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Guardian: The Lonely and Great God (Goblin, 쓸쓸하고 찬란하神 – 도깨비): Plot, Characters and Cast
Guardian: The Lonely and Great God, better known as Goblin (도깨비, Dokkaebi), is a fantasy, romance, melodrama and comedy series that tvN aired from 2016 to 2017. It has 16 episodes, written by Kim Eun-sook and directed by Lee Eung-bok. Here you'll find what it's about, who's who in the cast and a tongue-in-cheek Saju reading for the goblin, his bride, the reaper and company.
- Cast
- Gong Yoo, Kim Go-eun, Lee Dong-wook, Yoo In-na, Yook Sung-jae
- tvN
- 2016–2017 · 16 episodes
Official video
Official video by CJ ENM Global on YouTube. It only loads if you press play.
Plot (no spoilers)
Kim Shin was a general of the Goryeo era. A jealous king ended his life, but instead of resting, Kim Shin came back as a goblin (dokkaebi, 도깨비) who cannot die. An invisible sword is lodged in his chest, and only his destined bride can pull it out and finally give him rest.
Nine centuries have passed when he crosses paths with Ji Eun-tak, a lonely orphaned teenager, cheerful in spite of everything, who can see spirits. She claims to be that very bride. For a man tired of eternity, the news is both a salvation and a dilemma, because finding the bride means coming closer to his own end.
Meanwhile, Kim Shin ends up sharing a house with a Grim Reaper who remembers nothing of his past life. That unlikely living arrangement between an immortal and an angel of death is as strange as it sounds. Around them are Sunny, the confident, stylish owner of a fried chicken restaurant who catches the reaper's eye, and Yoo Deok-hwa, the playful heir of the family that has served the goblin for generations. Immortality, fate and love mix in a story that goes from laughter to longing in a single episode.
Characters and their Saju
Kim Shin 김신
Gong Yoo · Yang Metal · The Sword
Kim Shin was a Goryeo general and is now an immortal goblin with a sword stuck in his chest. He has lived for centuries while the world changed around him, and eternity weighs on him. At the start of the story, rather than living, he is waiting for the day someone sets him free.
If Kim Shin had a Saju card, it would be Yang Metal · The Sword, and not only because of the one in his chest. He was forged in battle, tempered by centuries and noble to the edge. His lesson is that metal can rest too.
Ji Eun-tak 지은탁
Kim Go-eun · Yin Fire · The Candle
Eun-tak is an orphaned high-school student who can see ghosts. Despite her loneliness, she keeps a stubborn cheerfulness and a disarming sense of humor. She introduces herself as the goblin's bride with a confidence that leaves him speechless.
If Eun-tak had a Saju card, it would be Yin Fire · The Candle: a small light in a room full of shadows. She sees ghosts, but she doesn't go out; on the contrary, her flame lights the way for someone who had been in the dark for centuries.
Grim Reaper 저승사자
Lee Dong-wook · Yin Water · The Rain
The reaper is an angel of death (저승사자) who remembers nothing of his previous life. His job is to guide souls, but his own is a mystery even to him. As fate would have it, he ends up sharing a house with the goblin, in an arrangement as unlikely as it is funny.
If the reaper had a Saju card, it would be Yin Water · The Rain: gray, silent and a little melancholy. Rain doesn't remember which cloud it came from, but it falls all the same, and where it falls it leaves traces that someone eventually reads.
Sunny (Kim Sun) 써니 (김선)
Yoo In-na · Yang Fire · The Sun
Sunny, whose real name is Kim Sun, owns a fried chicken restaurant. Confident and full of style, she makes an entrance with an attitude nobody can miss. She's the one who catches the reaper's eye, and her spark contrasts with his seriousness.
If Sunny had a Saju card, it would be Yang Fire · The Sun, and her name already says so. She walks in and the room lights up; she asks for neither permission nor forgiveness. Even a reaper dressed in black ends up seeking her light.
Yoo Deok-hwa 유덕화
Yook Sung-jae · Yin Wood · The Climbing Vine
Deok-hwa is the playful heir of the family that has served the goblin for generations. He takes life lightly and seems to enjoy every privilege of his family name. His humor and antics bring fresh air to a house full of supernatural beings.
If Deok-hwa had a Saju card, it would be Yin Wood · The Climbing Vine: flexible, playful and always climbing wherever he finds support. He grows in the shade of ancient trees, but he has his own green and his own urge to bloom.
And what would your Saju be? Find out free with your birth date.
Why so many people fell for it
Goblin pulls off something hard to do: it makes you laugh in one scene and cry in the next. The mix of Korean mythology, fated romance and the friendship between an immortal and a reaper made it unforgettable. In Latin America it aired on Willax in Peru (2020 and 2021), ETC in Chile (2021) and Teleamazonas in Ecuador (2023). And at the 53rd Baeksang Arts Awards, Kim Eun-sook won the TV Grand Prize and Gong Yoo won Best Actor.
Facts
- Written by Kim Eun-sook and directed by Lee Eung-bok, in 16 episodes.
- At its finale it ranked among the highest-rated dramas in Korean cable TV history.
- Its video-on-demand sales surpassed those of Descendants of the Sun.
Ending (spoilers)
Show the ending
Spoiler: Eun-tak dies saving a group of schoolchildren, but promises to come back. In her next life she finds Kim Shin again. The reaper and Sunny also get their reunion, though in a later life. An ending that hurts and comforts at the same time, very much in the show's style.
If you liked it, watch next
- Hotel del Luna 2019 · tvN
- My Love from the Star 2013 · SBS
- Moon Embracing the Sun 2012 · MBC
Frequently asked questions
Who is in the cast of Goblin?
Gong Yoo plays Kim Shin, the goblin; Kim Go-eun plays Ji Eun-tak; Lee Dong-wook plays the Grim Reaper; Yoo In-na plays Sunny; and Yook Sung-jae plays Yoo Deok-hwa.
How many episodes does Goblin have?
Guardian: The Lonely and Great God (Goblin) has 16 episodes. It aired on tvN from 2016 to 2017, written by Kim Eun-sook and directed by Lee Eung-bok.
What is the goblin, or dokkaebi, in the series?
In the series, Kim Shin is a Goryeo general who returns as an immortal goblin (dokkaebi), with an invisible sword in his chest that only his destined bride can pull out.