Hak

ク, Haku), or Son Hak (ソン・ハク, Son Haku) as he was known at the beginning of the story, is the main hero and the former General and Chief of the Wind Tribe. He is an adopted grand son of Son Mundok, the adoptive brother of Tae-Yeon, and the childhood friend of Yona and Soo-Won. He is known throughout Kouka as the “Thunder Beast” due to his outstanding fighting skills. He helped Yona escape from Hiryuu Castle after Soo-Won killed Emperor Il.

Orphan at a very young age due to the Xing and Kouka War he was later adopted by the Wind Tribe's former general Son Mundok. When Hak was 15 years old became Yona's bodyguard by King Il due to his straight-forward attitude and then later on at the age 18 he became the chief and general of the Wind Tribe this made him very accomplished young man for his age. But he later gave his title and life for Yona to protect her after the death of her father King Il at the hands of Soo-Won and later travels with her to find the four legendary dragon warriors. Hak has been in love with Yona since childhood, but never pursued her out of respect of her feelings for Soo-Won whom she was in love with since their childhood prior to the shajdksnasjaowepaoypopoydlspoypoypopoygjakdl;tyr54637

	File:Hak appearance.png

Hak is described as a tall, tough-bodied, and is an attractive young man with sharp blue eyes ("hot as hell"). He has short messy black hair with bangs hanging below his eyes. He has a well-built frame cultivated from years of training, which tends to make him quite popular with girls. He wears a sleeveless blue overcoat seamed with bluish black hemlines over a royal blue robe with black collar and sash. He ties black ribbons in a crisscross pattern over the lower half of his sleeves to prevent them from getting in the way when he is fighting. Underneath his robe, he wears black pants and a pair of dark brown boots overlaid with more crisscross-patterned ribbons. Occasionally, he can be seen wearing a sledge hat when he is hiding his identity. He always (apart from sometimes when in disguise) carries his signature weapon, a Chinese glaive-like weapon called a Hsu Quandao, most of the time with its blade draped in a white cloth held by a black strap. 

Personality

Hak is a mischievous, sarcastic, nonchalant, and loyal and a straight-forward person who strives to protect Yona at all costs and has been shown to be self-sacrificing, both physically and emotionally, when it comes to her well being. Hak has often teased Yona He has a habit of being a bully and likes branding some of the others, like Kija and Jae-Ha, with names and at times Yoon but he doesn't tease Shin-ah or Zeno. Despite being playful, he is serious whenever it comes to his job. His professionalism extends to a point where he addresses his childhood friends by their status. His devotion to his job stems from his belief in Emperor Il. At first, he had no intention to get involved in the royal family, as he saw it as troublesome. However, when he witnessed the emperor’s bravery, he swore loyalty to them, seeing that he couldn’t leave them alone.

Hak being a very loyal person was the most angry at Soo-won's betrayal for a few reasons one Hak was willing to give up his happiness with being with Yona so that she could have married Soo-Won and serve under them for the rest of their lives so that they all could still be best friends. Then the fact that Soo-Won was willing to kill the person he loved the most (Yona) in the world and destroyed her entire future and made them both fugitives just to take the throne broke his heart. Also on that very same day Soo-Won killed King Il he gave Yona a hairpin knowing that she hated her hair at the time and she had just confessed her feelings for him (Soo-Won) and Hak believes that Soo-Won is a very cruel person for doing that to her.

Although in the recent chapters of the manga, Hak for the first time had a monologue where he talks about his feeling towards Soo-Won, demonstrating that Hak doesn't really hate him, but he still doesn't understand why the current king of Kouka acts and ex- his friend would do such a terrible thing. Thus because of everything that had happened it took a long time for Hak to trust anyone especially his teammates when in came to protecting Yona. But as time passed he learned that not everyone will betrayal him like Soo-Won had and came to care about Yoon and the Four Dragons think of them as friends. Out of the four dragons he is close with Jae-ha and Kija despite their different personalities and banter they have seem to care about one another and will protect each other and their teammates.

When it comes to his heart, Hak destroys his impulses every time they resurface, even though it hurts to do so. There are times that he will show his affection with teasing, but not much beyond that. However, when someone (particularly Jae-Ha) questions the emotional distance between Hak and Yona, Hak loses his composure and can become territorial around the princess. He seems cold around Yona at first, but slowly reveals that he truly cares deeply for her. Hak has been in love with Yona since childhood and never told her about the feelings that he has for her was out of respect of her feelings towards Soo-Won and so because of that he always had a brother-sister relationship with her like teasing at times. Hak gave up his General title and his lively hood in the Wind Tribe just to keep her safe which shows his loyalty, integrity and devotion to not only Yona but to King Il as well.

Hak in general isn't a forgiving person and that is why he finds it so hard for him to understand people like Yona and Jae-Ha who choose not to be swallowed by the impulse for revenge and hatred as well as moving pass the hardships they have faced in their lives and he (Hak) wants to be able to do the same. In Chapter 147, as he rescued Jae-Ha and Kija from the Xing soldiers he mentally asks Yona and Jae-Ha how can he as well move pass his own hatred for others that are trying to hurt them and for Soo-Won on particular. Despite the fact that Hak has gained better control over his emotions when it comes to seeing Soo-Won face to face he like Yona still suffers from the emotional and mental trauma of the betrayal. In chapter 178 when Keishuk ask them to return to the castle and form an alliance Hak freaked out and basically told Yona that he will never forgive Soo-Won after everything that had happened.

Background

Hak as a child

Hak was adopted by Mundok at age 2, after losing his parents in the original Xing war. Under Mundok’s guidance, he became one of the strongest members of the Wind Tribe. At some point in time he became friends with Yona and Soo-Won and whenever he and his grandfather visited the Hiryuu Castle he always played with the two of them.

By the age of thirteen, he was powerful enough to defeat Lee Geun-Tae who was already a general at that time. At fifteen, he became Mundok’s successor and Yona’s exclusive bodyguard. Initially, he was against the idea of being a servant, telling Emperor Il that he wouldn’t be able to take afternoon naps if he were to accept the task. He also deemed the job impossible to be done, due to the emperor’s dislike of weapons. However, when Yona was being assaulted by Kan Tae-Jun, he stopped him and finally accepted the position Emperor Il offered. When he reached fifteen he became the General Commander at the castle. Added to his list of titles is 'Chief of the Wind Tribe' which makes him one very young and accomplished person.

Synopsis

After learning from Soo-Won that he had murdered Emperor Il, Hak was enraged, attacking Soo-Won in order to protect Yona. This leads to the beginning of Hak and Yona's journey to fulfil the prophecy...

Abilities

Martial Skills: Hak's skills with the Chinese Guandao polearm are the best in the country. His speed and strength allow him to deal powerful blows, even sweeping aside a large area of fog with one swift strike. Aside from his mastery with a glaive, he is also good in swordsmanship and archery.

Swordsmanship: While not his first choice of weapon, Hak is proficient with a sword and ultimately is the one who trains Yona in swordsmanship.

Archery: Hak is an excellent shot with a bow, able to shoot bullseyes and birds out out the sky with ease, even on horseback. He is also the person who mostly teaches Yona archery, though Yoon also contributes.

Immense Strength: He is noted to have unusual strength by numerous people, including the four dragon warriors. Even without his weapon, he can deal strong blows with his fists. Due to his strength and abilities he was jokingly given the name "Black Dragon" and seen as the fifth dragon by the other four dragons. Although not a dragon blood, he matches the strength of other dragons easily.Hak is strong enough to catch boulders while sitting comfortably with one hand.

Endurance: One of his more defining attributes is his stalwart heartiness, first shown when enduring a bite from a venomous snake when protecting Yona. That being said, this may be mostly due to his determination to live and protect Yona.

Basic Medical Skills: Though not as good as Yoon, Hak has shown to have a basic knowledge of medicine. He was able to remove snake poison from his system and he shows Yona how to remove thorns and disinfect the cuts she received from the Senjuso test.

Relationships

• Son Mundok
• Yona
• Soo-Won
• Emperor Il
• Yoon
• Kija
• Shin-Ah
• Jae-Ha
• Zeno

File:Mundok2.png

Hak being scolded by Mundok

Hak was adopted by Mundok as an orphan and they share a caring, yet casual relationship. Hak refuses to call Mundok “Grandpa” and also refuses to hug him when they see each other, believing that he is already too old to be doing such things. However, when Hak is being disrespectful, especially to the royal family, he is not spared from Mundok’s discipline. Template:-

Hak kisses Yona's forehead

Hak shares a close friendship with Yona, and they often playfully bicker with each other. He feels extremely protective of Yona, both on a physical and emotional level, and enjoys teasing her. He has been in love with her since before the start of the series, but has grown to suppress his desires of doing anything outside their friendship because of her feelings for Soo-Won. After they become fugitives, Yona asks that he call her “Princess” to retain who she once was and he accepts her request with no hesitation. Jae-Ha questions his relationship with Yona often, poking fun at him any chance he gets. After the princess's risky mission, Hak tends to Yona's injuries by pouring honey on her hands, which had splinters in them from collecting the medicinal Senjuso plant, and zones out, thinking of what Jae-Ha had said, spilling the honey all over them. Taking one, he starts licking off the excess. Embarrassed and confused, Yona runs away and Hak is left questioning himself.

Because of his oath to King Il to protect her, he considers himself a tool for her to use and will do anything for her sake. For this reason, he fears for Yona's safety whenever she does reckless things, at one point stating that he wants to ‘tie her down’ so that he can stop her. However, he is also excited to see her finish the risky things she gets herself into because he wants to see her struggle like a normal, ordinary human being, which is something she was unable to do previously, due to her lifestyle. Although some may believe he wants to keep Yona hidden, he in reality wants to show her off to everyone, especially the people who chased her out of the castle, so that he can tell them how fine a princess she has become.

In chapter 134, when they go to Kouka in hopes of negotiating with Soo-Won to stop the threat of war, an overly-stressed Yona worries herself to the point of hyperventilation and faints. Later that night in their tent,  Hak tries to make her feel better about the current situation of the Four Dragons but is surprised when she comforts him. Touched, Hak embraces her tightly and confesses his feelings for her. Unfortunately, because his voice was muffled, Yona didn't comprehend what he said, only catching the tail-end of it. When she asks Hak to repeat his sentence, he lets go of her, embarrassed for almost spilling his secret. The next morning, Yona wakes up recalling that in her dream Hak had told her something important.

In chapter 137, they're about to split up to find aid to delay the impending war. Seeing Hak's anxious expression, Yona reaches up and pulls Hak into a kiss, leaving shortly thereafter. Hak, having dealt with an unrequited love for years, is unequipped to deal with this new development, and is teased by Ogi. He is in turmoil, wondering if the princess had real feelings behind it, but ultimately deciding to push the thoughts aside until after the Xing conflict is resolved.

In chapter 151, it's revealed to Yona through eavesdropping that Hak has a fiance (Ayame) in the Wind Tribe that had been arranged by Mundok during his childhood. This prompts her to decide to tell him he is free to go back to them if he wanted to. Having taken this as an expression that he's no longer needed, Hak becomes visibly upset and distant from Yona, though he does decide to stay regardless. After swift intervention from the others, Yona quickly realizes her mistake and asks him to stay. Annoyed that she'd think he would leave, he tells her he is following her because he wants to and states that his home is among the Happy Hungry Bunch now. Touched by his words, Yona asks him what he plans to do about his fiancee if he's staying. His frustration snaps and he angrily confesses that he loves her, leaving Yona blushing and stunned, but seemingly finally aware of his feelings.

In the past, Soo-Won and Hak were childhood friends and their bond seemed unbreakable. They both respected and greatly admired the other’s abilities. Due to this, Hak trained vigorously so that he could become someone worthy of being a goal for Soo-Won, who aspired to be as strong as Hak, one day wanting them to walk on equal ground. Hak trusted Soo-Won completely, believing that he could leave Yona in his care, and buried his feelings for the princess. He even offered to be his ‘right hand’ on the condition that he and Yona one day married, promising that he would support them until his dying breath. The two were also mentioned to have raised a falcon named Gulfan together . However, their friendship ended the night Soo-Won murdered the King.

Like Yona, Soo-Won's betrayal hurt him worse than any wound of the body, but initially he didn't outwardly show it to anyone. Deep inside, he seethes with blood lust and wants Soo-Won to pay for what he did to Yona and King Il, believing it to be his job to one day kill him.

When Hak saves the princess from a nest of snakes after she'd gone to look for the hairpin, he gives it to her (having found it earlier), stating that he would never forgive Soo-Won. Because it was given to Yona the night the King was killed, Hak dislikes the hairpin, personally wanting nothing more but to smash it. He believes Yona to still be in love with Soo-Won because she clings to the hairpin.

In Awa when he finds Yona crying on the ground after having had an encounter with Soo-Won, he reprimands himself thinking he had become too complacent for not focusing on what he believed to be the real danger and letting his guard down. Thinking of this, he glares off into the distance, causing Jae-Ha to comment on his "sorrowful blood lust." 

In chapter 91, Hak succumbs to murderous rage when he finally comes face to face with Soo-Won at the end of the water tribe arc, attacking anyone who got in the way in his warpath to reach Soo-Won, even the other dragons. As Jae-Ha and Kija hold him back, Soo-Won and his entourage make their hasty departure, Hak struggling against the two in his desperate need for revenge. He regains his senses when Yona touches his hand and tells him she's okay, freezing Hak in place when he realizes the extent of his actions.

Although Hak despises Soo-Won, it's shown that this stems from how much he cared for his former friend and how he could not fathom that on the day he plotted to kill King Il he gave Yona that hairpin. He stated that on that night, when he saw Soo-Won ready to silence the princess, he was struck with so much grief that he "felt his heart shatter to pieces."

At first, Hak thinks of Emperor Il as a 'bubbly' king who is a coward. In episode 3 when Hak and Mundok were fighting, Hak called Emperor ll "his Royal Chubbiness". However, when the emperor stopped Tae-Jun from initiating a fight by grabbing the blade of his sword, Hak started to respect him and vowed immense loyalty to him and his family. Because Emperor Il was his master, he is guilt-stricken for being unable to save him from Soo-Won, even saying that he will regret it for the rest of his life. Throughout the dangers he and Yona face, he always asks Emperor Il for his guidance, as well as for the emperor to not take Yona away from him.

Hak regards Yoon as a very valuable person on their team. As Yoon provides them with great meals, he rarely gives out insults towards him like he usually does with Yona and the others. Despite the fact that Yoon is lacking in physical strength, Hak sees him as a very strong person and is able to trust him with looking out for Yona. Like the rest of the Happy Hungry Bunch, he's taken to calling Yoon "mother", in joking reference to his vast talent with household skills.

Hak forms a rivalry with Kija after the latter asks him to leave Yona’s side stating he was no longer needed. His contempt towards Kija even becomes more complicated when Yona asks Kija to protect him. From then on, he calls him “White Snake” and constantly takes advantage of his entomophobia (fear of bugs). Even with their rocky relationship, Hak considers Kija’s power to be exhilarating as there was no one who fought like him at the castle. They are able to fight alongside each other perfectly despite not initially getting along, as they share the common goal of protecting Yona.

Later, their rivalry seems to have mostly faded and they seem to regard each other as friends, though they still good-naturedly bicker from time to time. Kija seems to consider Hak an honorary brother, as he asks Hak to call him "Big Brother"–an offer that Hak promptly refuses, though the exchange still prompts an inner monologue about how grateful Hak is for Kija and the other's in his and Yona's life. Kija seems quite supportive of Yona and Hak's blooming romance, despite his own romantic feelings toward Yona.

Though they don't share many interactions, Hak considers Shin-Ah a capable person. He also thinks that as long as Shin-Ah wears his mask, no one can approach Yona easily. When in need of alternative clothing to hide his identity, Hak takes Shin-Ah’s fur and puts it over his head. Hak has never given Shin-Ah a nickname, perhaps because of Shin-ah's more gentle social presence and anxiety. Later, they seem to be quite close, often being shown having casual chats together. Shin-Ah is easily able to tell that Hak is upset following a misunderstanding between him and Yona.

Much like his relationship with Kija, Hak bullies Jae-Ha at every possible moment and smacks him when he flirts with Yona. During their first encounters, Hak found him to be very talkative and piqued his interest due to his fixation on freedom. Hak also quickly deemed him a pervert, when Jae-Ha's attempts to get him to join Gi-gan's pirate crew were understandably mistaken for come-ons. When Jae-ha is revealed to be the Ryokuryuu, Hak become begrudging allies with him, and Jae-Ha immediately takes to teasing Hak relentlessly about his clear affections for Yona. Regardless of initial distaste, he considers Jae-Ha to be a good fighter and even admits that it is inconvenient if he’s not around whenever there is a battle. Hak feels at ease sharing his responsibilities with him. Hak is the only person Jae-Ha does not use the "-kun" honorific for within the Happy Hungry Bunch, suggesting that he considers Hak his equal in maturity.

Later, their relationship grows quite close. Though they still bicker playfully, Hak seems to use Jae-Ha's "Droopy Eyes" name less like an insult, and more like a nickname. Jae-Ha seems to back off on teasing Hak so much about his feelings for Yona as well, ever since learning about Yona's previous affection for Soo-won and how hard the betrayal struck him.

In Chapter 147 Hak asks Jae-ha (In his head) what he can do to get rid of his hatred. In Chapter 153 Hak confides in Jae-ha about his feelings for Yona, explaining that he'd never planned to tell her about them. Jae-ha congratulates him for the confession regardless, and asks off-handedly asks what it was that he had wanted to talk to Yona about while they escaped from Gobi's men back in Xing. Hak falls silent briefly, but eventually says that he had wanted to ask Yona if she was truly alright to relinquish her hairpin. He goes on to admit that it may only be him who is stuck in the past, while both Yona and Soo-won have already moved on.

Out of all the dragon warriors, Zeno is the one Hak understands the least. At first, he doubted that he was the Ouryuu as he appeared frail (despite the said ability of the dragon to be sturdy) and punched Zeno in the face to test if he was the real one. When he had a nightmare where Yona is killed by Soo-Won, Zeno advises him that he shouldn't worry otherwise his life will lessen and nobody would be able to replace him if he dies. Hak thinks the same applies for the dragons warriors, which Zeno appreciates hearing. Zeno notes in chapter 123.5 that, much like the rest of the Happy Hungry Bunch, he regards Hak as rather cute.

Quotes

• “A world without weaponry and war, where no one gets hurt, is but a pipe dream.”
• (To Yona) “Keep your mouth shut and hang on, Princess. I don't care what I have to do. His Majesty is gone now. My master is you. Think of me as a tool. Use me so that you can live! That's what I'm here for!”
• (To Yona) "The one I like is you, damn it! Don't "eh?" me! I said Ayame has a partner already, I like you, and I don't have a fiancee goddammit! I'm tired out for today! Have you understood everything?! Great! Much better!"
• (To Kija about Yona) "Don't interfere. Before we met you, she did this all the time. When she has enough time, she shoots off as much as 200 arrows in one night. Because I'm here, she doesn't have to do anything. But the princess won't allow herself to be powerless. Her father was killed, and she escaped from the castle. She does this to survive in this world. She's doing whatever she must do. It's not necessarily that I want her to be able to fight, but... I think I also want to see her struggle like a human being."
• (About Soo-Won) "Amazing... one word from Soo-Won makes the whole town move."
• (About Soo-Won) "He is a noble. He can also move many different kinds of people. He’s an amazing guy with tons of power… someone like him is looking at me. I need to become someone worthy of your goal. So that from now on, we can walk as equals."
• (In his head towards Soo-Won) "I felt that you were a guy with such a broad outlook. Differences in position or tribe didn’t matter. You were able to see the world with fair, impartial eyes. In the future, even if I would no longer be able to walk beside you as your equal, that would be fine. Without looking back, only looking forward, I… wanted for you to be King. And then my dream came true in the worst form imaginable."
• (To himself about Soo-Won ) "This guy genuinely, seriously, might like all people. No, not just all people, all things. And he is interested in them all equally. There are a lot of people I don’t really like, and a lot of things I can’t stand, but… you were looking much further ahead, weren’t you?"
• (To Yona) “I'm immortal. Actually, I can't afford to die. I've got a troublesome princess to look after.”
• “When you protect someone you want to keep safe, do you always weigh your own life against theirs?”
• “When I'm around the princess, I lose my mind.”
• (To Jae-Ha) "I don't swing that way pal."
• (To Yona) "I accompanied you, was overwhelmed by your strength and passion, and decided to live for you. The pride of serving someone... the one who taught me that was you!"

Trivia

• In the planning phase of Akatsuki no Yona, Hak’s original name was “Soron”. It seemed too similar to “Soo-won”, so it was changed to “Hak-jin”. In the end, it was shortened to “Hak”. The name "Soron" was later re-used as the name of Mundok's deceased biological son.
• He ranked 1st in the character popularity poll conducted by Hana to Yume in December, 2014. He scored 3,001 votes in total.
• According to the 2018 fanbook, his parents were casualties of the original Xing war 17 years prior to the start of the plot. He was orphaned at age 2, around the time Yona was born.
• Hak often refers to himself as the fifth "Darkness" Dragon, in reference to a joke made by Kija that he would be an evil "Darkness Dragon" if he were to be one of the dragons.
• Hak is considered the strongest warrior in the kingdom even some of the dragon warriors believes this too like for example Kija thought that Hak's strength could match the strength of his Dragon's hand and Jae-Ha also thinks Hak is very strong, but has a sad thirst for blood.