This article contains spoilers for Solo Leveling.
Solo Leveling won’t be a breakout anime without its diverse cast of hunters, shadows, beasts, civilians, and higher beings that help bring the world to life. While most of the story revolves around an E-rank hunter’s rise to power, the supporting cast shapes the story just as much as Jinwoo. Believe it or not, it’s not just Jinwoo who carries Solo Leveling, but also the ensemble of characters around him.
Solo Leveling: 6 Most Heroic Characters In The Anime, Ranked
These characters are by far the most heroic in the Solo Leveling anime series so far.
However, even in a series full of captivating characters, some in Solo Leveling ended up tanking the narrative in ways that would convince fans that the series is better off without them. From underdeveloped hunters and villains who miss the mark to humans whose actions feel pointless, these problematic characters weaken the story of Solo Leveling.
Sung Jinwoo
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Sung Jinwoo is the main character of Solo Leveling, so it’s only natural for him to receive the most character development. That’s understandable, but the problem lies in leaving too many characters underdeveloped for the sake of showing Jinwoo’s superiority over and over again.
Solo Leveling made a monster out of Jinwoo by making him the strongest in so little time. No one can keep up with him, so there’s little to no suspense in his fights. Fans know that Jinwoo will win every battle so much so that even the most hyped-up villains feel like minor obstacles. Most of the story became predictable, with Sung Jinwoo saving the day as the strongest of them all.
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Cha Hae-In
Cha Hae-In is dubbed as the strongest female hunter in Solo Leveling, but there aren’t enough feats in the series to justify her reputation. Rather than being tested in intense matches that showcase her abilities, her character was reduced to simply being Sung Jinwoo’s future wife.
While the Solo Leveling anime has made an effort to properly build up Cha Hae-In's character as Jinwoo’s love interest, the fact that the manhwa suddenly threw her in as a romantic focus feels rushed, forced, and underdeveloped. It would have been better if Cha Hae-In were seen fighting battles on her own, instead of using her as Jinwoo's partner.
Hwang Dong-Soo
From the beginning of Solo Leveling, Hwang Dong-Soo has been an overly stubborn hunter who thinks he can intimidate and defeat anyone with his skills. After finding out his estranged brother has been murdered, his obsession with killing Jinwoo turns him into a one-dimensional antagonist with no potential for deeper development.
Worse, Hwang Dong-Soo's motivation to kill Jinwoo isn’t exactly because he loves his dead brother, but because he simply wants to prove his own superiority and satisfy his enormous ego. Even after Thomas Andre warned him multiple times to stay away from Jinwoo, he pressed regardless, turning his vendetta into a repetitive and exhausting plot point.
Goto Ryuji
In the events leading to the Jeju Island arc, Goto Ryuji is one of the most hyped-up S-rank hunters, said to be the strongest of all in Japan. Naturally, everyone has a lot of expectations for him, especially in his combat performance against the most dangerous beast on the island, the Ant King.
However, the moment Goto Ryuji locked eyes with the Ant King, it didn’t take a minute before the Japanese S-rank hunter fell to his knees and died. All the effort that the series made to establish his character as the strongest and most cunning S-rank hunter, who was almost at the level of national hunters, did not amount to anything. In the end, he became the laughingstock of the entire story arc, instead of the cameraman who bravely filmed the Ant Queen raid.
Who’s That Character?
Identify the silhouettes before time runs out.
Identify the silhouettes before time runs out.
Yoo Soo-Hyun
ⓒ DUBU (REDICE STUDIO), Chugong, h-goon 2018 / D&C WEBTOON Biz
When the Ahjin Guild arc was looking for a potential third member, Yoo Soo-Hyun stood out as the promising choice to Jin-Ho and Jinwoo. After all, she wasn’t an active hunter and had no interest in raiding dungeons despite her A-rank status. Instead, she was working as an actress and model full-time, keeping her out of the main action and making her role feel peripheral rather than integral.
There was no need for Solo Leveling to insert Yoo Soo-Hyun as the third and final member of the Ahjin Guild since the Korean Hunters Association had been breaking the rules for Jinwoo from the very beginning. Her insertion was pointless, disappearing entirely after a viral selfie with Jinwoo and Jin-Ho that served only to spark Cha Hae-In’s jealousy.
Legia
The Japan Crisis Arc began as an exciting story arc where terrifying giants emerge from gates and threaten nearby cities and countries. The setup promised a high-stakes battle, as the Japanese hunters even asked for international hunters to step up and fight with them.
However, fans were left underwhelmed by the ending of the Japan Crisis Arc, even after Jinwoo cleared the dungeon break and defeated a monarch. Instead of an intense, all-out battle, the climax boiled down to Jinwoo arguing with Legia while the monarch was chained. Though their conversation revealed more details about the conflict between the rulers and the monarchs, it came at the cost of action.
Liu Zhigang
Just like Thomas Andre, Liu Zhigang is a national-level hunter. He is the best hunter in China, but he doesn’t have on-screen feats that justify his reputation, just like most of the hunters in Solo Leveling. While he had a brief cameo in the Jeju Island arc, with him defeating a swarm of ants with a single attack, it’s not enough to showcase his full potential.
Even after Liu Zhigang appeared in the International Guild Conference arc and met with Jinwoo, his role felt fleeting. The series portrayed him as an intimidating hunter with the potential to rival Jinwoo, yet the narrative quickly moves from him. As a result, fans believe he was nothing but a fraud, hyped as a threat but given no chance to prove himself.
Park Kyung-Hye
Solo Leveling fans are still divided when it comes to Sung Jinwoo’s mother. After all, most of them believe that Jinwoo’s mother did nothing but hold him back and make him emotionally vulnerable.
She only served as a source of guilt and worry, especially during the Jeju Island arc, where Jinwoo’s indecisiveness to join the fourth ant raid resulted in Min Byung Gu’s death and Cha Hae-In's severe injuries. Had Jinwoo joined the raid from the very beginning, many of the casualties would have been avoided.
- 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
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Taito BanSung Jin-woo -
Genta NakamuraYoo Jin-ho
- Creator(s)
- Chugong
