History Series / RunningMan

In June 24 2017, an animated version of the show was announced. After 10 months, the WesternAnimation/RunningMan animated series has been aired in Korea, and after a while, Asia on Cartoon Network.

In June 24 2017, an animated version of the show was announced. After 10 months, the animated series has been aired on Cartoon Network.

* FireBreathingDiner: Averted by Gary in Episode 124 - despite eating a whole bowl of vegetable porridge that had been laced with extremely spicy peppers, a bowl so spicy Ji Hyo complained about the smell despite being two feet farther away from the bowl and Kwang Soo immediately gave into after one spoonful when he got curious, Gary managed to down it all without letting the spiciness get to him and pass the challenge.

** It's extremely irritating to the other members ("Your 'Andwae's come out every week!"), and he got "arrested" for it in episode 175. When his 'crime' is revealed to him, he [[ComicallyMissingThePoint unsurprisingly invokes this trope again]].

* CrouchingMoronHiddenBadass: Gary may act kind of slow and innocent, but he's the EnsembleDarkHorse when the chips are down. [[spoiler:He's won the first two individual all-out battles between the members.]] He later gained the "Sudden Commander" nickname. When he bothers to make the effort, even Kim Jong Kook might not be his match.

* KindaBusyHere: When teammates try to communicate via walkie-talkie with a member who is currently being chased.

* {{Leitmotif}}: Most famously "St. Agnes and the Burning Train" by Sting for Lee Gwang Soo.
** Alternatively for Gwang Soo, "Theme of False Emperor" from the Sangokushi Taisen OST.
** Kim Jong Kook: "What We Need is a Hero" from the ''WesternAnimation/{{Beowulf 2007}}'' OST
*** In addition, his song "Loveable" whenever there is a karaoke or other singing mission.
** Song Ji Hyo: The VideoGame/AngryBirds theme song
** Ha Ha: The Pororo theme song
*** Lutricia [=McNeal=]'s "Perfect Love" is his theme song before he get married.

** Yoo Jae Suk: "Step by Step" by New Kids on the Block
*** "Extreme Ways" by Moby if it's a Yoo-mes Bond-themed episode, or if he exhibits his Yoo-ruce Willis tendencies.
** Kang Gary: "Leessang Blues" by [[DoItYourselfThemeTune Leessang]]
*** Hell, just about any Leessang songs is his theme song.

* LiveActionEscortMission: Inverted. The guys were tasked with escorting Ji Hyo to the soccer goal in episode 95, but they end up being more or less useless as she was the one who spotted the "assassins".

* MotorMouth: The entire cast, especially Yoo Jae Suk for obvious reasons, but surprisingly, Kim Jong Kook takes the cake. If you're in a car ride with him, expect him to talk about various things for hours ON END. Guests Kim Min Seo and Seo Woo found this out the hard way; the latter even nearly felt like sleeping because he was talking so much.

** Ji-hyo's answer when Ji Suk Jin asks her why she didn't kill him when he wandered around as bait.

* RagtagBunchOfMisfits: The Running Men. To a T.

* TheRival - Notable ones include Jong Kook-Jae Suk (obviously), Haha-Gary, and more recently, Kwang Soo-Joong Ki, although this is pretty one-sided considering Joong Ki has been out of the show for a couple of years.
* SacrificialLion: Jong Kook is eliminated second, after [[SacrificialLamb Suk Jin]], by Choi Min Soo in episode 52 to show just how frightening and serious this hunter is.
* SarcasticConfession: [[spoiler: Kim Joong-Kook]] in the China Special. He was the spy but one of the conditions was that he couldn't tell a single lie. Not so much sarcastic, but he did nothing but tell the truth the entire day and managed to keep the suspicion off the real thief [[spoiler: Song Ji-hyo]] completely, despite claiming that it was [[spoiler: Ji-hyo]] every chance he got.

* SwivelChairAntics: The final mission of episode 128 is entirely this trope.

* TheyHaveTheScent: One of Ji Hyo's main disadvantage is her perfume smell.
* TheNoseKnows: In episode 98, this is how Jaesuk manages to evade the [[spoiler: zombified Jihyo and Gary]]. He kept smelling her perfume and running away.

* TookALevelInBadass: Lee Gwang Soo in episode 132. And it was ''[[CrowningMomentOfAwesome awesome]]''.

* [[UnexpectedCharacter Unexpected Guest]]: Lee Gwang Soo's own father in ep. 165. The other cast members didn't know that a mission location was in the building he worked in, with the obvious exception of Gwang Soo who recognized it right away. He even gave three of the cast members, Gwang Soo included, a ride to the next mission location.

* VitriolicBestBuds: Essentially the entire cast with itself. Also falls into WithFriendsLikeThese territory,

* WholesomeCrossdresser: Quite a few episodes have the guys dress up as girls, such as episodes 181 and 220. Usually, Gwang Soo is the first choice for this situation.

* DidYouJustPunchOutCthulhu: The Ultimate Ddakji, which in 158 tries the producers couldn't flip once. [[spoiler:Jong Kook flips it on his first try]]

* MassOhCrap: In episode 93, the group thought that voting for who you'd want to oust the most would actually oust them. When they realize that the person they vote for is actually now their target, their faces say it all.
* MaximumFunChamber: [[spoiler:Choi Min-Soo.]]

* MysteriousWatcher: This trope frequently occurs in episodes involving secret mystery guests, usually with their identity eventually [[InternalReveal revealed to the audience]]. Episode [[spoiler:62]] even [[DramaticUnmask dramatically unmasked]] [[spoiler:Ji Hyo, who was supposedly absent due to scheduling conflicts.]]

%%* PrisonEpisode

* AudienceParticipation: Some missions done in public require finding someone to play a game with them, from kai bai bo to massive tug of war showdowns.

* TemptingFate: [[spoiler: Jae Suk,in episode 365, laughed at So Min for picking the 2000 won in the board and comments that the person who picks the 1000 won would prolly feel bad. Cue him picking it, earning the laughter of both members and staff.]]

** Ascends to celestial tier in Episode 292 in the Unluckiest Festival, where unfortunate events happening to a player is considered a win. First, in the initial elevator test (ten total floors with half having some kind of prank like being shot with a water gun, pick three floors and those with the most bad things happening to them are team captains for the day) Gwang Soo is the only one to go 3-for-3 in picking unlucky floors[[note]]his face had to undergo clapping chalk-filled erasers, getting scribbled on with a marker, and getting aggressively kissed all over his face[[/note]]. Then in the actual Unlucky competitions he goes 6-for-7 in having something bad happen to him[[note]]smacking his head with a real wooden stick (6 out of 9 were real), getting a dried octopus tentacle for a sword blade (3 out of 6 had joke blades), smashing a raw egg against his head (2 out of 3), getting squirted in the face with Chinese ink instead of water (1 out of 2), drinking extremely bitter tea instead of something refreshing (1 out of 3), eating a pastry full of wasabi instead of banana cream (1 out of 2); his only reprieve was Ji Suk Jin "winning" Pop-Up Pirate[[/note]]. At least the Unluckiest Festival is one where being unlucky means you win. [[spoiler:Which, naturally, meant that his bad luck deserted him in the very last match-up between him and Ji Suk Jin, meaning Gwang Soo didn't even win the prize for all of his misfortune that day.]]

** Episode 108 was more or less centred entirely around his ButtMonkey status.
** Reaches unbelievable levels in Episode 143, [[spoiler: with the raw egg incident.]] Also proves he is a CosmicPlaything.
** Ascends to celestial tier in Episode 292 in the Unluckiest Festival

* TheSmurfettePrinciple: Ji Hyo, the only running woman until Se Chan joined in Episode 346.

* BornUnlucky: Kwang Soo. He basically cemented his status as the Icon of Misfortune during the First Unluckiest Festival (Ep 292), where he literally suffered all the punishments thrown at him en route to the final round, losing out only to Suk Jin.
** In fact, the fact that he lost out to Suk Jin in the final round despite "winning" every single round prior also points to his unluckiness from another angle.

* TheSmurfettePrinciple: Ji Hyo, the only running woman.

* TheLoad: A number of female guests tend to fall into this category, much to the annoyance of some fans.

* AnimalMotif:

* {{Badass}}:
** Kim Jong Kook. Other members get to [[DayInTheLimelight have their moments though]].
** [[ActionGirl Song Ji Hyo]] is the only Running Man member brave enough for [[CrowningMomentOfAwesome the bungee jump in Macau]].
** Even [[ButtMonkey Lee Gwang Soo]] gets to have [[TookALevelInBadass his moment in episode 132]].

Running Man is a popular South Korean Variety show focused on a main cast of seven celebrities who compete in various games and races throughout a number of locations in Korea. The show became famous with its signature set up of velcro-ed nametags of the players on their backs and ripping them off in the final game to ‘oust’ other players.

** Kim Jong Kook: "What We Need is a Hero" from the ''Film/{{Beowulf 2007}}'' OST

** Kim Jong Kook: "What We Need is a Hero" from the ''Film/{{Beowulf}}'' OST

* TheAce: Song Ji Hyo's nickname. Kim Jong Kook could also apply since he's proved to be talented at almost everything (much to the cast's annoyance).

* ActingUnnatural: Ji Suk Jin. Full Stop.

* AgonyOfTheFeet: Acupuncture mats anyone?

* AllStarCast: Jae Suk and Suk Jin are comedians and [=MCs=]; with Suk Jin recently tried to build a musical career (mainly Korean Drama OST), Kim Jong Kook was a former member of the band Turbo, Gary is one-half of the hip-hop duo [=LeesSang=], Ji Hyo is a TV and film actress, Haha is a recording artist, actor, and a stand-up comedian, Gwang Soo and former cast member Joongki are both actors.
* AmusingInjuries
* AnchoredShip: After the announcement of Song Ji Hyo's relationship, the Monday Couple was ended. Sort of. Doesn't stop determined shippers though.

* AnimalMotif: See picture caption above. A fan even [[http://www.allkpop.com/2012/08/animal-version-of-running-man-members-draws-much-laughter draws it for clarity]].

** Gary gets a new label as a squid by Haha during the X-man special. It has stuck since then.
* AssassinOutclassin: In the first round of episode 93, all six other members must hunt down and take out Kim Jong Kook within thirty minutes. [[CrowningMomentOfAwesome It doesn't go as planned.]]

* AssumedWin: Any 1v9 or 9v1 challenge in the early days when the fooled one(s) didn't figure it out.

* AttackAttackRetreatRetreat: Usually when a group of people try to team up to take out Kim Jong Kook only to have Jong Kook eliminate one of ''their'' guys.

* AttackItsWeakPoint: Ji Hyo grabbing [[NobodyTouchesTheHair Jong Kook's hair]].
** And when his hair is too far away to grab, she's fine with attacking other places or [[ManBitesMan using other methods.]]

* AwLookTheyReallyDoLoveEachOther: Despite their [[VitriolicBestBuds usual bickering]], the cast can't help but show this trope [[TrueCompanions every now and then]].

* AwesomeButImpractical: Yoomes Bond (and other characters too at times) is always offered a wide variety of water guns, including some huge ones with awesome water capacity, or others that can shoot powerful blasts extremely far. He always chooses the smallest and most unassuming one to be stealthy.

* {{Badass}}: Kim Jong Kook. Other members get to [[DayInTheLimelight have their moments though]].

* BadassCrew: Played with. Sometimes the cast works well together and other times they completely fall apart because they start betraying each other left and right.

* BattleCouple: Any pair in a couple race could qualify as this.

* BerserkButton: Don't mention [[TheNapoleon Ha Ha's height]]. Or [[WeightWoe Ji Hyo's weight]].

* BigNo: Gwangsoo liked to scream [[MemeticMutation "ANDWAEEEE"]] whenever the [=PDs=] give a tough mission. Then he starts to apply [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sRrJq23isss it to pretty much anything]].

* BondVillainStupidity: In episode [[spoiler:13,]] after getting cornered by no less than three members of the seeking team, [[spoiler:Yoo Jae Suk]] essentially invokes this to his advantage, [[ISurrenderSuckers pretending to give up]]. This trope gets invoked to the letter.

* BreakingTheFourthWall: Given the show's format, there's technically NoFourthWall to begin with, but it's worth mentioning that the cast members often interact with elements of the show that you might typically expect to be "off-limits" on a show like this, e.g. borrowing a VJ's camera to disguise themselves as members of the production crew.

* ButtMonkey: Lee Gwang Soo. Full Stop.
** Even [[NoFourthWall the staff]] can be heard laughing at his [[CosmicPlaything misfortune at times]].

* TheChewToy: See ButtMonkey, Lee Gwang Soo. Ji Suk Jin can also apply, well known as the easiest member of the group. Guests often say that their goal for that episode is to rip off his nametag. He's even [[RunningGag nicknamed the 'Race Starter']] since he's usually the first to go and it's as if the real race starts after he's been ousted.

* CatchPhrase: Feel! Chok! Cross!

** Lee Gwang Soo's [[BigNo "ANDWAE!!"]].
*** Also "I love (insert foreign country here)."

* ChronicBackstabbingDisorder: Lee Gwang Soo. To the point that Kim Jong Kook thinks it's an actual disease.

* CoolAndUnusualPunishment: The punishments in the earlier episodes all invoke this, particularly wearing the infamous Hot Pants around the city.

* CrouchingMoronHiddenBadass: Gary may act kind of slow and innocent, but he's the EnsembleDarkHorse when the chips are down. [[spoiler:He's won the first two individual all-out battles between the members.]]
** He's recently gained the "Sudden Commander" nickname. When he bothers to make the effort, even Kim Jong Kook might not be his match.

* TheDreaded: Choi Min-Soo for the entire crew. But especially for the Grasshopper.

* EarlyInstallmentWeirdness: Ji Hyo is actually not one of the original cast member. Her appearances in episode 2 to 5 is considered to be guest appearance. She joined them full time in episode 6, yet doesn't make her official debut until episode 7. Song Joong Ki, who dropped out from the show at the end of episode 41 due to schedule issues, is one of the original ones.
** Also, before episode 48, all the missions are done in one single landmark.

* EasilyOverheardConversation: Usually happens right when someone is about to betray someone else.

* ElevatorEscape: Yoo Jae Suk has done this on a few occasions.

* EveryoneIsASuspect: Episode 89 in particular, as well as Episode 222. Spy or X-man episodes also count.

*** The guests that claim to be a fan of the show and have watched a lot of the episodes tend to fall under the first category. Moon Geun-young is so proficient at tearing off the members' name tags that they start to suspect her of being a saboteur 20 minutes into the episode [[spoiler: she's not]].
*** Similarly Go Ara is accused of secretly carrying out a mission when she eliminates Jaesuk and Gary quickly and without much fanfare [[spoiler: justified, as she really IS carrying out a mission]].

* ExactWords: In Episode 62, the thief is a Running Man member. That means the thief [[spoiler: could also be a Running Man cast member who was supposedly away filming a drama, i.e. Jihyo]]

* FacialCompositeFailure: In Episode 101, the Running Men have to draw sketches of the suspects based on a few descriptors. Sure enough, their artistry is questionable.
** In one of the earlier episode, one of the Running Man drew Gary's face as a ''rectangular & expresionless'' head, partially because of how unusually calm Gary is even during a chaotic situation (hence his nickname Peaceful Gary). This is later revisited during the episode guest starring Music/DongBangShinKi, where one of the teams have to draw Gary's face & they all decided to do the same thing.

* FeelNoPain: Kim Jong Kook and acupuncture mats... usually.

* FightMagnet: Any guest that wants to show that they mean business will do so by challenging the Commander.

* FireForgedFriends: Although they started out basically strangers, Kim Jong Kook and Song Ji Hyo now make a great team and trust each other a lot even when they're in an individual battle.

* FollowTheLeader:
** Japan would later make their own version, ''RunForMoney'', throwing out the idea of a regular cast to include as many celebs as they can find, from sportsmen to ''gravure'' models.
** China also produced their own version, ''Hurry Up, Brother''. The Chinese and Korean versions had a 7-on-7 crossover episode on Jeju Island.
* FriendlyTickleTorture: Choi Min Soo does this to Yoo Jae Suk whenever he captures him during his [[{{Sequel}} second episode special]].
** Also invoked on Jae Suk in order to get his heartbeat racing as part of a challenge.

* GenreSavvy: Jihyo shows herself to be this in Episode 140, when she points out that it's been a year since the second Yoomes Bond episode, and people are getting themselves eliminated when their nametags are shot by water guns (which is Yoomes Bond's schtick). It doesn't help that he's been acting pretty suspiciously. [[spoiler: Ends up as a subverted trope because ''she'' is the culprit and was framing Yoomes Bond for it.]]

* GreatEscape: The jailbreak premise for Episode 91, where members needed to find hints in their jail cells to escape. [[spoiler: Kim Jong Kook manages it ''twice'', a feat the staff weren't even expecting.]]

* GroinAttack: Happens more often than you'd think. You can almost guarantee that there'll be at least one if there's dodgeball involved. Never intentional, though. Probably.

* HuntingTheMostDangerousGame: Essentially the premise of the show. The non-lethal version obviously.
** But not necessarily the [[{{Slapstick}} non-violent]] [[ComedicSociopathy version]].

* JumpRopeAntics: Inevitable with a jump rope mission.
** Surprisingly averted for the One Chance jump rope mission that they beat in only three tries. The staff was not happy, and made an even crazier One Chance mission for the next episode. [[spoiler: It didn't work out for them either.]]
* JumpScare: Choi Min-soo specializes in this.
** Episode 157 has the girl from TheRing appearing out of a well, scaring both Jong Kook and Kwang-Soo.

*** Lutricia McNeal's "Perfect Love" is his theme song before he get married.

* LetsFightLikeGentlemen: Members do this often when outnumbered or disadvantaged somehow.

* MistakenForSpies: The hunt for spies usually starts with ousting the wrong people. Typical traitors Gwang Soo and Ha Ha are often suspected early.

* NotWorthKilling: {{BigBang}}'s Taeyang treats Ha Ha this way whenever he finds him.

* PrisonEpisode

* ShipTease: The 'Monday Couple' love line between Gary and Ji Hyo, even if it's mostly one-sided. At the beginning of the show, Ji Hyo was too shy to really keep it up as much as Gary who seemed to use it just to make her more comfortable in the variety setting. Ji Hyo [[AnchoredShip ended it]] when she began her real-life relationship though. [[ShippingGoggles That doesn't stop the fans.]]

* TalkingthroughTechnique: The members often have to find creative ways to send messages, especially when spies are involved.

* Tearjerker: Episode 41, when Song Joong Ki leaves Running Man as a cast member permanently due to his already fully-packed schedule as an actor. After 40 episodes together with this guy, hearing his voice crack as he says his goodbyes and seeing Kwang Soo and Ji Hyo burst into tears as well can feel wrenching.

* TheNudifier: Invoked in episode 250 by Yoo Jae Suk and Lee Kwang Soo. How do you make sure Kim Jong Kook doesn't get a chance to play? Simply strip him [[RightOutOfMyClothes right out of his clothes!]] Made even worse by the fact that they were playing a basketball game in a lake.

* TimeTravelEpisode: Episode 196.

* {{Troll}}: Jae Suk and Haha. They're not above tricking others into thinking they've found mission items during search missions, only to find out there's nothing there. Usually PlayedForLaughs.

* UselessSuperpowers: Gwang Soo's 'Death Note' can only take out one person and can only be used once. The power is even voted the least useful by fans.
** The aforementioned 'Death Note' superpower may not be useless at all as it may have the ability to override through certain superpowers like Ji-Hyo's deflection ability and Suk-jin's three lives. However, this was not explored upon as Gwang Soo was eliminated fairly quickly.

* [[UnexpectedCharacter Unexpected Guest]]: Lee Gwang Soo's own father in ep. 165. The other cast members didn't know that a mission location was in the building he worked in, with the obvious exception of Gwang Soo who recognized it right away.
** He even gave three of the cast members, Gwang Soo included, a ride to the next mission location.

* WouldntHitAGirl: The members ''generally'' go easy on the girls, including Ji Hyo, though Kim Jong Kook is the one who most strongly adheres to this trope. Haha and Lee Gwang Soo have been known to go all out against female guests, with Haha wrestling several to the ground without remorse. As for [[ButtMonkey Ji Suk Jin]], he tries his best against them as well, but then again his best is... well...

* WomenAreDelicate: Although it's true that there is a physical difference between the genders (especially when the guests are well-muscled male stars and tiny female stars), this can come into play a lot depending on the guest or the mission.

* AccidentalPervert: When Ji Hyo spills tea on her chest, poor Gwang Soo instinctively tries to dry her with his napkin. Cue uproar from the rest of the group.

* InUniverseNickname: Too many to count. Just for example:

** Song Ji Yok; due to Ji Hyo's tendency of anger & especially in earlier episodes, cursing[[note]] Yok means cursing in Korean[[/note]].

* AnOddPlacetoSleep: In episode 178, Ji Hyo somehow managed to fell asleep on top of a giant Jenga tower. Both the producers and the members are completely shocked on how she managed to do that.