Summary
- Starting Ragnarok without reading the original series is possible but impacts emotional connections to characters.
- Solo Leveling Ragnarok is considered canon, approved by Chugong, but narratively different from the main series.
- Live-action adaptation of Ragnarok announced, unclear which version of the story will be adapted.
Solo Leveling fans are still eagerly awaiting concrete news about the production of Season 3 (which is still not officially confirmed), and many have turned to Solo Leveling Ragnarok to keep up with the franchise now that it will take a while before the anime returns.
Many fans didn't even know that Ragnarok existed, which is understandable considering how new the series is. And some may wonder: can you start Solo Leveling Ragnarok without reading the main series?
Solo Leveling Ragnarok Season 2 Could Finally Reveal The Whereabouts Of This Major Character
A key character from Solo Leveling has been missing in Ragnarok, we may finally find out why in the next arc.
Solo Leveling Ragnarok Is A Sequel To Solo Leveling
Well, people can do whatever they want and nothing will stop them from starting Ragnarok without reading the main series. Any series, even a sequel to another series, will introduce the important concepts of its own universe. In this sense, Ragnarok will provide readers with all the information they need to properly understand the story.
However, not knowing what happened in the main series may take away the impact of some events in Ragnarok. For example, at the beginning, the whereabouts of Cha Hae-In and Jinwoo were unknown, and these are supposed to be big mysteries that will keep readers tuned in to learn what happened to them. If you haven't read Solo Leveling, you will probably feel indifferent about these characters, so their disappearance may not have the same impact — those who have watched the anime will probably find it interesting, even if they don't fully understand what's going on, as they are probably already attached to Jinwoo and Cha Hae-In.
Not only may some passages not feel as intriguing as the author wanted them to be, but those who haven't read the main series or have only watched the anime need to be prepared to receive massive spoilers about the main series. For example, Suho is the son of Jinwoo and Cha Hae-In so it's evident that they end the main series together.
Is Solo Leveling Ragnarok Canon?
Although neither the novel nor the manhwa are written by Chugong, the creator of Solo Leveling, he approved the production of the series and entrusted it to Daul. Therefore, unless Chugong changes his mind for any reason, Solo Leveling Ragnarok is a canon story.
However, fans should keep in mind that, since it is written by a different person, the narrative follows a different style than Solo Leveling — which may be good for some fans and bad for others.
Should You Read The Manhwa of The Novel?
When it comes to Ragnarok, that's very hard to answer, because, even though they have the same title, the novel and the manhwa are so different that they sometimes feel like completely different stories.
They are written by different people, and it seems that the authors follow similar plot lines, at least when it comes to the main points of the story. Many key events are different — including Suho's class in each story.
The novel began serialization before the manhwa, and it is not clear why the manhwa follows such a different route. Perhaps it will become clearer later, as both stories unfold.
Which Version Will Be Adapted Into A Live-Action?
A few months ago, a live-action adaptation of Solo Leveling Ragnarok was officially announced by Kakao Entertainment. Not much is known about it, including which version of the story will be adapted.
While the novel would be the best candidate as it is the original story, the manhwa is better known, and it tends to be more impressive due to its stunning art. Kakao Entertainment will share more information in the future, and then it will become clearer which version of the story will make it to the big screens — it could also be a new version.
Both the manhwa and the novel are published in Korean on KakaoPage, and they are officially released in English on Tapas (which is a few chapters behind the original story in both cases).
Solo Leveling is available to stream on Crunchyroll, subbed and dubbed in many languages.
- 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
A-1 Pictures' Solo Leveling is an anime based on Chugong's popular web novel. Set in an unforgiving fantasy world where hunters explore dungeons filled with monsters, the vulnerable Sung Jinwoo gains a significant power boost after he is picked to be a solo player by the System.
- Studio
- A-1 Pictures
- Based On
- Manhwa
- Number of Episodes
- 25
- Creator(s)
- Chugong
- Where To Watch
- Crunchyroll
