception being the guardian of Ssamsu-Taekkyon, Ilpyo, his mortal enemy and the only person to defeat him years prior to the GOH tournament. Taek's Charyeok is characterized by "Greed", allowing him to absorb other fighter's powers.
Taejin Jin (Korean
Korean may refer to:
People and culture
* Koreans, ethnic group originating in the Korean Peninsula
* Korean cuisine
* Korean culture
* Korean language
**Korean alphabet, known as Hangul or Chosŏn'gŭl
**Korean dialects and the Jeju language
** ...
: 진태진, ''Jin Taejin''); (Japanese
Japanese may refer to:
* Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia
* Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan
* Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture
** Japanese diaspor ...
: ジン・テジン, ''Jin Tejin'' (Anime))
:Voiced by: Kazuhiro Yamaji
is a Japanese actor and voice actor affiliated with the Seinenza Theater Company. He has been married to Romi Park since 2020.
Filmography Live-action films
* 2000: '' Whiteout'' (Takayoshi Yoshikane)
* 2001: ''Inugami'' (Takanao)
* 2004: '' Ka ...
(Japanese); Min Eung-Shik (Korean), Michael Sorich
Michael John Sorich ( , born March 23, 1958) is an American actor, writer and director.
Biography
Sorich has been a prominent and ever-present voice actor for many different characters in the ''Power Rangers'' franchise (until the end of the '' W ...
(English)
:The adoptive grandfather of protagonist Mori. Probably the strongest Genuine Fighter of the series, Taejin is powerful enough to easily defeat gods by using his sole martial skills. His disdain for Borrowed Power and unlimited potential threaten the status quo between gods and humans and have made him the target of many secret organizations. He is the creator and only master of the fictional Renewal Taekwondo, whom he taught Mori. His disappearance serves as the main motivation for Mori to join the GOH tournament.
Mujin Park (Korean
Korean may refer to:
People and culture
* Koreans, ethnic group originating in the Korean Peninsula
* Korean cuisine
* Korean culture
* Korean language
**Korean alphabet, known as Hangul or Chosŏn'gŭl
**Korean dialects and the Jeju language
** ...
: 박무진, ''Park Mujin''); (Japanese
Japanese may refer to:
* Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia
* Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan
* Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture
** Japanese diaspor ...
: パク・ムジン, ''Paku Mujin'' (Anime))
:Voiced by: Daisuke Namikawa
is a Japanese actor and singer associated with Stay Luck. He began acting as a child and is sometimes mistaken with Daisuke Hirakawa, as their names only differ by one character when written in kanji. Despite his wide range of roles, he usual ...
(Japanese); Ryu Seung-Gon (Korean), Edward Bosco (English)
:Main antagonist of the manhwa. Member of the National Assembly of Korea
The National Assembly of the Republic of Korea, often shortened to the National Assembly in domestic English-language media, is the unicameral national legislature of South Korea. Elections to the National Assembly are held every four years. T ...
, he is the figure in charge of the God of High School tournament. In the series, Mujin acts as a mastermind by laying out plans to achieve his goal of obtaining power in order to create a new world. Considered a prodigy and destined for greatness from a very young age, the best shaman
Shamanism is a religious practice that involves a practitioner (shaman) interacting with what they believe to be a spirit world through altered states of consciousness, such as trance. The goal of this is usually to direct spirits or spiritu ...
in Korea even told him that he would become "a king who will revolutionize the world", setting the history of God Of High School into motion. His Borrowed Power is called "Longinus" which manifests as two yellow crosses appearing on each of Mujin's hands. The name Longinus is loosely based on the Roman soldier
This is a list of Roman army units and bureaucrats.
*'' Accensus'' – Light infantry men in the armies of the early Roman Republic, made up of the poorest men of the army.
*''Actuarius'' – A military who served food.
*''Adiutor'' – A camp or ...
said to have pierced the side of Jesus
Jesus, likely from he, יֵשׁוּעַ, translit=Yēšūaʿ, label=Hebrew/Aramaic ( AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ or Jesus of Nazareth (among other names and titles), was a first-century Jewish preacher and religious ...
during the Crucifixion
Crucifixion is a method of capital punishment in which the victim is tied or nailed to a large wooden cross or beam and left to hang until eventual death from exhaustion and asphyxiation. It was used as a punishment by the Persians, Carthagin ...
. Longinus allows Mujin control over gravity and as a defensive shield. He commands a group of powerful humans specialized in Charyeok called commissioners or executives (Kor: 집행위원). These figures are responsible for recruiting contestants and running the God of Highschool Tournament.
Commissioner O (Korean
Korean may refer to:
People and culture
* Koreans, ethnic group originating in the Korean Peninsula
* Korean cuisine
* Korean culture
* Korean language
**Korean alphabet, known as Hangul or Chosŏn'gŭl
**Korean dialects and the Jeju language
** ...
: 집행위원 O, ''Jibhaeng-Wiwon O''); (Japanese
Japanese may refer to:
* Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia
* Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan
* Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture
** Japanese diaspor ...
: 審判員O, ''Shinpan-in O'' (Anime))
:Voiced by: Yuki Kaida
is a Japanese voice actress. Although she has an extensive vocal range, voicing a large variety of characters throughout her career, she is commonly typecasted as young males, achieving mainstream success as her roles in ''Hunter × Hunter'' as ...
(Japanese); Kim Hyun-Wook (Korean); Lucien Dodge
Lucien Dodge (born June 24, 1984) is an American voice actor who does work in animation, anime and video games. He is mostly known for his characters in anime such as Waver Velvet in '' Fate/Zero'', Maron and Chili in ''Pokémon'', K1-B0 in '' Da ...
(English)
:Member of the judges. Slightly shorter than the other executives, he has white, shoulder-length hair and dark-colored skin. O has won the first G.O.H tournament and, as such, is regarded by his colleagues as the strongest judge. His calm and perky character often makes him act as a mediator between the irritable R and the rash Q, often at each other's throat. He wields the Charyeok "Dragon slayer" which enables him to summon and command dragons as well as controlling fire. O is the one who recruited Mira for the G.O.H Tournament and appears fearful of the young woman, always avoiding eye contact with her and calling her "a monster". His true name is Sochun Yang.
Commissioner P (Korean
Korean may refer to:
People and culture
* Koreans, ethnic group originating in the Korean Peninsula
* Korean cuisine
* Korean culture
* Korean language
**Korean alphabet, known as Hangul or Chosŏn'gŭl
**Korean dialects and the Jeju language
** ...
: 집행위원 P, ''Jibhaeng-Wiwon P''); (Japanese
Japanese may refer to:
* Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia
* Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan
* Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture
** Japanese diaspor ...
: 審判員P, ''Shinpan-in P'' (Anime))
:Voiced by: Asami Tano
is a Japanese actress and voice actress and former singer from Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan. She is affiliated with Amuse Inc. Tano was part of the girl group Boystyle from 2001 to 2007. Her voice acting career began with '' Toriko'' in 2011, an ...
(Japanese); Lee Mi-Na (Korean), Erika Harlacher
Erika Lynn Harlacher-Stone (; born August 29, 1990) is an American voice actress based in the Los Angeles area who has provided voices for English dubbed Japanese anime shows and video games. Some of her major roles in anime include: Yugo in W ...
(English)
:Only female member of the judges, she acts a Mujin personal secretary, almost never leaving his side. P is a serious, dutiful and professional executive as well as caring of her colleagues. She is a tall, slim woman, wearing a female version of the Judge's uniform with blue hair tied in a bun. P uses the Charyeok "Marionette" to create "dolls" or copies of other people and be connected to them thus knowing and seeing what they know and see.
Commissioner Q (Korean
Korean may refer to:
People and culture
* Koreans, ethnic group originating in the Korean Peninsula
* Korean cuisine
* Korean culture
* Korean language
**Korean alphabet, known as Hangul or Chosŏn'gŭl
**Korean dialects and the Jeju language
** ...
: 집행위원 Q, ''Jibhaeng-Wiwon Q''); (Japanese
Japanese may refer to:
* Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia
* Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan
* Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture
** Japanese diaspor ...
: 審判員Q, ''Shinpan-in Q'' (Anime))
:Voiced by: Kenji Hamada
is a Japanese voice actor from Fukuoka, Japan who is an affiliate of Mausu Promotion. On adult works, he goes under the alias of .
Personal life
In 1996, Hamada enrolled at Ezaki Production school. Since 1998, he has been affiliated with Mausu ...
(Japanese); Lee In-Suk ( 이인석) (Korean); Xander Mobus
Xander Mobus is an American voice actor.
Career
Mobus has worked in English-language dubs of anime and video games. In 2014, he voiced the announcer and the characters Master Hand and Crazy Hand in ''Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS and Wii ...
(English)
:Member of the judges. Recognizable by his tall stature, green hair and square glass. Q has a laid back if unorganized way of living his life, yet harbors an arrogant and act-before-thinking temper which often put him at odd with his boss and fellow commissioners. A running gag in the series is that whenever Q fights, his salary lessens. His Charyeok is "Joker", a scythe
A scythe ( ) is an agricultural hand tool for mowing grass or harvesting crops. It is historically used to cut down or reap edible grains, before the process of threshing. The scythe has been largely replaced by horse-drawn and then tractor m ...
wielding jester-like entity he can summon with cards. Q recruited Daewi for the tournament and even trained him later on. He eventually married his student's older sister Daeryeong, with whom he has three kids.
Commissioner R (Korean
Korean may refer to:
People and culture
* Koreans, ethnic group originating in the Korean Peninsula
* Korean cuisine
* Korean culture
* Korean language
**Korean alphabet, known as Hangul or Chosŏn'gŭl
**Korean dialects and the Jeju language
** ...
: 집행위원 R, ''Jibhaeng-Wiwon R''); (Japanese
Japanese may refer to:
* Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia
* Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan
* Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture
** Japanese diaspor ...
: 審判員R, ''Shinpan-in R'' (Anime))
:Voiced by: Chikahiro Kobayashi (Japanese); Lee Jae-Beom (Korean), Lucien Dodge (English)
:Member of the judges. R is a tall, slender man and wears the typical Judge uniform. He has straight blonde hair going down his neck with narrow eyes that are often seen closed. Calm and collected, R is, like the other executives, proud of his strength. This makes him appear annoyed or vindictive when he is bested or doesn't get his way. R's Charyeok is unnamed and very unusual, as it enables him to forcibly take power from gods without their consent and control the wind. He was the one to recruit Mori for the tournament, inflicting the high-schooler his first defeat ever.
Announcer/Commissioner T (Korean
Korean may refer to:
People and culture
* Koreans, ethnic group originating in the Korean Peninsula
* Korean cuisine
* Korean culture
* Korean language
**Korean alphabet, known as Hangul or Chosŏn'gŭl
**Korean dialects and the Jeju language
** ...
: 집행위원 T, ''Jibhaeng-Wiwon T''); (Japanese
Japanese may refer to:
* Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia
* Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan
* Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture
** Japanese diaspor ...
: 実況T, ''Jikkyō T'' (Anime))
:Voiced by: Tomokazu Seki
is a Japanese voice actor and singer. He has previously worked with Haikyō. He is honorary president of and affiliated with Atomic Monkey and the chairman of theater company HeroHero Q. He is a special lecturer at Japan Newart College.
Caree ...
(Japanese); Hwang Chang-Young (Korean), Edward Bosco (English)
:Member of the judge and the announcer of the GOH tournament. He has black spiky hair and orange sunglasses. Being himself blind, T also goes by the nickname Bongsa Sim, probably based on a blind character of a famous Korean Pansori
' () is a Korean genre of musical storytelling performed by a singer and a drummer.
The term ''pansori'' is derived from the Korean words ''pan'' (Hangul: 판) and ''sori'' (Hangul: 소리), the latter of which means "sound." However, ''pan ...
story: Simcheongga
is one of the five surviving stories of the Korean ''pansori'' storytelling tradition. The other stories are '' Chunhyangga'', '' Heungbuga'', '' Jeokbyeokga'', and '' Sugungga''.
History
The exact date of when the story was adapted into a pan ...
. He has a long and pointed nose with shark-like teeth. Being a very skilled swordsman, T provides some advice to Mira for the tournament, even revealing he owes his blindness to an encounter with Mira's own family's sword style, Moonlight Sword. His true name is Jeongso Sim.
Development
Author Park Yong-Je majored in cartoon animation at Sunchon National University. Inspired by action genre and ''Dragon Ball
is a Japanese media franchise created by Akira Toriyama in 1984. The Dragon Ball (manga), initial manga, written and illustrated by Toriyama, was serialized in ''Weekly Shōnen Jump'' from 1984 to 1995, with the 519 individual chapters colle ...
'', Park made his debut with "''Tough Guy''" (쎈놈), published on Naver Webtoon from 2008 to 2009. This manhwa, set around high-school brawlers from Park's hometown of Suncheon
Suncheon () (''Suncheon-si'') is a city in South Jeolla Province, South Korea. It is a scenic agricultural and industrial city of around 250,000 people near Suncheon Bay. It is located in the southeastern corner of Jeollanam-do, just over an hour ...
, was well received and inspired him to pursue a "100% totally unrealistic work of action" where high schoolers from all over the world would compete to become ''the God of High School''.
Media
Manhwa
Yongje Park launched ''The God of High School'' in Naver
Naver (Hangul: 네이버) is a South Korean online platform operated by the Naver Corporation. It was launched in 1999 as the first web portal in South Korea to develop and use its own search engine. It was also the world's first operator to in ...
's webtoon platform Naver Webtoon
Webtoon (stylized in all caps) is a South Korean webtoon platform launched in 2004 by Naver Corporation. As the name suggests, it is a platform for posting webtoons, compact digital comics in South Korea.
The platform first launched in Korea as ...
on April 8, 2011. Its first collected volume was published by Imageframe under their Root label on January 31, 2017. ''The God of High School'' was one of the first webtoons to receive official English translations by LINE Webtoon in July 2014.
Volume list
Novel
A spinoff light novel of the webtoon, ''The God of High School:Eclipse'', which was written by Bloody and illustrated by Park Yongje, was launched on Naver
Naver (Hangul: 네이버) is a South Korean online platform operated by the Naver Corporation. It was launched in 1999 as the first web portal in South Korea to develop and use its own search engine. It was also the world's first operator to in ...
's web novel platform Naver Novel, and ran from 2 April 2015 to 28 July 2016.
Game
On 14 August 2014, YD Online announced that they had acquired IP rights
Intellectual property (IP) is a category of property that includes intangible creations of the human intellect. There are many types of intellectual property, and some countries recognize more than others. The best-known types are patents, cop ...
for ''The God of High School'' to develop a game based on the webtoon. A team school battle mobile RPG titled ''The God Of Highschool'' (갓오브하이스쿨) was later released on 25 May 2015.
A music video from the original soundtrack of the game was released on 11 August 2016 on YouTube
YouTube is a global online video platform, online video sharing and social media, social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by ...
with singer Younha
Go Youn-ha (Hangul: 고윤하, Hanja: 高潤荷; born April 29, 1988), known mononymously as Younha, is a South Korean singer-songwriter and record producer. She began her career in 2004 in Japan, where she was nicknamed the "Oricon Comet" for h ...
as lead vocalist. As of July 2020, the video has attracted over 7 million views.
A 3D mobile RPG game titled ''G.O.H -The God Of Highschool'' (G.O.H - 갓오브하이스쿨) developed by SN games Corp., was released on 19 July 2016, with an English version released on 12 September 2018. Jin Mo-ri was voiced by Kang Soo-jin, who is well-known as the Korean voice actor of Luffy
, also known as , is a fictional character and the main protagonist of the ''One Piece'' manga series, created by Eiichiro Oda. Luffy made his debut as a young boy who acquires the properties of rubber after accidentally eating one of the devil f ...
from ''One Piece
''One Piece'' (stylized in all caps) is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Eiichiro Oda. It has been serialized in Shueisha's ''shōnen'' manga magazine ''Weekly Shōnen Jump'' since July 1997, with its individual chapte ...
''.
In addition, the characters of Jin Mo-ri, Yu Mi-ra and Park Il-pyo appear as playable characters on I.O. Entertainment's 3D combat P.C. ''Lost Saga
''Lost Saga'' was a free-to-play 3D fighting game developed by I.O. Entertainment. The game featured characters from science fiction, culture, and real-world history, and offered players the ability to switch characters on the fly to improve gam ...
''.
A cross-webtoon RPG game titled ''Hero Cantare'' was released in 2019, featuring ''The God of High School'' and other popular titles such as ''Tower of God
''Tower of God'' () is a South Korean manhwa released as a webtoon written and illustrated by S.I.U. It has been serialized in Naver Corporation's webtoon platform Naver Webtoon since June 2010, with the individual chapters collected and publish ...
'' and ''Hardcore Leveling Warrior''.
Anime
An anime
is Traditional animation, hand-drawn and computer animation, computer-generated animation originating from Japan. Outside of Japan and in English, ''anime'' refers specifically to animation produced in Japan. However, in Japan and in Japane ...
television series adaptation was announced in February 2020. MAPPA
is a Japanese animation studio headquartered in Suginami, Tokyo. Founded in 2011 by Madhouse co-founder and producer Masao Maruyama, it has produced anime works including ''Terror in Resonance'', ''Yuri!!! on Ice'', ''In This Corner of the Wo ...
animated the series and Sola Entertainment provided production management. The anime is directed by Sunghoo Park, with scripts by Kiyoko Yoshimura, Manabu Akita designing the characters, and Alisa Okehazama composing the music. The opening theme is "Contradiction feat. Tyler Carter
Derek Tyler Carter (born December 30, 1991) is an American musician, singer, songwriter and record producer from Gainesville, Georgia. He is most notable for being the former vocalist and founding member of American metalcore band Issues. Car ...
" by KSUKE, and the ending theme is "WIN." by CIX. It aired from July 6 to September 28, 2020 on Tokyo MX
JOMX-DTV, branded as Tokyo MX (officially stylized as TOKYO MX), is an independent television station in Tokyo, Japan, owned by the . It is the only television station that exclusively serves the city. It competes with Nippon TV, TV Asahi, NH ...
and AT-X in Japan, and on Aniplus and Naver Series On in South Korea. Crunchyroll
Crunchyroll is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service owned by Sony through a joint venture between Sony Pictures and Sony Music Entertainment Japan's Aniplex. The service primarily distributes films and tel ...
is on the production committee of the series and simulcasts the Japanese broadcast of the anime. Muse Communication
Muse Communication Co., Ltd. (also known simply as Muse) is a Taiwanese distributor and licensor that specializes in the distribution of anime. Based in Xinzhuang District, New Taipei City, the company also distributes Asian and European films i ...
has licensed the series in Southeast Asia and South Asia and released on its Muse Asia YouTube channel and iQIYI. On August 11, 2020, Crunchyroll announced that the series would receive an English dub and premiere on August 24, 2020. Viz Media
VIZ Media LLC is an American manga publisher, anime distributor and entertainment company headquartered in San Francisco, California. It was founded in 1986 as VIZ LLC. In 2005, VIZ LLC and ShoPro Entertainment merged to form the current VIZ M ...
will release the series on home video
Home video is prerecorded media sold or rented for home viewing. The term originates from the VHS and Betamax era, when the predominant medium was videotapes, but has carried over to optical disc formats such as DVD, Blu-ray and streaming me ...
.
The anime also has an easter egg in it, where the fighting ring has the Crunchyroll and the Naver Webtoon
Webtoon (stylized in all caps) is a South Korean webtoon platform launched in 2004 by Naver Corporation. As the name suggests, it is a platform for posting webtoons, compact digital comics in South Korea.
The platform first launched in Korea as ...
logos on it, implying that the competition is sponsored by them.
Reception
Nicole Mejias of Crunchyroll
Crunchyroll is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service owned by Sony through a joint venture between Sony Pictures and Sony Music Entertainment Japan's Aniplex. The service primarily distributes films and tel ...
said that the series, when on Line Webtoon
Webtoon (stylized in all caps) is a South Korean webtoon platform launched in 2004 by Naver Corporation. As the name suggests, it is a platform for posting webtoons, compact digital comics in South Korea.
The platform first launched in Korea as ...
was an easy sell as it evoked memories of "classic school battling anime" like ''Tenjho Tenge
, also written as ''Tenjo Tenge'', is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Oh! great. The story primarily focuses on the members of the Juken Club and their opposition, the Executive Council, which is the ruling student body ...
'' and fighting games, saying that the series has "top-notch" action with "gorgeous art," along with "various martial arts and skills" from the main cast.
See also
* Taekkyon
Taekkyon, Taekgyeon, Taekkyeon, or Taekyun (Korean: 태껸/ 택견/ 托肩, ) is a traditional Korean martial art.
It is characterized by fluid, dynamic foot movement called "''pum balki''" or Stepping-on-Triangles. Taekkyon includes hands and ...
* Korean Wave
Notes
References
External links
The God of High School
on Naver Webtoon
The God of High School
on Line Webtoon
Yongje Park's Blog
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:God of High School, The
2010s webtoons
2011 webtoon debuts
2020 anime television series debuts
Anime based on manhwa
Comedy anime and manga
Crunchyroll Originals
MAPPA
Martial arts anime and manga
Muse Communication
South Korean webtoons
Supernatural anime and manga
Television shows based on South Korean webtoons
Television series based on multiple mythologies