No name in anime is currently as big asSolo Leveling. Following an incredibly impressive debut showing in the winter 2024 anime season, the series took the world by storm with its second season,breaking records with easeand stealing the spotlight from other, already well-established titles. Capping off its historic run,Solo Levelingswept the recently held Crunchyroll Awards,including the most important prize for Anime of the Year.
The series hasn’t been without its hiccups, though. A poorly timed recap episode led to themost disliked single episode in Crunchyroll’s history, while a large and loud portion of the anime community have made their criticisms of the show known. Nevertheless,Solo Levelingseems poised to continue its fast track to classic status, so long as it continues utilizing hype moments and jaw-dropping animation capable of wowing even the most hardened anime fan.However, the series does have one problem concerning its characters.
Solo Leveling Has a Jinwoo Problem
The Protagonist’s Abilities Create a Slew of Problems For the Series
Solo Levelingis a power fantasy anime through and through, and in the modern age dominated by the Isekai genre, that isn’t all that rare. Overpowered protagonists are in today’s landscape of animewhat the edgy teen protagonist was in the mid-2000s. Countless plain-faced characters step into a series and suddenly transform from the out-of-shape loner to the strongest being in the universe. However,Solo Levelingleaves its own unique mark on the genre that helps to separate it from the competition.
Where other power fantasy heroes typically become powerful overnight and are rarely endearing in any way,Sung Jinwoo is a likable characterwho, despite being given access to the System,has to work hard to increase his strength. He isn’t some twerp who suddenly fell into all the power in the world, but was rather a commendable person before his newfound strength, and one with the ability to do something meaningful after attaining it.
Unfortunately, it’s the nature of those powers that creates a bit of a problem forSolo Leveling. By giving Jinwoo and no one else the ability to become stronger,none of the series' other characters really matter in any way. The entire leveling-up aspect of the show is meant to evoke an RPG, and, by going along with the logic of an RPG, anyone who isn’t able to level up would be an ‘NPC’.Solo Levelingtreats them as such too.
It certainly isn’t the first series to do such a thing, and by no means is it worse than other power fantasy shows that entirely dehumanize any character aside from the hero, but the series spending practically no time with other characters more or less communicates to the audience that they aren’t worth moral consideration.The world lives and dies by Sung Jinwoo, and no other person really has a say in how that goes. It isn’t a novel premise, especially in the genreSolo Levelinginhabits, but one that is somewhat philosophically displeasing all the same.
Solo Leveling Isn’t Without Flaws
While the power fantasy nature ofSolo Levelingleads to some nasty world-building consequences that are all too common for the genre, other issues have begun to crop up during the series' second season. The anime’s success has been near unparalleled, and its visuals and action sequences are consistently breathtaking. Rapid-fire pacing has allowed the show to continue appealing to its audience with little downtime threatening to bore the viewer.But a unique problem that wasn’t present throughout the first season has begun to arise.
When Sung Jinwoo is introduced to the audience, he’s a fairly unimposing presence. Dubbed the “Weakest Hunter in the World”, he is forced to improve himself even after being given access to the System’s abilities,causing his early confrontations with monsters to hold some stakes. Season One ends with his all-out bout against Igris, a battle which packs in all the style, hype, and suspense fans could want from the series.
However,much of the suspense and stakes all but disappearduring Season Two. After the Job Change, which allows Jinwoo to begin recruiting members into his Shadow Army, no antagonist becomes all that threatening to the series' protagonist. Instead, the dynamic of the series shifts from the underdog climbing his way up the ladderto the entirely overpowered hero arriving on the scene and quickly dismantling any force that opposes him. While the climax to the Jeju Island arc is exciting, it’s predictable.
Solo Leveling Has Come Under Fire Following the Crunchyroll Anime Awards
Solo Leveling Took Home the Anime of the Year Award, and Is Now Receiving Some Backlash
Following the massive success ofSolo Leveling’s second season, it shouldn’t have come as a surprise that the series cleaned up at Crunchyroll’s annual Anime Awards. However, in doing so, the anime has now come under fire from fans of anime’s other biggest titles. A large portion of the anime community believes thatSolo Levelingwas undeserving of the Anime of the Year Award,and that the series robbed the rightful winner,Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End.
Frierenbecame one of anime’s latest mega-hitsshortly after premiering, and has held the number one all-time rating spot on MyAnimeList for some time. The series did premiere in September 2023, though, and fans ofSolo Levelinghave argued that it shouldn’t have even been able to qualify for the 2024 award. Despite its flaws,Solo Levelingis undeniably the current hottest title in the industry, and its taking home the top award really isn’t all that surprising considering the winners were partially chosen by popular vote.
Solo Leveling’s success has been incredibly impressive since premiering during the winter 2024 anime season, though the show isn’t without its fair share of issues. Nevertheless, its dedicated fan base is always quick to come to the series' defense, and will be there to express their support whenever the anime returns with its highly anticipated third season.
Solo Leveling
Cast
Solo Leveling follows Sung Jin-woo, the world’s weakest hunter, who gains extraordinary powers through a mysterious program after surviving a brutal monster attack. As he navigates his newfound abilities, Jinwoo embarks on a quest to uncover the secrets of his powers and the dungeon that altered his fate.
