Physical: Asia: Full final leaderboard explored

Netflix's Physical: Asia brought together elite athletes from eight countries in an intense fitness competition that premiered October 28, 2025.

The international spin-off of South Korea's hit show Physical: 100 featured 48 competitors representing South Korea, Japan, Thailand, Mongolia, Turkey, Indonesia, Australia, and the Philippines. Teams battled through brutal challenges testing strength, endurance, strategy, and willpower for a prize of 1 billion Korean won ($700,000). The competition unfolded across a massive set spanning five soccer fields constructed with 1,200 metric tonnes of sand and 40 metric tonnes of steel.

Notable participants included Filipino boxing legend Manny Pacquiao and Australian UFC champion Robert Whittaker. Through three major challenges and elimination rounds, teams fought to survive territorial battles, shipwreck salvage missions, and representative matches.

Thailand and Indonesia became the first nations eliminated after losing Death Match competitions. The format increased stakes progressively as platforms reduced and team sizes expanded. The show concluded with Team Korea bagging the ultimate win, with Mongolia and Japan right behind them.

Physical: Asia: Eliminations and more explored

Thailand became the first country knocked out of contention on Physical: Asia. They faced the Philippines in the initial Death Match after losing the Shipwreck Salvage challenge. The Philippines dominated the encounter, winning three consecutive rounds.

Indonesia followed as the second eliminated nation on Physical: Asia. Their Death Match against Japan turned intense when judoka Soichi Hashimoto accidentally cut swimmer Glenn Victor Sutanto's chin during the opening round. Despite the bloody start, Japan controlled the match and advanced.

Both eliminated teams had struggled during the Territorial Conquest opening challenge. Turkey won that initial test through superior strategy and physical dominance. Their victory granted them power to select matchups for the subsequent Shipwreck Salvage round. Turkey's strategic choices proved effective as they defeated Indonesia directly. Australia overcame Japan, Mongolia beat the Philippines, and South Korea topped Thailand in other pairings.

Manny Pacquiao withdrew from the competition during episode five. The boxing champion cited obligations back home requiring his immediate return.

"I have to leave the competition because of another obligation in my home country," Pacquiao explained in a recorded message.

His departure shocked teammates and viewers alike. Pacquiao apologized for leaving before achieving their shared goal. CrossFit athlete Justin Hernandez stepped in as his replacement. The Philippines continued competing despite losing their highest-profile member. Their performance in subsequent challenges demonstrated resilience. They reached the Team Rep Match alongside five other surviving nations.

Six remaining teams split into two groups for the Team Rep Match. South Korea, Australia, and the Philippines comprise Group A. Mongolia, Turkey, and Japan form Group B.

Group A had completed three of four matches. Australia sat atop the standings with eight points. South Korea and the Philippines both hold five points, creating elimination tension. The hurdle race opened the competition with speed testing two members per team. The stone totem challenge followed, requiring contestants to support 135kg weights. A hanging endurance test came next, pushing athletes to their limits.

The final Physical: Asia rankings however, came from an entirely different place. Four nations made it to the semi-finals: Korea, Mongolia, Japan, and Australia. The final quest was a three-part battle between Korea and Mongolia, featuring a Wall Push Match (reverse tug-of-war with huge walls), an Iron Ball Dragging event (teams drag weighted balls harnessed to their bodies) and an Infinite Tail Tag, where endurance and teamwork really mattered. Team Korea’s final push came thanks to heavy hitters like Kim Dong-hyun (MMA), Min-jae Kim (ssireum wrestler), Jang Eun-sil (wrestler), Amotti and Choi Seung-yeon (CrossFit), and Yun Sung-bin (former skeleton racer).

The rankings:

South Korea

Mongolia

Japan

Australia

Türkiye

Philippines

Indonesia

Thailand

The Physical: Asia format and its implications

Each match awards different point values based on difficulty. The two lowest-scoring teams face direct elimination. No Death Match provides second chances this round.

The format change raises stakes considerably. Teams cannot rely on individual prowess to survive. Strategic representative selection becomes crucial for success.

Even though Korea took home the title on Physical: Asia, not everyone believed it was fair. Fans flooded social media claiming the season was rigged to favor the host nation. Some viewers pointed to questionable eliminations (like Japan’s exit) and odd challenge outcomes as proof of possible bias.

Despite Mongolia’s strong showing, Physical: Asia viewers believe Korea’s roster had an unfair strength advantage in weight and endurance, especially in the make-or-break final challenges. Others defended the win, saying Korea simply strategized better and had the muscle to back it up.

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Physical: Asia is streaming globally on Netflix.