Solo Leveling

Plot

In a world where hunters, human warriors who possess supernatural abilities, battle deadly monsters to protect all mankind from certain annihilation, a notoriously weak E ranked hunter named Sung Jin-woo finds himself in a seemingly endless struggle for survival. One day, after narrowly surviving an overwhelmingly powerful and rare double dungeon that nearly wipes out his entire party, a mysterious program called The System chooses him as its sole player and in turn, gives him the unique ability to level up in strength which is something no other hunter is able to do, as a hunter's abilities are set and don't "level up" once they awaken. Jin-woo then sets out on a journey as he fights against all kinds of enemies, both man and monster, to discover the secrets of the dungeons and the true source of his powers. He soon discovers that he has been chosen to inherit the position of Shadow Monarch, essentially turning him into an immortal necromancer known as the "King of the Dead" who has absolute rule over the dead, created by a god while in the middle of the war between its two creations of light and dark, the Rulers and the Monarch. He is the only Monarch who fights to save humanity, as the other Monarchs, who are actually the leaders of all monsters, are trying to kill him and wipe out the humans.

Characters

Sung Family

Sung Jin-woo

Voiced by: Taito Ban (Japanese); Aleks Le (English)

Portrayed by: Byeon Woo-seok

Japanese name: Shun Mizushino (水篠 旬, Mizushino Shun)

Sung Jin-woo (성진우; Seong Jinu) is the protagonist of the series. Originally known as the weakest E-Rank South Korean Hunter, he gets the chance of a lifetime when he is selected as a Player by Mysterious System. Taking advantage of his new power, Jin-woo rises up to become far stronger than the National Level Hunters. Eventually, he learns that he became a Player because the Shadow Monarch Ashborn chose to train him as a successor to fight in the war between the Rulers and the Monarchs. He ultimately marries the S-Rank Hunter Cha Hae-in and has a son, Suho, who inherits some of his powers.

In the sequel series Ragnarok, Jin-woo leaves Earth to join forces with the Rulers in a new war against the Itarim, beings who seek to take over the universe, but not before sealing Suho's memories and powers so he can live a normal life. When the Itarim's invasions eventually reach Earth, he tasks Beru to unseal Suho's memories and powers and train him to defend Earth from the new war.

Sung Jin-ah

Voiced by: Haruna Mikawa (Japanese); Rebecca Wang (English)

Japanese name: Aoi Mizushino (水篠 葵, Mizushino Aoi)

Sung Jinah (성진아; Seong Jina) is Jin-woo's younger sister. Unlike her brother, she is a civilian and normal student in high school.

Park Kyung-hye

Voiced by: Yuri Amano (Japanese); Colleen Clinkenbeard (English)

Japanese name: Satoko Mizushino (水篠 聡子, Mizushino Satoko)

Shadow Army

An immortal race of soldiers resurrected by the power of the Shadow Monarch. Unlike summons from other hunters, they are capable of growth and speech. There are multiple grades of shadow soldiers, including basic grade, normal grade, elite grade, knight grade, elite knight grade, commander/general grade, marshal/commander grade, and Grand Marshal grade. Only soldiers of commander/general grade can speak.

Ashborn

Ashborn (아스본) is the King of the Dead and the Monarch of Shadows. He is also the strongest Ruler and the Greatest Fragment of Brilliant Light. After spending eons fighting in the ancient war between the Rulers and the Monarchs, Ashborn grew weary of the ceaseless violence, leading him to eventually choose Jin-woo as his host in hopes of ending the bloodshed once and for all. When Jin-woo is later killed by the Monarchs, Ashborn appears in the flesh to save him and gives Jin-woo a detailed explanation of his past. After transferring the rest of his powers to Jin-woo and bringing him back to life, Ashborn goes into eternal sleep and allows Jin-woo to take his place as the Shadow Monarch.

Igris

Igris, the Blood-Red Commander, is a high-ranking knight with exceptional swordsmanship and loyalty, holding the position of marshal that rivals Beru but is overshadowed by Bellion. He kneels before his master after battles. Igris dislikes Iron's foolish behavior in battle. Despite being a battle lover, Igris values education and argues with Bellion about Suho's schooling. He is also one of the most powerful knights. Igris once served the Shadow Monarch Ashborn during his war with the Rulers eons ago. After Ashborn decided to retire and find a human successor, he tasked Igris with testing his successor in battle when the time was right.

Beru

Voiced by: Akira Ishida (Japanese); Jason Liebrecht (English)

Beru is an ant shadow that was extracted from the Ant King, a powerful S-Rank beast that killed Goto Ryuji and incapacitated Cha Hae-in before Jin-woo managed to kill it. Beru is one of the most powerful shadows, holding the position of General. He later becomes a Marshal that rivals Igris but is overshadowed by Bellion. He also has a fond streak for Jin-woo's son, Suho.

Hunters

Thomas Andre

Thomas Andre (토마스 안드레) is one of the strongest hunters in America and one of the five National Level Hunters, ranking 1st in the world. He is also a Rulers' vessel and is nicknamed the Goliath due to his large build and immense superhuman strength. He later befriends Jin-woo after the latter defeats him in a fight and gives him Kamish's Wrath, the strongest magical weapon in the world, as a gift.

Liu Zhigang

Voiced by: Tomokazu Seki (Japanese); Yong Yea (English)

Liu Zhigang (류즈캉) is the strongest hunter in China and one of the five National Level Hunters, ranking 2nd in the world. He is also a Rulers' vessel and is the strongest hunter in Asia until Jin-woo surpasses him in power. He later becomes on good terms with Jin-woo when they meet each other for the first time during the annual guild conference.

Christopher Reed

Christopher Reed (크리스토퍼 리드) is one of the strongest hunters in America and one of the five National Level Hunters, ranking 3rd in the world. He is also a Rulers' vessel and the first of the seven to be killed by the Monarchs.

Siddharth Bachchan

Siddharth Bachchan (싯다르트 밧찬) is the strongest hunter in India and one of the five National Level Hunters, ranking 4th in the world. He is also a Rulers' vessel and the only one of the seven to never make a physical appearance in the webtoon.

Go Gun-hee

Voiced by: Banjō Ginga (Japanese); Kent Williams (English)

Japanese name: Kyoomi Gotou (後藤 清臣, Gotō Kyoomi)

Go Gun-hee (고건희; Go Geonhui) is a Korean S-Rank Hunter and the Chairman of the Korean Hunters Association, the government agency responsible for overseeing all the hunters, gates, and guilds active within Korea. Although he is later revealed to be a Rulers' vessel, he suffers from a variety of health problems due to his old age, preventing him from using his powers to their maximum output. He is ultimately killed by the Monarchs in battle.

Monarchs

The Monarchs (군주; Gunju) are an ancient race of overlords created by the Absolute Being who seek to wipe out the human race for their own ends, making them the primary antagonists of the series. As a result, they have a cruel disregard for life and are generally very arrogant towards those they find inferior to themselves, especially humans, as their strength are much more powerful that a single Monarch can easily obliterate a group of S-Rank Hunters or even National Level Hunters. The Monarchs also each govern a different race of monsters and take after the race that they rule over in appearance, they are spiritual beings who possessed humans like the Ruler's vessel, only completely become their own identity.

Antares

Antares (안타레스) is the King of Dragons and the Monarch of Destruction and the strongest Monarch. He is also the leader of the Monarchs which makes him the final antagonist of Solo Leveling. After Jinwoo killed three of the other Monarchs, Antares invaded the human world in order to draw him out and finish him off. However, despite his best efforts, he ultimately failed to achieve his ambitions and was killed by the Rulers. He is eventually defeated by Jinwoo once again in the revised timeline, and his title is soon to be succeeded by his son Suho.

Baran

Baran (바란) is the King of Demons and the White Flame Monarch. He is the first Monarch Jinwoo faces and defeats in battle in the Demon Castle.

Rakan

Voiced by: Hiroshi Shirokuma (Japanese); Ray Chase (English)

Rakan (라칸) is the King of Beasts and the Fang Monarch, who begins investigating Jinwoo along with Sillad, after his success on Jeju Island.

Sillad

Voiced by: Mitsuru Miyamoto (Japanese); Bruce DuBose (English)

Sillad (실라드) is the King of Snow Folk and the Frost Monarch, who begins investigating Jinwoo along with Rakan, after his success on Jeju Island.

Other characters

Yoo Myunghan

Voiced by: Shunsuke Sakuya (Japanese); June Yoon (English)

Japanese name: Akinari Morobishi (諸菱 明成, Morobishi Akinari)

Yoo Myunghan (유명한; Yu Myeonghan) is Jinho's strict, but caring father and the Chairman of Yoojin Construction, who seeks to build a Hunter guild for his family.

Ahn Sangmin

Voiced by: Hironori Kondo (Japanese); Cory Yee (English)

Japanese name: Koshiro Shishido (宍戸 耕史郎, Shishido Koshiro)

Ahn Sangmin (안상민; An Sangmin) is the chief of the White Tiger Guild's 2nd Division Management Department, who tries to recruit Jinwoo to the guild.

Matsumoto Shigeo

Voiced by: Naoya Uchida (Japanese); John Gremillion (English)

Matsumoto Shigeo (マツモト シゲオ) is the callous and manipulative Chairman of the Japanese Hunters Association who wanted Goto's group to take advantage of the Jeju Island situation in order to claim the land for Japan.

Rulers

The Rulers (지배자들; Jibaejadeul), also called the Fragments of Brilliant Light, are an ancient race of winged humanoids who aim to protect the human race from being annihilated by the Monarchs. Although they have noble ambitions, they are willing to use morally questionable methods to achieve them and are indirectly responsible for the millions of human lives lost ever since monsters first began using gates to cross over to the human world. The Rulers also heavily resemble angels in appearance and are able to use a form of telekinesis unique to themselves called Ruler's Authority.

Media

Web novel

Solo Leveling was first serialized in Kakao's digital comic and fiction platform KakaoPage since July 25, 2016, and later published by D&C Media under their fantasy fiction label "Papyrus" in 14 volumes in its first edition and in 10 in second. The novel was licensed in English by Webnovel under the title Only I Level Up and released from December 21, 2018, to June 24, 2019.

The second edition of the novel was published in English by Yen Press from February 16, 2021, to July 18, 2023.

Webtoon

A webtoon adaptation launched in KakaoPage on March 4, 2018, and concluded its first season on March 19, 2020; its second season began on August 1, 2020, concluding on December 29, 2021 with its 179th chapter. It was illustrated by Jang Sung-rak (aka Dubu), the CEO of Redice Studio, who died on July 23, 2022, after suffering from a cerebral hemorrhage. Its first collected volume was released by D&C Media on September 26, 2019. In Japan, Solo Leveling launched in Kakao Japan's digital comic service Piccoma, and has accumulated over 650 million cumulative readership. It was also selected as the No. 1 webtoon in Piccoma's "Best of 2019". The webtoon has been published digitally in English by Webnovel and Tappytoon since May 7 and June 4, 2020, respectively. It is also published on Tapas in English. The collected volumes have been licensed and published in North America by Yen Press since March 2, 2021.

A side story was published between January and May 2023, with Chugong returning as writer and featuring a new art team following the death of Dubu.

Anime

An anime television series adaptation was announced at Anime Expo 2022. It is produced by A-1 Pictures and directed by Shunsuke Nakashige, with Noboru Kimura writing the scripts, and Tomoko Sudo designing the characters. It was originally scheduled for 2023, but was later delayed and eventually aired from January 7 to March 31, 2024, on Tokyo MX and other networks. The first episodes were screened from December 2023 in Tokyo, Seoul, Los Angeles, India, and Europe.

Crunchyroll is streaming the series. Medialink licensed the series in Southeast Asia and Oceania (except Australia and New Zealand).

After the broadcast of the first season finale, a second season titled Solo Leveling: Arise from the Shadow was announced. It aired from January 5 to March 30, 2025. A compilation film of the first season, titled Solo Leveling: ReAwakening, was screened along with the first two episodes of the second season in Japan from November 29 to December 12, 2024. Crunchyroll had acquired the North American and select international rights for the compilation film, screening it in the United States and Canada on December 6, 2024.

A sequel anime film titled Solo Leveling: Beyond the System was announced during Crunchyroll's panel at Anime Expo 2026. The film will be produced by A-1 Pictures and directed by Tao Tajima, while Crunchyroll, Aniplex, Netmarble, D&C Media, and Kakao Piccoma were co-producing the film.

The original music of the series is composed by Hiroyuki Sawano. The series' opening theme song is "Level", performed by SawanoHiroyuki[nZk]: Tomorrow X Together, while the ending theme song is "Request", performed by Krage. The original soundtrack was released in Japan by Aniplex and in the United States by Milan Records on March 27, 2024. Milan Records released the soundtrack on vinyl records in the United States on October 4, 2024.

For the second season, the opening theme song is "Reawaker", performed by LiSA (feat. Felix of Stray Kids), while the ending theme song is "Un-Apex", performed by TK from Ling Tosite Sigure.

Live-action series

In July 2025, Netflix was announced to be producing a live-action television series based on the manhwa with Byeon Woo-seok starring as Sung Jin-woo, and Han So-hee as Cha Hae-in. Kang You-seok was reportedly cast as Yoo Jinho, while Kang Mi-na was also confirmed for an undisclosed role. The series is produced by Kakao Entertainment and Sanai Pictures.

Games

In January 2022, Netmarble announced that they were developing Solo Leveling: Arise, an action role-playing video game based on the series. The game was released on May 8, 2024.

Otherworld, a Cube Entertainment subsidiary, developed Solo Leveling: Unlimited, a blockchain-based Web3 digital collectible project.

In July 2025, Netmarble announced that they are developing the game Solo Leveling: Karma for PC and mobile.

Continuation

Solo Leveling: Ragnarok

In April 2023, Kakao announced a sequel titled Solo Leveling: Ragnarok. The web novel began releasing through KakaoPage on April 10, 2023.

The story is set after the events of Solo Leveling; the side story acts as a prelude. Sung Su-ho, the son of Sung Jin-woo and Cha Hae-in, inherited his father's powers as the Shadow Monarch. However, his powers and memories were locked as a child, so he can have a normal life. But when Gates started to open up around Earth again during his third year of university, Su-ho is chosen as a Player by the System. Therefore, Su-ho must become a Hunter in order to face the new threat that is related to his parents' disappearance.

The web novel is written by Daul, who replaced Chugong, the writer of the original Solo Leveling web novel. Chugong revealed his support of Daul and the sequel, saying the sequel evoked the same emotions in him that he felt when he first began serializing the original web novel. The first 104 chapters debuted on KakaoPage on April 10, 2023. The web novel ended in July 2025 with 357 chapters.

The webtoon adaptation premiered on July 31, 2024, being developed by Redice Studio. Dangdo is the main writer adapting Daul's story, while Jin is the main artist.

Reception

Web novel

Since 2016, the novel has garnered 2.4 million readers in KakaoPage. Since its release, the web novel has received constant positive reception. Eun Yoon of Fugue ranked the book fifth in her list of best web novels, describing it as "a stand-out in the genre, offering thrilling and enjoyable reads for fans of action-packed fantasy". Adam Symchuk from Asian Movie Pulse called it a "page turner", stating, "at 315 pages I found myself getting through the series in a couple days. There is a great sense of reward as you get to see Jinwoo level up and the new problems that arise as he heads towards godlike power. The only negative, having to wait for the next book as two major conflicts get introduced in the closing chapters."

Timothy Blade of Comic Book Resources, however, had a more negative review of the novel's ending, commenting on its "controversial" nature and calling out the number of plot holes and inconsistencies. He also described the comic's ending as a "more rushed version" of the novel's ending, further stating, "Jinwoo seemingly didn't need a grand, heroic reason for having power, making the reason as simple as wanting to live with and protect those he loved in the Solo Leveling ending."

Anime

On review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the first season of Solo Leveling holds an approval rating of 100% based on nine reviews, with an average rating of 7.7/10. The series premiere received generally positive reviews by the writers of Anime News Network. Rebecca Silverman felt that the gore in any scenes was not "excessive" and found the story interesting. Nicholas Dupree praised the writing, action scenes, score, and execution, but criticized the exposition and characters. Richard Eisenbeis praised the world-building while James Beckett praised the storytelling and execution, noting that Sung Jin-woo is a "likable" enough lead that "his nondescript niceness is much preferable over the edgy dweebs that you sometimes get as the heroes of these kinds of fantasy power trips." Rafael Motamayor of IGN gave the first season a score of 8/10, praising its animation, action sequences, visuals, choreography, soundtrack, and world-building, while criticizing the tedious mechanics and the lack of "nuance" in writing.