Webtoon Spotlight

Spotlight#156: Immortal Weakling

Have you ever wanted a redo on life-? Didn't I already do this one? Oh, what the hell? Let's get straight into it; this is a spotlight on Immortal Weakling by Yaruno and Civen.

Summary

On Earth, where people are born with their supernatural power called a Flair, everyone is trying to fight their way to the pinnacle of heroism: the 12 pillars of society. Including Tai has the magical ability of not dying or, more accurately, regenerating after a set "save point," an ability that has left him as nothing more than a punching bag for years.

Still, much like his body, his spirit seems to be immortal, as through his meeting with a powerful telekinetic Nerin, Tai gets another shot to become a superhero once again. Can he rise above the ranks to become a Pillair for the people? Or will he simply be put up against a fate worse than death? Let's find out!

Characters

Tai: Inspired by his father, a man who also tried to become a hero, Tai's grown up to be a brash, arrogant, reckless, and STUBBORN individual. With his ability to "reset" from any wound, Tai is fearless and determined, never letting anyone get in his way of inspiring himself and others to his dream. No matter how much pain his mouth often gets him in.

Nerin: Serving as his polar opposite, Nerin has all the power in the world but none of the confidence. Growing up expecting to continue the family tradition of being a doctor, Nerin was roused out of her self-doubt through Tai, gradually evolving into a kindhearted, determined, and sociable young girl.

Overview

Immortal Weakling is a story I've got a lot of history with. I remember catching up with the webtoon on canvas around 2019-2020 before it all got deleted to the completed version we have today. And I like what I see. Immortal Weakling immediately throws us into the main story without missing a beat, with Nerin and Tai getting immediately fast-tracked to the hero course.

Since said course is multi-staged worldwide, we get a ton of nuggets of knowledge nudged into our noggins about how this superhuman society works. Through the eyes of their fellow hero applicants, we see a world that props up the 12 pillars almost like gods, to the point where people often tool all their problems on them.

Complacency and laziness are so bad that some pillars have been on the job for decades as other heroes of superhuman entities are pushed to the side, themes I'm sure will become more important as time passes. But I guess going back to basics for a second, our main gimmick, is also great.

If executed correctly, I've always found that Regeneration as a superpower could be a gross, awesome, and terrifying power when paired up with a good protagonist (e.g., Undead Unluck). The same goes here, though, as half the fun of the series is seeing how each character tries using their unique abilities in unique ways.

Nerin's telekinesis allows her to create many invisible constructs and powerful devastation, but her lack of experience and confidence severely holds her back. Tai's regeneration seems almost infinite, but since this regeneration includes the torn muscle fibers you'd get exercising, it means he can never get stronger than where he is now. His reckless and simple-minded attitude doesn't help either.

However, it's the challenges and people they encounter, plus their relationship, that form the beating heart of this story. The subtle influences they leave on each other and others make the simple struggles of the characters engaging. Immortal Weakling is a webtoon combined with fun-as-hell fights and the inkling of a more dangerous plot in the background. I'm excited that it has new legs.

Epilogue

All in all, Immortal Weakling is a simple but fun superhero story. Now that it's a webtoon original, I hope to see the best possible version of this story finally. And considering its unrelenting nature, I think it'll be hard even after we shine the spotlight on someone else.