Warning: The following contains spoilers for Solo Leveling Season 2 Episode 2!!
Solo LevelingSeason 2 has been off to a great start, and since this season is set to cover multiple arcs in only 13 episodes, it’s only natural that the adaptation overlooks some scenes from the source material to quickly reach the most important arcs of the story and improve the pacing in the anime. However, inSolo LevelingSeason 2, episode 2,one scene that serves to offer more characterization to Sung Jinwoo was subtle to make him less morally ambiguous.
Even though one of the most interesting aspects of Jinwoo’s character is his moral struggle and ethical dilemmas as he gets stronger, which is meant to highlight how having too much power can affect people’s humanity,Solo Leveling’s anime adaptationdidn’t flesh out one of the darkest scenes from the manhwathat proved how Sung Jinwoo has become a more ruthless hunter.
Solo LevelingSeason 2 Low-Key Cuts Sung Jinwoo’s Provocation in the Murder of Kim Chul
InSolo Leveling, episode 14, titled “I Suppose You Aren’t Aware., Jinwoo knows he isn’t strong enough to defeat Baruka and that he needs a stronger shadow to guarantee their survival, but the anime makes it seem that he just predicted that Kim Chul would attack him in revenge so he could kill him in legitimate self-defense. However, in chapter #53 of the manhwa,Sung Jinwoo planned to make the A-Rank hunter attack him from the start, as he focused on an unconscious Kim Chul when he thought about getting a new shadow and pusposely kicked the sword next to him to provoke him.
In the anime adaptation, Jinwoo’s kick happens so fast that it’s almost imperceptible and easy to miss for most anime viewers. Also, given the impact caused by the fight with Baruka, most could imply that the sword landed near the hunter by chance. While this doesn’t change the fact that Sung Jinwoo killed another person, even if it was necessary to survive, and that Kim Chul was in a mental collapse state and threatened the other hunters first, itproves how the anime has been purposely leaving out Jinwoo’s more questionable actions to make him less morally grey.
Solo LevelingAnime Adaptation Already Cut Sung Jinwoo’s Darkest Scene in Season 1
Jinwoo’s Philosophy Changed inSolo LevelingSeason 1 With the Lizard Hunters
Even though this is a small scene that just confirms how Jinwoo has become more desensitized to doing anything to survive,the anime previously censored a controversial moment from season 1. The anime cut the scene inSolo Leveling’s manhwa chapter #34 where Jinwoo dragged one of the criminal hunters to the boss’s chambers and watched him being killed by hobgoblins.
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Although these moments could be considered too edgy, asSolo Leveling’s storyisn’t as dark and becomes progressively more optimistic, it aligns with the words of Kang Taeshik inSolo Levelingepisode 9 about howSung Jinwoo notices that he is losing part of himself every time he gets stronger. This way, they serve to give more development to Sung Jinwoo, as they could be considered a natural progression of his character after overcoming the moral quandary of killing someone for the first time in episode 6 with the Lizard Hunters.
Sung Jinwoo’s Not Being a Hero of Justice Is What Makes Him Great
InSolo Leveling’s Dungeons, People Are Hunters or Prey
Sung Jinwoo is a well-constructed character, as he comes from the trauma of being abandoned to die in the Double Dungeon, and he then learns inSolo Levelingepisode 6 that there are cruel hunters who can easily dispose of others for their benefit and survival. So he comes to the conclusion that those who hunt others should face the consequences of being hunted themselves, whichexplains the lack of inner turmoil of Sung Jinwoo when deciding to kill Kim Chul.
“If You Guys Are Hunters, I’m Saying You Should Be Ready to Become Hunted” - Sung Jinwoo, Solo Leveling, chapter 23.
Sung Jinwoo didn’t even stop to think about the ethical aspect of using shadow extraction on Kim Chul and turning him into one of his soldiers, since even though the A-Rank hunter was the raid leader, he was quick to abandon the most vulnerable and weak hunters. Because of this, Sung Jinwoo didn’t have any empathy towards him. Nevertheless, whileSolo Leveling Season 2is doing masterful work so far in adapting the source material, the fact that these little aspects of Sung Jinwoo’s character are overlooked should motivate viewers to read the original manhwa to experience the story better.
Solo Leveling
Cast
Solo Leveling follows Sung Jin-woo, the world’s weakest hunter, who gains extraordinary powers through a mysterious program after surviving a brutal monster attack. As he navigates his newfound abilities, Jinwoo embarks on a quest to uncover the secrets of his powers and the dungeon that altered his fate.
