Solo Leveling Season 1 delivered exactly what it promised to its viewers, satisfying all the manhwa readers anxiously waiting for the anime adaptation. Its clean animation and fast-paced action stayed true to the manhwa. And by the end of Season 1, fans were eagerly awaiting the next season since it would include some of the best fights and more character development. This season wasn’t just about leveling up; it was more about consequences and the ever-growing threats hovering over the hunter world.
So far, we had seen Jinwoo fighting and leveling up alone. But since he got the title of Necromancer, he was no longer alone; an army of undead shadows was always ready at his command, changing the entire premise of the show. In Season 2, Jinwoo got stronger, achieved more goals, and made allies in places he wouldn’t usually trust. This season explored some of Jinwoo’s most emotional moments. It also gave us darker themes and meaningful fights with intelligent beasts as opposed to mindless monsters. So without further ado, let’s take a look at some of the best moments from Solo Leveling Season 2 and what makes them stand apart.
10) Using Kim Chul as a Shadow
Jinwoo may have leveled up a lot from the “weakest hunter of humanity,” but he was still hesitant when it came to killing humans. However, when Jinwoo and the White Tiger Guild raid team were trapped inside a Red Gate, Jinwoo had to use his wits and power to save his surviving teammates.
While facing the Ice Elf Baruka, Jinwoo was having a hard time tackling his agility. His shadow soldiers were busy fighting the other Ice Elves, and Baruka was simply dodging Jinwoo’s attacks. Meanwhile, Kim Chul, the captain of the strike team, was furious with Jinwoo. Once he spotted Jinwoo, he ran towards him with all his might. Little did he know that Jinwoo would kill and raise him as a shadow soldier, using him to defeat Baruka.
9) Sung Ilhwan Attacks Hwang Dongsoo
One of the most unexpected scenes for anime-only fans was the reveal of Jinwoo’s father. Jinwoo was always shown to have a mother and sister, with no mention of his father. So when a feral-looking man was found inside a gate in the US, no one guessed that he could be Jinwoo’s father, Sung Ilhwan.
The real moment of glory came when Hwang Dongsoo, an S-rank hunter, was interrogating Sung Ilhwan. This is the same Dongsoo whose brother, Hwang Dongsuk, was killed by Jinwoo. As such, his animosity for Jinwoo led him to mock Ihwan’s family in front of him and lie that his son was dead. The resulting fight was unfortunately not shown, but it was clear that Ihwan wiped the floor with Dongsoo and escaped prison, with Dongsoo later shown in the hospital with heavy injuries.
8) Manager Woo and Cha Hae-in’s Surprise
Jinwoo had managed to hide his true Identity for quite a while. Even when he went on raids, he would ask the members to keep his abilities a secret. But things quickly took a turn when an A-rank dungeon turned into a near S-rank one, and Cha Hae-in had to intervene.
Initially, Jinwoo was acting as a mere porter. But when he saw his comrades losing against the mighty boss Kargalgan, he unleashed his true abilities and summoned his shadow soldiers. Unbeknownst to him, Cha and Manager Woo had separately come to help the strike team. On witnessing Jinwoo’s fighting abilities, both were extremely shocked. This shock then turned into complete surprise when the battle was over and Jinwoo extracted the High Orcs, the two hunters’ reactions making this one of the best moments of the season.
7) Esil’s Distraction Against Baran
Reaching the 100th floor of the demon castle was no small feat for Jinwoo. He spent several days fighting demons of all kinds with the help of his shadow soldiers. However, he seemed to be stuck somewhere around the 80th floor. That’s where he borrowed Esil, princess of the demon Radiru clan, and went forward.
Jinwoo had asked Esil to return home when he reached the 100th floor, but she was adamant about helping him achieve his goals. And she was right. When Jinwoo was struggling against Baran and about to take a point-blank hit, Esil threw her sword and distracted Baran. This distraction was enough for Jinwoo to regain the upper hand and go berserk on Baran. If it had not been for Esil, Jinwoo would have been long dead.
6) Jinwoo’s Mother’s Awakening
Initially, Jinwoo’s ultimate goal had been to help his family by earning enough. But all that changed once he learnt about the existence of the Elixir of Life. As his mother had been in a comatose state of Eternal Sleep for the last four years, Jinwoo was hopeful that it would bring his mother back to life.
He became hellbent on getting stronger to conquer the Demon Castle. This feat was no joke, but Jinwoo did it and gained the ingredients for the Elixir. Once he gave this elixir to his mother, she woke up completely healthy, some much so that even her old scar was gone instantly. Her waking up and talking to Jinwoo was an emotional sight as for the first time, we saw Jinwoo breaking down in tears, followed by Jinah’s teary reaction.
5) Jinwoo – The 10th S-Rank Hunter
Jinwoo was famous for being the “weakest hunter of humanity”. With a mana score of just 10, he was weak even for an E-rank. However, Jinwoo’s life quickly changed when the System forced him to constantly level up.
After defeating Kargalgan in front of Manager Woo and Hunter Cha, it was time for Jinwoo to get reevaluated. As expected, his analysis showed an error, which meant he had to be manually analyzed by Chairman Go himself. When he was officially ranked as an S-rank hunter, the media went crazy. Even the other S-rank hunters like Choi and Baek were amazed by Jinwoo’s abilities.
4) S-rank Hunters Brawl
Jeju Island had long been infected by monster ants. When the Hunter Association learnt that they had evolved wings and were disturbing Japan as well, Chairman Go gave the green light for a 4th raid on Jeju Island. To make this expedition successful, the South Korean Hunter Association requested aid from Japan’s hunters, prompting 10 S-rank hunters from Japan to come to South Korea.
While gathered at the Hunters Association headquarters, Goto Ryuji suggested a friendly sparring between the S-rank hunters of the two countries. And instead of a one-on-one battle, it was an all-out, freestyle brawl. Hunter Baek fought with the scary Kumamoto, and Ma and Lim tried their luck with Tanaka and Hoshino, respectively, but lost. Hunter Cha showed her graceful moves against Tawata and won her round. But a berserk Kumamoto attacked relentlessly, forcing Jinwoo to intervene. Later, Goto tried testing Jinwoo’s abilities, but both were stopped by their teammates.
3) Cha Hae-in Killing the Ant Queen
This was one of the few moments from Solo Leveling Season 2 where we did not see Jinwoo in action. After Jinwoo opted out of the Jeju Island raid to spend time with his family, the S-rank hunters from South Korea were alone in the ant’s nest. As they fought their way through, we saw some of the best teamwork in action anime.
Hunters Cha, Baek, Lim, Ma, and Byung Gu were successful in finding the Ant Queen in the deepest chamber of the nest. They expertly worked together to fend off the commander ants, and as soon as they had an opening, Hunter Cha went all in and killed the Ant Queen with her sword. Her strikes were majestic to watch as she truly lived up to her nickname – Cha the dancer.
2) Jinwoo’s Use of “Exchange”
After his mother recovered from her Eternal Sleep, Jinwoo wanted nothing more than to spend time with his family. That is why he chose not to take part in the 4th Jeju Island Raid. But as a precaution, he tethered four of his shadow soldiers with four S-rank hunters. This act proved to be extremely useful.
Unaware of the presence of Ant King, the S-rank hunters from Japan quickly fell to their deaths. And while the S-rank hunters from South Korea succeeded in slaying the Ant Queen, Hunter Cha was heavily wounded, and the team’s healer, Byung Gu, was eaten by the Ant King. But just when the situation seemed bleak, Jinwoo saved the day by exchanging his position with one of his tethered shadow soldiers, healing everyone and facing the Ant King personally.
1) Defeating and Raising Ant King Beru as a Shadow
Jinwoo’s battle with the Ant King was undoubtedly one of the best fights of the anime so far. The stakes were high, and the enemy was almost too strong. But Jinwoo didn’t give up and used all his power to annihilate the Ant King in a total showstopper of a fight.
Even better, Jinwoo recognized what a waste it would be to let a strong enemy like the Ant King just stay dead. So he did what a Necromancer would do, raising the soul of the Ant King and naming him Beru. Accepting Jinwoo as his king, Beru then helped Jinwoo eradicate the rest of the ants flying above Jeju Island.
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