Summary
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During the current run ofSolo Leveling, we are shown just how powerful Jinwoo’s ability to call on his shadow army is. When he first started gaining power, every fight was a brutal slog against increasingly stronger opponents where Jinwoo only had himself to rely on.
Since gaining his shadow army,Jinwoo has undoubtedly grown in power, but is his reliance on these shadow soldiers holding back his development into a proper fighter? If he is relying on them to fight his battles for him, won’t he be in trouble if there is ever a situation where they fail him?
Jinwoo’s Narrative Shift
From Solo Leveling to Auto Leveling
The story inSolo Levelingmakes an interesting decision when it gives Jinwoo the ability to call upon his defeated opponents in battle. The original premise was that the plucky underdog struggled alone against tough enemies that were out of his league. However, as he gained power, he slowly transitioned from a solo leveler to one who had an army of allies to call upon. Now, instead of struggling against every enemy,we see Jinwoo almost go on autopilotwhen he is dispatching hordes of demons during the 100-floor tower.
“Looks like dispatching six shadow squads is already paying off, good way to be efficient.” -Jinwoo while sitting back in the Demon Castle’s 80th floor.
While things are certainly easier for Jinwoonow, especially since he still gains experience to level up, an over-reliance on shadow warriors might be his downfall. Every time Jinwoo sits back in battle and lets someone else handle things for him, he misses out on practical combat experience he could gather for a future fight. If a threat emerges that his shadow army is useless against, Jinwoo will need that combat experience to overcome it. By turning Jinwoo from a solo leveler to an auto-leveler, it feels like his combat skills might start to suffer.
“I am missing out on some loot this way, but I make faster progress in exchange.” -Sung Jinwoo in Episode 19.
A Risk for the Future
The Shadow Army’s Limitations
While this reliance on his shadow army has not hindered him so far in theSolo Levelinganime, future events will make the limits of his shadow army clear. Every shadow he creates is slightly weaker than the shadow it was when they were alive. This means that no matter how strong a shadow he acquires, it can never quite match up to his increasingly stronger foes. His shadow army also requires mana to summon, heal, and maintain.Mana is a valuable resource for Jinwoo, since he needs it to use his other skills as well. If he ever finds himself stretching himself too thin while maintaining his shadows, he could be put in a dire situation where he doesn’t have the mana to access his other skills.
“Something’s destroying the shadows, and fast.” -Jinwoo watching his mana bar deplete in Episode 19.
A much better approach for Jinwoo would be to save his shadow army as a last resort in battles, instead of it being the first thing he tries. Although he still levels up and gains experience in either scenario, his combat skills would be sharper if he continued handling things himself. It’s possible that with his increased power, Jinwoo no longer feels like risking himself in battle is worth it most of the time. While this may be true, it still conflicts with one of his primary motivations to become as strong as possible. As the series is progressing, it feels like Jinwoo is unwilling to take the same risks that made him a candidate for the system in the first place.
Whether or not the story will make thisa point of contention for Jinwoois unclear, though future story events make it certain that Jinwoo will have moments where he could have done things better. At the end of the main series, Jinwoo is given a certain choice, one he wouldn’t need to consider if things had played out better along the way.
