Cashero: Should you watch or skip the latest Netflix K-drama? A viewer’s guide

Netflix wrapped up 2025 by asking what if saving the world made you broke? Cashero is a Korean superhero show with eight episodes, starring Lee Jun-ho as the lead guy.

He is a government worker whose super strength is directly tied to how much cash he has on him. Every time he does something heroic, his wallet shrinks. Based on a Kakao webtoon by Team Befar, Cashero hits at a time when everyone is sick of the same old superhero rinse-and-repeat. This time, we have a person juggling rent, wedding bills, and supervillains.

While the idea is clever, it fumbles the landing. Critics have noted that Cashero has a spicy social commentary, but it just can’t keep its story straight. You want to love it for the fresh take, but by the end, you are left wishing the execution had as much punch as the premise.

What is Cashero about?

Cashero is about Kang Sang-ung, a 35-year-old man working at a community center, played by Lee Jun-ho. He is just trying to scrape together enough for a house and maybe get married someday. Then, his long-lost dad dies and leaves him a truly bizarre superpower no one would actually want: he gets super strength, but only based on how much hard cash he has on him.

While it sounds cool, every time he uses it, the money vanishes. He gets paid out in 500-won coins that literally just hit the floor, like the universe mocking his savings account. It’s so on the nose it almost hurts.

Netflix says Cashero is really about Sang-ung stumbling into a secret world where weird powers are the norm, only he is not alone. He teams up with Byeon Ho-in, a lawyer who only gets his powers when he is tipsy, and Bang Eun-mi, who has telekinesis that gets stronger the more she snacks. These powers are so tied to everyday vices that it’s almost hilarious.

Together, they end up squaring off against a shady group called the Mundane Vanguard, who are the boogeymen for people with powers. The big bads are sibling rivals Jo Anna and Jo Nathan, who are trying to snatch up everyone else’s abilities.

We have to give Cashero props for at least trying to make superheroes feel like something real people could relate to. In South Korea, where buying a house feels like chasing a unicorn and money stress is just baked into adulthood, having a hero who literally loses money every time he helps someone hits different.

The South China Morning Post called the show “a lively but garbled medley of social themes, melodrama and genre spectacle,” and that’s kind of perfect. It’s ambitious but also kind of a mess.

Cashero had much more potential, but it trips over itself. You can tell right away that there’s no flow. The story can’t seem to decide if it wants to be serious or silly, and the pacing is all over the place. They set up an idea: money literally equals power, but then they burn through the tension way too fast. Sang-ung scores a fat stack of cash early on, and all that supposed struggle is gone.

The show dips its toe into big moral questions, then backs out before things get interesting. For a series that’s supposed to be about the cost of being a hero, Sang-ung never really hits rock bottom. He barely even sweats about money or faces any gut-wrenching choices between saving his own skin and helping others.

DMTalkies points out that Cashero is trying way too hard to play in the Marvel sandbox, but it just ends up feeling hollow. If they had focused more on real character moments instead of the wannabe blockbuster, maybe it would have actually landed.

The verdict: Watchable but forgettable

Cashero gets a thumbs up, but only if you are in a very specific crowd. Are you a Lee Jun-ho superfan, still buzzing from his killer 2025 run? Then this is basically made for you. He carries the whole thing. Add in the cast’s goofy energy, and suddenly you have a pretty good excuse to veg out for a weekend. It’s not going to ask a lot from you emotionally, which sometimes is exactly what we need.

Now, if you are hunting for the next superhero masterpiece or something that’s going to blow your mind with plot twists, look elsewhere. The series is more enjoyable when it is seen through the lens of little expectations, just as an entertaining comfort watch instead of a prestige television show.

So hit play if you are into everyday-hero shenanigans, if you love Lee Jun-ho, or if you are just in the mood for something breezy between heavier dramas. Plus, it’s kind of fun seeing a Korean spin on all the usual superhero Western shows keep churning out.

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But if you are craving tight storytelling, some deep dive into morality, crazy good special effects, or those big emotional punches, just skip it.

Cashero won’t waste your weekend, but don’t expect it to stick in your brain after it ends.

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