Summary

  • Yoon Kijoong, Han Song-Yi, and Yoo Jinho were ill-suited to be hunters due to lack of skills and emotional readiness.
  • Song Chi-Yul's leadership struggles and misplaced ranking hindered his success as a hunter.
  • Lee Joohee's timid nature and lack of cooperation skills made her unsuitable for the intensity of hunter life.

Solo Leveling is an exciting series that features characters from diverse backgrounds and walks of life. Success in a world filled with supernatural threats hinges on the arbitrary factor of awakening hunter powers or not. People who awaken such powers often jump at the opportunity to make a career transition with the hope of achieving fame and wealth.

Unfortunately, not all of them are prepared for the challenging life ahead, and some die without ever realizing their dreams. Based on their backgrounds, personalities, and hunter ranks, here are some of the characters in the series who should have never become hunters.

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Solo Leveling: Can National Level Hunters Clear Jeju Island Dungeon?

What would have happened if the Jeju Island Raid party had been replaced by the National Level Hunter?

6 Yoon Kijoong

Survivor of the Red Gate Incident

  • Webtoon Debut: Chapter 50

Kijoong was one of the many hunters from the White Tiger Guild who unfortunately got involved in the Red Gate incident. He was abandoned by his raid team leader Kim Chul for being too weak. This turned out to be a blessing in disguise, as Yoon ended up in Sung Jinwoo's group and survived the ordeal without even a scratch.

However, Kijoong barely did anything throughout the raid, and even started crying profusely as soon as he made it out of the Red Gate. His demeanor highlighted his unprofessional and irresponsible nature. Yoon should have chosen a safe career for himself, since he could not even handle a raid where he was protected at all times and never had to fight once.

5 Han Song-Yi

Jinah's Friend

  • Webtoon Debut: Chapter 11

Han Song-Yi dropped out of school to focus on her career as a hunter once she started making decent money. However, much of the money she earned was from just being an extra, since Jinwoo and Jinho needed more people to access a dungeon legally.

As an E-ranker, Song-Yi was destined for disappointment in the world of hunters, much like Jinwoo before his second awakening. It never really made sense why she was so determined to choose such an uncertain path. While it's not a bad thing to try, being a hunter comes with potential consequences, death being one of them. Han should have stayed in school and focused on making it in some other industry, unless she experienced a second awakening like Jinwoo.

4 Song Chi-Yul

Survivor of Double Dungeon Incident

  • Webtoon Debut: Chapter 1

Song Chi-Yul led the doomed raid party in the D-rank Gate in which the deadly double dungeon was discovered. The traumatic experience of the incident had deep psychological effects on the people involved. But Song braved his injuries and only felt remorse for not being a good enough leader.

I'd like to spend what I have left contributing to society.

As a magic-class hunter, Chi-Yul always punched above his weight, thanks to his experience. While he was a good fighter, Song would have been much better off being a mentor or swordsmanship instructor. In fact, he was such a skilled swordsman that even S-rank hunter Cha Hae-in used to learn from him. As a hunter, he could never achieve much success because of the rigid structure of hunter-ranking that was beyond his control. Chi-Yul should have focused on his strengths and served society in other ways.

3 Yoo Jinho

Jinwoo's Closest Ally

  • Webtoon Debut: Chapter 19

Yoo Jinho has been Sung's friend ever since the day he stood up for him in front of Hwang Dongsuk and his corrupt raid team. But from the start, it was evident that he was not the kind of person who should be a hunter in the first place. Jinhoo lacked the skill or the strength to make an impact during dungeon raids.

Solo-Leveling-Featured-1
Solo Leveling: Is Sung Jinwoo the New Face Of Overpowered Anime MCs?

Jinwoo is very strong, but is he the face of the overpowered MCs?

Some fans will disagree, since he did a great job while working with Jinwoo at the Ahjin Guild. However, his success can be attributed to his managerial and negotiation skills, which had nothing to do with being a hunter. He might not have been qualified to be a vice guild master if he wasn't a licensed hunter, but Jinho could still have helped Sung run the guild in some other role. Eventually, his hunter abilities were of little to no help, so it's fair to conclude that Yoo would have been better off not being a hunter.

2 Lee Joohee

Sung Jinwoo's Old Friend

  • Webtoon Debut: Chapter 1

Lee Joohee is a B-rank healer who had been friends with Sung Jinwoo since long before his second awakening. She was always by his side and even when others looked down on him, Lee made sure that Jinwoo never felt alone.

To be honest, you got hurt so much it became pretty annoying. I thought you were stupid and vain at times. But, you always managed to survive. Those eyes, brimming with life, seemed like they were screaming for survival… For tomorrow!

Lee's compassion was unlike most people in the hunter industry, as ruthless competition frequently took center stage and selfless friendships were rare. While there were quite a few things that made Joohee a great person to have on the team, her timid nature often made everything else irrelevant. Sometimes, she was so horrified that she would freeze when things got rough, and failed to perform her duties.

As a hunter, it's expected that people in a raid team work together, especially when push comes to shove, as small decisions could be the difference between life and death. Joohee's fear made it difficult for her to cooperate with others to the best of her ability, which is why she failed to grow and ended up retiring too soon. Lee's compassion and kindness make her better suited to a bunch of other responsibilities, but being a hunter is not one of them.

1 Lee Minsung

Asia's Biggest Movie Star

  • Webtoon Debut: Chapter 67

Lee Minsung is an A-ranker, so it would be dishonest to claim that he was too weak to be a hunter. In fact, hunters of his rank are sometimes picked by guilds to lead raids on low-ranked dungeons. So, what makes Lee Minsung unfit for being a hunter? While it's true that he is corrupt and self-centered, that alone is not a good enough reason to reject someone potentially being a good hunter, since people like Goto Ryuji were no different but achieved immense success.

Featured Solo Leveling: 8 Characters Who Are Stronger National Level Hunters Jinwoo Beru Thomas Andre
Solo Leveling: 8 Characters Who Are Stronger Than National Level Hunters

These Solo Leveling characters can easily beat National Level Hunters.

But Minsung never truly wanted to be a hunter to begin with. He used his unique privileges to become the vice guild master of the Fiend Guild only to sway public opinion in his favor after having avoided the Korean military draft. This was the only reason he ever officially became a hunter. Since he never wanted to serve the duties of a hunter and was doing quite well as an actor already, Lee Minsung should have avoided becoming a hunter altogether and used other means to polish his public image.

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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
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  • Cast Placeholder Image
    Taito Ban
    Sung Jin-woo
  • Cast Placeholder Image
    Genta Nakamura
    Yoo Jin-ho
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Studio
A-1 Pictures
Creator
Chugong
Streaming Service(s)
Crunchyroll
Where To Watch
Crunchyroll