Summary
- Disappointing character deaths in Solo Leveling led to missing character depth in the anime and manhwa.
- Akari Shimizu's backstory adds emotional weight to the Jeju Island arc and showcases her noble intentions.
The following contains spoilers for Solo Leveling.
Those who watched the Solo Leveling anime may have been disappointed when many of the introduced characters, particularly the Japanese S-Rank hunters, were killed off unceremoniously and before we got to know them. This is a shame, but not unexpected, given how things were handled similarly in the manhwa.
However, supplemental material released for the universe of Solo Leveling has done some work in fleshing out these characters' backstories. Of these backstories, the one for the Japanese S-Rank healer Akari Shimizu adds much-needed emotional weight to the Jeju Island arc after the tragedy of her death is revealed.
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Akari Shimizu in the Main Story
Her Limited Characterization in the Anime and Manhwa
Akari Shimizu makes her first appearance at the end of Episode 21 of the anime and Chapter 90 of the manhwa. However, because she is a healer, we do not get to see her in action during the sparring matches, and she only gets a few instances of screen time before being unexpectedly killed on Jeju Island in Episode 22.
“Want me to patch you up there, buddy? You gotta pay the price though.” -Akari Shimizu holding out on her healing abilities in Episode 22.
Akari’s character is shown to be greedy for money, playfully teasing the other S-Rank hunters while she twirls her large battle axe and enjoys seeing them begging to be healed. Right before she dies, it’s implied that she was about to confess her feelings to fellow S-Rank hunter Kenzo Tanaka. However, her sentence is interrupted by the appearance of the Ant King, later known as Beru. Unfortunately for fans of her in the anime, this brief characterization is all we get for her.
In the manhwa, we aren’t given much more to go with. During her introduction scene in Chapter 90, we are shown her name and that she is a member of the Drawn Sword Guild along with Goto Ryuji and Kenzo Tanaka. Despite some of the other hunters like Kei getting some extra lines and characterization compared to the anime, Akari’s only comments are offhanded ones about the battles she is watching. It’s a shame that more about her character wasn’t included in these adaptations, given how interesting her backstory ended up being.
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An Expanded Backstory
Himari Gave Her Something to Fight For
Many of the side characters in Solo Leveling got some additional focus because of the mobile game Solo Leveling: Arise. As part of the lore for the game, a series of short, side-story webtoons was released, called Hunter: Origins. As the name suggests, the series mostly dove into the back stories of various hunters in the series. Story 12 featured Akari Shimizu and was surprisingly emotional, given the greedy nature of her character.
“I have just one wish. It’s for my little sister, Himari. I want her to be happy.” -Akari Shimizu’s narration during Story 12.
It is revealed that her greedy and stingy nature has a more noble purpose. She needs as much money as possible to help her sickly younger sister, Himari, who spends most of her time in the hospital. Carrying her Himari on her back, we get to see their last moments together before Akari heads off to the Jeju Island raid. While initially happily conversing back and forth, Akari’s sister suddenly collapses. It seems like she has succumbed to the effects of the mana-sleeping sickness that affects a small percentage of the world’s population.
“I wanted to let you leave your responsibilities behind. Just for a day. To see all the sights and sounds and flavors you were missing.” -Akari speaking to an unconscious Himari who collapsed in her arms.
The story ends with Akari falling asleep near Himari’s hospital bed, declaring that she will find a way to free her from the eternal slumber and promises that her next birthday will be spent together. Sad piano music plays over the ending as Akari’s words hang in the air. Unfortunately, Akari would never realize this dream in the initial timeline. With her death at the hands of the Ant King, her promise would remain unfulfilled. This leaves Himari adrift in her eternal slumber, tragically waiting for a birthday celebration with her sister that will now never come.
Solo Leveling can be streamed on Crunchyroll and Amazon.
Solo Leveling
Display card tags widget Display card community and brand rating widget Display card main info widget- Release Date
- 2024 - 2025-00-00
- Network
- Tokyo MX, Gunma TV, BS11, Tochigi TV
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.
- Cast
- Taito Ban, Genta Nakamura, Haruna Mikawa, Reina Ueda, Daisuke Hirakawa, Hiroki Touchi, Banjo Ginga, Makoto Furukawa, Akio Otsuka, Akira Ishida, Yasuhiro Mamiya, Junichi Suwabe, Miyu Tomita
- Directors
- Tatsuya Sasaki, Toru Hamasaki
- Writers
- Shigeru Murakoshi, Shingo Irie, Fuka Ishii
- Main Genre
- Animation
- Seasons
- 1
- Studio
- A-1 Pictures
- Based On
- Manhwa
- Creator
- Chugong
- Number of Episodes
- 25
- Streaming Service(s)
- Crunchyroll
- MyAnimeList Score
- 8.28 (Season 1); 8.86 (Season 2)
- Creator(s)
- Chugong
- Where To Watch
- Crunchyroll
