Outside its dazzling martial arts action, what makesThe God of High Schoolsuch a compelling manhwa and anime is its rich and intricate world-building. Without the particular backstories and connections between characters, the series would beone the best martial arts anime ever. However, because of the world-building, and its unique blend of martial arts, mythology, and supernatural elements, fans are drawn in by the action but stay for the story.
Yongje Park’s TheGod of High Schoolfollows the exploits of Mori Jin – a 17-year-old martial artist from Seoul, South Korea, who is invited to participate in the “God of High School” tournament. LikeDragon Ball Super’sTournament of Power, the competition pits the best martial artists in South Korea against one another to determine who are the top talents. Ultimately, those who win their local and regional sub-tournaments will later face teams from around the country and world to determine the greatest fighter of all.
The God Of High School’s Lore Is Essential To The Narrative
During the tourney, Jin meets and befriends Daewi Han and Mira Yoo. The threesome eventually forms a trio to compete in the national competition. However, the closer they get to success, not only do the competitors in the arena become more difficult to defeat, but the team must increasingly overcome a range of off-court issues that threaten to derail their progress.
WhileThe God Of High School’stournament-style martial arts ranks among the best in anime, an equally captivating element of the story that often tends to get overlooked, is the background details of why theMonkey King-like Jinand other participants. A similarly interesting element is the true purpose behind the competition. Accordingly,one of the most important parts ofThe God of High School’sallure is the mythologyconcerning the reason why the martial artists in the tournament have and need superpowers.
To understand this, it’s important to look back at the world of the series as it existed a million years ago. Then humans, gods, and demons inhabited the same world. At that time, the gods, who lived blissfully on their own were to most powerful group. The demons, while also powerful, were cautious about challenging the gods. The humans, in their primitive state, were quite vulnerable to the demons who often used their special abilities and supernatural powers to prey upon the weak and powerless humans.
Humanity defended itself as best they could, developing warriors trained in martial arts. Despite their efforts, the demons were too strong. As a result, humanity asked the gods for help. Ultimately, thegods granted humanity their wish by establishinga power program, known as Charyeok, where a god would lend some of their power to a human. In return for the grant of power, a human would make certain sacrifices to the god. Regardless of the sacrifices, all lends of power had a mandate that the empowered human could never use their powers against the gods.
In The God Of High School, Power Might Corrupt But It Also Empowers
Humanity Uses Power To Protect Itself From More Powerful Beings
Granting humans power changed the world’s dynamic. As tensions increased between gods, demons, and humans, the gods decided change was needed. A new world was constructed that separated humans, demons, and gods into separate realms. Earth went to humans, the Sage Realm went to the demons, and Heaven went to the gods. With the world divided, the three races were left to their own devices and humanity developed into a modern society. Outside of developing technology, humans also practiced martial arts as a form of protection and self-defense.
Over the centuries, some martial artists became so good, that they arguably could defeat gods and demons just based on human power. While the division of the worlds was ostensibly to decrease the tensions and interference between humans, demons, and gods; it only served to increase the conflict, especially between the demons and gods. Earth, being the weakest realm, often serves as a neutral “area of operations” for demons and gods to forward their plans and machinations against each other and against humanity.
The God Of High School Tournament Is A Front For Something Much More Sinister
Nothing Is As it Seems In The Quest To Find The Greatest Fighter Of Them All
However, unlike in the past, humans aren’t are as vulnerable as before. In addition, to their own human-based means of protection, their efforts are facilitated by the continued and expanded use of Charyeok. Nowhumans can borrow the power of gods, demons, and even human spirits. This all culminates in the God of High School Tournament - which is marketed as a competition to find the best fighter, but is ultimately a venue for gods, demons, and even some humans to actualize their varied plans for power, wealth, fame, fortune, and revenge.
Accordingly, while a participant might enter the competition by simply relying on their martial arts prowess - such as Daewi and Mira, the deeper they go into the tournament and the higher the stakes become for the various “behind the scenes” interests, it’s almost impossible not to “borrow” one or more powers. Secondly, from a purely creative perspective, martial artists having superpowers is the perfect narrative vector to introduce the saga’s tremendously interesting world-building and mythology. Or to put it in a language fans ofThe God Of High Schoolunderstand, the superpowers are the key.
The God of High School
The God of High School is an anime series adapted from the webtoon of the same name by Yongje Park. The show follows high school student Jin Mori and his friends as they compete in an intense martial arts tournament. Each participant wields unique powers, battling for the ultimate prize while uncovering secrets about their own pasts and the tournament’s true purpose. The series blends action-packed battles with elements of mythology and supernatural.
