Hobin Yu, a high school underdog, starts recording his fights against bullies, monetizing his videos to pay off his debt and using these encounters to gain internet fame. The protagonist is far from a typical hero—he’s weak, cowardly, and a pushover, which makes his initial struggles feel authentic. His growth throughout the first volume is both realistic and compelling, showing how he learns to build confidence and stand up for himself in a society that places a heavy emphasis on online validation. Interesting premise of school kids calling out their bullies and posting on YouTube with a good dose of action. Strong first volume. I’m hoping future volumes explore the issues of online culture and a society obsessed with the next viral sensation while continuing to provide fight breakdowns.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Webtoon Unscrolled for the advanced reader copy!

I know I'm not a fan of action without some type of romance involved but I wanted to check this out and overall it was entertaining and as always I liked the art but it wasn't for me.

Why did it grow on me ???

I don’t know how else to describe it other than a hot mess of a webtoon you want to hate but somehow keep reading—and then suddenly realize you’re kind of into it. It’s like the reality TV of webtoons: you watch it because it’s entertaining, but you can’t wrap your head around the fact that real people might actually act like that.

I’ll give this a solid three stars. Honestly, after the first few slides, I thought I was going to hate it, but I ended up being entertained. I especially liked how the MC fully leaned into ‘being a loser.’

This one also ended quite abruptly, which caught me by surprise.

&, the instant regret after buying a ‘luxury’ item like a ‘Kucchi’ tracksuit? So real. I own a single Chanel wallet I never use because, seriously, who actually uses such an expensive item? I’ll happily stick to being a bum, thank you.

TL;DR: Hated all the characters, the story was weird, but I was still entertained. 3/5.

*Blog post scheduled for March 19th, 2025

This just wasn’t for me. Very childish and sounded like they were trying way too hard to sound cool.

Viral Hit is about a high schooler that is bullied by popular kids who are also streamers. As a kid who's trying to support his mom while she's hospitalized, he realizes that inorder to make more money, he must also stream. So he starts streaming his fights.

This webtoon did not meet my expectations. Extremely unrealistic and odd, it missed its mark with me. The art style, while good, is extremely off-putting.

I do think there's an audience for this webtoon, I'm just not it.

Thank you to NetGalley and Wattpad/Webtoon Group for the e-arc!

Viral Hit is the story of Hobin Yu, a high schooler trying to rise from the bottom of his school hierarchy by streaming his fights. I was not familiar with this author's previous work but this one caught my eye. Watching Hobin get fed up with the bullying and taking a stand was great to see and he didn't back down. I feel like most protagonists in this situation would back down or like give up but he stands on business. I do wonder how things will go as this volume ended on a cliffhanger. If you like action or fighting series, then this will be the one for you.

Though the art style was good, and the writing wasn't terrible this wasn't really my thing. If you're into movies like "Fight Club" or just fighting in general, you'll probably enjoy this but for me I don't think I'll be giving volume 2 a chance after finishing volume 1.

Hobin is not the most likeable main character, but I actually think that works in this book. Really, none of the characters are likeable and I think that helps me root for the fighting a bit more that way.

The art style is extremely detailed. It is admittedly not a style I love, but you can see the time and effort that went into it.

Action and fighting graphic novels are not my favourite, so I know I am not the target audience for this book. For those who do love those books, I think this has a lot of great features that will really appeal to them.

firstly, thank you to the publisher for an arc!!

viral hit has an interesting and relevant plot (young adults vying for a claim to fame through becoming a streamer/influencer) but i was turned off through the inconsistent writing/unexpected scene changes.

also, unfortunately, i was not a fan of the art style

This first volume covers chapters 1-8 of the webtoon and introduces a group of school kids who expose local bullies on their YouTube channel to make money and pay off debt. The story focuses on the main character as he learns how to fight, build confidence, and work toward his goals—including pursuing the girl he likes.

While I didn’t find the characters particularly compelling in this volume, the story had enough twists and turns to keep things interesting. The livestreaming and YouTube angle is a unique concept, but it didn’t feel fully explored yet. On the bright side, the art style is clean and enjoyable, adding to the overall reading experience. It’s a solid start, but I’m hoping for more depth and character development in the next volume.

*Thank you NetGalley for allowing me to read an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review!