The author, Chugong, brings in “Solo”. Solo Leveling very literally. The series itself does a fantastic job of presenting Sung Jinwoo's rapid rise to godhood. But the supporting cast, most of whom were presented with detailed backstories, unique motivations and enormous potential, often suffered from the tunnel vision of the story in pursuit of its goal. With the scaling of power involved going up to the planetary scale, the human factors that made the early arcs feel so grounded were completely abandoned.
It's a narrative tragedy because Chugong is actually great at writing characters with huge potential Solo Leveling. We encountered traumatized healers, noble captains and German legends who seemed to have stepped out of their own spin-off series. But towards the finish line, those curves were thrown aside faster than Jinwoo could clear an E-rank gate. Here are the characters left in the shadows by the Shadow Monarch.
Solo Leveling: 7 A-Rank Hunters in Solo Leveling who deserved more recognition
Sometimes the real heroes are in the background. Meet A-Rank Hunters whose stories are worth a second look in Solo Leveling.
Lennart Niermann
Lennart Niermann was presented at the International Guild Conference as the strongest hunter in Germany and was 12th in the world. His design and aura showed a character that would have been central to the struggle against monarchs as the symbol of European power. He was among the few who felt the cold of the Frost Monarch and the King of Beasts and had somewhat closer perception than even some National Level Hunters had.
With all of this, Lennart was still the ultimate hype tool that failed to fight at all. Throughout the crisis in Canada, he followed Jinwoo around as a glorified bodyguard, but was never given even a single major action sequence to prove why he was number one in Germany. He was almost completely forgotten by the last war. Chugong made him a world-class powerhouse just so he could place him on a scale against how much stronger Jinwoo had become. Fans and society in general wondered just what his true abilities could accomplish.
Son Kihoon
Son Kihoon is the A-Rank captain of Strike Team B in the Hunters Guild as he participates in the Kargalgan (High Orc) dungeon arc. He was composed in the traditional heroic style of the protagonist, a great leader who was ready to sacrifice his life to save his team in unattainable conditions. His battle with the High Orc guards showed pure noble fighting will and defensive prowess that placed him among the most admirable A-ranks in the series.
After being rescued by Jinwoo from the High Orc throne room and his comrades, Kihoon makes a handful of blink-and-you'll-miss-it background appearances in the briefing with Jeju Island and the final gates, but never says or does anything to further the plot. He was a flawless personality that even caused Jinwoo with his kindness to present the human side of raids in the middle. But when the story turned to the S-ranks and Gods, Kihoon quietly faded into the background without even a trace.
Han Song-Yi
Han Song-Yi is the E-Rank student hunter who served as the link between the past and the future for Jinwoo. Being friends with a sister of Jinwoo, she was the embodiment of the threat of being the low-ranking hunters who enter dungeons just to make money. The Red Gate incident was a change of direction in her character as she experienced the cold-blooded nature of survival and the true image of the hidden power that Jinwoo possessed.
Her path seemed to go towards becoming a protégé or at least a regular civilian connection to Jinwoo's life, but was completely abandoned halfway through the series. Her dreams of becoming a hunter and her relationships with the Sung family were neglected after the Red Gate and a brief meeting at the gym. She was a key component of the world-building, which was done on the ground level to provide the series with its initial stakes, but was ultimately abandoned in favor of more flashy, high-end action.
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Park Heejin
Park Heejin is a B-rank Mage from the White Tiger guild and one who had survived the Red Gate along with Jinwoo. The reason she was special was her keen instinct; she was the only one who noticed Jinwoo saving Han Song-Yi during the Red Gate and among the first to understand that it was Jinwoo who was keeping them alive. She didn't run for safety like other supporting characters, instead providing strategic assistance and holding herself together when in the middle of a crisis that claimed the lives of experienced hunters.
Her unusual design and cleverness often led society to refer to her as a character with potential for the main roles. But when the survivors of the Red Gate were rescued, she ceased to be part of the story. She did not become a member of the Ahjin guild, never participated in further raids, and was never shown again other than in audience shots. She was smart enough and had the rank to be a constant tactician, but Chugong preferred to leave all the strategy to Jinwoo.
Baek Yoonho
The first real rival to mentor Jinwoo was: Baek Yoonho, the master of the White Tiger Guild. His quirk of turning into a beast was what made him one of the most visually appealing hunters, and he used to have a tense and respectful relationship with Jinwoo in the beginning. He was the one who truly understood the mystery of Jinwoo's 'Double Awakening' before anyone else and the only one who actually appreciated what Jinwoo did during the Jeju Island Raid.
His decline is perhaps the most tragic of the S ranks. In the early chapters, he felt more like a co-protagonist, but by the midpoint of the manhwa, his beast form was nothing more than just to be seen. He was always a reference to show how horrible the villains were (defeated by Beru, etc.), and his character development stopped abruptly. He was no longer Korea's menacing lion hunter, but a background character who used to appear shocked at the amount of power Jinwoo possessed.
My Byung-Gyu
Min Byung-Gyu was the retired S-Rank healer with the heart of gold. His backstory about retiring due to the horror of his friends being killed and due to his basic pacifism, was good writing in the series. He was a symbol of the mental cost of being a hunter, a theme the series didn't often delve into. Even in his death and short-term resurrection as a shadow, he was the only shadow to ever smile and display a kind nature, touching Jinwoo to free him.
The dilemma is that we never had an opportunity to see his life or impact until the Jeju Island tragedy. He was brought in only so that he could be sacrificed. Although his death worked in the plot, the series wasted a golden opportunity to delve into his pacifist ideology in a violent world. He was an all-too-human figure in an ensemble of power-loving warriors and was more of a plot element than a human being.
Solo Leveling: How different is Cha Hae-in from Lee Joo-Hee?
Both have a close relationship with Jin-Woo, but how is Cha Hae-In different from Lee Joo Hee?
Lee Joo-Hee
Lee Joo-Hee is the ultimate “forgotten” character in the series. She was the B-rank healer who accompanied Jinwoo when he was the weakest hunter in the world. The most realistic portrayal of PTSD in the entire series was her trauma from the Double Dungeon, and her retirement was a moment that was a bitter lesson that brought the stakes of the story down to earth. She was the emotional chain that tied Jinwoo to his humanity, but fans couldn't help but feel sad at how quickly both the series and Jinwoo completely forgot about her.
How could I ever tell him… I want you by my side until I take my last breath? — Cha Hae-In
Her relationship with Jinwoo may have been just platonic, but they still had a bond for years, and she was the one who took care of Jinwoo at a time when he was nothing. She didn't get a decent reunion and a place in the finals. The romantic struggle and the past they had spent together was completely left to Cha Hae-In, with much less development, but she was someone who could stand next to Jinwoo because she was higher in rank. Ju-Hee became the heart at the beginning of Solo Levelingyet she was completely abandoned in the race to the top.
- Release date
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2024 – 2025-00-00
- Network
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Tokyo MX, Gunma TV, BS11, Tochigi TV
- Directors
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Tatsuya Sasaki, Toru Hamasaki
- Author
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Shigeru Murakoshi, Shingo Irie, Fuka Ishii
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Repeat Nakamura
Yoo Jin-ho
