Kim Jong-kook is an absolute beast on Running Man, so it’s no surprise that he’s Running Man’s Commander. With his quick wit, ferocious strength and athletic ability, Jong-kook would always be the one everyone wanted to beat. But when the odds are stacked up against him, Jong-kook often pulls into his reservoirs and goes full beast mode on the show. This literally means that he gets Mario’s Golden Star and just annihilates anyone standing in his path.
Here are 5 moments when Kim Jong-kook, Running Man’s Commander, went full on beast mode.
#5 Beast Mode On (Ep 195)
Teaming up against the Commander is an absolute must on the show, mostly because no one else can beat him alone. But sometimes, even teaming up against the Commander doesn’t work because he can turn into a beast almost at will. This is evidenced in episode 195, when both the 2PM and Mystic teams came together to oust 2NE1’s Gary and Minzy in the final nametag ripping game. The Commander, feeling the need for justice, was up next and he singlehandedly defeated 5 members from both teams in lightning quick fashion and won the match.
It wasn’t so much of a match than a massacre.
#4 The Battle of the Strongest (Ep 131)
Jong-kook has the speed and the strength to win most nametag ripping matches he goes into, which is one of the reasons why he’s so incredibly feared by almost everyone who goes on the show. Everyone except former UFC fighter Choo Sung-hoon (or Yoshihiro Akiyama), who more than relished the challenge. Remember, this is the same Choo Sung-hoon, mixed martial artist and judo practitioner with plenty of awards under his belt.
The challenge was always mounted up against the Commander, and yet he went close a few times to rip off Sung-hoon’s nametag. Their battle is one of the most intense and exciting ones on Running Man, and while Jong-kook lost out in the end, he had successfully gone toe to toe with a professional.
Watch the battle here: http://on.fb.me/1iD1M7D
#3 Survival of the Fittest (Ep 93)
In the epic, whole day Survival Race, Jong-kook was quickly voted as the first one everyone wanted to eliminate in the beginning. Not only did he manage to survive the first round of 1 v 6, he also quickly became the hunter instead of the hunted.
This went on throughout the entire day until the final mission, which he quickly won as well. This is survival at the fittest level, and an absolute nightmare for everyone else.
#2 Beating Team Evil (Ep 240)
Everyone will tell you that protecting the weakest link on Running Man; Ji Suk-jin is an impossibly difficult task. And to help Suk-jin win a race through ripping off nametags is even more impossible. But Jong-kook took this to task and did all he could to help Suk-jin win. The way he tore off the nametag off the Team Evil member was one of amazing skill and speed.
But it was when he needed to help Suk-jin hold down the final member that really pushed him to his limits. I will say this; Suk-jin may very well be Jong-kook’s kryptonite.
#1 The Epic 20 Minute Struggle (Ep 4)
As mentioned before, other Running Man members and guests often team up against Jong-kook on account of his massive strength. But no other episode on Running Man has successfully shown how absolutely insane Jong-kook’s strength really is than episode 4. In this episode, the Commander was outnumbered by 6 people, all trying to rip off his nametag.
He managed to drag all 6 along for a ride for a whooping 20 minutes before his strength finally gave up. That’s 6 people trying to tear off his nametag, with him not being able to fight back. If that feat isn’t worthy of the Commander title, I don’t know what is.
