Getting up to speed with The Uncanny Counter can be quite a challenge, especially if you've just discovered the show. In this guide, we'll be talking about what evil spirits are in The Uncanny Counter.
If you're new to watching this Korean drama, this is something you'll hear about quite often. But what is it, and how do they possess a human body? Keep reading for the answer.
What Is an Evil Spirit in The Uncanny Counter?
The Uncanny Counter is a show based on a Kakao webtoon called Amazing Rumor. The webtoon, created by Jang Yi, follows a group of demon hunters known as Counters as they look for evil spirits that have escaped the afterlife.
The Counters face a number of evil spirits who are the villains of the show. In Korea, evil spirits are called akgwi. But what are they, and how do they possess humans?
The evil spirits in The Uncanny Counter are nefarious and cunning in nature. They look for people who have previously committed murder or are prone to commit murder.
Once they have found the perfect host, they either possess the body or make themselves known. But it will still depend on how compatible the evil spirit is with the body it possesses.
What Are the Levels of Evil Spirits?
In both the webtoon and the TV series, the evil spirits are classified by levels or how the spirit has progressed. Here are the different levels of the evil spirits in The Uncanny Counter:
- Level 1: The human host has just killed someone and the evil spirit has just entered his body. A Level 1 spirit has not yet ingested any further souls and is relatively weak. As such, they are usually easier to capture and banish.
- Level 2: The evil spirit has collected one other soul and has become a bit stronger. There are some instances when Level 2 spirits stay at this level even after killing more people and ingesting their souls. This is because the spirit and the host are not that compatible with each other.
- Level 3: The evil spirit has eaten at least four more souls and has become more powerful. At this stage, it has gained supernatural abilities, such as psychokinesis and psychometry. It is also able to speak with its host and talk in two different voices.
- Level 4: This is a rare circumstance wherein the spirit has ingested enough compatible souls. When this happens, the evil spirit and his host become one. He also experiences an increase in his abilities and is almost invincible.
When they are with other spirits, they have seemingly normal relationships.
Who Are the Evil Spirits in The Uncanny Counter?
The Counters in The Uncanny Counter have come across a number of evil spirits ranging across levels. The most notable ones include the following:
Ji Chung-sin (Season 1)
Ji Chung-sin (played by Lee Hong-nae) from Season 1 was a Level 2 evil spirit who was a hired hitman by Mayor Shin.
He killed the Counter, Cheol-jung, which led So Mun (played by Jo Byeong-kyu) to be enlisted as the new member. Chung-sin also turned out to be the person who killed So Mun's parents from years ago.
When he gained enough strength, he became a Level 4 spirit who became one with his host. This also allowed him to leave the body at will and look for another host. When this happened, he chose to possess his employer, Mayor Shin, but was later defeated by the Counters.
Baek Hyang-hui (Season 1)
Baek Hyang-hui (played by Ok Ja-yeon) was a Level 3 spirit who killed off her rich husbands for their money. She acted on her own, without an evil spirit possessing her. So when an evil spirit finally communicated with her, she was caught off guard.
She partnered with Chung-sin, along with other Level 2 spirits.
Hwang Pil-gwang (Season 2)
In Season 2, we come across Hwang Pil-gwang (played by Kang Ki-young), a Level 3 spirit who leads two other spirits of the same status. After killing the Chinese team of Counters, Pil-gwang was able to ingest the Counter along with his superhuman powers.
Gelly (Season 2)
Kim Hieora stars in The Uncanny Counter Season 2 as Gelly, a Level 3 evil spirit who is in a relationship with Pil-gwang. She also ingests a Chinese Counter and absorbs his ability to read memories.
Wong (Season 2)
The third notable villain in the second season of the show is Wong (played by Kim Hyun-wook). Since he is a Level 3 evil spirit, he was able to ingest Ms. So's healing powers when he killed her.
Ma Ju-seok (Season 2)
Ma Ju-seok (played by Jin Sun-kyu) surprised everyone when he became an evil spirit.
The only way for an evil spirit to possess you, you need to kill at least one person. But this was not the case for the former kind-hearted firefighter.
After learning his wife and unborn child had died, Ju-seok carried anger in his heart. He attempted to kill Park Seong-uk (played by Park Jung-bok) but was caught by Ga Mo-tak (played by Yu Jun-sang).
In prison, he seethed with rage and kept thinking about having his revenge on Mr. Park. While he was attempting to hang himself, an evil spirit got attracted to him and possessed him.
For several days, he fought off the evil spirit inside him. But when Pil-gwang sensed the evil in him, he knew Ju-seok would be helpful to him.
This led Pil-gwang to break into prison to tempt Ju-seok and let the evil spirit within him take over. Pil-gwang also makes Ju-seok believe that Mr. Park was behind the murder of his wife, Lee Min-ji (played by Hong Ji-hee).
When Ju-seok finally accepts the evil spirit within him, he becomes a very powerful being. And this is a shock to everyone in Yung since Ju-seok has never killed someone.
Adding to that, Ju-seok had the ability to see through the Territories and communicate with Ha-na through them.
Ju-seok finally manages to kill Mr. Park and consume his spirit, which strengthens him some more. This pleases Pil-gwang, who refers to Ju-seok as his masterpiece.
The Counters have a difficult time catching Ju-seok and stopping him from killing someone else.
Moreover, they have to stop Ju-seok from killing Pil-gwang and consuming his power, or the latter, as this would give them a difficult time summoning the evil spirit.
How Do Counters Look for Evil Spirits?
The Counters are usually able to discover the presence of an evil spirit once it steps into a Territory, an energy field that amplifies the abilities of the Counters.
The Territory is generated by the Yung and appears in random places. It also doesn't last very long.
In the first season of the show, it was revealed that So Mun is an extraordinary Counter since he is able to summon a Territory at will. He is the only one able to do this, which explains his special ability.
Although all of the Counters are able to detect when an evil spirit has stepped foot in the domain, Do Ha-na (played by Kim Se-jeong) seems to be the one most powerful for the job.
Apart from sensing the presence of an evil spirit, she can read into the level of the spirit and what it was doing.
In the second season, their newest Counter, Na Jeok-Bong (played by Yoo In-soo) gains the ability to smell the evil spirits.
Since he is new to his role as a Counter, his power fails him at times. But he was able to sniff out the evil spirits who are hiding from the Territories that they can see.
What Happens to the Evil Spirit When It Is Exorcised by a Counter?
When the Counters are able to exorcise the spirit from its host, the human is able to return to its original personality. The Counters then erase the memory from his mind so he doesn't know what recently happened.
The human is then left for the authorities to deal with, often confused as to how they were found by the police.
Meanwhile, the evil spirit gets transported to the Yung, where it is led to the eternal prison where it belongs.
We'll learn more about the evil spirits as The Uncanny Counter season 2 continues to air. Personally, these evil spirits have gotten haughtier in the second season, but that's what they're meant to be!
Read Next: The Uncanny Counter: What Is a Territory?
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