In my over three years of webtoon, I have seen plenty of different casts in Webtoon. Some favorites that come to mind happen to be Noblesse Let's Play, Tower of God, and others. But I don't think any cast can truly compare with that of Lookism. And considering this post has been in 2-year development hell, I think that now is the perfect time to discuss why Lookism is my favorite cast in all of Webtoon.
Note
This post will be analyzing the characters and themes of Lookism and how they work together as of ch. 287 so major spoilers ahead for pretty much all of Lookism. I admit the series has problems, but I also feel like this series is more than just gay ships, wacky action, and lusting over highschool students despite the show's message. To those unfamiliar with the series, here is a short synopsis.
Lookism is the story of Daniel Park, a heavily bullied loser that is fat, short, and ugly. Realizing her son's situation, his mother decides to send him to Jae Wae High School in another city. For Daniel, this is a new start in more ways than one as he soon wakes up in a body, not his own! The new body was strong, fast, and, most of all, beautiful. Soon realizing that Daniel can switch between the two bodies, he decides to use this gift on a one of a kind journey of self-improvement and self-discovery. Now please leave and watch this series already, I'm warning you!
Intro
Like the title says, Lookism is a story that talks about the unfair prejudge the world grants people based on their appearances. Through its 287 chapters, we have had this message be shown in so many ways I can't even count. I won't cover everything so let's break down the most important characters, their developments, and what lessons we can learn from them. Right off the bat, though, I should note that almost every character in Lookism is never forgotten, and they do have surprising appearances throughout the story. That already is important since it gives numerous perspectives and depths to characters originally thought of as boring or lackluster. It's always a surprising twist that I like.
Daniel Park
I would be very remiss if I didn't talk about Daniel Park, the main character of Lookism. Because I think the fandom can sometimes be taken for granted in the grand scheme since I think he is one of the most genuine protags I've ever read. Right off the bat, one of my favorite things about Daniel is that he has every reason to be just as bad as the bullies who tormented him after he gets his new body. However, that never comes to pass as he more or less uses his new dynamic to help people in the long run.
But this doesn't make Daniel this perfect little boy that needs protection. The series points out many of Daniel's flaws, which leads to my favorite aspect of Daniel. Throughout the story, we get to see numerous characters that could be seen as parallels to what Daniel could've been if he never learned. Johan of God's dog is what Daniel would be if his mother's health had taken a darker turn, and if he threw away his friendships. Jiho repeatedly proves what Daniel would have been if, instead of learning from his various mistakes, just kept going on his path. Duke is what would happen if Daniel never lost his determination through his massive adversity. That stalker from 28-33 is what Daniel would've been like if he laid down in pity and blamed the world for his problems. What's even better is that besides the last one, these characters are still all very different from each other yet similar. This all proves that not only can Daniel copy his friend's moves but also their examples as he starts to grow.
Finally, the beauty of Daniel's unique perspective makes it so he can be seen as hypocritical in a sense. With his perfect body, he effectively spits in the face of the most prominent and experienced fighters in verse. Daniel is a creature that must overcome unfairness but must also be unfair to others to achieve his goals, which leads us to our other main characters.
Zack and Vasco
If highschool mattered to these characters, then Zack would get the most improved. At the start of the series, this guy was an arrogant thug that constantly lorded over his friend Mira. But after being constantly defeated by Daniel and overshadowed by Vasco, he pretty much is hammered in by people who are either naturally better or trained harder until he sharpens into a goddamn nail. As this nail, we see Zack slowly start to develop into a more mature and unsure person. He starts working harder to achieve the dream he's always wanted and even gets friends he genuinely cares about. His pride and big heart show that Zack never takes his defeats lightly and always cares more than he lets on.
Vasco is another standout character in the series with a lot of notable moments. The man may have the neural pathways of a rock, but he is arguably the most influential mc on the list. His inspirational bid for self-improvement and never giving up made him one of Daniel's biggest influences for his future development and the creation of the Burn Knuckles, a bunch of thugs that managed to find a constructive home under Vasco. And yet this would all never have happened if Jace hadn't tried to share Vasco's burden all those years ago to be the man he is today. While Jace is the brains of the Burn Knuckles, Vasco is the passion and heart of the team who never had to go through any further development to improve further.