Physical war staged under the flags of eight Asian countries Physical: Asia revealed first appearance stills of 48 representatives from Korea, Japan, Thailand, Mongolia, Türkiye, Indonesia, Australia and the Philippines.
As the first nation-versus-nation competition in the Physical series draws intense attention, the released first-appearance stills overwhelm the eye with each country's powerful presence. Led by Korea, which grows stronger the more it unites without giving up, meticulous competitor Japan, Thailand with the muaythai spirit, the giants of the steppe Mongolia, Türkiye descended from warriors, Indonesia with explosive energy, Australia with overwhelming physicality, and the Philippines with the blood of champions, the diverse colors of the eight Asian countries make the Physical series' first nation-versus-nation competition even more anticipated.
Physical: Asia delivers a thrilling rush as hexagonal physicals challenge human limits in massive quests. Viewers can look forward to the excitement of seeing each country's varied tactics, strategies and teamwork in intense contests. Adding to the anticipation is the participation of traditional sports athletes from each country, including Korea's ssireum, Mongolian wrestling, Türkiye oil wrestling and Thai muaythai.
Producer Jang Hogi said, "Because this is a season of Asian nation-versus-nation competition, we wanted to show the representative characteristics of Asia and the regional and national traits as diversely as possible, so we selected them to avoid overlapping features as much as possible," and added, "We focused on countries with high interest in sports, countries where well-known traditional sports are established, and countries that have legendary athletes representing the nation, and reviewed those to select the eight countries," explaining the criteria for choosing the eight Asian countries.
Producer Jang Hogi added, "To showcase the representative traits of the eight Asian countries, we invited a variety of physical athletes centered on traditional sports athletes," and said, "Because the Physical series tests participants' diverse physical abilities, I thought that even within a single country there should be athletes with a range of physical abilities and characteristics, so we adjusted the balance as much as possible so that any one country would not appear excessively strong or weak," explaining the effort to show each country's colorful traits while maintaining balance.
Physical: Asia brings together legendary athletes from each country, from Filipino boxing legend Manny Pacquiao, who conquered eight divisions, to Australia's former UFC middleweight champion Robert Whittaker and Japan's martial arts legend Okami Yooshin. The first Korean UFC fighter "Stun Gun" Kim Donghyun, former skeleton national team gold medalist Yoon Seongbin, ssireum champion Kim Minjae who dominated the ssireum world, Physical: 100 Season 2 - Underground winner Amoti, former wrestling national team member and Physical: 100 Season 1 competitor Jang Eunsil who showed formidable physicality and leadership, and CrossFit Asia No. 1 Choi Seungyeon will fight for the host country's pride.
Producer Jang Hogi introduced the strengths of the Korean team, saying, "The Korean team may not be particularly stronger or more agile than other teams, but the team members' coordination is very good and their endurance is outstanding." He added, "Japan, a nation of martial arts, fields representative fighters and has many national team medalists, so it is a team that shows the strategic and excellent quickness of elite sports athletes. Look forward to Japan's meticulous competition and a breath-taking rivalry match with Korea," raising expectations.
"They are a team with distinct personalities who take every quest seriously while enjoying the moment. The strength that comes from that stood out," the Thai team, he said, is also anticipated. Producer Jang Hogi warned, "Mongolia was the team everyone feared most. They were like a massive rock that never wavered in any situation, and you will see the formidable combat power of Mongolian warriors." He continued, "They overwhelmed everyone just with their first appearance and were truly a threatening team," and introduced Türkiye's overwhelming aspects, saying, "You will feel the powerful force of Türkiye that everyone wanted to avoid."
Producer Jang Hogi also expressed amazement about the Indonesian team, saying, "When the Indonesian team first entered the corridor, players from other countries all said they got goosebumps," and added, "They risked their lives in every contest without holding back and showed the most overwhelming momentum."
"They were a team like a dazzling, blazing fire. All the participants were full of confidence, and when the Australian team entered, the flow of air at the site changed because they had tremendous physicality rarely seen nearby," the Australian team is also a strong title contender. Producer Jang Hogi said, "The Philippines solidly united around living legend Manny Pacquiao," and added, "They were strong in strength, speed and teamwork — a team with very good overall balance. They were the dark horse that surprised other participating countries the most," heightening expectations.
Physical: Asia, where you can see a true physical showdown and diverse strategies from Asian legendary athletes with varied colors, will meet global viewers exclusively on Netflix on the 28th (Tue).<
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