{ "id": "eps6gy8ree", "slug": "one-high-school-heroes", "title": "ONE: High School Heroes (ONE : 하이스쿨 히어로즈)", "updated": "2026-11-01", "topic_path": [ { "id": "culture", "label": "Arts and culture", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture" }, { "id": "culture.performance", "label": "Screen and stage", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen", "label": "Film and television", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen.series", "label": "Series and fictional screen worlds", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen.series" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen.series.series_international_serials", "label": "International serial drama and telenovelas", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen.series.series_international_serials" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen.series.series_int_serials_east_asia", "label": "East Asian drama series", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen.series.series_int_serials_east_asia" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen.series.series_int_serials_east_asia.korean_contemporary_drama", "label": "Korean contemporary drama", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen.series.series_int_serials_east_asia.korean_contemporary_drama" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen.series.series_int_serials_east_asia.korean_contemporary_drama.thriller-crime-and-mystery-series", "label": "Thriller, crime, and mystery series", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen.series.series_int_serials_east_asia.korean_contemporary_drama.thriller-crime-and-mystery-series" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen.series.series_int_serials_east_asia.korean_contemporary_drama.thriller-crime-and-mystery-series.action-spy-and-legal-thrillers.spy-and-action-thrillers", "label": "Spy and action thrillers", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen.series.series_int_serials_east_asia.korean_contemporary_drama.thriller-crime-and-mystery-series.action-spy-and-legal-thrillers.spy-and-action-thrillers" } ], "geo": [ { "id": "geo.asia.t2021.culture.performance.screen.series.series_int_serials_east_asia.korean_contemporary_drama.thriller-crime-and-mystery-series.action-spy-and-legal-thrillers.spy-and-action-thrillers", "label": "Asia (other) · 2021 and later: Spy and action thrillers", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.asia.t2021.culture.performance.screen.series.series_int_serials_east_asia.korean_contemporary_drama.thriller-crime-and-mystery-series.action-spy-and-legal-thrillers.spy-and-action-thrillers", "path": [ { "id": "geo.asia", "label": "Asia (other)", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.asia" }, { "id": "geo.asia.t2021", "label": "Asia (other) · 2021 and later", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.asia.t2021" }, { "id": "geo.asia.t2021.culture", "label": "Arts and culture", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.asia.t2021.culture" }, { "id": "geo.asia.t2021.culture.performance", "label": "Screen and stage", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.asia.t2021.culture.performance" }, { "id": "geo.asia.t2021.culture.performance.screen", "label": "Film and television", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.asia.t2021.culture.performance.screen" }, { "id": "geo.asia.t2021.culture.performance.screen.series", "label": "Series and fictional screen worlds", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.asia.t2021.culture.performance.screen.series" }, { "id": "geo.asia.t2021.culture.performance.screen.series.series_international_serials", "label": "International serial drama and telenovelas", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.asia.t2021.culture.performance.screen.series.series_international_serials" }, { "id": "geo.asia.t2021.culture.performance.screen.series.series_int_serials_east_asia", "label": "East Asian drama series", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.asia.t2021.culture.performance.screen.series.series_int_serials_east_asia" }, { "id": "geo.asia.t2021.culture.performance.screen.series.series_int_serials_east_asia.korean_contemporary_drama", "label": "Korean contemporary drama", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.asia.t2021.culture.performance.screen.series.series_int_serials_east_asia.korean_contemporary_drama" }, { "id": "geo.asia.t2021.culture.performance.screen.series.series_int_serials_east_asia.korean_contemporary_drama.thriller-crime-and-mystery-series", "label": "Thriller, crime, and mystery series", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.asia.t2021.culture.performance.screen.series.series_int_serials_east_asia.korean_contemporary_drama.thriller-crime-and-mystery-series" }, { "id": "geo.asia.t2021.culture.performance.screen.series.series_int_serials_east_asia.korean_contemporary_drama.thriller-crime-and-mystery-series.action-spy-and-legal-thrillers.spy-and-action-thrillers", "label": "Spy and action thrillers", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.asia.t2021.culture.performance.screen.series.series_int_serials_east_asia.korean_contemporary_drama.thriller-crime-and-mystery-series.action-spy-and-legal-thrillers.spy-and-action-thrillers" } ] } ], "excerpt": "ONE: High School Heroes (ONE : 하이스쿨 히어로즈) is a 2025 Wavve original Korean action drama, 8 episodes from May 30, 2025, adapted from Lee Eun-jae's Kakao webtoon ONE, starring Lee Jung-ha and Kim Do-wan as masked vigilante students.", "snippet": "ONE: High School Heroes (ONE : 하이스쿨 히어로즈) is a 2025 Wavve original Korean action drama, 8 episodes from May 30, 2025, adapted from Lee Eun-jae's Kakao webtoon ONE, starring Lee Jung-ha and Kim Do-wan as masked vigilante students.", "node": "culture.performance.screen.series.series_int_serials_east_asia.korean_contemporary_drama.thriller-crime-and-mystery-series.action-spy-and-legal-thrillers.spy-and-action-thrillers", "markdown": "# ONE: High School Heroes (ONE : 하이스쿨 히어로즈)\n\n**ONE: High School Heroes** (ONE : 하이스쿨 히어로즈) is a South Korean action drama series released as a Wavve original on May 30, 2025, adapted from Lee Eun-jae's Kakao Webtoon *ONE* and following a model student who discovers a talent for fighting and forms a masked vigilante team against school bullies.[1](https://asianwiki.com/ONE%3A_High_School_Heroes) • [2](https://biz.chosun.com/en/en-entertainment/2025/05/28/GKEYZXHEGBHXXO5TKS22LYD7WU/?outputType=amp)\n\n| Key fact | Detail |\n|---|---|\n| Format | Wavve original series, 8 episodes, released May 30, 2025; Korean language[1](https://asianwiki.com/ONE%3A_High_School_Heroes) |\n| Source material | Webtoon *ONE* by Lee Eun-jae, serialized on Kakao from April 5, 2019 to June 19, 2020, with over 65 million cumulative views and the 2020 Today's Comic Award[1](https://asianwiki.com/ONE%3A_High_School_Heroes) • [2](https://biz.chosun.com/en/en-entertainment/2025/05/28/GKEYZXHEGBHXXO5TKS22LYD7WU/?outputType=amp) |\n| Director | Lee Seong-tae, making his TV directing debut after the films *Derailed* (2016) and *By Quantum Physics: A Nightlife Venture* (2019)[3](https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/entertainment/shows-dramas/20250528/one-high-school-heroes-is-action-series-with-emotional-depth) |\n| Lead cast | Lee Jung-ha as Kim Ui-gyeom, Kim Do-wan as Kang Yoon-ki, Kim Sang-ho as Kim Seok-tae[1](https://asianwiki.com/ONE%3A_High_School_Heroes) |\n| Production | Covenant Pictures; screenplay by Kim Young-eun[4](https://blog.naver.com/PostView.naver?blogId=boxofficenews&logNo=223860622546) |\n| Reception | IMDb 7.6/10 from about 1.9K votes; AsianWiki user rating 89/100 (716 votes)[5](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt34622123/ratings/) • [1](https://asianwiki.com/ONE%3A_High_School_Heroes) |\n| Rating | 15 certification in South Korea; IMDb's parents guide rates its violence as severe[6](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt34622123/parentalguide/) |\n\n## Spoilers\n\n### Premise\n\nKim Ui-gyeom (Lee Jung-ha) is the top student at his school, a modest teenager who stays away from violence. At home he suffers under his father Kim Seok-tae (Kim Sang-ho), a successful businessman who appears gentle in public but administers harsh discipline to push his son toward becoming a doctor. One day Ui-gyeom's natural fighting talent erupts at school, and Kang Yoon-ki (Kim Do-wan), a classmate with quick judgment and fighting skills of his own, notices it. The two form a masked \"High School Heroes\" team, and Ui-gyeom begins knocking down the school's bullies one by one, while Yoon-ki, hiding his real intentions, leads him deeper into the fighting world.[1](https://asianwiki.com/ONE%3A_High_School_Heroes)\n\nThe production press conference on May 28, 2025 framed the story as two friends who \"hide a great pain in their hearts\" and decide to become High School Heroes to take revenge on bullies and wrongdoers at school.[2](https://biz.chosun.com/en/en-entertainment/2025/05/28/GKEYZXHEGBHXXO5TKS22LYD7WU/?outputType=amp) Director Lee Seong-tae said the drama follows the theme of the original webtoon and does not stop at a one-dimensional portrayal of school violence, delving into layers of violence such as domestic abuse and societal pressure that values academic achievement above all else.[3](https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/entertainment/shows-dramas/20250528/one-high-school-heroes-is-action-series-with-emotional-depth)\n\n### Episodes and structure\n\nThe season runs eight episodes with runtimes between 42 and 51 minutes, totaling about 6 hours 15 minutes.[8](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt34622123/) Episode titles trace the team's formation: episode 1 (\"Workman\") shows Ui-gyeom losing a cassette tape and meeting Yoon-ki; episode 4 (\"Hero Mask\") has the pair resolve on a \"revolution\"; episode 5 is the moment they name themselves the \"High School Super Heroes\" and begin operating in masks.[9](https://tv.apple.com/kr/show/one-high-school-heroes/umc.cmc.50yr51zuil9gubu7hd5nigupw?l=en) In the finale, a fight between Geol-jae and Choi Ki-soo ends with Ki-soo winning and Geol-jae hospitalized; Yoon-ki is advised to stop fighting because violence leads to more violence, and Ui-gyeom's mother Da-bin takes him away from Seok-tae.[10](https://www.thereviewgeek.com/onehighschoolheroes-s1endingexplained/) At the end of the drama, Yoon-ki and Ui-gyeom transfer to Myomyeong High School.[11](https://once-upon-a-drama.com/2025/12/21/one-high-school-heroes-drama-review/)\n\n## Origin and adaptation\n\nThe source webtoon *ONE* ran on Kakao Webtoon from April 5, 2019 to June 19, 2020 and accumulated more than 65 million views, winning the 2020 Today's Comic Award.[1](https://asianwiki.com/ONE%3A_High_School_Heroes) • [2](https://biz.chosun.com/en/en-entertainment/2025/05/28/GKEYZXHEGBHXXO5TKS22LYD7WU/?outputType=amp) A report from 2021, more than three years before release, described an eight-episode OTT drama based on the webtoon entering pre-production, with the webtoon's hero team delivering justice on behalf of victims of violence.[7](https://www.bloter.net/news/articleView.html?idxno=45528) The screenwriter for the series is Kim Young-eun, and production was by Covenant Pictures.[4](https://blog.naver.com/PostView.naver?blogId=boxofficenews&logNo=223860622546)\n\nAt the press conference, Lee Seong-tae said he worked with the director's collaboration in mind to recreate the original's emotion without damaging the story, while allowing more flexibility in the plot than the webtoon.[2](https://biz.chosun.com/en/en-entertainment/2025/05/28/GKEYZXHEGBHXXO5TKS22LYD7WU/?outputType=amp)\n\n## Cast\n\nLee Jung-ha, known for *[Moving](https://www.edgepedia.org/moving-south-korean-tv-series)*, plays Kim Ui-gyeom, and Kim Do-wan plays Kang Yoon-ki; both actors took their first action drama roles in this series.[12](https://kdramareviews.net/one-high-school-heroes-2025-review-promising-start-disappointing-finish) Kim Sang-ho plays the father Kim Seok-tae, and Kim Joo-ryung plays Myeong Da-bin; the supporting cast also includes Shin Hyun-soo as Kim Su-gyeom and Lim Seong-gyun as Kim Seung-jun.[1](https://asianwiki.com/ONE%3A_High_School_Heroes) • [9](https://tv.apple.com/kr/show/one-high-school-heroes/umc.cmc.50yr51zuil9gubu7hd5nigupw?l=en)\n\n## Reception and context\n\nThe series premiered into what Korean press called a boom period for school action dramas, following the successes of *Weak Hero* and *Study Group*.[3](https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/entertainment/shows-dramas/20250528/one-high-school-heroes-is-action-series-with-emotional-depth) • [12](https://kdramareviews.net/one-high-school-heroes-2025-review-promising-start-disappointing-finish) By late June 2025, Korean entertainment reporting described the drama as spreading by word of mouth after release and positioning itself as another flagship Wavve title after *Weak Hero Class 1*.[13](https://ottrank.kr/title/1-2025233219)\n\nAudience scores were solid: IMDb lists 7.6/10 from about 1.9K votes, with individual episode ratings between 8.3 and 9.6, and AsianWiki users gave 89/100.[5](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt34622123/ratings/) • [1](https://asianwiki.com/ONE%3A_High_School_Heroes) Critical reception was divided on the second half. One review called episodes 1 through 4 among the most gripping school action dramas of the year while judging episodes 5 through 8 a stumble, though it credited the character backstories with adding weight to the story.[12](https://kdramareviews.net/one-high-school-heroes-2025-review-promising-start-disappointing-finish) Another review praised the drama's treatment of mental health, trauma, and healing beneath its revenge plot.[11](https://once-upon-a-drama.com/2025/12/21/one-high-school-heroes-drama-review/) International viewers also noted subpar English subtitles as a barrier.[10](https://www.thereviewgeek.com/onehighschoolheroes-s1endingexplained/)\n\nThe Korea Film Commission's 2025 catalog classifies the series under crime and action genres with a 15 age rating, produced by Covenant Pictures for Wavve.[14](https://www.alio.go.kr/download/download.json?fileNo=3032925)\n\n## References\n\n1. [ONE: High School Heroes, AsianWiki](https://asianwiki.com/ONE%3A_High_School_Heroes)\n2. ['ONE: High School Heroes' depicts school violence through emotion and action, CHOSUNBIZ (OSEN), May 28, 2025](https://biz.chosun.com/en/en-entertainment/2025/05/28/GKEYZXHEGBHXXO5TKS22LYD7WU/?outputType=amp)\n3. ['ONE: High School Heroes' is action series with emotional depth, The Korea Times, May 28, 2025](https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/entertainment/shows-dramas/20250528/one-high-school-heroes-is-action-series-with-emotional-depth)\n4. [ONE: 하이스쿨 히어로즈 production information, Naver blog (boxofficenews)](https://blog.naver.com/PostView.naver?blogId=boxofficenews&logNo=223860622546)\n5. [ONE: High School Heroes (2025) – Ratings, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt34622123/ratings/)\n6. [ONE: High School Heroes (2025) – Parents guide, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt34622123/parentalguide/)\n7. [카카오웹툰 'ONE', 영상화…OTT 편성 논의 중, Bloter](https://www.bloter.net/news/articleView.html?idxno=45528)\n8. [ONE: High School Heroes (TV Series 2025), IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt34622123/)\n9. [ONE High School Heroes, Apple TV](https://tv.apple.com/kr/show/one-high-school-heroes/umc.cmc.50yr51zuil9gubu7hd5nigupw?l=en)\n10. [One High School Heroes – K-drama Episode 8 Recap, Review & Ending Explained, TheReviewGeek](https://www.thereviewgeek.com/onehighschoolheroes-s1endingexplained/)\n11. [ONE: High School Heroes, Once Upon a Drama review](https://once-upon-a-drama.com/2025/12/21/one-high-school-heroes-drama-review/)\n12. [One: High School Heroes (2025) Review: Promising Start, Disappointing Finish, Kdrama Reviews](https://kdramareviews.net/one-high-school-heroes-2025-review-promising-start-disappointing-finish)\n13. [ONE: 하이스쿨 히어로즈 평점·순위·추천, 오뜨랑](https://ottrank.kr/title/1-2025233219)\n14. [KOFIC 연구 2026-01, Korea Film Commission (alio.go.kr)](https://www.alio.go.kr/download/download.json?fileNo=3032925)\n\n---\n*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Series and fictional screen worlds › International serial drama and telenovelas › East Asian drama series › Korean contemporary drama › Thriller, crime, and mystery series › Spy and action thrillers*\n\n*Initially written Oct 3, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 21, 2026; Oct 25, 2026; Nov 1, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*\n\n*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*\n\nLicense: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license\n", "same_as": [], "url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/one-high-school-heroes", "markdown_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/one-high-school-heroes.md", "license": { "name": "Edgepedia Community License 1.0", "url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license", "summary": "Free with credit, commercial use included. AI training is open to everyone. For other uses, organizations over USD 100M in revenue or 100M monthly users license separately.", "spdx": "LicenseRef-Edgepedia-Community-1.0" }, "credit": "\"ONE: High School Heroes (ONE : 하이스쿨 히어로즈)\", Edgepedia (EdgeChat), https://www.edgepedia.org/one-high-school-heroes. Edgepedia Community License 1.0.", "credit_md": "\"[ONE: High School Heroes (ONE : 하이스쿨 히어로즈)](https://www.edgepedia.org/one-high-school-heroes)\", Edgepedia (EdgeChat), [https://www.edgepedia.org/one-high-school-heroes](https://www.edgepedia.org/one-high-school-heroes). [Edgepedia Community License 1.0](https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license).", "credit_html": "\"ONE: High School Heroes (ONE : 하이스쿨 히어로즈)\", Edgepedia (EdgeChat), https://www.edgepedia.org/one-high-school-heroes. Edgepedia Community License 1.0.", "speakable": "ONE: High School Heroes is a 2025 Wavve original Korean action drama, 8 episodes from May 30, 2025, adapted from Lee Eun-jae's Kakao webtoon ONE, starring Lee Jung-ha and Kim Do-wan as masked vigilante students." }