This article contains spoilers for the Solo Leveling manhwa.

Summary

Season 2 of Solo Leveling left out an epic fight between A-rank hunters Park Jong-Soo and Hanekawa.
Park Jong-Soo won by grabbing Hanekawa's wrist in a short but meaningful match.
The A-rank fight may not appear in Season 3, but could be adapted in future OVAs or special episodes.

Solo Leveling is best known for Sung Jin-Woo's intense fights against hunters and magic beasts alike. Watching him fight in fluid animation is pure entertainment and joy for many fans who have been waiting to see his high-stakes battles come to life. However, even without Jin-Woo, there are some epic fights in the manhwa that did not make the cut in the first two seasons of Solo Leveling.

In particular, a peak fight scene still bugs the many Solo Leveling fans who can’t help but wish they could have seen it animated. This scene involves two powerful A-rank hunters who engaged in a spur-of-the-moment fight before the sparring session between Japan and Korea’s S-rank hunters began. Even Jin-Woo and Goto Ryuji thought their fight was interesting, making it a missed opportunity.

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By Cathlyn Melo

Solo Leveling Fans Want to See Park Jong-Soo vs. Hanekawa Fight Animated

The Battle Between Two A-Rank Hunters

While Solo Leveling season 2 is filled with Sung Jin-Woo's heated battles, from his encounters with the powerful bosses in the Demon Castle to the menacing Ant King in Jeju Island, it failed to adapt the widely anticipated showdown between two powerful A-rank hunters: Park Jung-Soo of the Knights Guild and Hanekawa of the Draw Sword Guild. Their solo match happened in chapter 91, triggering Goto Ryuji to propose the sparring session between Japan and Korea’s S-rank hunters.

I honestly liked the sparring match between him and the translator. I felt it added some character to the Korean Hunters vs the Japanese Hunters. Not going to spoil too much about it but you should definitely check out the manwha in general as it’s less compressed than the anime and has a decent bit of fresh content that the anime doesn’t have. -Redditor MicrowaveNoodles1212

This fight scene has been removed in Solo Leveling season 2, likely due to runtime constraints and production budget, but fans still believe it was a missed opportunity, feeling they were robbed of seeing an actual display of strength from A-rank hunters instead of the usual S-rankers. On top of that, the Park Jung-Soo and Hanekawa fight is one of the most interesting showdowns in Solo Leveling, guided by a simple but cool rule.

One of the peak fight scenes –Redditor No-Meat-7525

Before the fight began, Park Jong-Soo and Hanekawa engaged in heated trash talk before agreeing to face each other. To determine the victor, the first person who could grab the other’s wrist would automatically win. At that point, both competitors felt confident in their abilities, with Park Jong-Soo refusing to use his arms to fight Hanekawa unless the time came to grab her wrist. Park Jong-Soo also looked like the main character of Solo Leveling, as his strength could be felt strongly through his words and aura alone.

I’m going to wipe that pretentious look off his face!-Hanekawa to Park Jong-Soo

Who Wins Between Park Jong-Soo and Japan’s Interpreter?

Park Jong-Soo easily won against Hanekawa, grabbing her wrist in the process. Despite Jong-Soo's wardrobe malfunction, as well as the insults he received from Hanekawa, he effortlessly grabbed the victory. It was just a short fight, but it was truly a meaningful one. Not only did it show the existing gap between hunters with similar ranks, but it also provided a closer look at the strength and combat experience an A-rank hunter holds.

I was disappointed they left this out, it wasn't a long fight either they could have made it like a minute or so fight scene with how quick it was, just to give us a taste in preparation for the next ep with the s ranks sparing session-Redditor Beginning-Maybe-647

Additionally, it also opened the eyes of the Japanese hunters to the struggles and tragic experiences every hunter in Korea faces. Unlike Japanese hunters, who are implied to work in less problematic dungeons, Korean hunters like Jong-Soo and Jin-Woo often deal with troublemakers, some of which unfortunately involve solo killing fellow hunters. Of course, the Japanese hunters, especially Goto Ryuji, wanted payback, so he immediately proposed another sparring session, but this time with the S-rank hunters.

Too slow, Miss Interpreter –Park Jong-Soo to Hanekawa

Could Solo Leveling Season 3 Adapt This A-Rank Fight?

It Could Appear in a Solo Leveling OVA or Special Episode

solo leveling jin woo without shadows how strong

Solo Leveling season 3 is expected to take the story internationally, meaning there’s little to no room for the fight between Park Jong-Soo and Hanekawa to be animated. Instead of going back to this fight, season 3 would rather adapt fights from the succeeding story arcs, possibly including Jin-Woo and the more relevant characters. If fans still wish to see this fight, they could go back to the manga anytime they want, after all.

However, this doesn’t mean fans have no chance of seeing the fight between Park Jong-Soo and Hanekawa come to life in the future. Solo Leveling could unexpectedly release OVAs or special episodes in an attempt to cover everything from the manhwa beginning to end sometime in the future. As usual, fans should manage their expectations, for there’s no guarantee Solo Leveling will produce more content from previous story arcs.

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