Viral Hit Episode 11: Trading one villain for another

Viral Hit Episode 11 sees plenty of twists and turns to Hobin's life and Viral Hit's growth. It was released on June 20, 2024, in Japan, and everywhere else on Crunchyroll on June 19. The episode features the confrontation with The Comedy Crew that has been brewing since episode 9, the start of the conflict against the behemoth Mangi Hwang, and the surprising return of one other villain.

The episode proves Hobin has come further than anyone expected him to, and that he's not alone in fighting off people since Munseong Kim shows off his abilities likewise. Although he may be biting off more than he can chew against Mangi, help comes from unexpected sources twice throughout Viral Hit episode 11.

Viral Hit episode 11: The Crew, the Behemoth, and the help

Viral Hit vs. The Comedy Crew

Viral Hit episode 11: Victory against the Comedy Crew (Image via Okuruto Noboru)

Viewers may recall in episode 10 that Hobin's attempt at intimidation completely failed owing to his insole coming off. This meant he had to fight The Comedy Crew three-on-one without Samdak's help. Viral Hit episode 11 shows Hobin's growth by showing how falling back on his prior moves helped him out.

As Kim explained to a group of his friends, Hobin practiced the calf kick 10,000 times in a month. Kim's master and MMA Triple Champion, Logan Gracie, explained in English that Hobin's intimidation and the calf kicks to the Comedy Crew's lackeys helped to stop them in their tracks.

In addition, Gaeul also lent a hand by putting one of the Comedy Crew into the Baseball Choke from episode 8. Snapper and Gaeul were both pleased that it all ended well, but Hobin felt like he was enjoying the fighting. Viral Hit's new video got 2.3 million views, got them over 210 thousand subscribers, and got The Comedy Crew's Newtube shut down. It was a victory well earned.

The behemoth: Mangi Hwang

Viral Hit episode 11: Mangi Hwang (Image via Okuruto Noboru)

As if Viral Hit's problems weren't large enough, Bomi's stalker from episode 9 returns with a vengeance. Hwang stalks Bomi and finally corners her, but before things can escalate any further, Munseong Kim comes to her rescue again. Hwang isn't Pakgo, however, and even putting Hwang in an armbar isn't enough to stop the mountain of a man.

Kim compares Hwang to fighting a boar, and the massive wrestler doesn't disappoint. When Hobin comes in charging and screaming like a madman in a blind rage, Hwang easily grabs him by the neck, lifts him fully off the ground, and chokeslams him onto the road. It is such a hard move that it causes Hobin to black out. Hwang even filmed it to add insult to injury.

Following that horrific encounter, everyone tells Hobin not to fight Hwang. Bomi, Snapper, Gaeul, and even Samdak say an amateur can't defeat a champion grappler.

Despite their advice and aid in avoiding the conflict, Hobin decides to challenge Hwang. Hobin runs the risk of serious injury or outright death because he's starting to get addicted to fighting and the adrenaline high. It's implied there's pride on the line too.

The unexpected help

The unexpected aid that helps Hobin prepare for his duel with the massive behemoth comes from Taehun, the sadist, who tormented him in episodes 6, 7, and 8. Taehun starts by mercilessly back-kicking Hobin and demanding Snapper come out, only for Hobin to reveal that he came alone.

After taking a moment to catch his breath, as Taehun's back kick still hurt even with Hobin's backpack full of textbooks blunting the blow, Hobin appears to gain Taehun's favor. He does so by saying that Taekwondo is the best fighting style he's ever faced, causing Taehun's eyes to widen in surprise and him to accept Hobin as his disciple.

The preview for episode 12 states firmly this may not be as good an experience as Hobin thinks it'll be. Despite needing his help, Taehun appears to be making the training as difficult as possible. On the other hand, he may genuinely be starting to warm up to Hobin. But that will potentially be explored when episode 12 comes out.

Final thoughts

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Viral Hit episode 11 has a lot going on in it: the downfall of The Comedy Club, the Hwang encounter, the fallout of the Hwang encounter, and Hobin going to Taehun for fighting lessons. The rapid-fire pacing, excising the recaps, opening, and closing, makes the episodes go by quickly.

What this means is that barring another cliffhanger, Viral Hit's first season might end with Hobin vs. Hwang. This would be a good place to end things, showing how Hobin has improved from barely being able to beat Snapper in episode 1. Like everything up to this point, however, the fight against the monster behemoth Mangi Hwang is not going to be easy.

When even an experienced MMA fighter like Munseong Kim has trouble fighting Hwang, an amateur like Hobin would normally be eaten alive. The fact that Hwang has no trouble beating multiple enemies, is a champion at Ssriem wrestling, and is larger than all of Hobin's prior opponents combined, also adds to the challenge. Fans will need to tune in to episode 12 to see how Hobin survives.