Solo Leveling, also alternatively translated as Only I Level Up (Korean: 나 혼자만 레벨업; RR: Na Honjaman Rebeleop), is a South Korean portal fantasy[1]web novel written by Chugong. It was serialized in Kakao's digital comic and fiction platform KakaoPage beginning on July 25, 2016, and was later published by D&C Media under their Papyrus label since November 4, 2016. The novel has been licensed in English by Yen Press.[2]
A webtoon adaptation of Solo Leveling was first serialized in KakaoPage on March 4, 2018; it was illustrated by Jang Sung-rak (Dubu) and the webtoon's first season concluded on March 19, 2020, followed by its second season, which was released from August 2020 to December 2021.[3] The webtoon has been licensed in English by Yen Press. Its individual chapters have been collected and published in thirteen volumes by D&C Media, as of June 2024.[4]
An anime television series adaptation produced by A-1 Pictures aired from January to March 2024. A second season, entitled Arise from the Shadow, is set to premiere in January 2025.
A Korean drama adaptation is in development, and spin-off webtoon Solo Leveling: Ragnarok premiered in August 2024.
In a world where hunters — human warriors who possess supernatural abilities — must battle deadly monsters to protect mankind from certain annihilation, a notoriously weak hunter named Sung Jinwoo finds himself in a seemingly endless struggle for survival. One day, after narrowly surviving an overwhelmingly powerful double dungeon that nearly wipes out his entire party, a mysterious program called the System chooses him as its sole player and in turn, gives him the unique ability to level up in strength. This is something no other hunter is able to do, as a hunter's abilities are set once they awaken. Jinwoo then sets out on a journey as he fights against all kinds of enemies, both man and monster, to discover the secrets of the dungeons and the true source of his powers. He soon discovers that he has been chosen to inherit the position of Shadow Monarch, essentially turning him into an immortal necromancer who has absolute rule over the dead. He is the only Monarch who fights to save humanity, as the other Monarchs are all trying to kill him and wipe out the humans.
Japanese name: Shun Mizushino (水篠 旬, Mizushino Shun)
Sung Jin-woo (성진우; Seong Jinu) is the protagonist of the series. Originally a famously weak E-rank hunter, he gets the chance of a lifetime when he is selected as the Player of the System and is able to grow in strength without limit. Taking advantage of his new power, Jin-woo rises up to become the entire humanity's power, far stronger than the National Level Hunters. He eventually discovers the secret behind the System. Everything started from the never ending war between the Rulers and the Monarchs, two groups of extremely powerful humanoid beings created by a God. The previous Shadow Monarch, Ashborn, chooses and trains him through The System so he can be his successor. His biggest weakness are women.
Shadow Army
An immortal race that were resurrected by the power of the Shadow Monarch, which is an extraction of mana from both monsters and hunters. Unlike summons from other hunters, they are capable of growth, and speech, and have the highest amount of warriors, to the point that their sheer numbers surpass all the top guilds. There are multiple grades of shadow soldiers, including basic grade, normal grade, elite grade, knight grade, elite knight grade, commander/general grade, marshal/commander grade, and Grand Marshal grade. Only soldiers of commander/general grade can speak.
Igris
Igris, the Blood-Red Commander, is a high-ranking knight with exceptional swordsmanship and loyalty, holding the position of marshal that rivals Beru but overshadowed by Bellion. He kneels before his master after battles. Igris dislikes Iron's foolish behavior in battle. Despite being a battle lover, Igris values education and argues with Bellion about Suho's schooling. He is also one of the most powerful knights. Igris once served the Shadow Monarch Ashborn during his war with the Rulers eons ago. After Ashborn decided to retire and find a human successor, he tasked Igris with testing his successor in battle when the time was right.[8]
Beru
Beru is an ant shadow that has been extracted from the Ant King, a powerful S-Rank beast that overpowered all S-Rank hunters with ease, which killed Goto Ryuji, and incapacitated Cha Hae-In, until Jinwoo managed to kill it. Beru is one of the most powerful shadows holding the position of marshal that rivals Igris but overshadowed by Bellion. He also has a very fond streak for Jinwoo's son, Suho.
Tusk
A high orc shaman shadow, previously known as Kargalgan, he is the boss an A-rank dungeon, as he nearly the defeated the Hunter Guild's strike team, he is also the first one to realized that Jinwoo was a Monarch. As an Elite Knight Grade shadow, his power is the same level of an S-Rank hunter.
Iron
Iron was the shadow of Kim Chul. During Jinwoo's fight with Baruka, a crazed Kim Chul attempted to kill Jinwoo only to be killed himself by Igris. Knowing that he would have a hard time defeating Baruka only with Igris' help, Jinwoo quickly extracted Kim Chul's shadow from his corpse and named him Iron. He is known for being an idiotic and dunced shadow, even copying Igris' habit of bringing a head to Jinwoo, much to the knight's annoyance.
Tank
Tank is the shadow of an ice bear that Jinwoo encountered during the Red Gate Incident. As a Knight Grade Shadow, Tank is about as powerful as an A-Rank Hunter. He was also strong enough to plow his way through a horde of demons like they were bowling pins and kill a Naga in one hit.
Kaisel
Kaisel is the shadow of Kaisellin, a wyvern that Baran used as his battle mount. After he killed Baran, Jinwoo extracted the shadow from Kaisellin's corpse and named it Kaisel, as he didn't remember the wyvern's original name. Unfortunately, due to the fact that Kaisel was only good for flying and not fighting, Jinwoo rarely ever used him as the story progressed and only ever summoned the wyvern whenever he needed to travel somewhere by air and couldn't use Shadow Exchange.
Bellion
Bellion is a servant of Ashborn and the strongest shadow in existence, holding the position of Grand Marshal. Bellion was born eons ago from the fruit of the World Tree, a mystical tree so large that it could blanket the entire sky with its branches alone. Following this, he became Ashborn's lieutenant, a position that he retained after his death, and was the first shadow soldier to ever be created from Ashborn's power.
Japanese name: Kenta Morobishi (諸菱 賢太, Morobishi Kenta)
Yoo Jin-ho (유진호; Yu Jinho), D-Rank Hunter, is a Jinwoo's sworn brother and a righteous man. He hails from a wealthy family and eventually becomes the vice chairman of Jinwoo's guild after he impresses the latter with his sense of loyalty and commitment. Jinho is estranged from his biological brother and tends to dress up in very fancy and expensive armor that he usually buys from foreign manufacturers, which serves as a prominent running gag throughout the series.
Japanese name: Aoi Mizushino (水篠 葵, Mizushino Aoi)
Sung Jinah (성진아; Seong Jina) is Jinwoo's younger sister. Unlike her brother, she is not a hunter and is a student in high school.
Park Kyung-hye
Japanese name: Satoko Mizushino (水篠 聡子, Mizushino Satoko)
Park Kyung-hye (박경혜; Bak Gyeonghye) is Jinwoo and Jinah's mother. Four years before the events of the main storyline, she suddenly became ill with Eternal Slumber, an incurable and magically induced sleeping disorder, and fell into a coma soon after, forcing Jinwoo to take over as the breadwinner of the family in her place. However, about four years later, Jinwoo was able to cure her condition and wake her up by using a rare potion he crafted while training with the System.
Lee Joohee (이주희; I Juhui) is a Korean B-Rank hunter who specializes in healing magic and one of Jinwoo's old friends during his days as an E-Rank Hunter. Although she survives the double dungeon alongside Jinwoo, some bloody experience while raiding dungeons traumatizes her to the point that she ultimately retires as a hunter.
Japanese name: Shizuku Kousaka (向坂 雫, Kōsaka Shizuku)
Cha Hae-In (차해인; Cha Haein) is a Korean S-Rank Hunter who specializes in swordsmanship and the only female S-Rank in the country. She has a rare condition that causes other hunters to smell foul to her. She eventually develops romantic feelings for Jinwoo after witnessing him in action and also because he is the only hunter she has ever met who actually smells nice to her. At the end, Jinwoo married her in the revised timeline, leading to the birth of their son, Suho.
Sung Il-hwan
Japanese name: Junichro Mizushino (水篠 ジュンイチロー, Mizushino Junichiro)
Sung Il-Hwan (성일환; Seong Ilhwan) was a Korean S-Rank Hunter, Kyung-Hye's husband, and Jinwoo and Jinah's father. Ten years before the events of the main storyline, he suddenly disappeared inside a dungeon while on a raid, leaving his family to presume him dead. However, about a decade later, he returned to the human world to aid his son in the coming war against the Monarchs and was eventually revealed to be a Rulers' vessel, one of the seven humans chosen by the Rulers to serve them as their hosts. Although Il-Hwan ultimately succeeded in his mission, he ended up exerting far more power than his body could handle in his last battle with the Monarchs and consequently died afterwards in his son's arms, with Jinwoo unable to do anything to save him.
Go Gunhee (고건희; Gu Geonhui) was a Korean S-Rank Hunter and the Chairman of the Korean Hunters' Association, the government agency responsible for overseeing all the hunters, gates, and guilds active within Korea. Although he was later revealed to be a Rulers' vessel, he suffered from a variety of health problems due to his old age, preventing him from using his powers to their maximum output, and was ultimately killed by the Monarchs in battle.
Thomas Andre
Thomas Andre (토마스 안드레; Tomaseu Andeure) is one of the strongest hunters in America and one of the five National Level Hunters, ranking 1st in the world. He is also a Rulers' vessel and is nicknamed the Goliath due to his large build and immense superhuman strength. He later befriends Jinwoo after the latter defeats him in a fight and give him Kamish's Wrath, the strongest magical weapon in the world, as a gift.
Liu Zhigang
Liu Zhigang (류즈캉; Ryu Jeukang) is the strongest hunter in China and one of the five National Level Hunters, ranking 2nd in the world. He is also a Rulers' vessel and was the strongest hunter in Asia until Jinwoo surpassed him in power. He later becomes on good terms with Jinwoo when they meet each other for the first time during the annual guild conference.
Christopher Reed
Christopher Reed (크리스토퍼 리드; Keuriseutopeo Rideu) was one of the strongest hunters in America and one of the five National Level Hunters, ranking 3rd in the world. He was also a Rulers' vessel and the first of the seven to be killed by the Monarchs.
Siddharth Bachchan
Siddharth Bachchan (싯다르트 밧찬; Sitdareuteu Batchan) is the strongest hunter in India and one of the five National Level Hunters, ranking 4th in the world. He is also a Rulers' vessel and the only one of the seven to never make a physical appearance in the webtoon.
Goto Ryuji
Goto Ryuji (고토 류지; Goto Ryuji) was the strongest hunter in Japan. Despite the fact that he was small fry compared to the National Level Hunters, Goto was very egotistical and had a callous disregard for human life. His hubris ultimately cost him his life when he was later killed in one hit by a powerful ant monster called the Ant King during a raid on the Jeju Island S-Rank Gate.
Hwang Dongsoo (황동수; Hwang Dongsu) was a Korean S-Rank Hunter based in America who attempted to kill Jinwoo after learning that the latter was responsible for the death of his older brother Dong-suk. He was eventually killed by Jinwoo himself, angered after making the mistake of abducting and brutally torturing Jinho for information on the circumstances of his brother's murder. Following his death, he became one of Jinwoo's shadow soldiers, nicknamed "Greed".
Lennart Niermann
Lennart Niermann (레나트 니어만; Renateu Nieoman) is the strongest hunter in Germany, ranking 12th in the world. Despite being the best in his homeland, Lennart is not particularly arrogant and has a strong sense of duty towards the cause, as displayed when he was willing to use himself as bait to save Thomas from getting killed by the Monarchs.
Ashborn
Ashborn (아스본; Aseubon) is the King of the Dead and the Monarch of Shadows. He is also the strongest Ruler and the Greatest Fragment of Brilliant Light. After spending eons fighting in the ancient war between the Rulers and the Monarchs, Ashborn grew weary of the ceaseless violence, leading him to eventually chose Jinwoo as his host in hopes of ending the bloodshed once and for all. When Jinwoo is later killed by the Monarchs, Ashborn appears in the flesh to save him and gives Jinwoo a detailed explanation of his past. After transferring the rest of his powers to Jinwoo and bringing him back to life, Ashborn goes into eternal sleep and allows Jinwoo to take his place as the Shadow Monarch.
Antares
Antares (안타레스; Antareseu) was the King of Dragons and the Monarch of Destruction. He was also the strongest Monarch and the final antagonist of Solo Leveling. After Jinwoo killed three of the other Monarchs, Antares invaded the human world in order to draw him out and finish him off. However, despite his best efforts, he ultimately failed to achieve his ambitions and was killed by the Rulers.
Japanese name: Taiga Shirakawa (白川 大虎, Shirakawa Taiga)
Baek Yoon-ho (백윤호; Baek Yunho) is a Korean S-Rank hunter who specializes in transformation magic and the Guild Master of the White Tiger Guild. He is also the first one to discovered Jinwoo's ability to grow.
Woo Jin-chul (우진철; U Jincheol) is a Korean A-Rank Hunter and the Chairman of the Korean Hunters Association. Prior to the death to Go Gunhee, the previous Chairman, he was the Chief Inspector of the Korean Hunters Association's Surveillance Team. He is also the first human to learn about the war between the Monarchs and the Rulers through Jinwoo.
Rulers
The Rulers (지배자들; Jibaejadeul), also called the Fragments of Brilliant Light, are an ancient race of winged humanoids who aim to protect the human race from being annihilated by the Monarchs. Although they have noble ambitions, they are willing to use morally questionable methods to achieve them and are indirectly responsible for the millions of human lives lost ever since monsters first began using gates to cross over to the human world. The Rulers also heavily resemble angels in appearance and are able to use a form of telekinesis unique to themselves called Ruler's Authority.
Monarchs
The Monarchs (군주; Gunju) are an ancient race of overlords created by the Absolute Being who seek to wipe out the human race for their own ends, making them the primary antagonists of the series. As a result, they have a cruel disregard for life and are generally very arrogant towards those they find inferior to themselves, especially humans. The Monarchs also each govern a different race of monsters and take after the race that they rule over in appearance, they are spiritual beings who possessed humans like the Ruler's vessel, only completely become their own identity. There are 9 monarchs and they are:
Antares the Dragon Monarch
Ashborn the Shadow Monarch
Baran the King of Demons
Rakan the Beast Monarch
Sillad the Frost Monarch
Tarnak the Iron Body Monarch
Legia the Monarch of the Beginning
Querehsha the Monarch of Plagues
Yogumunt the Monarch of Transfiguration
Media
Web novel
Solo Leveling was first serialized in Kakao's digital comic and fiction platform KakaoPage since July 25, 2016, and later published by D&C Media under their fantasy fiction label "Papyrus".[12] Since 2016, the novel has garnered 2.4 million readers in KakaoPage.[13] The novel was licensed in English by Webnovel under the title Only I Level Up and released from December 21, 2018, to June 24, 2019.[14]
The novel has been licensed and published in collected volumes by Yen Press since February 16, 2021.[2]
A webtoon adaptation launched in KakaoPage on March 4, 2018,[37] and concluded its first season on March 19, 2020; its second season began on August 1, 2020, concluding on December 29, 2021 with its 179th chapter. It was illustrated by Jang Sung-rak (aka Dubu), the CEO of Redice Studio, who died on July 23, 2022, after suffering from a cerebral hemorrhage.[38] Its first collected volume was released by D&C Media on September 26, 2019. In Japan, Solo Leveling launched in Kakao Japan's digital comic service Piccoma, and has accumulated over 650 million cumulative readership.[39][40] It was also selected as the No. 1 webtoon in Piccoma's "Best of 2019".[41][42][43] The webtoon has been published digitally in English by Webnovel and Tappytoon since May 7 and June 4, 2020, respectively.[44][45] It is also published on Tapas in English.[46] The collected volumes have been licensed and published in North America by Yen Press since March 2, 2021.[4]
A side story was published between January and May 2023, with Chugong returning as writer and featuring a new art team following the death of Dubu.[38][47]
An anime television series adaptation was announced at Anime Expo 2022.[72] It was produced by A-1 Pictures and directed by Shunsuke Nakashige, with Noboru Kimura writing the scripts, Tomoko Sudo designing the characters, and Hiroyuki Sawano composing the music.[73] It was originally scheduled for 2023,[73] but was later delayed,[9] and eventually aired from January 7 to March 31, 2024, on Tokyo MX and other networks.[a]Crunchyroll is streaming the series worldwide except East Asia,[73][75] but including India.[76]Medialink licensed the series in Southeast Asia and Oceania (except Australia and New Zealand).[77][78]
The first episodes were screened from December 2023 in Tokyo, Seoul, Los Angeles, India, and Europe.[79]
After the final episode of the first season, a second season, entitled Arise from the Shadow, was announced.[81] It is set to premiere in January 2025. The opening theme song is "Reawaker", performed by Lisa (feat.Felix of Stray Kids).[82] A compilation film, entitled ReAwakening, will be screening along with the first two episodes of the second season in Japan from November 29 to December 12, 2024.[83][84] Crunchyroll had acquired the North American and select international rights for the compilation film, and is screened in the United States and Canada on December 6, 2024.[85]
Games
Solo Leveling: Arise
In January 2022, Netmarble announced that they are developing Solo Leveling: Arise, a role-playing video game based on the series.[5] The game was released on March 18, 2024.[86]
Solo Leveling: Unlimited
Otherworld, a Cube Entertainment subsidiary, developed Solo Leveling: Unlimited, a blockchain-based Web3 digital collectible project.[87]
Continuation
Solo Leveling: Ragnarok
In April 2023, Kakao announced a sequel titled Solo Leveling: Ragnarok. The web novel began releasing through KakaoPage on April 10, 2023.[88][89]
The story is set after the events of Solo Leveling; the side story acts as a prelude. Sung Su-ho, the son of Sung Jin-woo and Cha Hae-in, inherited his father's powers as the Shadow Monarch. However, his powers and memories were locked as a child, so he can have a normal life. But when Gates started to open up around Earth again during his third year of university, Su-ho is chosen as a Player by the System. Therefore, Su-ho must become a Hunter in order to face the new threat that is related to his parents' disappearance.[90]
The web novel is written by Daul, who replaced Chugong, the writer of the original Solo Leveling web novel. Chugong revealed he decided to support Daul, saying he still experienced the same emotions he felt when he first began serializing the original web novel.[91] The first 105 chapters debuted on KakaoPage on April 10, 2023.[89]
The webtoon adaptation premiered on August 1, 2024, being developed by Redice Studio. Dangdo is the main writer adapting Daul's story, while Jin is the main artist.[92][93]
Reception
Anime
Critical response
On review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the first season of Solo Leveling holds an approval rating of 100% based on nine reviews, with an average rating of 7.7/10.[94] The series premiere received generally positive reviews by the writers of Anime News Network. Rebecca Silverman felt that the gore in any scenes wasn't "excessive", although she found that the story was interesting. Nicholas Dupree praised the writing, action scenes, score, and execution, but criticized the exposition and characters. Richard Eisenbeis praised the world-building while James Beckett praised the storytelling and execution, noting that Sung Jin-woo is "likable" enough lead that "his nondescript niceness is much preferable over the edgy dweebs that you sometimes get as the heroes of these kinds of fantasy power trips."[95] Rafael Motamayor of IGN gave the first season a score of 8/10, praising its animation, action sequences, visuals, choreography, soundtrack, and world-building, while criticizing the tedious mechanics and the lack of "nuance" in writing.[96]
Eliza Crichton-Stuart. "Otherworld Launches 'Solo Leveling: Unlimited' on Avalanche Blockchain" Gam3s.GG. Archived from the original on July 4, 2024. Retrieved September 6, 2024.
