“Weak Hero Class 2” Surges Past Season 1 with Triple the Buzz, Hitting New Heights
“Weak Hero Class 2” debuted to explosive buzz, immediately climbing to 2nd place in the latest TV topic rankings released by Good Data Corporation. According to Data PD Won Soon-woo on April 29, the new season’s first-week buzz score was more than 3 times higher than its predecessor — a leap that’s drawing major attention across the industry.
Adapted from the popular Naver Webtoon, the 1st season of “Weak Hero Class” K-drama first aired in 2022 and became a cult hit for its realistic portrayal of school violence, trauma, and loyalty. Now, nearly three years later, Season 2 continues protagonist Yeon Si-eun’s journey as he transfers to a new school, still haunted by past failures and driven to never let history repeat itself.
If season 1 contained Yeon Si-eun’s growing pains, season 2 deals with the changes that follow. Director Yoo Soo-min, who helms both the writing and directing, described the central theme of the new season as _“reconciliation”, _not only with others, but also with oneself and the world.
Actor Park Ji-hoon, reprising his role as Yeon Si-eun, said he worked intensely to portray “the pain in his eyes” when confronting deeper violence and loss. “Please follow the process to watch over who he (Yeon Si-eun) meets, what kind of battles he fights, and how he changes,” the actor teased.
To build anticipation, Netflix re-released season 1 globally in March. That effort paid off — it attracted 6.7 million global viewers, ranking #2 among non-English series worldwide, and entered the Top 10 in 70 countries.
Meanwhile, in the drama topic rankings, also released on April 29, “Resident Playbook” (tvN) held onto first place despite a slight drop in buzz. this is thanks to cast members Go Yoon-jung and Jung Joon-won, who ranked 1st and 2nd in individual topicality, respectively.
Additionally, “Weak Hero Class 2” (Netflix) came in 2nd, followed by “When Life Gives You Tangerines” (Netflix), which is still hot in week 8, with 20% more topicality than “Squid Game Season 2”.
In 4th place is the “New Recruit Season 3” (ENA), which has been Holding strong for 3 consecutive weeks, and is now ENA’s second-most talked-about drama after “Extraordinary Attorney Woo”. Finally, “Heavenly Ever After” (JTBC) rose 65% in buzz from the previous week, catching viewers’ attention fast and assuming 5th place.
Over all, with powerful performances, raw storytelling, and a theme that digs deeper than ever, “Weak Hero Class 2” is not just surpassing its own shadow — it’s shaping up to be one of the defining Korean drama hits of 2024.
