The second season of Solo Leveling is sprinting at full speed and covering multiple arcs in a short span. After the massive success of the first season in the Winter of 2024, A-1 Pictures released a sequel after just a year. Solo Leveling again becomes the season’s most popular series as Jinwoo continues to rise up the ranks. He’s officially an S-Rank Hunter, the highest rank given to anyone. After his traumatizing experience at the Double Dungeon, he gets the aid of a System that helps him level up. There’s currently no limit to his powers, as he doesn’t stop leveling up even after becoming an S-Rank Hunter.
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However, now that Jinwoo is officially Korea’s 10th S-Rank Hunter, people’s expectations of him have significantly risen. As the fourth Jeju Island raid is about to begin, the most talented Hunters from Korea and Japan have joined hands to reclaim the island after the dungeon break. Everyone’s eyes are on Jinwoo, eager to see how this powerful Hunter will perform in the raid. However, Jinwoo has plans of his own, especially since his mother has just woken up from Eternal Slumber. It’s quite unexpected for Season 2 to adapt so many chapters compared to the first season. While it’s exciting to see the Jeju Island Arc finally being adapted, the anime must avoid these pitfalls.
Warning: This Article Contains Spoilers from the Solo Leveling Manhwa!
Solo Leveling Season 2 Has Pacing Issues
There’s no doubt the second season is far more fast-paced than the prequel. While the first season adapted only 45 chapters within 12 episodes, the second season is expected to cover 61 chapters in 13 episodes. The fights are short, without many extended segments to let the viewers breathe, like in the first season. Additionally, the anime is cutting a few parts from several scenes to make room for more content. The story is rushing quite fast as a lot is happening all at once. Even so, the gorgeous animation and excellent choreography all somehow overshadow the issues with the second season.
However, with the Jeju Island Arc being one of the longest in the manhwa, covering everything in four episodes means there may not be enough room for extended scenes. The fights will likely be brief, as usual, with certain scenes excluded from the manhwa. The anime must strike a balance between the fights and character moments. Rushing through key battles, like the Hunters’ showdown against the Ant King, the main villain of the arc, could make the conflict feel underwhelming.
[RELATED: Solo Leveling Season 2 Kicks Off Its Best Arc, But Is It Moving Too Fast?]
The Jeju Island Arc Can’t Overlook the Side Characters
Solo Leveling is known for primarily focusing on the main character, but the Jeju Island Arc is different. This arc plays a vital role in character development, especially for Baek Yoonho, Haein Cha, and Byungyu Min. The anime must ensure their struggles are given enough focus rather than centering entirely on Sung Jinwoo’s overwhelming strength. Jinwoo joins the fight much later in the story, so most of the arc will focus on these characters.
Furthermore, we will also find out more about the Japanese Hunters and the shady reason for teaming up with the Korean Hunters. The story also focuses on Haein Cha’s growing admiration for Jinwoo after his fight against the main villain of the arc. If the anime used too much while neglecting the development of the side characters, the arc would lose much of its emotional depth, tension, and personal struggles.
Jeju Island Is Considered the Best Solo Leveling Arc With High Hopes for One Fight
Not only does this arc include Jinwoo’s first mission as an official S-Rank, but it also introduces the Ant King, one of the most important characters going forward. The studio is hyping up the arc with an exciting trailer. Judging by the Ant King’s design, it’s reasonable to assume that the anime is again going for a simplistic design like they did with Baran. The Ant King has a blue, monochromatic color scheme, which is quite different from the manhwa. Baran in the anime adaptation didn’t quite stand out as much as he should have. While the difference in the purple color scheme isn’t the sole contributor, perhaps the rushed fight has a role to play in the villain just being average.
Additionally, the story changes significantly after this arc as Jinwoo tries to learn more about the System. As the story unravels the truth behind this distorted world, Jinwoo must come to terms with his identity and do whatever he can to save humanity. Since the story changed so significantly after this arc, the fandom is still divided into two. Many prefer the earlier arcs, while others like the plot twist and development in the arcs after Jeju Island. Season 2 will wrap up with the Jeju Island Arc, likely with some major cliffhanger. Season 2 Episode 9 has only shown the prologue, but the real action will begin in Episode 10, which is scheduled to release on March 8th, 2025.
