Netflix's Hellbound Characters Ranked From Worst To Best

What would happen to the world if angels appeared and told people how much time they had left to live — and to top it all off, that they were bound for Hell? It could be a matter of seconds, days, or even years. But what does it mean? Where are they coming from? These are just some of the questions raised by the chilling Netflix series "Hellbound." From the director of "Train To Busan" and writer of "#Alive, "Yeon Sang-ho, "Hellbound" premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival before premiering on Netflix on November 19, 2021.

With Korean television being quite a major success for Netflix these days, "Hellbound" is certainly looking to capitalize on that same success. Thankfully for fans of supernatural thrillers and horror, "Hellbound" is an absolute delight, featuring high production values, a compelling, twisty narrative, and above all, an excellent cast of characters. The show boasts a remarkably strong cast, but we're here to separate the wheat from the chaff. Strap yourselves in and let's take a look at Netlifx's "Hellbound" characters ranked from worst to best.

Warning: major spoilers for all six episodes of "Hellbound" ahead!

A wolf in sheep's clothing, Chairman Kim Jeongchil first appears as a pastor looking to help Min Hyejin uncover the truth about Jung Jinsu and the New Truth. Min makes her way to Pastor Kim, who uncovers a vital audio file that threatens to expose the New Truth's ideology. Unfortunately for Min, Pastor Kim uses the file to entrap her, permanently deleting the file in front of her eyes, and revealing that he made a deal with Jinsu to not share the file and, in exchange, become the next chairman. When Min attempts to escape, she is greeted by a group of thugs who begin to beat her to death.

Kim's metamorphosis from charming to vicious happens quickly, and once he begins his role as Chairman, we really see just how insidious he can be. He is more than happy to break the law in order to achieve the will of the New Truth and will put anyone and anything at risk in order to do so. He also has a tendency to lose his temper quickly, and is prone to violence, as evidenced by his treatment of Yuji, who works alongside him at New Truth. It's not long before he starts to feel a bit too much like a cartoon villain. Chairman Kim is a real piece of work, and while his fate is certainly up in the air after the first season of "Hellbound," we hope he'll get his comeuppance soon.

At first, Park Jungja (Kim Shin-rock) seems like she has a perfect life. We first see her coming home to her two adorable, loving children, who have a birthday cake ready to celebrate their hardworking mother's birthday. This joy is quickly upended when an angel appears to declare that Park has merely three days to live before the demonstration will take place to send her to Hell. The New Truth offers her a whopping three billion South Korean won to broadcast her admittance. Park, in moments of unfathomable grief, makes a smart decision to contact lawyers, including Min Hye-Jin, in order to ensure a contract can be drafted so her children can actually receive the money to secure their future.

This is exactly what's remarkable about Park: her unrelenting love of her children, to the point that she's willing to send them away to Canada for their own safety even though, as a result, she is unable to spend her final moments with the two people she loves most. Despite all this, though Kim gives a great performance and her character's resolve is impressive, "Hellbound" doesn't give her much more to do than cry about her circumstances once she's secured her children's safety. Though it's completely understandable she's so upset, we don't get much more from her than tears, which is why she's so low in the rankings.

Police officer Jin Kyunghun (Ik-June Yang, writer-director and star of 2008's "Breathless") is really going through it. His wife has was murdered, causing him to go on extended leave, and his relationship with his daughter Jin Heejung is falling apart. To make matters worse, he comes back to the force at a rather inopportune time, as he's now investigating incredibly bizarre murders seemingly caused by demons for people who have sinned. Talk about stress! To complicate matters for Jin even further, the Chairman of the New Truth is mentoring his daughter Hee-Jeong and ends up manipulating her to take drastic measures against the man who killed her mother.

He ultimately makes the decision not to film Jinsu's death so he doesn't have to implicate his own daughter in the murder of the man who killed his wife. The decision is also made from a desire to avoid the chaos that would ensue from seeing the Chairman of New Truth be Hellbound, so Jin makes the decision to sacrifice the truth to have a chance at rehabilitating his relationship with his daughter. While we understand the decision, it's disappointing to see Jin sacrifice his principles for personal gain, and it's a decision that ultimately makes him rather irrelevant to the overarching story of "Hellbound."

One of the most surprising characters in all of "Hellbound," the Streamer (Kim Do-yoon, who appeared in the "Train to Busan" sequel "Peninsula") has many twists and turns in his character arc. He's first introduced in glow-in-the-dark makeup, a neon orange wig, and a hat made from an animal skull. He's a member of the Arrowhead and a devout follower of the New Truth. He does not hesitate to incite violence in the name of religious righteousness, and we see the direct results of his calls to violence. It's fair to say the character is extremely off-putting at first, though a surprise reappearance in the final episode forces us to re-evaluate.

In Episode 6, it's revealed that the Streamer, despite being a disciple of the New Truth and following their every word, receives a decree that he's set to be Hellbound. Thus, he agrees to help Sodo's cause in order to reveal the truth about the reasons for being chosen. That said, "Hellbound" often examines how people can be manipulated using faith, and the Streamer is tricked by the New Truth yet again.

Unfortunately, all these shocks are undone by a disappointing moment when the Streamer falls into a clichéd villain monologue and explains his plan, and as a result, it falls through. It's a disappointing moment for a character who really keeps you guessing — though we still get a deliciously unhinged performance from Do-Yoon, who really helps flesh out a character that could have been unbearable.

Jin Heejung (Lee Re) has been struggling with the loss of her mother, who was murdered years ago. She finds refuge from her police officer father with the Chairman of the New Truth, Jung Jinsu, who provides her mentorship and helps her process the death of her mother, much to her father's dismay. She feels immense guilt over her mother's murder, and while she is in no way responsible, the guilt eats at her to the point that she's convinced herself she's the reason her mother was killed. Being a teenage girl is tough enough — we can't imagine the unbearable burden this must cause Jin.

In a shocking scene, Jin enacts revenge on the man who murdered her mother, as he was a drug addict who escaped being put in jail. With the help of Jin-Soo, she kidnaps her mother's murderer, places him onto a conveyor belt, and sets him on fire. Lee Re does a phenomenal job in this sequence, expressing a world of her emotions through her face, without any dialogue. We can feel the guilt washing away and she appears disturbingly thrilled at the prospect of the murderer being burned alive. As a character, Jin doesn't have a particularly large impact on "Hellbound," but a great performance in one of the show's most memorable sequences certainly helps her rise up the ranks.

Yuji (played by Ryu Gyeong-soo, who starred in "Itaewon Class") is a no-nonsense priest working for the New Truth. He has a close relationship with Chariman Kim, who, while listening to his contributions, regularly treats him like a punching bag. This makes him a fairly sympathetic character, despite working for an evil organization like the New Truth. He seems to have something of a crisis of confidence when he discovers a clearly innocent baby has been decreed Hellbound, but remains steadfast in his work for the New Truth.

Yujii's calm and collected approach comes crumbling down at the very end of "Hellbound," and all of a sudden it becomes clear why he's an upper member of the New Truth. He becomes violent and unhinged, just like the Chairman, beating an older man with his fists to near-death. Shouting "You disregard God's principles, and go against God's will" while pummeling someone isn't a good look, and his perverted sense of power means he thinks the police will simply allow him to beat whoever he likes. This is not the case — the last we see of Yuji, he's being taken away by the police. His breakdown is beautifully performed by Kyung-soo, who expertly conveys Yuji's longstanding calm under pressure breaking down with serious gusto.

Even though Gong Hyeongjun (Im Hyeong-guk) isn't in "Hellbound" for very long, he's sure to make his impact known. A professor of sociology at Hankuk University in Seoul, he appears right after Bae's friend is taken by the Executioners — it turns out that in addition to his professorial duties, he works for Sodo, an organization directly opposed to the New Truth. Their mission is to hide those who have received the decree from angels that they are bound to Hell, in order to prevent the New Truth from finding them to further push their agenda.

Gong is also aware of the truth about those who are Hellbound — it has nothing to do with righteousness, like the New Truth claim; in fact, it's entirely random. He learned this the hard way when, while he was driving with his daughter, an angel appeared to decree that she would be bound for Hell in just ten seconds. It's a heartbreaking story that really allows us to understand Gong on a deeper level. What's impressive about him is not that this awful thing happened and he survived it — instead of just making it through, it spurred him to take action and make a serious attempt to make a difference in the world. Put simply, Gong is a truly inspiring character, and even though he meets his demise, his heroism will not be forgotten.

Talk about terrifying! The executioners make their impact right from the opening scene of "Hellbound." They're first witnessed at a cafe on a smartphone, where a group of people dismiss them as CGI. In a brilliant fakeout, they then burst through the same cafe hungry for blood — specifically of a man determined to be Hellbound.

"Hellbound" isn't quite as violent as you might think, as the show often favors looking at the politics of situations rather than their violent outcomes. When the show does get violent, however, we have our executioner friends to thank. Always arriving in a trio, these giant black monsters have insane musculature and are seemingly invincible — nothing will stop them from achieving their goals.

Each kill is seemingly more gruesome than the last, and the creators of "Hellbound" clearly took a lot of delight in crafting these murderous scenarios. The final kill we see is especially horrifying, as they quite literally drag a man to his gory, grotesque death. What's especially terrifying about the Executioners is that we still don't really know their origins — are they sent by God? By the Devil? Something else entirely? — and the mystery keeps things at a fever pitch. They may be scary, but one thing's for sure: When the Executioners appear onscreen, you can't look away.

Having a child is supposed to be one of the most extraordinary moments in a person's life, and the memories of bringing a life into the world stay with you forever. Such is certainly true of Song Sohyun (Won Jin-ah), who is thrilled over the birth of her healthy child. The joy evaporates almost instantly when Song witnesses an angel decreeing that her baby has three days to live before being Hellbound. The news surely must be a mistake — after all, from everything Song knows, only sinners can become Hellbound. Though she makes a terrible mistake of taking her child to the New Truth for guidance, luckily she and the child are rescued by Bae and Min.

The creators of "Hellbound" clearly had more interest in developing Song than Park, another mother who is faced with a difficult decision. While Park is largely left to sob, Song has a steadfast determination to be with her child to the end. In an emotional scene with Min, she is vulnerable, telling her "No one ever told me I'm their only hope, other than my baby. I'll stay with my child, until the very end." In fact, what makes Song especially remarkable is that, when push comes to shove, she refuses to let her baby go, and attempts to outwit the Executioners to save her child. Though it may sound like a bad idea, she potentially changes the world.

Played by the fantastic Yoo Ah-in, who starred in Lee Chang-Dong's slow-burn masterpiece "Burning," Jung Jinsu is the enigmatic Chairman of the mysterious New Truth. Jung has been trying to tell the people of Korea, and the world, about the Executioners his whole life, but when they finally appear in Seoul, people take notice. Jung spreads the message that the angels only choose sinners to be Hellbound and if people follow his principles, and his keys to a righteous life, they are destined to be free.

Even when walking around, whether through the streets or on the subway, it's abundantly clear that Jung is immensely popular amongst the people of Seoul. He's stopped everywhere he goes, with people praising his name, and once the Executioners appear, they are more than willing to do his bidding. Jung is a character that could easily feel hokey and one-dimensional, but Yoo gives him a silent, almost brooding power that makes him irresistible.

In one of the series' most shocking revelations, it's revealed that Jung is actually Hellbound, and has known of his fate for 20 years. Even though he dies in the third episode, his impact is felt throughout the entire series, and while this tortured soul is evil, it's hard not to be enamored with him, making him the ideal cult leader — and one of the best characters in "Hellbound."

It doesn't get much better than Bae Yeongjae (Park Jeong-min). A TV producer who is working on documentaries about the New Truth, he's bold in his convictions and makes no effort whatsoever to hide his disdain for the organization. Bae sees the Executioners firsthand as they take his friend's life after he goes he unveils a secret organization working against the New Truth. It's not long before Bae runs into that organization, and eventually works alongside them.

Bae's world is rocked when his wife shows him the proof that their child is decreed to be Hellbound in just a few days. He agrees to broadcast the demonstration to expose the lies of the New Truth, risking his life in a fight with the Streamer to make it happen. Bae is the character at the heart of countless twists, turns, and revelations, and without him, it's fair to say "Hellbound" wouldn't have the same impact. Jeong-Min gives a richly layered performance, balancing grief and determination with considerable aplomb. Bae is strong, wise, charismatic, and heroic — a tremendous combination.

There are a lot of excellent characters in "Hellbound," but none can hold a candle to the absolute badass Min Hyejin (Kim Hyun-joo). Min first appears as the lawyer of Park Jung-Ja, who has been decreed Hellbound. On top of being a busy lawyer, she's also caring for her ailing mother, who has cancer. When it's revealed to the public that Min helped Park's children escape, everyone turns against her, putting her life in extreme danger. She witnesses the horrifying fatal beating of her mother, which proves absolutely devastating. With astonishing resolve, Min sticks to her guns and continues to fight against the New Truth, which almost costs her her life.

After disappearing for a while from "Hellbound," Min makes a triumphant return (complete with a new haircut), and is ready to defeat the New Truth. She knows that the organization is full of lies, and recognizes live-streaming the demonstration of Bae and Song's child as the opportunity to expose them. It's not just Min's ferocious resolve and entrenched desire to help vulnerable people that makes her such a great character. When the Arrowheads and New Truth come to attack, this time Min is more than ready, unleashing an arsenal of remarkable moves that make her every bit as impressive physically as she is mentally. Without Min, these people could never come together to expose the New Truth, making her without a doubt the best character in "Hellbound."