Solo Leveling began as a story about the weakest Hunter in the world, Sung Jinwoo, leveling up to become stronger. What should have been a pretty easy raid ended up changing to a Double Dungeon, resulting in Jinwoo emerging as a vessel for immense power and becoming a Player in the System. Solo Leveling looked like it would be a thrilling story about a Hunter who defies expectations and defeats the odds as readers watch Jinwoo develop into a strong fighter.
As stories go, Solo Leveling's plot is rather generic, but many readers have seen and loved these tales over the years -- because who doesn't love a good underdog story? Except this one turned out to be a simple and straightforward power-up tale, with Jinwoo's character barely seeing any kind of development. As he grew stronger, he became more and more detached, resulting in a sense of loss of what made him human.
Jinwoo's Massive Power-Up in Solo Leveling
Solo Leveling initially looked to be an underdog story and premise: a weak Hunter who found a way to get stronger. Except it didn't stop, as there didn't seem to be a limit to Jinwoo's growth. As he fought enemies and monsters and continuously leveled up, he continued to grow more powerful until he became this unbeatable being. The narrative stagnated as a result because there were no drawbacks to this overwhelming power.
While the captivating fight scenes are one of the manhwa's best elements, there's no real sense of tension because the readers know Jinwoo is unlikely to be in any grave danger. The only time it looked like he might die was when he fought against the Beast and Frost Monarch, as the former tore his heart out of his chest. For a moment it looked like Jinwoo was done for -- until it turned out he had a second heart.
Jinwoo has been trained and prepped to be the next Shadow Monarch by the System. As the commander of an army of the dead, he is one of the strongest Monarchs in the webtoon. Solo Leveling has veered so far off into the opposite direction of being an underdog story, it's difficult to feel connected to Jinwoo.
In the last few chapters, Solo Leveling makes an attempt to return to Jinwoo's roots. In Chapter 174, he turns back time and returns to his middle school days, looking like the Jinwoo who was introduced in the early chapters -- with the key difference being that he's still as strong as before. Jinchul remarks that even the weakest Hunter, such as an E-Rank, can become a hero. On the surface, it sounds hopeful -- everyone has the potential to be a hero -- but there were a lot of special circumstances surrounding Jinwoo's situation that made it possible for him to become as strong as he had. Without them, he would still be a weak E-Rank Hunter.
Jinwoo's Motivation for Fighting in Solo Leveling
Jinwoo became a Hunter for his mother after his father's disappearance. She had been trapped in an eternal slumber and he sought a way to wake her up, but it's easy to forget he's fighting for his family since this never really comes to the forefront. There are instances where readers can see how closely he holds his family and loved ones to his heart -- such as when his sister and friend were in danger -- but in the early parts of the webtoon where he's mainly concentrated on leveling up, that focus disappears.
Being a Player and a Monarch consequently took some of Jinwoo's humanity away, and even he noticed a distance had grown between him and his family at some point. There was a split second moment when it looked as though he might stop leveling up but as soon as preparations for the Jeju Island raid begin, fighting becomes his focus once more. As Solo Leveling progressed, Jinwoo began separating himself from the rest of his family and friends -- partly because he wanted to protect them, but also because he now has responsibilities that far exceed a normal human's.
In the final chapter, Jinwoo was deemed too dangerous to exist in the world and as he contemplated his choices, he began having an existential crisis. His purpose of leveling up had initially been for his mother, and then it was for the world. When the world didn't need him anymore, he realized all he needed was his family and friends, bringing the story full circle. Although Solo Leveling's ending was tied up with a bow, the heart of the story got lost in all of the action and left readers feeling bereft.
