A young man set forth to avenge his master, a once powerful martial artist who was betrayed by his own men and barely escaped with his life. Armed with his master's supreme martial art techniques, he is ready to bring terror and wreak havoc among the murim. But before he even gets started, he learns that the ones who had betrayed his master are already dead... Erm, so what happens now?
Gosu (The Master) is a webtoon series authorised Ryu Ki-Woon and illustrated by Moon Jung-Hoo, which is published weekly on Naver
. First serialised early in September 2015, Gosu (The Master) has been going strong since, gaining a growing fan-base and receiving good ratings on almost every chapter. As of mid-July 2017, it can now be read in English on LINE Webtoons.
The series also has its own wiki.
Gosu (The Master) contains examples of:
- Absurd Cutting Power: Any high-level gosu wielding a bladed weapon is capable of doing so. Such as Soh Jinhong and Doh Gyeom.
- Action Girl: Jin Garyeong, the Lady of the Baekma Valley.
- All Men Are Perverts: The conclusion Yerin comes to after finding out that the treasure Lord Hong's spirit had protecting actually contained 'adult' tomes.
- Anti-Villain: Gwi Yeong. While he took part in the downfall of his master, he spent his later life working for the welfare of innocent villagers, even earning their loyalty. Gang Ryong spares him, but few days later, Gwi Yeong is killed along with the other villagers by Mak Sapyeong's men.
- Asskicking Leads to Leadership
- Ax-Crazy: The boys of the Doh Family when their alter-ego's are in control. Extra points for Gyeom for the unnerving grin painted on his face.
- Bequeathed Power: The Heavenly Destroyer is implied to have transferred the inner ki he accumulated in his lifetime into to his final disciple, Gang Ryong.
- Blood Knight: Sa Paecheon is an avid fan of dominating others in battle. Shout out goes to Doh Gyeom too while his crazy alter-ego is control.
- Charles Atlas Superpower: As a story set in a world where martial arts dictates everything, it comes as no surprise that their world is full of them.
- Continuity Nod: To Ryu Ki-Woon's previous work Yongbi the Invincible, which is set in the same universe, 40-50 years prior to the start of Gosu (The Master).
- Crouching Moron, Hidden Badass: Doh Gyeom. His uncle couldn't believe that such a fool possessed so much strength and skill.
- Curb-Stomp Battle: More times than not, Gang Ryong vs anyone.
- Decoy Protagonist: The random martial artist you see coming out of jail in Chapter 1? That's not Gang Ryong. The chubby delivery boy that effortlessly took out those bandits? That's Gang Ryong!
- Determinator: Despite being put down multiple times by Gang Ryong, Doh Gyeom kept returning to his feet and fighting back.
- Dragons With An Agenda: See The Usurpers.
- Fantastic Fighting Style: Divine Heavenly Destruction Techniques, Flying Flash Sword Style, Doh Family Spear Style and Welkin Lightning styles to name a few. In a world of martial arts, it's no surprise.
- Formerly Fit: Gang really let himself go after the prologue and stays that way for the whole story.
- Gollum Made Me Do It: Doh Gyeom and his late older brother, Doh Gyeol, suffer from this.
- The Greatest Style: The twelve Divine Heavenly Destruction Techniques created by the Heavenly Destroyer.
- Implausible Fencing Powers: Soh Jinhong while using the Soseondang's Flying Flash Sword.
- In the Hood: Gwi Yeong.
- I See Dead People: Song Yerin and her biological mother, the Saintly Celestial Maiden.
- Ki Manipulation
- Lady of War: Jin Garyeong and her mother is this by default considering her position as Lady of the Baekma Valley.
- Lampshade Hanging: Gang wondering what will happen to the webtoon after realising that his master's enemies were already dead.
- Lightning Bruiser: Despite his chubby frame, Gang Ryong is one of the most powerful gosu in the setting.
- Lonely at the Top: In his late years, while training Gang Ryong, Dogko Ryong noted that as a user of the Divine Heavenly Destruction Techniques, there were none who could really challenge him due to its supreme power.
- Made of Iron: Subverted by Dang Gwe who tried to claim he had this before going down in one blow from Gang.
- Manipulative Bastard: Yang Jeonghak orchestrated Gang Ryong's rampage against the Baekma Valley under the orders of Jin Garyeong's mother, the former Lady of the Valley.
- Mak Sapyeong, one of the Four Heavenly Kings is this. He blackmails Gang Ryong's allies to capture the boy and later goes back on his words. He forces a Sadistic Choice on Jin Garyeong and uses sneaky tricks on his enemies. In a last ditch effort, he shows Gang Ryong visions of the past to play with his mind, but is ultimately killed.
- Martial Pacifist: Gang Ryong. Despite the dying wishes of his master, he actively avoids getting into fights where possible and has only killed once when he had no other choice. Even after finally confronting one of the men he had sought out to kill, he couldn't bring himself to do so.
- Master of Illusion: Song Yerin and Yang Jeonghak.
- Master Swordsman: Soh Jinhong, the Rosy-Cheeked Sword Fiend.
- Mundane Made Awesome: Gang Ryong (and later Doh Gyeom) delivering dumplings and working in a tavern.
- Wang Ahk and his obsession with rock-paper-scissors.
- Names to Run Away from Really Fast: Sa Paecheon, the Devil of the Venom Hands.
- No Sense of Direction: See Running Gag.
- Not Quite Dead: The Heavenly Destroyer was believed to have perished at the hands of his disciples and subordinates, the Four Heavenly Kings. However he survived and finished his life by raising a fifth and final disciple to wreak revenge on the the four disciples that betrayed him.
- Also, the Four Heavenly Kings. This sparked Gang Ryong into leaving his job as a delivery boy to go out in search of one of them.
- Oh, Crap!: Wang Ahk after Gang Ryong challenges him to a rock-paper-scissors rematch...
- Most people after discovering Gang Ryong is the disciple of the Heavenly Destroyer.
- Older Than They Look: Song Chohyang whenever she is wearing her makeup. Even in a setting where impressive feats are common, Chohyang's makeup skills go beyond the realm belief.
- One-Man Army: Gang Ryong, Sa Paecheon, Soh Jinhong... hell, any high-level gosu can be considered one.
- Person of Mass Destruction: Gang Ryong can demolish landscapes and mountainsides on a regular basis. Sa Paecheon and other high level gosu are also this.
- Red Baron: Every notable gosu has an epithet befitting of their power and fighting style. The most famous: Dogko Ryong, the Heavenly Destroyer.
- Retired Badass: Gha Woobok, once feared as the greatest killer of the Baekma Valley, left the murim and is now a door-to-door merchant. It didn't last long.
- The Rival: How Soh Jinhong sees his relationship with Gang Ryong.
- Roaring Rampage of Revenge: Gang Ryong's is humorously subverted in the prologue chapter before it can even begin. However it's played a little straighter when Gang storms the Baekma Valley after finding out Gha Woobok had been kidnapped by them.
- Running Gag: People from the Doh Family have terrible directional sense.
- The Stoic: Soh Jinhong.
- Took a Level in Badass: Doh Gyeom took several large levels during his fight with Gang Ryong.
- Training from Hell: How Gang Ryong learned the Heavenly Destroyer's martial arts.
- Underestimating Badassery: Typically happens to those that face Gang Ryong without knowing who he is. Sometimes even after finding out.
- The Reveal: Comes when it's revealed through a flashback that Doko Yong was an absolute monster who mistreated his disciples, routinely massacred surrendering enemy forces, but most importantly, the one who killed Gang Ryong's parents. Making the aforementioned disciples betrayal of Doko entirely justified. It is subverted when further revealed that the memories are tampered and the Four Heavenly Kings were responsible for the crimes and disobeying their master.
- The Usurpers: The Four Heavenly Kings betrayed the Heavenly Destroyer, leaving him for dead. However, they ended up fighting amongst themselves and killed each other or so they'd have you believe, sparking the eventual end of the Heavenly Destruction Sect.
- World's Best Warrior/ World's Strongest Man: There are many candidates for this trope. The Twelve Supreme Masters, especially Goo Hwi and Sa Paecheon are regarded as the strongest warriors of the old generation. Hong Ye-Mong is considered as the world's strongest woman, and her husband Yongbi is an extraordinary martial artist on par with Goo Hwi. Dokgo Ryong and the four Heavenly Kings were dreaded by the Murim Alliance for their unparalleled prowess. Among the younger generation, Gang Ryong is this, having defeated Sa Paecheon and the Four Heavenly Kings. He is said to be on par with his master Dokgo Ryong and even Goo Hwi was impressed with his skills.
- You Are Fat: Despite Gang Ryong's extreme martial arts proficiency, people still call him out for his 'extra weight'.
- Soh Jinhong exclusively refers to Gang as "fatty".
