Character Son Hak Discussion

[Cat Sidhe26]

Seeing that there is no discussion tread about Hak I decided to make one so we can all discuss Son Hak (the Thunder Beast).

 

[@Aylinn]

I think that his character seriously suffers from the fact that his life revolves too much around Yona. It would have been much better and more interesting if, for example, he had some goal, unconnected with Yona, though it can be similar, which he would strive to achieve.

For example, like the characters of Nodame Cantabile where both characters are interested in classical music.

Or even in Akatsuki no Yona. It seems that Su-won and Lily may end up together and they both want to help the country and the people, so it is possible to show how they both try to achieve it.

I think it is never good when someone does not have passions, etc. and their lives mainly revolves around romance, be it a man or a woman.

Not to mention that better characterization will make the characters more interesting and the story more interesting, since there will be more diversity. It will not just be about: will they or won’t they be together?

 

[SamuelDean]

I often think that this character is a waste of potential. He would have the education Yona lacked, but basically no interest in politics ect...

 

[The Conqueror]

His character revolves too much around yona for me. I would not have minded him to go a seperate path later to be United with the group

 

[Mini_kinkin]

Hak...well I could write a whole essay on Hak lol.

Anyway my favourite part about Hak is his loyalty. Initially it is his loyalty towards Yona, Il and also Soo-Won. After being betrayed by Soo-Won, he is know fully loyal to Yona, dragons and Yoon. He is also still loyal to the Wind Tribe and has mentioned he will always go to save them in times of need.

Hak provides several comic relief moments in the manga, without him I feel the manga wouldn't be very light-hearted and more on the serious side. I absolutely love how he takes everyone's case and teases everyone - especially Kija, Jaeha, Yona and even Mundok sometimes :P. Hak is an extremely reliable person who is always there for his dear ones when they need him, and really beats himself up if he can't protect them. I feel he is sometimes too sincere in this aspect for his own good.

Sure Hak was living in his own illusions in the beginning, about Yona and Soo-Won getting together and how he would serve them till the day he died. But now that it has broken, he is trying his best to rationalize what Soo-Won did and even find ways to get over it taking inspiration from Yona.

People criticize Hak saying he doesn't care for the country as much as the other two characters...I say what's wrong in that? Not everyone in life is patriotic. I think it's more important to be a good person than be patriotic, and Hak is a great person who protects his family and uses his strength to protect others (for example, villagers) when needed. Hak never wanted anything to do with royalty in anycase, he somehow got involved. He is slowly trying to understand what exactly his purpose is in life. His initial purpose was to serve Soo-Won and Yona and his tribe, then after Il's death only to protect Yona and his tribe, but now he wants to protect the dragons, Yona and Yoon and also his tribe. So his world is slowly expanding. It will be interesting to see if he forgives Soo-Won and comes to terms with his own demons by the end of the manga.

 

[@Aylinn]

I think that the problem with Hak is that we mostly got his relationship with Yona. If someone is not invested in this couple that there is basically next to nothing to like about Hak. Or rather it used to be like this, it is better now.

I suppose that it is something that could have been better balanced if, for example, his friendship with Su-won was given more coverage and/or if he actually expressed some opinions on the country’s state. I mean he could acknowledge that Su-won is doing well and still condemn Su-won’s way of obtaining the throne and hate Su-won for what he did. It would even fit, especially since he does not know that Su-won had a personal grudge against Il as Yona has never told him that.

Also, as I said somewhere else in this forum, I think it would be interesting if he and Yona admitted that they were building castles in the sky. Everything indicates that instead of paying attention to reality they were daydreaming about a beautiful future happiness with Su-won while ignoring signals that it may never happen\building it on no solid grounds and it ended as it often ends, with a brutal reality check.

Come to think of it Hak and Yona remind me of the duellists from Utena.

 

[Mini_kinkin]

I think that the problem with Hak is that we mostly got his relationship with Yona. If someone is not invested in this couple that there is basically next to nothing to like about Hak. Or rather it used to be like this, it is better now.

I suppose that it is something that could have been better balanced if, for example, his friendship with Su-won was given more coverage and/or if he actually expressed some opinions on the country’s state. I mean he could acknowledge that Su-won is doing well and still condemn Su-won’s way of obtaining the throne and hate Su-won for what he did. It would even fit, especially since he does not know that Su-won had a personal grudge against Il as Yona has never told him that.

Also, as I said somewhere else in this forum, I think it would be interesting if he and Yona admitted that they were building castles in the sky. Everything indicates that instead of paying attention to reality they were daydreaming about a beautiful future happiness with Su-won while ignoring signals that it may never happen\building it on no solid grounds and it ended as it often ends, with a brutal reality check.

Come to think of it Hak and Yona remind me of the duellists from Utena.

Hak is not someone who is a deep thinker, in fact he acts more than he thinks. When he gets down to thinking, poor guy, he gets really sad/angry. Especially about Soo-Won.

Hak is still emotional about Soo-Won and is not magnanimous like Yona to easily move on from that night and acknowledge Soo-Won as a king. However, he is still trying to draw inspiration from Yona and Jaeha and try to think about his country first before his own needs.

Anyway, it's not only about romance, it's his relationship with the dragons and Yoon. He also has a special bond with Jaeha. The thing is, if the dragons, Yoon, Yona and the interactions with each other are not interesting to the reader - then Hak won't be interesting too. For me, all their interactions are hilarious, touching and memorable. It's why I picked up this manga after all. There is plenty to like about Hak from that angle, as I mentioned above - his loyalty, sincerity, lovely funny moments and the will to protect his loved ones unconditionally. For me, this manga without Hak would have been dull, not funny and with less emotional value overall. Just another strategy/revenge/warfare type of manga.

 

[@Aylinn]

As for Hak and Yona, I think such realization can only make them good in the long run. Realizing it means that the person has bigger chances of not repeating the mistake again and being saved from future brutal wake ups to reality.

Well, true I have never liked the dragons much. Maybe Je-ha when he appeared, but after the Awa arc I didn’t find him so interesting. Zeno is ok, but it is rather cliché for an immortal person to want to die, so I don’t find him interesting either.

I also agree that Hak has rather likeable traits and is presented as a likeable person. The problem is I don’t care about characters being likeable that much, though I certainly don’t mind if they are likeable. I want characters to be interesting first and foremost, which means I don’t mind if they are flawed, in fact being flawed usually makes them more interesting. This is also why I don’t like cartoonish characters. The ones that are good, righteous and flawless and the ones that are evil for the sake of being evil. This is also why I like characters like Takumi from Nana or Shigure from Fruits Basket. They are not paragons of virtue, but they sure are interesting and make the stories they are in interesting.

Hak is still emotional about Soo-Won and is not magnanimous like Yona to easily move on from that night and acknowledge Soo-Won as a king. However, he is still trying to draw inspiration from Yona and Jaeha and try to think about his country first before his own needs.

Yeah, as I said, his characterization got better in the recent chapters.

 

[Mini_kinkin]

As for Hak and Yona, I think such realization can only make them good in the long run. Realizing it means that the person has bigger chances of not repeating the mistake again and being saved from future brutal wake ups to reality.

Well, true I have never liked the dragons much. Maybe Je-ha when he appeared, but after the Awa arc I didn’t find him so interesting. Zeno is ok, but it is rather cliché for an immortal person to want to die, so I don’t find him interesting either.

I also agree that Hak has rather likeable traits and is presented as a likeable person. The problem is I don’t care about characters being likeable that much, though I certainly don’t mind if they are likeable. I want characters to be interesting first and foremost, which means I don’t mind if they are flawed, in fact being flawed usually makes them more interesting. This is also why I don’t like cartoonish characters. The ones that are good, righteous and flawless and the ones that are evil for the sake of being evil. This is also why I like characters like Takumi from Nana or Shigure from Fruits Basket. They are not paragons of virtue, but they sure are interesting and make the stories they are in interesting.

Yeah, as I said, his characterization got better in the recent chapters.

Yes, I do like interesting characters too that don't have to be totally good. For example, the main lead in Gone Girl. Even Nana and Ren in Nana, for that matter, had tonnes of flaws but I loved them. Takumi is a different story lol. But I also hated Nobu - I don't know why people liked him.

Anyway, even finding something interesting is subjective. Though I do get your point about flaws, and Hak has shown some of them recently like you said the characterization did get better.

 

[lindananahayashida]

hak is a very nice character n all.. but i dont particularly feel anything special towards him..

but yes.. one thing does bother me.. n that is.. him being portrayed stronger than every general.. n even that wouldn't be a problem if he didnt two shot them lol! tbh.. i feel like the dragons shouldve been portrayed a bit stronger than him..

his character seems to be only interesting cause he is super strong and yonas potential lover.. even taking one of them away would hamper his character by a lot..

i liked his character when he faught against almost 50 people.. n almost lost.. it made him look very heroic n all.. but him being on the dragons level.. who are supposedly able to take down a lot of soldiers without much trouble seems a bit too much..

i wouldve liked it if he gave ju-doh n gun-tae a tough fight before winning.. but from the moment he two shotted ju-doh.. he completely lost my interest.. as if he is at the mercy of being the strongest character and his love for yona to be relevant.. but that doesn't mean i hate him.. or anything.. its just he doesnt really interest me anymore..

another thing that bothers me.. is how yona is able to handle soo won but he cant.. it just seems like the author is trying too hard.. i mean.. it may sound mean.. but its the hardest for the person who used to love to sort out their feelings.. that person is yona.. to me.. hak shouldn't harbour stronger feelings for soo won than yona..

its seems weird.. even tho he is such a positive character yet i can't seem to get interested in him at all..

 

[Mini_kinkin]

another thing that bothers me.. is how yona is able to handle soo won but he cant.. it just seems like the author is trying too hard.. i mean.. it may sound mean.. but its the hardest for the person who used to love to sort out their feelings.. that person is yona.. to me.. hak shouldn't harbour stronger feelings for soo won than yona..

Don't agree with this, actually it's often tougher to get over a friendship than someone you once "loved" - and Yona basically had an infatutuation with Soo-Won and did not truly love him in my opinion. He was just a childhood crush for her. She now truly loves Hak, and now knows what love actually is.

In fact, out of the three, Hak's emotions and resentment seem to be the most realistic, whereas Yona is being quite holier than thou when forgiving Soo-Won and Soo-Won is letting the other two go all the time. So I don't think Kusa is trying to hard, but just being more realistic keeping Hak's strong headed nature in mind.

 

[lindananahayashida]

Don't agree with this, actually it's often tougher to get over a friendship than someone you once "loved" - and Yona basically had an infatutuation with Soo-Won and did not truly love him in my opinion. He was just a childhood crush for her. She now truly loves Hak, and now knows what love actually is.

In fact, out of the three, Hak's emotions and resentment seem to be the most realistic, whereas Yona is being quite holier than thou when forgiving Soo-Won and Soo-Won is letting the other two go all the time. So I don't think Kusa is trying to hard, but just being more realistic keeping Hak's strong headed nature in mind.

while i dont agree with the infatuation.. since an infatuation cant last for years n not develop into love.. when theres no physical relation either..

i think if thats a childhood crush.. then same goes for hak.. since she is still 16.. but i think this will anger most people if i said that lol!

i think its been hinted many times that soo won was her first love..

also.. i dont agree with friendship being harder to get over a broken heart.. in fact.. it doesnt even compare.. i know its hard to accept.. but its the truth.. i have experience with both.. n seen people around me experiencing it as well.. n i have to completely disagree on this point.. both are important.. but the difference in depth is unimaginable..

i dont think its realistic at all.. but it does give more drama.. n not turn it into a love triangle.. whivh would be realistic but would look bad..

also.. she isnt sure how much she likes hak.. as she said probably.. so i dont think she kbows she truly loves hak yet.. also.. the way they act seems more like childish crush compared to soo won n yona..

soo won was like a mother figure to yona.. its actually impossible for it to be just infatuation.. and its hard to beloeve a 7 year old child will have infatuation like that.. it seemed more like yona found a family(filler for her mothers absense) in soo won..

 

[Mini_kinkin]

while i dont agree with the infatuation.. since an infatuation cant last for years n not develop into love.. when theres no physical relation either..

i think if thats a childhood crush.. then same goes for hak.. since she is still 16.. but i think this will anger most people if i said that lol!

i think its been hinted many times that soo won was her first love..

also.. i dont agree with friendship being harder to get over a broken heart.. in fact.. it doesnt even compare.. i know its hard to accept.. but its the truth.. i have experience with both.. n seen people around me experiencing it as well.. n i have to completely disagree on this point.. both are important.. but the difference in depth is unimaginable..

i dont think its realistic at all.. but it does give more drama.. n not turn it into a love triangle.. whivh would be realistic but would look bad..

also.. she isnt sure how much she likes hak.. as she said probably.. so i dont think she kbows she truly loves hak yet.. also.. the way they act seems more like childish crush compared to soo won n yona..

soo won was like a mother figure to yona.. its actually impossible for it to be just infatuation.. and its hard to beloeve a 7 year old child will have infatuation like that.. it seemed more like yona found a family(filler for her mothers absense) in soo won..

It's quite obvious from the manga that she is in love with Hak and she was almost about to confess too but Hak interrupted her.

Also, it is possible to have an infatuation with someone for years on end, because she never truly knew Soo-Won, she liked the idea of Soo-Won but that is not love, that is merely infatuation or a crush. Love is when you know someone's bad and good side both, and still accept them for who they are. Yona was not able to do this.

About friendship and love...well let's just agree to disagree...because whereas a heartbreak or ex-boyrfriend will just be a part of the past and you can replace that person with a new lover, replacing friends is just so much more difficult. And by the way, I have also gone through both, and I feel friendship is more important that loving someone.

 

[SamuelDean]

Don't agree with this, actually it's often tougher to get over a friendship than someone you once "loved" - and Yona basically had an infatutuation with Soo-Won and did not truly love him in my opinion. He was just a childhood crush for her. She now truly loves Hak, and now knows what love actually is.

In fact, out of the three, Hak's emotions and resentment seem to be the most realistic, whereas Yona is being quite holier than thou when forgiving Soo-Won and Soo-Won is letting the other two go all the time. So I don't think Kusa is trying to hard, but just being more realistic keeping Hak's strong headed nature in mind.

It's quite obvious from the manga that she is in love with Hak and she was almost about to confess too but Hak interrupted her.

Also, it is possible to have an infatuation with someone for years on end, because she never truly knew Soo-Won, she liked the idea of Soo-Won but that is not love, that is merely infatuation or a crush. Love is when you know someone's bad and good side both, and still accept them for who they are. Yona was not able to do this.

About friendship and love...well let's just agree to disagree...because whereas a heartbreak or ex-boyrfriend will just be a part of the past and you can replace that person with a new lover, replacing friends is just so much more difficult. And by the way, I have also gone through both, and I feel friendship is more important that loving someone.

What is important is the meaning of the bond. Was Soo Won important for Yona? Sure.

His kindness helped her to get over the loss of her mother, while her father was so occupied with his own loss, that he could not see his own daughter and her pain.
This child barely older than Yona kept her company, was patient and kind to her.

She knew him for years. It doesn t matter if it was true love or not. Soo Won still means a lot for her. She was not fully able to hate him or hurt him.
That was because she loved him. As a brother, cousine or love interest. That is really not that important here.

Matter of factly...it was not just an infatuation...because the romantic issue is not all that defines their relationship. He is still the person that cared for her in the past. He is still her cousine.
He is still the only family Yona has left ( if we don t let the HHB count here).

 

[Mini_kinkin]

What is important is the meaning of the bond. Was Soo Won important for Yona? Sure.

His kindness helped her to get over the loss of her mother, while her father was so occupied with his own loss, that he could not see his own daughter and her pain.
This child barely older than Yona kept her company, was patient and kind to her.

She knew him for years. It doesn t matter if it was true love or not. Soo Won still means a lot for her. She was not fully able to hate him or hurt him.
That was because she loved him. As a brother, cousine or love interest. That is really not that important here.

Matter of factly...it was not just an infatuation...because the romantic issue is not all that defines their relationship. He is still the person that cared for her in the past. He is still her cousine.
He is still the only family Yona has left ( if we don t let the HHB count here).

Yes I don't deny it, though the @lindananahayashida was comparing Hak and Yona's bond with Soo-Won, saying Yona should have been far more devastated than Hak...so that's where I didn't agree.

I think losing a friend is as painful as losing someone you love. Hak and Soo-Won were supposed to be best friends, who respected each other too. Both Yona and Hak are taking it in their own way.

 

[lindananahayashida]

It's quite obvious from the manga that she is in love with Hak and she was almost about to confess too but Hak interrupted her.

Also, it is possible to have an infatuation with someone for years on end, because she never truly knew Soo-Won, she liked the idea of Soo-Won but that is not love, that is merely infatuation or a crush. Love is when you know someone's bad and good side both, and still accept them for who they are. Yona was not able to do this.

About friendship and love...well let's just agree to disagree...because whereas a heartbreak or ex-boyrfriend will just be a part of the past and you can replace that person with a new lover, replacing friends is just so much more difficult. And by the way, I have also gone through both, and I feel friendship is more important that loving someone.

if we are taking about real life.. its impossible to know another person completely.. so you cant accept a persons all good n bad sides.. if you dont even know them.. it would mean we never truly love anyone.. n are just infatuated.. so.. i guess ill have to disagree.. besides.. someone who im willing to accept the love that my mother used to give me.. definitely wouldn't be a person that i was infatuated with..

also.. by that logic.. yona doesnt love her father or mother.. as she didnt really know about either of them.. n still doesnt..

i think its very easy to replace a friend.. but a love isnt as easy to replace.. or else people would have more lover than friends.. in fact most love develops from friendship.. that itself proves that love is actually one step further than friendship..

so.. hak being more angry at soo won than yona will always be a cliché writing to me..

but i guess we are going off topic.. the thing with yona is.. she obviously likes hak.. n will eventually end up with him.. but i dont think the feelings are equal from both sides.. it still seems hak cares more about yona than yona does for him.. but its mostly because of circumstances..

in any case.. id really like it if hak gets some actual development.. his character seems very limited even after 150+ chapters.. it would be better if he keeps in touch with wind tribe more.. n actually involves here n there with the tribes matters.. n helps han-dae grow.. it would be a nice way to let us see how muvh hak knows about political stuff n all..

it always seemed like king ll was grooming hak to be yonas husband.. so it would only be logical he will have other sides along with strength.. his interaction with mister ogi was nice.. it will be great if hak gets closer to ogi with time..

 

[Mini_kinkin]

i think its very easy to replace a friend.. but a love isnt as easy to replace.. or else people would have more lover than friends.. in fact most love develops from friendship.. that itself proves that love is actually one step further than friendship..

Yona moved on in a matter of months to Hak, while Hak still can't forget the betrayal of his friend. So that is my point. You can find a new love, but a real friend is hard to find. Anyway, better to agree to disagree.

in any case.. id really like it if hak gets some actual development.. his character seems very limited even after 150+ chapters.. it would be better if he keeps in touch with wind tribe more.. n actually involves here n there with the tribes matters.. n helps han-dae grow.. it would be a nice way to let us see how muvh hak knows about political stuff n all..

As I said somewhere above, I have seen development in the form of him caring more for the dragons and Yoon from just Yona...he let more people in. Plus, he also wants to know how to let go of his hatred for Soo-Won for the sake of his country. More development would not hurt though.

 

[lindananahayashida]

Yona moved on in a matter of months to Hak, while Hak still can't forget the betrayal of his friend. So that is my point. You can find a new love, but a real friend is hard to find. Anyway, better to agree to disagree.



As I said somewhere above, I have seen development in the form of him caring more for the dragons and Yoon from just Yona...he let more people in. Plus, he also wants to know how to let go of his hatred for Soo-Won for the sake of his country. More development would not hurt though.

thats the point.. its poor overused plot for me.. yona getting over soo won makes sense.. but hak had to let it go long before.. n the only thing to justify his anger.. should be soo won hurt the girl he loved.. n not that won broke their friendship.. thats the only logical point.. which seems to be true here n there.. i dont really mind to disagree tho..

his character is very limited like i said before.. his growth is as little as yoon tbh.. even among the groups.. jae-ha has grown the most.. zeno has better background story than anyone else.. yona is growing.. but kija hak yoon n shin-ahs growth seems like it stopped.. its also kind of annoying that a side character like lily has better growth than hak n two of the dragons..

 

[RedWolfOtaku]

thats the point.. its poor overused plot for me.. yona getting over soo won makes sense.. but hak had to let it go long before.. n the only thing to justify his anger.. should be soo won hurt the girl he loved.. n not that won broke their friendship.. thats the only logical point.. which seems to be true here n there.. i dont really mind to disagree tho..

his character is very limited like i said before.. his growth is as little as yoon tbh.. even among the groups.. jae-ha has grown the most.. zeno has better background story than anyone else.. yona is growing.. but kija hak yoon n shin-ahs growth seems like it stopped.. its also kind of annoying that a side character like lily has better growth than hak n two of the dragons..

First off, I believe another user said it best above, it is easier to replace a childish crush or even a past lover then a best friend or someone you're extremely close to.

Moreover, not only had Hak and Soo Won been raised closely in the same environment, but even their parents were close and they would often be taken care of by each other's family. They grew up not only as best friends (in my opinion) but as brothers.They did compete but always supported each other over all.
For crying out loud, Hak was willing to set Yona up with Soo Won and still promise to protect them both, not harboring any grudge over Yona being his "crush".

Therefore, I ask you which is easier, getting over a past lover or getting over a sibling's betrayal?

Incidentally, on the topic of Hak's character progression, he has changed over the course of the story so far; Hak starts off as a highly emotional character who suppresses his feelings (Whether to Yona or around the Dragons/Yoon & his tribe). He verbally struggles to express his opinion, which often leads him to teasing his close friends in an effort to express himself; this is also shown within his romantic advances on Yona. This slowly changes over the course of the chapters before we finally get a major indicator in chapter 110, after he receives a gift from Yona. In this chapter, he finally expresses his gratitude straight out and admits how happy he is get it. (No physical touching or teasing needed).

As for Hak's influence on the story, after this one event in chapter 110, we see a significant change in Yona's behavior whether around Hak or any other character.

 

[Puckyuu]

Seeing that there is no discussion tread about Hak I decided to make one so we can all discuss Son Hak (the Thunder Beast).

What i can say about hak is he really really loves soo won. For me, he can't accept that soo won may betray him i mean he believes soo won damn much and willing to die for him. When he talked with jeaha that he can't let go his feeling ( shit i don't remember what he said but something like that ) and when he cried (crying) shit poor hak. HE REALLY LOVES SOO WON AND ME TOO (crying again)