“Infinity” – The Elusive Fencer

If you are looking for a story where evasion is the primary skill, the rage is running rampant, and the art will both bewilder and amaze you, then the fencing manhwa Infinity is your go-to reading material. The high schooler and main character, Damin Lee, is a ‘master dodger.’ Yet, he must learn that the true value of his skill doesn’t reside in soccer but in a sport where dodging is essential: fencing. Taking his first lunge into this combat sport, he encounters athletes with fiery passion and equally fiery tempers. At the tournament, fencers from various realms, like the knight or the caveman, take on their opponents in gripping matches. The storytelling is spiced with droll oddities that will make you gasp in wonder and surprise. Caution is advised, though, with regard to taking some of the technical details at face value. For now, let’s cast all caution aside and lunge straight into the story. Allez!

Superpower

To my surprise, the manhwa didn’t start with fencing but with another sport: soccer. The first panels throw us right into an intense and high-paced game, nearing the exciting climax. It’s a crucial game for the Dong-ye High School soccer club. If they win, the entire team could go pro. At least, that’s what their coach told them. Unfortunately, the team’s coach, apart from making unrealistic promises, also lacks competence. At a critical moment of the match, which decided over victory or defeat, he placed the only benched player, Damin Lee, in a defensive position with the vague instruction to “Just hang in there for ten minutes.” Now, Damin, who’s also the story’s main character, might have managed to ‘hang in there,’ if it weren’t for his (unwanted) superpower: instinctive dodging. This means that he evades any object, human or otherwise, that is about to make physical contact—even at the last moment. In the game’s last attack, the striker shot the ball directly at Damin, whose body instinctively opted for a collision avoidance maneuver. Thus, the ball flew past Damin’s head, and he watched horrified as it made its way into the goal.

The soccer team’s defeat was blamed on Damin, and this loss accompanies us until chapter 34, even though Damin left the club and ended his soccer career right after the game in the first chapter. Yet, it shaped his relationships and affected his personal development. One person in particular influenced his sport-related choices: the captain of the soccer team Jinseong.

“Dodge this!!”

After the game, infuriated by Damin’s ill-timed evasive movement, Jinseong pinned him against the lockers. And, raising his tightly clenched fist, the captain dared him to evade his strike. “Why don’t you try dodging this, too?” Of course, Damin did so expertly. He freed himself from the captain’s grasp and bolted from the locker room, just in case Jinseong had a second go at him. Nonetheless, Damin could hear the captain’s enraged voice shouting after him: “Fine! Just run away again! Keep dodging and running for the rest of your life, you coward!”

Burdened with this heavy loss and the rage and disappointment of his teammates, Damin decided to never play soccer again. He detested his exceptional talent, which cost him the joy of the sport he has loved and played since childhood. In a last desperate attempt, he tried to rid himself of this ability by practicing getting hit by a soccer ball. Over and over, he threw it against a wall, and despite his best efforts to stand fast and ‘catch’ the returning ball with his face, his body instinctively moved to the side. And who can blame him? Getting hit in the face by a ball is certainly not the most pleasant experience. It’s only natural that your body moves out of the way, I’d say.

Anyway, in this frustrated state, eyes brimming with tears, he was spotted by Taegyun Kim, the third-year captain of Dong-ye High School’s fencing club. When he saw Damin evading the ball at incredible speed, he immediately threw a water bottle at him to confirm the boy’s eligibility for the fencing club. Damin passed this test with flying colors, and Taegyun was head over heels for the first-year and determined to recruit him. Even though Damin clearly expressed his unwillingness to become a member by running away, Taegyun repeatedly ambushed the reluctant newbie as he went about his daily life—jumping out at him from behind some bushes or interrupting him during his business on the toilet. One really has to admire Taegyun’s persistence, even though it made him look like a creepy stalker…

“As someone who was captain of our schools fencing club, I can confirm that this is EXACTLY how we get people to join.” (🥀LixieStix🖤🍄, Ep. 1, Mar 10, 2022)

“well he sure made it horror webtoon real fast” (reading2manywebtoons, Ep. 1, Mar 10, 2022)

“bruh if he kept following me, I’d be scared for my life too” (uri ☁️, Ep. 1, Mar 10, 2022)

“This man is hilariously persistent” (Oanhster, Ep. 1, Mar 10, 2022)

Even Damin’s outright claim, “I’m not joining the fencing club! Fencing is trash!” in front of the entire fencing crew a few days later didn’t dampen Taegyun’s recruiting effort. While this statement made most fencers in the club hate the potential new guy, it only fueled Taegyun’s determination: “What should I do? How can I win him over?” Clearly, at the prospect of securing this superpower, Damin’s own feelings mattered little.

In the end, it wasn’t Taegyun’s persuasiveness that convinced him to join the club, but Jinseong’s words after their last soccer game: “Keep dodging!” … and that’s exactly what Damin did. Taking the captain’s words to heart, he made a u-turn within a matter of days and proclaimed, “I’m going to become a fencer.” So, after having dodged balls, fists, water bottles, and a variety of dressing material, Damin finally made it into the fencing club to apply his special skill to swords.

The Good, The Bad, And The Confusing

Now, this may sound like a simple change of sports clubs, but in fact, Damin was caught between two rivaling men who were determined to get their hands on him and make him do as they willed. On the one hand, the easy-going and good-hearted captain of the fencing club, Taegyun. He was burning with passion for Damin’s ability and went out of his way to recruit him. On the other hand, the angry and abusive soccer captain, Jinseong. He was burning with rage about Damin’s ability and went out of his way to ensure that the boy would return to the soccer club. Even though Jinseong blamed Damin for their ruined pro-soccer careers, the captain followed him to his classroom, pulled him into a back alley, and watched his first fencing tournament… all to make sure the boy would reunite with the soccer team. Are you confused now? Well, so was I…

There’s no logic behind the soccer buff’s attitude and fixation on Damin. But believe me, he’s not the only one whose conduct made big question marks pop up in my head. The creator made sure that all characters got a chance to show incomprehensible behavior that would leave me confused. At times, it was a little irritating, other times just puzzling, and sometimes quite amusing.

Angry Gentlemen

In the beginning, I thought that only the guys in the soccer club were a bunch of meanies who blamed Damin for their own mistakes and shortcomings. But upon entering the fencing club, I found that there too, the room was filled to bursting with big egos. The team members’ dislike for each other was palpable. They were constantly bickering, raising their fists, and baring their teeth at each other. This was topped by a scene where one fencer intentionally hurt Damin to make him leave the club. So, as you can imagine, when Taegyun explained to Damin that “Manners are crucial in fencing, to the point that it’s sometimes called a gentleman’s sport,” I found it hard to believe. But I have an open mind, and I was willing to be convinced otherwise. Unfortunately, the creator clearly had a different goal in mind.

The nicest way to describe the characters’ behavior is passionate. Be it their boundless dedication to the sport or their infinite hatred for their opponents (not to use the word enemy), chapter after chapter, we witness the result of their fervor in the form of protruding veins on their arms, throat, and face.

One week after Damin joined the club, he and his team participated in a middle and high school fencing tournament, and many of the young men there were anything but gentlemanlike. Filled with anger, resentment, or grudges, the athletes of the various teams fenced to square accounts with friends-turned-enemies or used every (dirty) trick up their sleeve to ensure their victory. However different their motivations, they had one thing in common: a self-centered attitude and serious anger issues. Compared to most of the depicted athletes in Infinity, Damin looked like a lamb amidst a pride of bloodthirsty, furious lions.

“These guys have some major blood pressure issues. Look at those veins. How has the soccer guy not had an aneurysm?😶“ (rockmannk, Ep. 3, Mar 10, 2022)

“why does almost everyone in here van anger issues ?????like WHAT.” (Lara:P <33, Ep. 8, Apr 14, 2022)

“ “he’s got anger issues” LOOK WHOS TALKING” (nekoturtle, Ep. 15, Jun 2, 2022)

“the veins on that last guy🥵💦💦“ (oikawas_left_ear, Ep. 17, Jun 16, 2022)

“I’m just glad I don’t live in this world. Everyone is so angry/intense” (Rampaging Ricebucket, Ep. 17, Jun 16, 2022)

“The egos in this are amazing” (Zach Georgii, Ep. 21, Jun 9, 2022)

“You Are All Dead To Me!”

The high schoolers’ individual temper was as easily inflammable as their trust and confidence in their teammates were brittle. This was surprising, considering that they took part in a team event. Some of them had no intention of working together in the first place, while others discarded their team members as useless failures when they couldn’t bag a win. Consequently, the angry and mistrusting egocentrics had no choice but to take it upon themselves to win. In a way, it pained me to watch these dysfunctional teams and the contemptuous way some of the athletes behaved towards their fellow members. On the other hand, it was kind of refreshing because in most manga that I’ve read and anime that I’ve watched, teamwork is held in high regard. Still, somehow, these fencing ‘teams’ make it work, despite their mutual disdain and disrespect.

The upside of this self-centered attitude was that none of the young men looked for a scapegoat but blamed themselves when the team lost. Their colleagues were “useless morons” anyway, so there’s no sense in blaming them…

Merciless Realism

Prior to reading Infinity, I knew little about fencing. But now I know that there are three different styles (épée, foil, and sabre) and two different grips (pistol and French). I learned some fencing terms for attacking and defending, as well as what body parts are valid target areas. Additionally, I got to know a few rules. Interestingly, some of this information didn’t pass the scrutiny of the many fencers reading this manhwa. And being experts at this sport, they didn’t hesitate to point out various mistakes or misinformation. Their stern eyes didn’t miss a character’s misconduct during bouts or incorrect terminology. I assume that a faulty translation of sport-specific terms was the reason for the incorrect terminology, since the creator was advised by professional fencers themselves. So they most likely got the technical terms right.

“The terms are different from what I’ve learned, but I’m just so thrilled to be here reading a fencing WEBTOON!I have a month till my very first tournament, and I’m still not sure if I should do foil or Sabre.” (MadlyMultitasking, Ep. 10, Apr 28, 2022)

“I’m pretty sure the end of a sword doesn’t just gravitate towards your opponent, the hell kinda trickery was that” (Wokvir, Ep. 11, Feb 9, 2023)

“Wtf, mask IS a valid target in épée!!! ALL of the body is free estate. That’s so unfair” (Ameythista Sore, Ep. 12, May 20, 2022)

“If we really want to be picky about the epee fencing terms, that last attack is called a “Fleche” attack, not a “Flash” attack. They’re both pretty much the same thing, but the French word Fleche means “Arrow” and is a great way to describe this attack as the fencer is ‘shooting forward’.” (Albior, Ep. 18, Jun 23, 2022)

“ “flash” the new “flèche” “ (crescent_blood_179, Ep. 18, Jun 23, 2022)

“What is that fencing exactly? Going behind the opponent now? REALLY??” (Fantomas871, Ep. 19, Jun 30, 2022)

“was he flying or jumping? cuz thats some air time” (Ken D. Arbasa, Ep. 21, Jul 7, 2022)

“Stop talking while you’re fencing-“ (Giovannalc, Ep. 22, Dec 22, 2022)

I appreciate accurate information, and I’m thus grateful to all the fencers who gave the rest of us additional insight into this sport. But a fictional work, as realistic as it might be portrayed, hardly ever matches reality because… well… it’s a fictional work. As such, sports action scenes in popular culture tend to be somewhat (or a lot) over the top. So yes, there is talking where the rules dictate silence; there is flying where in reality there would be just a jump; and there are skills and abilities unmatched by real-life athletes. Sports action scenes can bend time, too. The second it takes to dunk the ball in a real basketball match turns into five minutes of airtime in an anime, during which the players analyze their opponent’s move and heatedly discuss each other’s strengths and weaknesses. But isn’t that the great thing about fictional sports stories? They make the impossible possible. And Infinity proves this again and again.

So, even though the bouts seem to show a (slightly) skewed version of reality, I still loved the depiction of the heroic knight riding to his team’s rescue, the attack of the ‘venomous snake,’ and Damin’s interpretation of Neo from The Matrix. The creator also took full advantage of the Webtoon format to show the full uninterrupted length of the 14m (45.93ft) long piste. Thus, I scrolled endlessly from one end of the piste to the other, guided by a myriad of speed lines, while gusts of wind whirled around advancing legs and whipping swords. Despite the irritable character of some athletes, the games were exciting to follow.

However, not all the artwork was as impressive and captivating as when the fencers donned their masks and faced off against each other.

A Matter Of Proportions

One reader calls the art “a little wonky,” and I agree. To be more precise, body and facial proportions were somewhat out of balance at times. Don’t worry, it doesn’t get in the way of a fun reading experience, but it might make you pause in your scrolling to get a better look at the images. In any case, that’s what I did when the depiction of a face or body part didn’t feel quite right to me. Occasionally, though, I would increase my scrolling speed when I sensed that I was nearing the uncanny valley.

I did stop, though, when I beheld Seungmin Do’s (Taegyun’s opponent’s) sleek and glossy ten-pack. Astonished by the number of smooth bumps on his abdomen and gripped by a whiff of disbelief and envy, I looked at the image more closely. Fortunately, the rather artificial nature of his ‘multi-pack’ quickly dispelled the incipient envy. It wasn’t until I read through the comments that I realized I had been so distracted by the ripped surface that I completely overlooked his elegant swan-like neck.

“little sad that the art isn’t totally accurate to what fencing is like but happy that fencing is even in a webtoon!!! happiness far outweighs the minuscule disappointment i feel” (Derp Potato 🥔, Ep. 3, Mar 10, 2022)

“I wonder how many times these guys were asked what the weather was like up there. That neck can truly penetrate through the heavens fr.” (penguined5, Ep. 19, Jun 30, 2022)

“DUDE HIS NECK!?! Some of this comic’s proportions… 💀✋🏻😂 I love the comic besides the uh occasional proportions” (GameCraft101, Ep. 19, Dec 2, 2022)

I don’t mind that the art is a little wonky, but at least the faces should have some consistency. Damin is jumping between 5 years of age. Is this all just traced?” (LaNoir, Ep. 32, Nov 4, 2022)

In general, the lopsided illustrations didn’t bother me. If you focus on the story and don’t study the illustrations in detail, you’ll manage to skip past the ones with questionable proportions. However, one conspicuous feature that neither the other readers nor I could overlook was Taegyun’s hair. Actually, all the characters have specific hairstyles and colors and are easily distinguishable by that alone. But the captain of the fencing club tops them all. His towering spikey hair is almost twice the size of his head, and in the course of the series, it seems to increase in volume. I haven’t read past chapter 35 yet, but I wonder if his hair will keep expanding… .

“is it me or does the team captain’s hair get bigger and sharper each episode 😭😭“ (arson salt, Ep. 16, Jun 9, 2022

“im sorry Teagyuns hair is so ridiculous i can’t help but hate it a little 😭“ (fruitpunchlips, Ep. 23, Jul 28, 2022)

In addition to the visual peculiarities, there’re plenty of oddities within the content too. Some consist of just a single line that took me aback; others are conversations whose purpose I couldn’t grasp. Yet others again concern character traits or actions that made little sense. If you read the manhwa, you’ll get a full taste of the various specialties, like Prince’s ‘selective amnesia’ which caused him to forget his primary school fencing buddy and his middle school roommate. Or the surprisingly high expectations even first-time members and fencing newbies have to fulfil.

“Why would he know its legit his first day?” (PIXIE, Ep. 6, Mar 10, 2022)

“I love that the bitch trying to fence with him is asking stupid ass questions. dO yOu KnOw tHe RuLeS?! No of course he fucking doesn’t he just got here🤣” (RamblingStoner🌈, Ep. 6, Apr 1, 2022)

Finally, A Fencing Webtoon!

Even though the story occasionally feels a little bumpy and parts of it seem to be ‘made to fit,’ it’s an entertaining read. Especially, the bouts are gripping, and their outcomes aren’t always a given. It would’ve been nice if the ‘evil athletes’ were attributed a little more depth rather than just a quick background story and heaps of protruding veins to depict their (inapprehensible) rage. By the time I neared the end of the tournament arc, I found I was most invested in the soccer captain. Being an exception to the rule, his character development made sense and captivated me to the point that I wished to see more of him. The same goes for Sanghyeon Byeon, the red-haired and very irritable colleague in Damin’s team.

Apart from fencing, the manhwa’s essence is hard to pin down. It’s as much about coming to terms with your limits and using what you are gifted with as it is about fitting in and finding a place where you belong. Based on some of the characters’ development, it might also show how to overcome hate and grudges (after you’ve properly bullied and hurt your object of dislike). With regard to fencing, though, Infinity won’t leave you wanting, and for this, the manhwa received much love from the readers.

“YES FINALLY A FENCING ONEE OMG I LOVE DOING FENCING THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR MAKING THIS AAAA 💖💖💖💖💖“ (.~\♡/~., Ep. 1, Mar 10, 2022)

“as a former fencer I have been dying for a fencing manga” (ndbxnx d, Ep. 1, Mar 10, 2022)

“This is hilarious. The art is taking my breath away 😂” (rachelmxe, Ep. 2, Mar 10, 2022)

“I love this so much. so much. thank you author! this makes me so happy!!” (Bobi 22, Ep. 5, Mar 10, 2022)

“I LOVE HOW MANY FENCERS ARE IN THE COMMENTS I LOVE YOU GUYS HI I FENCE FOIL AND EPEE” (big time rush theme, Ep. 6, Apr 1, 2022)

“Really loving how the action is drawn in this series. the art style in general is very unique!” (Weenyflopper, Ep. 11, May 5, 2022)

“I love this webtoon” (Artemisantha_Ao, Ep. 23, Jul 9, 2022)

“Setting up really good character development for the whole team. Love how the plots been handled so far.” (Wolfensheim, Ep. 30, Aug 12, 2022)

Judging from the comment section, the readers were thirsting for a story about fencing. This sparked my curiosity to see if there might be other fencing manhwa or manga out there. And, of course, there are! So, dear fencers and fencing aficionados, once you have advanced as far as your coins will take you, there are other works available that will fill the week-long waiting period. I haven’t made it that far yet, so I’ll focus on Infinity for now. I’m looking forward to exciting future bouts, and I’m also curious what realm Damin’s opponents will be from and how far his dodging superpower will take him.