1 day Ago By Adam Gonzales
A-1 PicturesUnless you’ve been living under a rock you have surely heard of the manhwa turned manga turned anime Solo Leveling and how it is action-packed and delightfully animated in an undeniably dynamic fashion. However, in the same breath as the compliments, there are a variety of critiques, especially with the second season wrapping as of last Saturday. These critiques often address the power scaling, or rather power cliffing, that appears to be the rapid basis of Sung Jinwoo’s in-series growth, allowing the protagonist to more often than not leave every other character in the dust.
Jinwoo has one saving grace keeping him just shy of the unrelatable powerhouse, and that is his repeated moments of humanity; there isn’t enough power in the world to save everybody (at least not yet).Major spoilers ahead for Season 2 of Solo Leveling. In terms of notorious power jumping and nigh-untouchable characters, we don’t exactly have a short list.
From Goku to Saitama, there is a myriad of characters whose series seem to lack stakes because of their protagonist’s outright power. Of course, these series all have their merit, as Dragon Ball always has the next exciting power-up, and One-Punch Man brings a satirical touch to the power fantasy. Solo Leveling, on the other hand, has its untouchable hero grounded in his very human roots, framing this series as possibly the power fantasy of the new era.
Jinwoo begins the series as a lowly E-Rank hunter who works simple jobs such as backline and cleanup to make ends meet before gaining access to sudden S-Rank level powers.[RELATED: Solo Leveling Season 2 Finale Explained: Who Are the Mysterious Monsters?]A-1 PicturesSung Jinwoo’s Heart of Gold Still Lies Beneath the Power FantasyA heart of kindness lies at the center of our overwhelming force, and that is what makes this power fantasy tick. For the first half of Season 2, we follow Jinwoo as he works diligently to level up within the “system” and amp up his power to levels that far surpass any monstrous obstacle presented.
With all of this power and an ever-growing army, Jinwoo remains in touch with his reality of a comatose mom whom he believes can only be healed through the Elixir of Life, an item he can earn by defeating the Demon Castle dungeon. As he levels up his abilities, he continues to press himself harder into getting the money necessary to take care of his sister and to help himself get closer to healing his mother.Examples of Jinwoo’s grounded themes continuing to keep this power fantasy in check are things such as his interactions with lower-level hunters after he’s become S-Rank, his refusal to jump headfirst into the S-Rank lifestyle, and his dedication to helping those who truly need it.
Two major highs of this season in terms of animation and apparent power jumping are the fights against Baran and Beru, respectively. The King of Demons and the King of Ants each represented a specific struggle that Jinwoo would have to face, and both showed his down-to-earth sides before and after the fights.Before Jinwoo can face off against the Demon King, Baran, he must first claim a key to get to Baran’s level of the dungeon.
A reminder must be had that although he is gaining power and breezing through these levels, the ultimate goal is one of altruism. During the dungeon, Jinwoo meets and spares Esil, a demon girl who joins him on his travels and even ends up being his saving grace against Baran. Our biggest point towards our protagonist’s soft spot is the moment in which he is finally able to save his mother.
We, as the audience, have gotten to see Jinwoo become an entirely different character. He has changed physically and gained unimaginable power, yet upon finally saving his mother, he sheds tears as they are reunited and is also recognized by his mother right away. This scene is soft and shows us that the humble, heroic Jinwoo is still within this unstoppable beast.
A-1 PicturesThe Hero’s Choices Still MatterBeing overwhelmingly powerful can only save so many lives when you can’t predict the future, and that very fact is seen when it comes to the Jeju Island Raid and Jinwoo’s choice not to join the other S-Ranked hunters on the expedition from the start. Upon his arrival, we see Jinwoo quickly subduing the overwhelming and seemingly unstoppable Ant King with ease and quickly healing most of the wounded S-Rank hunters. However, the big caveat to these feats is that by the time of his late arrival, eight S-Rank hunters have died, and one is in such a severe condition that Jinwoo is backed into a corner in terms of being able to save her.
With a bit of quick thinking, Jinwoo resurrects the S-Rank hunter Min Byung-Gyu to heal Cha Hae-In and later releases Min from his control at the request of another hunter.Solo Leveling may very well be a power fantasy, and if you are searching for an anime that will deliver on intense nail-biting fights where the winner is never made clear until the final moment, then maybe the series isn’t for you. But truly, Season 2 has just further supported the idea that Solo Leveling can stand alone as the next great power fantasy of an era, in that it may give its protagonist untouchable might, but said protagonist has yet to lose what makes him relatable and grounded.
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