The following contains spoilers for the Solo Leveling anime and manhwa.
Solo Leveling Season 2 has left the anime world in a frenzy after its successful run. The action-packed story about a low-level hunter turned all-powerful has resonated with the fans to a point where it’s unlikely the anime’s hype will die down anytime soon. With many considering Solo Leveling one of the best new-gen shonen anime of all time, it’s difficult to fathom anything can top the peak the anime is at right now.
However, it would bewilder fans to know there exists a story within the said universe which will blow everyone away if it is ever adapted. The official sequel to the original webtoon and light novel, Solo Leveling: Ragnarok expands Jinwoo’s universe through his successor. The sequel promises the dawn of a new era, an improvised version of the original story with higher stakes, more powerful characters, and an even complex lore.
Solo Leveling: Ragnarok Focuses on a New Yet Familiar Face
Sung Suho Takes Center Stage in the Solo Leveling Sequel Series
Ever since Jinwoo inherited the powers of the System, the sky has been the limit. Anime fans have specifically been wondering about the cap on Sung Jinwoo’s powers despite the fact that the story already builds him as the strongest. Therefore, it shouldn’t come as a surprise when anime fans learn that Jinwoo is, in fact, the strongest of them all within the Solo Leveling universe, an omnipotent entity with limitless power and control over unimaginable abilities. His potential and role as the Shadow Monarch changed the world’s fate and shifted the tide in the cosmic war between the Rulers and the Monarchs.
Jinwoo became the world’s shield, protecting humanity against the cruelty of the Monarchs, and his ambition to bear that responsibility is reflected in his epic standoff against Antares. Ultimately, Jinwoo emerged victorious, putting an end to the Monarch’s tyranny and freeing humanity as collateral damage in the war. Jinwoo even used the Cup of Reincarnation to bring back the people he lost and right all wrongs, evoking a sense of absolute victory for everything he had done.
The particulars of Solo Leveling’s ending are quite complicated and controversial, but the important thing is Jinwoo had a happy ending. He saved the world and started his happy little family with Cha Hae-In. The strongest hunter in the world had achieved everything, including bringing a very special child into the world. The sequel series continues the saga but with Sung Suho, Sung Jinwoo’s son, as the center of all conflict and power even Jinwoo did not possess.
The Solo Leveling Sequel Is Everything the Original Anime Is, But Better
Solo Leveling: Ragnarok Is More Intense & Gripping Than the Original Story
Solo Leveling: Ragnarok takes everything that made Solo Leveling tick and takes it up a notch. The sequel series is truly a level-up when it comes to the lore, the sheer power of Jinwoo’s legacy, and the conflict that comes with it. It focuses on Suho’s journey as he navigates the immense power passed down to him by his father. Unlike Jinwoo, his son’s story isn’t tinted with tragedy or the type of struggle he had to face as an E-Rank hunter.
Sung Suho exhibited his abilities as a toddler, but Jinwoo sealed his powers away to protect him.
Suho is somewhat privileged, having the strongest hunters as his parents and inheriting the powers of the Shadow Monarch. Although the world he lives in doesn’t remember the remarkable feats his father achieved, its essence somehow lingers in Suho, and discovering his destiny is what drives the story. One of the best parts of Solo Legeling: Ragnarok is it doesn’t waste time in giving fans a backstory. It builds around Jinwoo’s legacy and progresses the story without embedding already-used tropes.
For instance, Suho doesn’t have to deal with the burden of being the weakest hunter or face death in every hunt. He is already powerful; he always was, so much so that Jinwoo had to seal his powers away when he was a toddler in order to offer him stability. Suho’s endeavor is ultimately recognizing his true nature and directing it toward the way of prosperity. To put it bluntly, Solo Leveling: Ragnarok is the next generation and an opportunity to touch upon plotlines which weren’t explored in the original story. The standard and scale of power are already set in Solo Leveling: Ragnarok, and Suho’s character arc fuels it categorically.
Every Solo Leveling Character Is More Ferocious & OP Than Ever Before in Solo Leveling: Ragnarok
Solo Leveling: Ragnarok Touches Upon Other Cosmic Threats & Extends the Arcs of National Level Hunters
One of the key concerns raised by fans about Solo Leveling was the lack of character development of the supporting cast. Understandably, the anime is called “Solo Leveling”, so it was always primarily going to be about Jinwoo leveling up and overshadowing any self-proclaimed strongest hunter. However, such a one-dimensional approach can only go so far, and it’s essential for a well-rounded story to have reliable extensions in the form of subplots and a strong ensemble. On the other hand, fans have claimed Solo Leveling: Ragnarok has better character arcs and focuses on a “group” approach.
While it’s easy to criticize Solo Leveling over this, the approach almost came naturally to Solo Leveling: Ragnarok because of an already-established lore. Moreover, unlike Jinwoo, Suho is more about building alliances and being a team player. He may have his father’s powers and aura, but he can never experience the hopelessness Jinwoo has to endure as a weak hunter. When Suho first awakened, he was also recognized as an E-Rank hunter, but even at that level, Suho was more powerful enough than most because of his inherent abilities. He also had to power up like his father, but his upgrade was quicker and more focused.
Therefore, as with a powerful hero comes the prospect of ever-stronger villains. Jinwoo rewrote history, but his actions had unwanted consequences. The world he created soon became plagued by new portals, and from within them came monsters the Solo Leveling universe never encountered before. Humanity has been put up against a new enemy which will blur the lines of reality. New cosmic entities and monsters will threaten Suho’s world, and while his father is essentially a god-like being in his universe, it would ultimately be his individual mission to find his place as the second strongest human being on Earth.
Solo Leveling: Ragnarok Can Easily Surpass the OG Anime
The Solo Leveling Sequel Subverts Anime's Usual Father-Son Plotlines
Fans might be tempted to compare Solo Leveling: Ragnarok with Boruto since both series follow the father-son plotline, but the latter has been heavily criticized for not living up to the original. The series has been accused of fumbling Naruto’s supremacy and not doing justice to his status in conjunction with his son’s climb to power. Similarly, it would be easier for a sequel like Solo Leveling: Ragnarok to cast aside Jinwoo’s previously established god-like status in favor of introducing a new hero. Fortunately, the sequel avoids this death trap by leaving crumbs which keep reminding the fans who the real boss is.
Despite giving Ragnarok’s initial buildup a similar touch as Solo Leveling, one is compelled to admit Suho is not just his father’s cheap copy. His experience with the System and leveling up is far different from what Jinwoo encountered. The latter had only himself to rely on, while Suho had his father map out an entire game plan for him once he awakened. It’s an inevitable evolution which will immortalize Jinwoo’s legacy and deeply enrich the lore more than ever. Even without an onscreen adaptation, Solo Leveling; Ragnarok is easily proving to be a worthy successor.
- Sung Suho inherited most of his father’s Shadow Monarch’s abilities.
- Suho initially awoke as an E-Rank hunter.
- Suho is also subjected to leveling up and does so quicker than his father.
At some point, fans might grow tired of Jinwoo’s unchallenged status and would love to see the incredible world of Solo Leveling expand in a new direction. This could be an exciting opportunity to set a precedent for how a “legacy” sequel is done without undermining what the original story had worked so hard to build. Currently, Solo Leveling is at the peak of its popularity, and compared to the manhwa, Jinwoo has only touched the tip of the iceberg in terms of power scaling.
Solo Leveling is not just another underdog-protagonist-turned-OP story. It’s actively intense with an emotional payoff, all while featuring mind-boggling battle sequences. Solo Leveling: Ragnarok is a notch up on all fronts. It is far more intense, gripping, visually breathtaking, and narratively phenomenal, indicating the Solo Leveling fever is far from over.
