Even before the anime debuted in 2024, Solo Leveling was globally popular thanks to the exceptional story by Chugong. The light novel and the webtoon’s success made it possible for the anime adaptation to reach new heights of popularity. While the main story is already over, the anime still has a huge chunk of story left to adapt. The second season was released in Winter 2025, and the animation stayed silent on the sequel for over a year. Now that it’s confirmed that the anime is returning with a feature-length film, fans are all the more excited to see Jinwoo continue his journey. However, just as many fans the series has, the number of haters is nothing to be ignored.
The series is often criticized for being overrated for not having a lot of character depth, among many other things. For a series as popular as Solo Leveling, it receives just as much hate for always being in the limelight. Although it’s completely subjective to like or hate the series, it does have a few strong points that made it so popular. While Solo Leveling is far from the best series, it’s not nearly as bad as many would claim it to be.
Solo Leveling‘s strength lies in a straightforward story with lots of action, the protagonist’s power-up, and the layers of mysteries. However, the series is a simplistic portrayal of an urban fantasy that doesn’t try to appear too deep or complex. It’s the kind of show you read or watch for fun without thinking too deeply about the state of the world and the side characters.
Many would prefer the story wouldn’t be like that, but that’s what makes it a fun read altogether. Solo Leveling is fast-paced, which is exactly what you’d expect from a story that doesn’t delve too deep into political drama. However, that doesn’t mean it completely neglects everything that’s been happening to those around Jinwoo. Instead of focusing on heavy lore, it relies on methodical progression to help Jinwoo reach the top as soon as possible.
The only quality that sets Solo Leveling apart from other series is the level of hype battles Jinwoo has fought throughout his journey. As an action series, it nails the fight choreography even in manhwa thanks to the incredible illustrations by DUBU. However, the animation elevates even further, relying on the series’ biggest strength more than anything. It’s no wonder Solo Leveling is the best when it comes to webtoon adaptations, and it’s easily the best series from A-1 Pictures studio.
The fights are a huge part of the story, and they continue to get more intense as Jinwoo keeps leveling up. Starting with ordinary dungeon monsters and B-Rank Hunters, Jinwoo eventually became powerful enough to clear an S-Rank dungeon all by himself. However, even the finale of Season 2 isn’t the peak of his powers, and there are more surprises waiting for fans in the anime.
Not many fans or even haters talk about it, but Solo Leveling‘s world-building is one of the best in the webtoon industry. The story is set in an urban fantasy world where mysterious gates showed up out of nowhere. As if that wasn’t enough, it also blends video game rules through the system, which is directly tied to the secrets of the world. While the main story itself takes place in a realistic setting, Jinwoo often travels through dimensions to power up.
Not only that, but the story keeps getting better as Jinwoo gets closer to the truth. After he uncovers the secret about the System, he also learns about the Cosmic beings and the historic world where he has been forced to take part. The story features the world through his lens and doesn’t hold back in the juxtaposition of the modern setting and the alternate fantasy realms that are directly tied to it.
