It has been about eight years since the inception of the Korean web novel of Solo Leveling first appeared online. And ever since, fans have been flocking to it like birds trying to catch some worms from the dirt on a wet, rainy day. This series almost needs no introduction, but I will set up the premise for those who may have missed the web novel/manhwa series hype.
Over a decade has passed since a pathway called a “gate” which connects this world and another dimension suddenly appeared, and people with superhuman powers called “hunters” have been awakened. Hunters use their superhuman powers to conquer dungeons inside the gates to make a living while also protecting the world from dungeon creatures leaking out into the normal world.
The (semi) prequel scene, set three years before the present, shows some hunters on a mission to exterminate some giant ant creatures. It offers a glimpse into the brutality of the world of Solo Leveling, where injury and death can be as devastating as in Attack on Titan. However, high-level Hunters (who focus on healing) can treat these fatal wounds. But resurrecting someone who has died seems unclear.
Hunters are ranked from S to E, with S being the best and E being the worst. The narration explains that the rank is based on how much magic a hunter has. Sung Jinwoo, a hunter of the lowest rank, is considered the weakest hunter in all of humanity because he has basically no magic—almost like Asta in Black Clover. While many grind the dungeons to upgrade their equipment, Jinwoo has to pay for his comatose mother’s hospitalization and his sister’s education, as his father is reported missing.
“Solo Leveling’s unique blend of gritty realism and fantastical elements crafts a narrative that is both deeply human and wildly imaginative, reminiscent of the nuanced world-building in Jujutsu Kaisen.”
Jinwoo typically takes on quests with other adventurers a few levels above him. He is that one friend who needs some help to beat Elden Ring from Dark Souls veterans, essentially (aka me!). One day, he encounters a double dungeon with some of his party allies, a high-level dungeon hidden inside a low-level one. Things take a turn for the worst when the party slowly learns the punishing rules of the dungeon room.
Faced with the difficult choice of sacrificing one person for the survival of the other party members, Jinwoo steps forward, whether or not he truly agrees with the decision. As he watches his party escape to safety, a badly wounded Jinwoo sees a mysterious quest window pop up—like a retry screen in video games. On the verge of death, Jinwoo decides to take on the quest, making him the only person who can level up.
Solo Leveling manages to set itself apart with a lot of mystery and has a lot of rich world-building that invites many questions from the get-go. It definitely appears to take numerous tropes of other anime series based on these first two episodes. By the end of the joint episode, Jinwoo becomes an interesting protagonist because most main characters in fantasy/Isekai shows who sacrifice themselves tend to think about how they were good by protecting their other party members.
“At its core, Solo Leveling is a tale of unexpected heroism and the relentless pursuit of strength, mirroring the personal growth and challenges faced by characters in I’m A Spider, So What? or The Rising of the Shield Hero.”
In the end, Jinwoo realizes that his group members were actually pretty selfish for allowing him to be the sacrifice. It really humanized the situation of either hoping that your friends/team will make it without you or being salty that one person had to give up their dreams for others.
Without going into too much detail, Solo Leveling opens similarly to Goblin Slayer but in a more robust way. It is not surprising to see a similar relentlessly dark opening segment, considering we live in a world where Goblin Slayer opened the way it did and set a tone for dark fantasy stories in anime. For more hard-hitting first episodes, not for the faint of heart, check out other series openers like Death Parade or The Rising of the Shield Hero—if that is your cup of tea.
Some things to look forward to seeing and hearing are the intro and outro songs. Only the intro played in the credits of the first two episodes, with no animation—so I’m definitely hyped for that. For those who watched other webtoon anime adaptations like Tower of God and The God of High School will be pleased that another K-pop group, TOMORROW X TOGETHER is doing the intro song called “Level.” It is not as hype as Tower of God’s opening “TOP” by Stray Kids, but still upbeat enough.
Solo Leveling has not shown off too much “solo” action nor much “leveling” yet. The way episode two ended leaves a lot of questions as to what will happen to Jinwoo—is he going to be gone for a bit like when Yuji Itadori “died” for a bit in season one of Jujutsu Kaisen. There are appealing elements because it feels more grounded having dungeon-ing as a real occupation.
The way it is portrayed makes it less fantasy world-based and more like an international issue of containing a threat—sort of how peacekeepers work in many countries’ militaries work. The rules of different dungeons are intriguing, and hopefully, there will be more problem-solving moments like this throughout Jinwoo’s future endeavours.
Even though the artwork is not as pretty as anime series like Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba or To Your Eternity, the dark moments have some interesting hard shading on the characters’ faces reminiscent of Attack on Titan. While it may seem like a typically drawn anime, there is hope that future episodes will have more dynamic camera angles in fights and may have some visually striking moments. If you like series following a protagonist levelling up on their own like I’m A Spider, So What? or The Rising of the Shield Hero, this should be on your list.
