{"id":577728,"date":"2026-04-01T03:57:10","date_gmt":"2026-04-01T03:57:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/577728\/"},"modified":"2026-04-01T03:57:10","modified_gmt":"2026-04-01T03:57:10","slug":"netflix-boxing-drama-bloodhounds-returns-with-k-pop-star-rain-as-main-villain","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/577728\/","title":{"rendered":"Netflix boxing drama Bloodhounds returns with K-pop star Rain as main villain"},"content":{"rendered":"

SEOUL \u2013 Netflix Korea\u2019s testosterone-driven series Bloodhounds (2023 to present) is returning for a second season, with K-pop star and actor Rain joining the fold as the new central villain.<\/p>\n

Premiering on April 3, it picks up with Geon-woo (Woo Do-hwan)<\/a> and Woo-jin (Lee Sang-yi), who previously dismantled a loan shark ring, as they take on a far more dangerous threat. <\/p>\n

This time, the duo square off against a global underground boxing league fuelled by money and violence.<\/p>\n

Speaking at a press conference on March 31, Woo, 33, reflected on the long-awaited return. <\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m happy to be greeting audiences again through Bloodhounds after three years,\u201d the South Korean actor said. <\/p>\n

\u201cWorking on Season 2, it felt like we\u2019d spent a long time together with Lee and the director. We were able to come back because of the love Season 1 received. It\u2019s an honour.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Woo<\/p>\n

Woo Do-hwan in Bloodhounds 2. <\/p>\n

PHOTO: NETFLIX<\/p>\n

The first season was a breakout global hit, climbing to No. 1 on Netflix\u2019s TV chart within six days of its debut, driven by its visceral action and grounded bromance.<\/p>\n

Director Kim Joo-hwan said the new instalment raises the stakes across the board. <\/p>\n

\u201cSeason 2 follows the two protagonists as they encounter a new antagonist and engage in an even more intense, ferocious battle,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n

\u201cWe thought carefully about what the audience loved in Season 1 and how to elevate it. The goal was to make the signature elements, like the boxing action and the chemistry between the leads, more stylish and more entertaining.\u201d<\/p>\n

A major focus this season was pushing the show\u2019s signature realism further. <\/p>\n

\u201cThe reason Bloodhounds was so well received was its boxing realism,\u201d Kim added. <\/p>\n

\u201cThis time, we asked ourselves how to take that further. The answer was to confront it head-on. We went deeper into boxing to deliver something more raw and authentic, and the entire crew committed to capturing that intensity.\u201d<\/p>\n

Season 2 also marks the arrival of Jung Ji-hoon \u2013 better known as Rain \u2013 who steps into the role of the season\u2019s primary antagonist. According to Jung, 43, he signed on out of longstanding admiration for the film-maker.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve long been a fan of director Kim and have followed his work,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n

\u201cBy coincidence, I came across Bloodhounds on Netflix the day I moved and ended up binge-watching the entire series. When the offer came, I felt it was fate.\u201d<\/p>\n

Rain added that he leaned fully into Kim\u2019s vision, setting aside his own action instincts to focus on embodying a deeply villainous character.<\/p>\n

\"Bloodhounds<\/p>\n

Bloodhounds 2 starring (from left) Rain, Woo Do-hwan and Lee Sang-yi.<\/p>\n

PHOTO: NETFLIX<\/p>\n

Expanding beyond its original scope, the new season shifts towards a global stage. Kim said that while Season 1 centred on boxers navigating the loan shark underworld during the pandemic, Season 2 foregrounds boxing itself within a broader international arena. <\/p>\n

\u201cConsidering themes like money and human relationships, a global boxing league felt like the most fitting backdrop,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

True to its DNA, the second season opens with action and closes with it, with both cast and director pointing to the heightened fight choreography as the main draw. <\/p>\n

\u201cWe wanted to deliver a kind of K-action that only our actors can pull off,\u201d Kim said. THE KOREA HERALD\/ASIA NEWS NETWORK<\/p>\n

Bloodhounds 2 premieres on Netflix on April 3. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"SEOUL \u2013 Netflix Korea\u2019s testosterone-driven series Bloodhounds (2023 to present) is returning for a second season, with K-pop…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":577729,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[571],"tags":[64,63,802,85],"class_list":["post-577728","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-boxing","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-boxing","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/577728","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=577728"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/577728\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/577729"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=577728"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=577728"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=577728"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}