Part One.

My criteria for a good villain is based 100% on my personal, garbage opinions but basically:

1. Their removal would affect the plot
2. They undergo some change/character development, for better or for worse, as the story progresses
3. We see different sides of their personality – aka they are presented as complex individuals, who have some good aspects, or we get enough back-story on them that we understand the motives behind their actions
4. They have some sort of personal goal/motivation that goes beyond, “for the sake of being chaotic and evil.”
5. They aren’t so OP that no one can defeat them except by random chance or luck
6. They’re not so weak that they aren’t a challenge for the hero

*Spoilers, also I own nothing. Not even my own soul*

(Seong-je Geum) Wolf Keum

• threw hands with Donald Na twice (impressive as Donald says when he fights someone, he beats them thoroughly so they don’t challenge him again)
• was Donald’s fav
• red blazer instills fear in the hearts of those who see it
• has beef with Grape and it’s always on sight
• 3 seconds, bam
• doesn’t like pretty boys who cry when he fights them
• is smarter than he initially seems (noticed Jared Sun’s face/realized Rowan wouldn’t have kept lying)
• beat up Jared Sun
• probably would’ve killed Jimmy, despite having recently gotten whooped by both Gray Yeon and Donald Na
• seems to be a decent friend. After his skull was cracked, Red Hair is like “u good bro?!?” and looks genuinely concerned. They’re also seen vibing together.

After losing to the White Mamba, Wolf’s just like, “what a funny dude,” which is an odd reaction to getting knocked unconscious with a potted plant.

Wolf Keum seems to be teetering on the edge of leaving the Union. Given he’s one of the few characters who seemed somewhat humbled by their beating who seems to respect the strength of those who beat him instead of being petty about it, it’ll be interesting to see if he goes round 3 with Donald.

Wolf Keum’s Rating: 8.5/10

(Gong-sam) Sam Lee/Grape

• Doesn’t like being called Sam, so he goes by Grape I guess because his hair is purple.

• Grape seems like a decent friend given he’s lost multiple fights but is always seen vibing with the same folks.
• He can throw hands.
• He was mad jelly Gray Yeon did what he could only dream of doing, which was murder beat up Wolf Keum.

Grape’s notable for always looking woefully resigned cause with Wolf it’s always on sight, no matter the location, situation, doesn’t matter who else is around either. Wolf’s dislike of Grape is so palpable and notorious even Long Hair of the Mok-ha duo is like, “dude, why’d you beat him after he got trashed already lmao,” (and Long Hair is bat-crazy)

In a way, Grape’s pitiful despite generally being a jerk because Wolf seems to be violently yandere for him and unless he moves to another country city or dies, it doesn’t seem like he’s gonna be able to escape him anytime soon.

Grape’s Rating: 7/10

(Hak-ho) Jake Ji

• Jake is basically Ben with red hair.
• Crouching Moron, Hidden Bad-Ass.
• Likes manga, specifically One Piece
• Has a solid group of ride or dies (Dean, Wings of Peace, Glasses Dude No. 2)
• Got (narrowly) whooped by Ben Park and admitted he lost
• Wasn’t really mad about losing to Ben
• Protected trash Naksung from Zombie Ben
• Really only joined the Union for the sake of his brother, Kenny
• Watched Gray and Wolf clobber one another from atop a building
• Has fabulous taste in hats

One thing I appreciate is how the author often draws Jake’s expressions – he goes from looking very lively, affable, and goofy one second, to looking like he’ll rip your eyeballs out the next (because he will). It’s enough to intimidate even Glasses Dude No. 3 (Kingsley). He loses some likeability for beating up Gerard Jin prior to fighting Ben Park, though this is likely because he knew Ben would only fight seriously if one of his homies got clapped.

Jake is different from the other top dogs as Jimmy was pissed he lost to Ben and sought revenge, and Wolf is generally just a blood knight. But Jake doesn’t involve himself in needless fighting (even Eugene comments that he’s not like other girls dudez). His friends seem to genuinely like him, and they’re seen joking around and talking about things non-Union/fighting related.

Jake Ji ‘s Rating: 9.7/10

(Sehan) Forrest Lee

• Fights Teddy and Alex and almost wins – the dude has hands
• Took Myles Joo’s place as HBIC after he defected (or whatever).

He seems like a True Companion too as he’s mostly always seen vibing with the same crew.

Forrest Lee’s Rating: 4/10

(Seung-jin) Myles Joo

• Hyped up for an entire season only to get brought down at the speed of light by Orichimaru the Mok-ha Duo.

Miles dipped from the Union and doesn’t appear until season 2, but almost everyone knows about him. We don’t know the circumstances of why he left; we barely know what his face looks like, all we know is that he’s uber strong.

Sadly, he wasn’t strong enough to prevent himself from getting clobbered.

Myles Joo’s Rating: 6.3/10

Bryce Oh

Bryce Oh highlights a central theme in Weak Hero: when folks take off their glasses, they become evil.

Bryce Oh is initially a loner, taken in by Saint Stephen Ahn. They get along well enough at first but it’s all downhill once Bryce stops wearing his glasses.

Bryce’s issue was always that he is a worthless, spineless parasite had a severe inferiority complex and wanted acceptance – that’s why he never messed with Gray (because Gray excelled in school, his friendship came with benefits) and why he latched onto Oswald after buying him shoes (cause he was loaded). These traits might make him pitiable but he also desired power. This put him at odds with Stephen, who was content to be nice whether it benefitted him directly or nah. Eventually, those odds turned into resentment once his inferiority complex kicked in and when given an outlet for that resentment, he took it out in the form of bullying.

Bryce Oh is one of those characters who, despite my tendency to be enamored by the absolute worst (fictional) characters, is very difficult to sympathize with because there wasn’t much of a reason given for him betraying Stephen and he didn’t even seem a little sorry for, ya know, nearly killing someone who considered him a friend.

His actions inadvertently give birth to the White Mamba though.

Bryce Oh’s Rating: 6.5/10

Oswald Yang

Oswald Yang was trash from the start, so unlike Bryce who was at one point Saint Stephen’s friend, Oswald was a classic silver spoon using their privilege to bully others.

The disturbing thing is how realistic Oswald’s story is – the school does everything to cover bullying that resulted in someone becoming a vegetable because Father Yang is important and has money. It’s something we see in real life all the time – the law being used to protect the wealthy instead of enacting justice.

#putOswaldYangandBryceOhinjail2021

Oswald Yang’s Rating: 2.7/10

(Jeongwon Seon) Jared Sun

• basically Phillip Kim lite
• has 0 fighting abilities
• lied about everything
• is not loyal – stole money, framed Rowan resulting in him and Eugene getting a beatdown
• is generally why Gray ended up in the hospital and Wolf not only got KO’d with a potted plant, but also inadvertently the reason he got beaten by Donald Na as that situation resulted in Wolf wanting to dip

Much like Phillip and Oswald, he’s born with a silver spoon and uses his privilege to belittle others. He also dug his own grave by being a titanic terror to Chicken Place Dude and his Son. At least those those like Jimmy, Wolf, Forrest, etc. risk their physical health by fighting to gain power, Jared was content sit on the sidelines while others got wrecked.

Jared Sun’s Rating: 3.7/10

(Baek-jin) Donald Na

• looks like a vampire, which is fitting given he essentially sucks the will out of everyone he encounters via fear and fists.
• seems to be an orphan.
• has beaten the snot out of pretty much every top fighter in Weak Hero without breaking a sweat sans maybe Jake as he seemed to have joined “willingly”
• is like what… 16? 17? And is working with other adults and basically running an empire lol
• is super smart, having created an impossible math question
• puts effort into styling his hair
• has some sick tattoos and jewelry
• good fashion sense
• nice office with a good view
• good with business – he’s making $$$ enough to pay like several different schools

In some ways he’s like Phillip Kim except Donald could for sure kill anyone who challenges him. Like Phillip, Donald’s power is very tenuous in the sense that Jake is only with the Union for Kenny, Wolf had to be beaten into staying, Myles already dipped, and while Jimmy is terrified of Donald, that’s not stopping him from looking for a way out either. All those schools aren’t following Donald so much as following their respective leaders who’ve mostly been beaten or coerced into following Donald. And Ben still won’t join despite having gotten whooped by Donald once. All in all, he’s sort of built his empire on sand.

Speaking of hair, it’s notable that since season 2 began, Donald’s mane is no longer nicely coiffed but usually down, giving him a more sober, unkempt appearance. Is this a sign he’s starting to crack?

Only time will tell.

Donald Na’s Rating: Ben Park’s Sledgehammer Fists KOing Forrest Lee/10

There are more, like Mok-ha, etc. but this it already long and no one’s gonna read it anyway.