The God of High School has been an exciting and high-energy martial arts romp this season, with thrilling fights throughout. So it’s only appropriate that the show’s real-world setting is equally dynamic in its own right. The anime adaptation of the popular Korean WEBTOON series is set in Seoul, South Korea’s bustling capital city, which is one of the largest metropolitan areas in the world. And just like The God of High School, Seoul as a city is a mix of cutting-edge elements on the one hand, while still retaining and nurturing many of its age-old traditions on the other. Personally, following the show and tracking all of its locations has been quite a nostalgia trip for me, since I lived in Seoul for four years myself. Unfortunately, I haven't been back to Seoul in a few years now, and with the situation around the world at the moment, that probably won’t change anytime soon. But thanks to modern technology, we can still make the most out of it from the comfort and the safety of our homes, so in this installment of Anime vs. Real Life, let’s take a virtual tour of Seoul to see all of Gat Obeu Hai Seukul’s real-world locations!
*All images were taken with GOOGLE STREET VIEW
Let’s kick things off with The God of High School’s most important location, which is undoubtedly the venue of the eponymous fighting tournament. The tournament, which has high school students from all over South Korea competing against each other, takes place at the very real Coex Convention & Exhibition Center.
The convention center is located in the Gangnam District, one of Seoul’s major business districts, and boasts large-scale event and conference spaces, as well as a massive underground shopping mall.
Right next to the convention center is the SMTown Coex Artium, which features the country’s largest LED advertising screen wrapping around the facade of the building. However, the popular tourist destination for K-pop fans has closed down and moved location in June of this year.
But Seoul is much more than just modern skyscrapers and cutting-edge technology. Pictured above is the famous Namdaemun Gate, the most prominent one of the eight gates of the old city’s fortress wall. The gate dates back to the 14th century and was designated as Korea’s National Treasure No. 1 by the government in 1962. Unfortunately, the wooden structure of the gate was heavily damaged by arson in 2008 but was reopened after five years of reconstructive work. Adjacent to the gate is the busy Namdaemun Market, which is the oldest and largest market in the country.
When he is not fighting in the ring, you’ll probably find Jin Mori training. Here he’s jogging along the Seoul City Wall — probably the stretch of wall following the ridges of the Naksan Mountain, which also dates back to the 14th century.
The N Seoul Tower, which honestly everybody just calls Namsan Tower after the mountain it's located on, is one of Seoul’s most famous landmarks and symbols. Combined with its elevated position, the tower sits at 480m above sea level and offers visitors a spectacular view of the entire city.
Located to the right here is the eye-catching Dongdaemun Design Plaza, designed by famous architect Zaha Hadid, which I unfortunately never got to see in its full glory myself, as it was only completed in 2014, four years after I left. The building comprises large public and event spaces and is the newest landmark of the popular fashion hub that is the Dongdaemun Area. Also located here is the famous Dongdaemun Gate, Dongdaemun Market, and the Cheonggyecheon Stream, which also makes a vague appearance in the show in Episode 7.
I immediately recognized this shot of the back of the Seoul City Hall, which I passed by every day on my way to school from Seongbuk-dong to Hannam-dong, which is where the German School was located.
As a member of the Korean National Assembly, Park Mujin spends a lot of time at the Korea National Assembly Proceeding Hall, which is South Korea’s capitol building.
Jin Mori and Yu Mira have their first encounter along the banks of the Han River here while trying to chase down a purse thief.
This bridge across one of the many branches of Han River is the place where our three protagonists Mori, Mira, and Daewi had their big bonding moment after losing Mira’s sword in the river. The specific spot took me an eternity to find for some reason. I usually search for locations right after an episode airs, but ended up looking for this spot for hours to no avail. However, when I returned to the search a few weeks later in preparation for this article, I immediately found it within seconds.
The blinding golden building you’ll see in various shots of the show is the 63 Building, a 250m skyscraper on Yeouido Island, which also has an observation platform.
Mira’s wedding was supposed to take place at The Shilla Seoul, but Jin and Daewi decided to turn the hotel’s ballroom into a giant fighting ring instead.
The building right next to it, which resembles a Korean temple, is actually just a hanok-style (traditional Korean style) guest house that also belongs to the hotel.
And finally, let’s get back to the main setting of the show again. Right next to the convention center is the ASEM Tower, which also got a brief appearance in PSY’s infamous "Gangnam Style" music video.
If you want to virtually check out some of these The God of High School locations yourself, I marked them all on the map below!
Would you like to see more anime set in South Korea? Let us know in the comments below!
Wilhelm is an anime tourist, who loves to search for and uncover the real-world spots he sees in anime. You can talk with him on Twitter @Surwill or on Instagram wilhelm_donko.
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