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| “ | Uuhhh... Well, nobody in my town would be bothering to compete. I wasn't lucky enough to be selected.. | ” |
—Pala | ||
Pala (Korean: 팔라 [rom. Palla]) is the representative of the Impa tribe. He first appeared as the only competitor who fell asleep at the beginning of the opening game, only to wake up and catch up with the others.
Armed with a cane that has a glass vial on top, he carries any concoction he mixed through his Alchemy. When it comes to trouble, he's the one who heals his teammates.
Physical Description[]
Pala Headshot
Pala is an Impala, as defined by the horns on his head, which stick out of his brushed up dark brown hair. He wears black rimmed square glasses though he rarely opens his eyes, which are black dots.
He has a green scarf and a red jacket with orange zigzag hemming which he wears over his clothes. He carries around a satchel and his main weapon is his cane, which is said to be made from the roots of the Soul Tree.
Background[]
Before the games, he was a skilled alchemist and grew to become a master herbalist of his tribe and earning his cane. After being given the title of 'Master Herbalist' he rose in his ranks and became part of the upper ranks of his tribe.[1]
This character is based on Jee Seok Jin.
Personality[]
Pala, throughout the games, is a compassionate, caring, and cowardly guy. Since his main specialty is being a healer, he would much rather stay in the background, taking care of the other members. But because of this, everyone, including the Running Men tend to underestimate him, frustrating him greatly.
Despite being a coward, he is shown to care deeply for his friends, often times shown healing them using his medicine. A great example of this was when he grew concerned over Lonky and Popo's injuries and offered to make medicine for them, choosing their safety over their team's victory.[2] Later on, he is shown making medicine and amplifying potions to aid the Running Men in defeating the DV7.
Abilities and Equipment[]
Abilities[]
- Intellect - Pala is shown to have a great deal of knowledge regarding medicine and alchemy, being recognized as the greatest herbologist in his tribe.
- Alchemy - True to his title, he is proficient in alchemy, creating a powerful medicine made from Materio Vitacus that not only enhances other people's physical ability, but also instantly heals them.
Equipment[]
Staff[]
Pala's Staff
- Pala is shown frequently carrying a staff, an object that he is mentioned to never let go of. This staff in question was later revealed to not only be the staff given to the greatest herbologist of the Impa Tribe[3], but also a relic stolen by the tribe long ago[4].
Relationship[]
Liu[]
Liu and Pala did not get off on the right foot when they first met, with both him and Gai clinging onto Liu as they tried to get through the first part of the games. Throughout the show however, they slowly improved their friendship overtime, with both of them having one of the closest relationships in the show. They are shown to have mutual respect for each other, with Pala believing in Liu's plans and Liu seeing potential in Pala's alchemy.
Dr. Mala[]
Pala recognizes Dr. Mala as a traitor of the Impa Tribe due to his dabble with forbidden magic and thus, has no respect for him, calling him a servant for Charming Gold. In turn, Dr. Mala looks down on Pala, calling him an embarrassment to his own tribe due to him being the weakest player in the team.[3] After the events of Season 1 however, they are shown to develop a mutual respect for each other, despite their stark differences.
Appearances[]
Pala shows up all throughout the series.
Quotes[]
"Shake...Shake..."
"Shake it, shake it, shake it!"
Trivia[]
- Pala is 22 years older than Liu, Miyo, Kuga, and Gai and 23 years older than Lonky and Popo, making him the oldest Running Man competitor.
- In Captured, he was killed after putting in his relic because it was a fake, but was later brought back due to Popo turning back time.
- He is physically the weakest member of the team.
- His cane was said to be made by the Soul Tree's roots[5] but in reality, it was a relic stolen by the Impa Tribe.[4]
- Pala's alchemy bares a great similarity to Chinese Alchemy.
Gallery[]
Video[]
References[]
- ↑ Running Man Complete Encyclopedia
- ↑ Running Man Episode 26, Pyramid Race Pt. 2
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Running Man Animation Episode 39, Battle of the Thrones Pt. 3
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Running Man Animation Episode 47, Captured
- ↑ Running Man Complete Encyclopedia