Summary
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In the second season ofSolo Leveling, the other hunters are surprised to learn that Jinwoo’s name was not on the list of those going on the Jeju Island raid. This was a shock to thembecause they had just seen Jinwoomake a fool of Goto Ryuji, a hunter who seemed to have superior strength to every S-Rank hunter at the meeting.
With the stakes and risk of casualties being high, why did Jinwoo initially choose to skip out on the Jeju Island raid, given his previous tendency to dive headfirst into any challenge he came across in the story ofSolo Leveling?
Hoping to Return to His Old Life
Jinwoo Finally Got What He Wanted
After successfully defeating Baran and clearing the Demon Castle Tower, Jinwoo had managed to secure the cure to his mother’s mana illness. Right before Jeju Island, she managed to wake up and return home,leaving Jinwoo feeling conflicted about the direction he wanted to goin the future.
Up until this point, Jinwoo’s entire motivation was to protect his family and save his mom, and now he had acquired both the resources and ability to do so. While he was previously obsessed with becoming a powerful hunter, he considered taking it easy to enjoy the quiet life with his family now that he had no solid goal to be shooting for.
“Mom just woke up from a four-year coma, she needs me. Which is why… I’m not going to Jeju Island.” -Sung Jinwoo in Episode 22.
However,we see that Jinwoo is still doing his daily queststo keep up with the System’s demands, and feels a bit forlorn at the quiet he has now surrounded himself with. Jinwoo feels like the experiences he has had growing stronger and killing other hunters have permanently changed him, and he questions whether he can really return to his old life with his family. Despite being allowed to rest, his thoughts drift to the raid team. Although Jinwoo figures they are strong enough to be victorious, he seems to express some sadness at the fact that he is not among the ones who were going.
“It should be an easy victory. Even without me.” -Sung Jinwoo
Confronting His Destiny
Jinwoo Decides to Act Anyway
Despite wanting to stay away from the island to spend time with his family, Jinwoo is forced to act after the hunters get into a dire situation. He teleports to the battlefield using his shadow exchange, ready to assist them against the overwhelming ant threat. Jinwoo uses healing potions to restore many of the members, but Cha Hae-In is too damaged to be healed properly.This forces Jinwoo into a desperate situation, having to balance showing off more of his abilities with escaping the island in time to save her.
The Ant King then makes his return, forcing Jinwoo to again show his prowess in battle, this time to a live stream that makes his deeds known to the world. By going to Jeju Island, Jinwoo makes it nearly impossible to retreat back into the shadows now, as the weight of his responsibility will keep him from enjoying a peaceful life as more threats will soon emerge in the world ofSolo Levelingfor him to fight.
Jinwoo Should Have Gone In a Support Role
What Could Have Been
Hindsight is 20-20. However, Jinwoo should have known something more was going on with Jeju Island because of how long it had been a problem for the hunters. He would have been better off going on the raid from the beginning, using his abilities covertly so he didn’t draw attention to himself while helping to prevent casualties. If Min Byung-Gyu had not been killed by the Ant King, any of the injuries the hunters sustained could have been dealt with, thoughJinwoo might have missed out on strengthening the eventual power of Beruthrough his gluttony skill.
Jinwoo would have had the perfect opportunity to defeat the Ant King when the monster was prowling the surface of the island, away from any cameras. Without the Ant King standing in the way, the other S-rank hunters should have been able to easily clear the rest of the raid and come home relatively unscathed. By taking things covertly, Jinwoo could have avoided the extra attention placed on him and his family, which makes it harder for him to operate in the solo way he prefers in the future.
Solo Leveling
Cast
A-1 Pictures' Solo Leveling is an anime based on Chugong’s popular web novel. Set in an unforgiving fantasy world where hunters explore dungeons filled with monsters, the vulnerable Sung Jinwoo gains a significant power boost after he is picked to be a solo player by the System.
