If there was ever a drama where the title is literally the plot, Mercy for None is it.
This seven-episode Netflix series doesn’t warm up or ease you in; it punches you in the face from the first five minutes. I sat down thinking, “Oh okay, quick little thriller,” and left emotionally battered, spiritually confused, but deeply satisfied.
From the first scene to the final five minutes, this show had me whispering “what the actual hell” at least fifteen times per episode. It was relentless. Unforgiving. A full-blown rampage with zero filler and no one left standing, figuratively and literally.
Our main man, Nam Gi-jun (So Ji Sub), used to be that guy. Not a guy, that guy. A feared and respected enforcer in the Bongsan Gang, with fighting skills that made people pause before breathing wrong in front of him. But when his younger brother, Nam Gi-seok (Lee Jun-Hyuk), joins a rival gang (Joowoon Gang), Ki-jun does the unthinkable: he walks away.
Not because he’s scared. But because he loves his brother more than he loves violence.
Except… they had a rule. You don’t just walk away. You sacrifice something. And for Gi-jun, it was his Achilles tendon. Yes, they cut his actual Achilles. So now he limps both physically and metaphorically through life in quiet regret, trying not to cause any more waves.
Fast forward 11 years, Gi-jun is living a low-key life. Until his brother dies.
And the quiet ends.
What follows is a pure rage-fueled bloodbath.
Gi-jun doesn’t just seek revenge; he wages war. One by one, he hunts down every single person remotely involved in his brother’s death. And he doesn’t just fight them, he destroys them. It’s not clean. It’s not quick. It’s brutal, personal, creative, and oddly satisfying. You’ll wince, you’ll gasp, you’ll say, “Yes, he deserved that.”
Why I Enjoyed It So Much
The Action:
This isn’t your cute slow-mo fight scene choreography. This is rage with muscle memory. Every punch, stab, and brutal takedown feels like it was delivered by a man who has nothing left to lose and somehow, even less to give. The fight scenes are intense, almost exhausting to watch, but you can’t look away.
The Storytelling:
This show peels like an onion. Every time you think you understand what’s happening, you discover something darker underneath. The way the plot weaves betrayal, loyalty, gang politics, and emotional trauma into one cohesive arc isa chef’s kiss. No filler, no fluff, just back-to-back reveals and consequences.
The Acting:
Every single person in this cast was angry. Not annoyed. Not irritated. ANGRY.
And they played it with so much conviction that you almost felt bad for the bad guys, “almost”.
Special Shoutouts:
- Seo Ji-Sub (Nam Ki-jun): This man didn’t smile once. Not once. His entire emotional range was murder, grief, and more murder. And it worked. He stood onbusiness, actually – demolished it!.
- Choo Yeong-Woo (Lee Geum-Son): Deserves flowers. He’s been popping up everywhere and proving why he needs more lead roles.
- Gong Myung (Gu Jun-Mo): Normally, the sweet guy or the love interest, here? Unhinged. Cold. Evil. And really, really good at it.
- Cha Seung-Won (Cha Yeong-Do): A chaotic neutral icon. You don’t know whose side he’s on until the end. That kind of layered acting takes real skill.
- Heo Jun-Ho (Lee Ju-Woon): Now this was a plot twist. This man is almost always the villain in everything he touches. In Mercy for None, he’s… kind of nice? Still shady, still violent, but with an actual heart buried in there somewhere. Shocking but satisfying.
Honestly, I didn’t expect to love this as much as I did. It’s not my usual go-to genre, but the way it pulls you in with the rage, regret, and ruthlessness is unmatched.
It’s bloody, like, really bloody, so maybe don’t watch it while eating. But it’s the kind of series that grabs you by the collar and doesn’t let go. If you’ve ever had a bad week and just needed to see someone demolish a metaphorical and literal empire for catharsis? This is it.
10/10.
No mercy was shown. Not to the characters. Not to your feelings. Not even to your weekend plans, because you will binge it!
Name: Mercy for None
Where to watch: Netflix
Episodes: 7
Director: Choi Sung-Eun
Writer: Oh Se-Hyeong & Kim Kyun-Tae &, Yoo Ki-Sung
Release Date: June 6, 2025
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