Running Man (Animated TV series)

"Running Man" (런닝맨) is an animated version of the popular South Korean variety show of the same name, set in an animal kingdom. The main storyline centers around Charming Gold's 100th Annual Running Man Championship, which features a series of team and individual competitions. In these competitions, seven animals from each tribe represent their respective tribes. This series was produced by SIDUS under LOCUS.
The series consists of two seasons, and due to its success, it inspired a movie adaptation titled "Running Man: Revengers." 
==Plot==
===Season 1===
The soul tree, the greatest power source, gave birth to their race. But people wanted its power to be all their own. This led to endless wars between the tribes. Tortured by the agonies of the wars, the tribes' leaders finally came to a peace agreement that they would instead open a competition known as the Running Man Championship. One player from each tribe will compete with the winner being awarded the materion (the fruit of the Soul tree).
This season takes place in the 100th season of the Running Man Championship. The host was chosen to be Charming Gold. With the following as competitors:-
 Running Man Participants 
Name 	Tribe 	Real-life animal
Liu 	Bug Tribe 	Grasshopper
Kuga 	Bars tribe 	Tiger
Gai 	Mong tribe 	Monkey
Miyo 	Nya-Nya tribe	Cat
Lonky	Giraffe Tribe	Giraffe
Popo 	Peng tribe 	Penguin
Pala 	Impa tribe 	Impala
The participants competed in various solo and group competitions until about episode 24, when it was revealed that Gai, one of the contestants, was working under Charming Gold as "Man X." He was guaranteed to win the competition as long as he followed Charming Gold's orders.
Gai complied with every command until the final team match, where many of the contestants were seriously injured. Although he was expected to win that match, Gai instead allowed Popo, Lonki, and Pala to win, which qualified all seven members for the finals. Afterward, he confronted Charming Gold and refused to continue working under him, prompting Charming Gold to initiate Plan B.
This plan involved the true best warriors from each tribe, most of whom had been hypnotized alongside Gai, forming a group nicknamed "DV7." Below are the original members of DV7:
 DV7 Members
Name 	Tribe 	Real-life animal
Shan 	Bug Tribe 	Grasshopper
Makhan 	Bars tribe 	Tiger
Spin 	Mong tribe 	Monkey
Rema 	Nya-Nya tribe	Cat
Alto 	Giraffe Tribe	Giraffe
Kuku 	Peng tribe 	Penguin
Dr. Mala	Impa tribe 	Impala
They were made to compete in 3 games and it was said that if Team Running Man lost, the material would stay in its current state. The Running Man fought and brought everyone to normal. They discover Charming Gold's plan to take the material for himself, which he was successful in, but ended up summoning Ulcus, the God who created the world and the soul tree. He claimed to have come to destroy this world, to maintain the cycle of life and death. The Running Man gave their all and in the end, Ulcus seeing their teamwork gave them another chance and stopped the destruction.
====Episode 49==== 
A secret episode 49 was broadcasted only in South Korea. In which Gai leaves the Running Man team to 'avoid his crimes' and ends with the pululus (the general and most common tribe, most similar to a bird) eyes glowed yellow and kidnapped the Running Man. The main purpose of this episode was to set the foundation for Season 2.
===Season 2===
====Part 1====
The Running Man find themselves in the Old City Stadium. A pululu named Akong blamed the Running Man that they killed their God (Ulcus) because they were jealous of the pululus. They were told that the only way for them to escape their crimes was to compete alongside other various competitors in a multi-round competition named Running Man Survival and that the winner would escape his crimes.
They were told to fight three gatekeepers listed as follows:-
# Vivace (The Gale)
# Ensemble (The Storm)
# Aria (The Rage)
While fighting Vivace, a new character named The Iron Beast was introduced, who was the MVP of that game. Later while fighting Aria, Miyo, Popo and Lonki were eliminated and sent to their death.
There they discover Akong's entire plan. Long ago an evil priest arose who enslaved the entire world and to stop him the kings of the tribes fought against him and locked him away in a seal and the responsibility was given to four peoples (The Gatekeepers and Charming Gold). Akong was that evil priest. When Ulcus arose his destruction broke a part of the seal and to regain his full power, he had used the Running Man to eliminate the gatekeepers while Charming Gold agreed to open the last seal himself.
Akong had regained his full potential and started engulfing the people in the name of power including Pala. Pala's stick which was made out of the wood of the Soul Tree greatly influenced Akong's power and the stick was the only reason they were able to defeat Akong and restore Old City to its normal state.
====Part 2====
After the events of Season 1, the Leo Tribe came and said that they were the rulers of the world and challenged the Running Man for three death matches. Below is a list of the Leo Tribe members alongside the episode in which they made their debut appearance:
 Leo Tribe's members
Name 	Debut appearance	Real-life animal
Manus (The King)	Episode 32 	White Lion
Rex 	Episode 25 	Lion
Kali 	Episode 35 	Lion
Valter 	Episode 35 	Wolf
Lefnardo 	Episode 30 	Giraffe
Taru 	Episode 30 	Fox
Rose 	Episode 30 	Bull
They had more planned than just the death matches. Manus, the king of the Leo Tribe was trying to combine the ultimate watch and the ultimate force ring to seek enough power to rule over everything.
In the last death match, we were introduced to a new character Ninja K (who is heavily linked to Gai) who fought alongside the Running Man. And similar to the last two times, even though Manus was successful he was still defeated.
We also found that Charming Gold had somehow turned into a pululu, and only returned to his original form by the plant found near the soul tree, Materio Veticus. He was the one who helped to activate a shield that prevented Manus' destruction from going outside the stadium in which the fight took place.
After accepting his defeat and his sins, he gave up his desire to be the supreme king and went back with his henchmen to his homeland to 'restart his life'.
===Running Man: Revengers===
Only 2 days are left before the start of the 101st Running Man Championship. This time, the Leo Tribe sent Rex's twin brother Max as the representative of the Leo Tribe. A new character named Pang-Pang(who represents a red panda introduced them to the super belt, which bears immense power.
The next day everyone was competing for the belt. And upon the winner Kuga acquiring the belt, Pang-Pang steals it and equips it for himself.
He told the Running Man how he was bullied by others(Racoon tribe) and how he had planned to bring virtual objects into physical beings.
The Running Man tells him how they will be his friends and helps Pang-Pang to send the objects back as they were in their virtual state.
==Episodes==
 List of seasons
Seasons 	Number of episodes	First aired 	Last aired
Season 1	49 	July 29, 2017 	March 3, 2018
Season 2	48 	January 5,2019	May 2,2020
 List of Movies
Title 	Originally aired
Running Man: Revengers	August 10 2023
==Production==
The show was initially made by SIDUS under LOCUS based on the real-life series also named Running Man. Although that one was far more popular. This series has had different people for different seasons, which someone can make out upon watching the show.
Below is a list of the base production cast for each season/movie:-
===Director===
# 윤준상 (Yun Jun-sang) - Season 1
# 김동철 (Kim Dong-Cheol) - Season 2
# 엄영식 (Young Sik Uhm) - Revengers
# 김다희 (DaHee Kim) - Revengers
===Assistant Director===
# 김동철 (Kim Dong-cheol)
# 안승익 (Ahn Seung-ik)
# 한누리 (Han Nuri)
===Executive Producer===
박세준 (Park Seo-joon/Park Se-joon)
===Producer===
# 남형석 (Hyungseok Nam)
# 권영숙 (Kwon Young-sook)
# 유민종 (Minjung Yu)
===Music===
# 김문석 (Kim Moon-seok)
# 박민우 (Park Min-woo)
# 강희우 (Kang Hee-woo)
# 황주상 (Hwang Ju-sang)
===Voice actors===
 Voice Actors 
Name 	Character(s)
Nam Doh-Hyeong 	
Kwon Chang-wook 	
Kim Seo-Yeong 	
Kang Si-hyeon 	
Kim Yeon-woo 	
Eom Sang-hyeon 	Lonky & Purle Pullulu
Jung yoo-jeong 	Akong & Pang-Pang
Shin Gyeong-soon	
Jeon Tae-yeol 	
Park No-Sik 	Charming Gold
==Broadcasting==
It made its first appearance on Cartoon Network (Asia and The Indian subcontinent) which broadcasted both the seasons. In some countries, its past episodes are still broadcasted to this date.
Later on, it also became available on various OTT apps. Below is a list:-
Season 1
# Apple TV+
# Netflix (in selected regions)
# Tubi TV
Season 2
None
 Running Man: Revengers
#Prime Video (in selected regions) 
#Apple TV+ 
==Ratings==
Running Man has had an overall average rating. 
It has failed to reach a strong audience outside Asia. Its main broadcaster (Cartoon Network) never broadcasts it outside Asia.
Category:Animated films
Category:South Korean animation
Category:Comedy