In just two seasons of Solo Leveling, the series created by Chugong has become a powerhouse in the shonen genre. Success and popularity came quickly for Solo Leveling due to the amazing things it does in every department, from animation to fight scenes, courtesy of A-1 Pictures. While the series isn’t perfect, Solo Leveling has tremendous potential to get bigger.
Among the sea of shonen anime, Solo Leveling successfully claimed a solid position in the genre. The anime was even hailed as Crunchyroll’s Anime of the Year Award winner, which speaks volumes about the support it has in the community. It is incredibly popular and for all the right reasons. While the series is still new compared to the big three, there are some things that Solo Leveling is doing better than every other shonen anime.
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Solo Leveling Says No to Fillers
The Anime Is Faithful to the Source Material
Shonen anime is prone to fillers or anime-original content that has no direct connection to the main story. Two of the Big Three anime, Naruto and One Piece, are prominent for their filler episodes, but Solo Leveling has little to none.
That said, anime fans can easily catch up to Sung Jinwoo’s story in the hunter world without watching any slice-of-life episodes, extended flashbacks, or unnecessary side stories that aren’t canon in the source material.
So far, Solo Leveling has a total of 25 episodes that are nearly 100% faithful to the source material. There may have been cuts here and there due to the show’s breakneck pacing, but those untouched scenes from the manhwa aren’t necessarily relevant in driving the plot forward, so it’s natural to leave them behind. There were a few anime-original scenes created for Cha Hae-In, but other than that, Solo Leveling is filler-safe.
Solo Leveling Understands the Shonen Formula
Every Episode Contains Non-Stop and Mindless Action
Shonen anime enthusiasts love a powerful protagonist like Solo Leveling’s Sung Jinwoo, who fights enemies in almost every episode and ends up winning all of them. Non-stop and mindless action is undeniably crucial to hooking up shonen fans, and Solo Leveling succeeds in this area with flying colors.
Out of Solo Leveling’s 25 episodes, one or two of them only had Jinwoo off the battlefield, coexisting with fellow hunters like an ordinary character. The rest of the episode had Jinwoo fighting against magical beasts, corrupt hunters, and dungeon bosses. His shadow soldiers also aid him in battle, doubling the action in every episode of the series.
The best part of Solo Leveling is that Jinwoo remains undefeated. After all, everyone loves an untouchable main character, especially if they have cool abilities like Jinwoo. While this could be repetitive for some fans, shonen anime lovers are simply happy to see Jinwoo destroy his enemies with ease, one by one.
Solo Leveling Never Wastes Time
Immediate Payoffs and Instant Power Progression
Sung Jinwoo has one of the fastest yet most satisfying journeys from zero to hero in all of anime. He was at the absolute bottom of the hunter ranks in the first episode, but went on to become the strongest in just a short amount of time. This setup is mostly credited to the leveling system of Solo Leveling, which allows Jinwoo to grow stronger from one dungeon raid to another.
Basically, the world of Solo Leveling demands Jinwoo’s rapid power progression. Every time he levels up, fans can see how his body develops, and his attributes increase. The moment he defeats a powerful opponent, he instantly gets the reward in the form of power-ups, useful items, and ability points. It’s not that difficult to measure his growth, as the series itself establishes his numbers.
Solo Leveling Features a Simple Power System
The Power System Isn’t Confusing
Solo Leveling has a simple power system that can easily be understood by fans. It’s not like Jujutsu Kaisen and Naruto, which need to further explain the mechanics of their complicated power systems for all the characters. In a nutshell, the viewers don’t have to dissect Solo Leveling’s power system to figure out who’s stronger than the other.
For the most part, the hunters in Solo Leveling are measured through their magic output or mana after they awaken their powers. E-rank is the lowest title given to a hunter, and the highest is S-rank. Their stats are set in stone, unless they become a System player like Jinwoo, undergo a double awakening, or get a boost from an upgrader.
Certain video game elements in Solo Leveling also help in understanding the simple power system of the series. Leveling up, distribution of ability points, hunter class, and exclusive skills are just some examples. If you’re a gamer, understanding Solo Leveling’s power system won’t be a challenge.
Solo Leveling Has a Cool Yet Relatable Protagonist
Fans Love Everything About Jinwoo
Solo Leveling has the coolest main character to date. Sung Jinwoo is the latest recipient of Crunchyroll’s Best Main Character Award, which reflects his popularity among anime fans. They enjoy watching him for various reasons, from his redemption arc to his relatable struggles that keep his humanity intact despite his overpowered abilities.
For a new shonen anime like Solo Leveling, Jinwoo plays an irreplaceable role in leading his own show with his overall appearance, personality, aura, abilities, and signature one-liners. “Arise,” for instance, has become Jinwoo’s most famous quote, and his Shadow Extraction skill is his most iconic ability.
It goes without saying that fans love everything about Jinwoo, and there’s no stopping them from showing support for Solo Leveling’s cool and relatable protagonist. They simply enjoy watching him.
- Release Date
- 2024 - 2025-00-00
- Network
- Tokyo MX, Gunma TV, BS11, Tochigi TV
- Directors
- Tatsuya Sasaki, Toru Hamasaki
- Writers
- Shigeru Murakoshi, Shingo Irie, Fuka Ishii
Cast
-
Taito BanSung Jin-woo -
Genta NakamuraYoo Jin-ho
- Creator(s)
- Chugong
