I think I speak for everyone when I say thatSolo Levelingis almost in its own league for shōnen anime. I’ve seen tons of great anime, and there’s no genre I’ve explored more than shōnen. Out of all the series I’ve watched (and I’ve watched a lot), none are quiteas wonderfully simple asSolo Leveling.The anime series is so good that I couldn’t wait a week for another episode, rushing to finish the webtoon during the first few weeks of the second season.
While the series has plenty of highs and arguably hasn’t reached anywhere near its peak yet, it isn’t perfect.If I have a gripe withSolo Leveling,it’s the series' ending.No ending is perfect, and ending a series comes with a lot of pressure. Wrapping up all the story lines succinctly is incredibly difficult to pull off, especially with a series as gripping asSolo Leveling.The ending leaves a lot to be desired, and surprisingly,it shares a lot with the less-than-desirable ending ofNaruto: Shippudenas well.
Solo Leveling Is a Smash Hit
A Once-in-a-Generation Series That Deserves Its Hype
Even someone not familiar withSolo Levelingcan tell you that it’s a series that takes shōnen to new heights. The stats speak for themselves.Solo Levelinghasbroken a few huge recordsfor an anime series,topping Crunchyroll’s charts on two separate occasions.The first episode of the first season broke fellow shōnen giantJujutsu Kaisen’srecords for likes on the popular streaming service, and the first episode of the second season broke the record that its predecessor put forward even more.
One ofSolo Leveling’sgreatest strengths is how succinct it is. It’s so fast-paced that fans have even complained that it’stoofast, skipping some of the moments in the webtoon they would have liked to see brought to the screen. While I can see where they’re coming from in this aspect, I think thatSolo Leveling’spacing is one of its strong suits.
There are a ton of great shōnen series out there, but even thebest series of all timecan suffer from filler.Bleach, Naruto,andOne Pieceall have websites dedicated to filler episodes that most fans agree that you can, and maybe should, skip altogether.Solo Levelingis excellent because it will never have that problem. Every week I watchSolo Leveling,I wish A-1 Pictures would animate a surprise second episode of the series, giving me another dose of one of the most exciting series currently airing.
Solo Leveling Is at Its Best With Enemies from Earth
As someone who has read the entirety ofSolo Leveling(including all the side stories), I can say with confidence that the series peaks in the middle.Sung Jinwoo is at his best when he’s fighting monsters from the Gates or other Hunters, not when he’s fighting Gods.Solo Levelingis a series thatdoes being edgy right, but it loses a lot of its edge towards the end of the series. At the beginning ofSolo Leveling,when Jinwoo is first mastering his newfound abilities, the series is unstoppable.
There’s nothing more entertaining than watching how amazingly overpowered Jinwoo becomes. Better yet, watching other characters who once doubted the new Shadow Monarch react to his overwhelming abilities isSolo Levelingat its best. Towards the end of the series, however, the series takes a different tone when Jinwoo is not only stronger than everyone else, but so much stronger that there’s no competition left.
Solo Leveling Season 2 Just Dropped a Fight So Good the Show Wants Everyone to Know
Shockingly, Solo Leveling just dropped one of its most anticipated fights in full on its X account, proving that the series knows how good it is.
As the anime has shown, Jinwoo’s fights against the Ice Bears, Kargalgan, and Baran are exceptional. While Baran is one of the Monarchs that Jinwoo eventually has to fight, he doesn’t feel like it. He feels like the final boss of the Demon Castle (which he quite literally is).Solo Levelingpresents Jinwoo’s newfound abilities like a video game leveling up system. When he fights in the dungeons, it feels like the best part of a video game. When he fights Gods, however, the series loses a lot of its luster.
Solo Leveling and Naruto Both Introduce Gods at the End
Celestial Beings Take Both Shows Down a Notch
BothNaruto: ShippudenandSolo Levelingshare a few very specific similarities. Towards the end of both series, it’s revealed thatall magical abilities come from aliens/Gods.It’s a very specific part of the ending both series have in common. InNaruto,the characters learn that all Chakra comes from Kaguya Otsutsuki, a being who came to Earth and spread the power from the God Tree after consuming it.
It is also revealed that the God Trees come from the Otsutsuki clan themselves, as they plant the seeds across a variety of planets in the hopes of consuming their fruit and becoming much stronger. It was an odd twist thatNarutonever needed. Not only did thebest villain inNaruto,Madara Uchiha, get killed through a deus ex machina, butKaguya seemingly came out of nowhere. Unfortunately,Solo Levelingshares an eerily similar ending.
Towards the middle ofSolo Leveling,during the Double Dungeon Arc, Jinwoo finally learns about the truth of all the magical energy on Earth. All power comes from the Monarchs and Rulers, two groups of celestial beings who have been fighting for an incredibly long time. The end ofSolo Levelingsees Jinwoo take on the Monarchs who want the Earth for themselves, and they’re so powerful that not even Nation-Level Hunters can stand a chance.
It’s a pretty poor ending.Solo Levelingis at its best when Jinwoo is getting stronger. While he does get stronger against the Monarchs, fully obtaining the power of the Shadow Monarch in the process, it doesn’t feel the same.Solo Levelingpeaks during the Jeju Island Arcbecause Jinwoo’s strength is finally revealed to the world, he has an amazingly close fight with the Ant King, and his fellow Hunters are at least within arm’s reach of his power.
Solo Leveling Peaks in the Middle
Sung Jinwoo Is at His Best During the Jeju Island Arc
The endings of bothNarutoandSolo Levelinghave a lot in common.Both throw away the progress made by the protagonists to introduce celestial beings who were, somehow, behind everything the entire time. It’s a pretty frustrating close to two of the best shōnen series of all time, but they’re not the worst endings in the world.
Love It or Hate It, I Can Tell You This: Solo Leveling Is the Biggest New Gen Anime Out There
With Solo Leveling gaining popularity, a vocal minority continues criticizing it, yet many aspects make it the best new-gen anime.
As a fan of bothSolo LevelingandNaruto,both endings could have been much worse. At least we get a great reunion of Team Seven when Kakashi, Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura all take on Kaguya, and Jinwoo’s fight against the Dragon Monarch Antares is pretty good too.
