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This article contains spoilers forSolo Leveling.
Fans ofSolo Levelingon Reddit have been coming together to vote on their least favorite story arcs in the series. Of the many engaging arcs across the series, not all of them are created equal. Many contain critical momentsthat advance Jinwoo’s powers or the plot, while others feel like filler to some fans by comparison.
For those who have watchedSolo Levelingor read ahead in the manhwa or light novel, the thread served as a place to criticize certain story beats or moments that fell flat. The threadpromisesto exclude one arc every day for a new round of voting, using the concept of the most disliked story arc to eventually crown the fans' favorite story arc by the end of the voting period.
Jinho Raid Party Arc
The Seeming Most Popular Choice
Yoo Jinho’s introduction arc was the one that most commenters seem to dislike and agree was the worst story beat in the series. Fans felt like nothing really exciting happened during this part of the story, and it falls between the incredibly hype fight with Igris andJinwoo’s battle with the assassin hunter Kim Taeshik.
“I guess [Yoo Jinho Party Arc]. Sorry Yoo Jin-Ho.” -Reddit user Struggling-Berserker regrettinglyputtingJinho’s focus arc as their choice.
“Jinho’s Raid Party was just filler for the most part. It was them repetitively going into easy dungeons for Jinwoo to clear and farming crystals. Struggled to find interest in that. Of course, it’s important to him starting the Ahjin Guild, but felt lackluster as they just brushed over all of it.” -Reddit user Dark Solstice24layingout their choice for most disliked story arc.
This portion of the story, perhaps of all the story beats in the series, feels a little out of place. We get to see how Jinwoo is maneuvering his way in the real world with his newfound strength, but unfortunately, there isn’t much depth or intrigue in the world ofSolo Levelingfor him to explore. At best, the arc serves as a bit of connecting tissueto get Jinwoo to the next major fight, but the whole premise ended up falling flat compared to the highs of the surrounding arcs.
The Final Battle and Series End
Some Fans Are Unhappy With How the Main Story Ended
Another popular choice among fans for their least favorite arc was the final battle and ending. Despite it containing an extremely hype confrontationbetween Jinwoo and the Destruction Monarch Antares, it also includes an ending that some fans find lackluster.
“I did not like the way the story was resolved. The whole time travel thing seemed like a cop out. So I’ll go with the final battle.”- Reddit user flomflimvoicinga popular sentiment with the series’ ending.
“I’ll say [The Final Battle], I found it was a bit lackluster and abrupt for me - then the following short stories were just irrelevant or wishy washy. I found the cup of resurrection, back in time thing disappointing too.” -Reddit user veganbethbunhappywith the anti-climactic way Jinwoo’s story ends.
Indeed, the ending does have a sort of unsatisfying quality for some, which “it was all a dream” endings and time travel endings often have a reputation for. All of the actions in the story thus far are undone, and then the narrative quickly runs through Jinwoo doing everything again, but with much less stakes and tension. By the end of the story,Jinwoo is so powerful and handles everything so perfectlythat it feels like nothing could ever challenge his character again. It feels like the time-rewind thing was an idea the author had, but just wasn’t strong enough for the original narrative’s premise, so he put it at the end instead.
The ending also leaves the series in a difficult spot, as the threats had to start going beyond Earth and leaving side-characters even further behind. The original premise of hunters being unable to get stronger is a significant handicap to the storytelling as things continue to unfold.Ragnaroktries to address this somewhat by having previous characters receive power-ups through new sources of power. Still, ultimately, the initial spark of a story about an underdog character overcoming adversity and life’s challenges is a much smaller part of the narrative.
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.
