BIGBANG's Daesung Goes Viral in Japan on His Wild New Travel Show

A quirky new travel reality show is taking Korea and Asia by storm, and at the center of it all is one unlikely star: BIGBANG's Daesung. Just two episodes into its run on SBS Plus, Manly Travel Guide in Kyushu has already racked up over 10 million views across its official YouTube channel and social media reels — a milestone that speaks as much to Daesung's enduring global pull as it does to the show's anarchic, irresistible energy.

The variety travel program follows three men — veteran MMA fighter turned entertainer Choo Sung-hoon, beloved veteran singer Kim Jong-kook, and BIGBANG's Daesung — as they navigate Japan with nothing but their competitive instincts, unbridled bravado, and a complete disregard for reasonable food portions. The premise is simple: let three extremely competitive men loose in Kyushu and see what happens. The results have been anything but ordinary.

Why 10 Million Views in Two Episodes Is a Big Deal

According to Nielsen Korea, Episode 2 posted a household rating of 0.5% (metropolitan area, paid cable) with a per-minute peak of 0.8% — solid numbers for an SBS Plus program that typically competes for attention on smaller screens. But the real story is in the digital numbers.

The show's official YouTube reels and social media clips have collectively surpassed 10 million views, driven by a fanbase that spans Korea, Japan, and beyond. On Wavve — one of Korea's major streaming platforms — the show cracked the entertainment Top 5. In Taiwan, it climbed to 4th place on the popular OTT platform friDay Video, making it a genuine cross-border hit from day one.

The trio's combined social media presence plays a huge role in this reach. Between Choo Sung-hoon, Kim Jong-kook, and Daesung, they command nearly 7 million YouTube subscribers alone — a built-in distribution network that most shows can only dream of.

Daesung's Star Power in Japan

While all three men are beloved figures in Korean entertainment, it's Daesung who has emerged as the unexpected breakout of the show — particularly in Japan, where BIGBANG remains one of the most iconic Korean acts ever to perform. Footage of Daesung being recognized and surrounded by fans on Japanese streets has become one of the show's most viral moments, striking a chord with viewers who may not have seen the BIGBANG star in such an unscripted, candid context in years.

In a particularly memorable scene from Episode 2, Kim Jong-kook turned to Daesung with a sheepish apology after witnessing the scale of the younger star's popularity firsthand. "I'm sorry I didn't acknowledge just how big you are here," Kim Jong-kook reportedly said — a moment that fans found both funny and surprisingly touching.

Daesung's appeal in Japan extends beyond BIGBANG's legacy. He has released Japanese solo albums and maintained a devoted fanbase there for over a decade. Watching him casually navigate that fandom in a travel show format — without the polish of a full concert or press event — has given fans something raw and real they've clearly been hungry for.

Chaos, Bromance, and 73 Plates of Sushi

If the show's viral moments are driven by star power, its rewatchability comes from the genuinely absurd chemistry between the three leads. The production leans hard into the premise that Choo Sung-hoon, Kim Jong-kook, and Daesung are the kind of competitive personalities who operate entirely on instinct — and the results are consistently chaotic.

In Episode 2, the trio checked into a sharehouse built inside a converted karate dojo, run by a former martial arts practitioner. After a group training session that Choo Sung-hoon turned into a personal exhibition of strength, everyone retired for the night — only to be immediately subjected to thunderous snoring from Choo Sung-hoon himself. The following morning, Kim Jong-kook apologized to a visibly sleep-deprived Daesung with theatrical regret.

Their visit to Kyushu's largest gym the next day produced some of the most-shared clips from the series. Choo Sung-hoon casually lifted a 100kg dumbbell with one hand. Daesung, meanwhile, revealed an impressively sculpted torso — the product, he explained, of consistent Pilates training — leaving his co-stars momentarily speechless. Kim Jong-kook, normally too serious for selfies, was spotted enthusiastically snapping photos of himself on the gym floor, grinning from ear to ear.

The culinary adventures have been equally memorable. At a Guinness record-holding sushi restaurant, the three men polished off 73 plates in a single sitting. Later, despite the production crew urging them to wrap up, they ordered 20 additional portions of grilled meat at a restaurant in Kagoshima — reportedly just because they felt like it. The show's producers appear to have accepted early on that they have no control over their cast.

Fan Reactions: Korea and Asia Can't Get Enough

Viewer responses to the show's first two episodes have been overwhelmingly positive, with comments on social media reflecting genuine enthusiasm. "This is the hardest I've laughed in ten years," wrote one viewer. "SBS Plus actually made something incredible," said another. A third simply noted: "The combination is insane," referring to the unlikely but oddly perfect pairing of the three personalities.

One clip in particular from Episode 1 has become a standout moment — a short video showing a young fan, born in 2013, bursting into tears upon meeting Daesung. That clip alone has accumulated over 1.5 million views, offering a snapshot of the multigenerational pull that makes this show's lineup so unusual. Kim Jong-kook and Choo Sung-hoon are beloved by audiences who grew up watching them in the early 2000s; Daesung's fanbase skews younger internationally, drawn in by BIGBANG's global reach and his own solo career in Japan.

The combination generates an unpredictable on-screen chemistry that feels genuinely spontaneous — a quality that can be engineered but rarely actually achieved in Korean variety television.

What This Means for BIGBANG Fans

For BIGBANG fans in particular, Daesung's participation in the show represents a welcome reemergence. BIGBANG as a group has been in a gradual return to activity following the members' completion of mandatory military service, and seeing Daesung thriving in an unscripted format — relaxed, funny, visibly enjoying himself — has generated the kind of warm fan response that feels like a genuine moment of reconnection.

With only two episodes aired, Manly Travel Guide in Kyushu is still in its early chapters, and the show's digital performance suggests a healthy, growing audience that will be watching closely as the Kyushu journey continues. Whether the momentum translates into a full extended season or inspires a follow-up, one thing is already clear: when you put BIGBANG's Daesung, Kim Jong-kook, and Choo Sung-hoon on a road trip and let them do whatever they want, the internet will watch — all 10 million views of it, and counting.