The following contains spoilers for the Solo Leveling manhwa.
In the lead-up to the climax of Solo Leveling Season 2, a common idiom has emerged: Jeju Island is Solo Leveling‘s most “highly anticipated” arc. With the Jeju Island Raid having officially begun as of Solo Leveling Season 2, Episode 10, “We Need a Hero”, it’s worth considering just what it is about this arc that has the fandom so fixated. Even for fans of the manhwa and light novel, it can be hard to pinpoint exactly why Jeju is so vital to the series. Sure, it has some great fights and introduces everyone’s favorite Shadow Soldier, but is that really enough to elevate it above every single other arc in the series to make it the “most highly anticipated”?
Of course, the answer to that question is “no”. Those things aren’t enough, at least not on their own. Still, while it could easily be arguable that other arcs in Solo Leveling are better than Jeju, there are some genuinely valid reasons why the fandom is looking forward to this part of the story more than any other that has been shown so far. In reality, the reason that Jeju Island is so important to the fanbase relates directly to the fact that it’s also one of the most important moments for Sung Jinwoo as a character.
RelatedSolo Leveling’s action will continue with or without Sung Jinwoo as the highly anticipated Jeju Island Raid begins in an Episode 22 that plays it safe
Jeju Island is a Turning Point For Sung Jinwoo
Sung Jinwoo Reaches The Point of No Return After The Jeju Raid
Sung Jinwoo is absent throughout the majority of the Jeju Island Raid. Having finally awakened his mother from the Eternal Sleep Disease, Jinwoo wants nothing more than to make up for lost time with his family. Of course, this leads to a major personal conflict for Jinwoo. After all, the System has helped him rise to the pinnacle of strength in Hunter society, become financially stable, and even get his family back. Jinwoo’s entire reason for becoming a Hunter was to take care of his mother and sister to begin with, so now that he has more money than he knows what to do with, there’s little motivating him to have to fight anymore.
On the other hand, there’s still something inside Jinwoo that was forever changed after everything he had to do and see as a Hunter, and those are experiences that changed him in a way he can’t escape from. This creates a major conflict within Jinwoo, as he wants nothing more than to spend time with his loved ones, but wonders whether he can ever live a normal life again after everything he has been through. If left to Jinwoo, he would almost surely decide to leave his life as a Hunter behind, but there’s another layer to the issue. As Jinwoo’s mother points out to him in Season 2, Episode 9, Jinwoo takes after his father, who “always wanted to help other people.”
RelatedSung Jinwoo’s homeland of South Korea is full of extremely powerful Hunters in Solo Leveling, and the S-Ranks are the pinnacle of power the country.
This is a trait Jinwoo’s mother admires in her son, and it’s a big part of what made her fall in love with his father. It’s also why, when he catches wind that his fellow S-Rank Hunters are in trouble, he can’t just sit by and ignore it. At this point in the story, Sung Jinwoo has already officially become South Korea’s strongest Hunter and one of the strongest in all of Asia, whether he knows it or not. However, it’s only after the Jeju Island Raid, when Jinwoo steps in to save his peers, that the rest of the world is forced to acknowledge that fact.
After Jeju Island, Sung Jinwoo is seen as a heroic figure who has stepped onto the world stage as a potential National Level Hunter, achieving overnight fame. Above all, Sung Jinwoo is forced to continue being a Hunter and fighting, even despite having essentially accomplished everything he could’ve wanted. If Jeju Island never happened, Jinwoo could easily have become stagnated and stepped away from being a Hunter entirely. Instead, he embraces his responsibility to his country and the world, deciding to use his power to make a difference, just like his father would.
Jinwoo’s Time of Introspection Allows Alternative Plot Threads to Emerge
The fandom is not just looking forward to Jeju because the raid is full of exciting battles, but because it marks a vital turning point for the series as a whole. From this point on, the scales of power increase dramatically, and some of the most epic battles in the series follow. Additionally, the Monarchs are first introduced not long after, hunting at the most intense battles of the entire series. It’s safe to say that Sung Jinwoo truly began to leave the world of human Hunters behind after Jeju Island, to ascend to something more awesome.
In a sense, Jeju Island is like the last hurrah for the human Hunters, as South Korea’s S Ranks get their biggest time to shine. That’s not to say that they won’t ever come to prominence again (they certainly do), it’s just that their power will never seem as impressive or substantial as it is on Jeju. This is another aspect of Jeju that helps it standout, because it focuses on other Hunters more than any other this side of the fight with Kargalgan.
While Jinwoo still comes in at the climax to play the hero, the majority of the arc is actually focused on the other S Ranks Hunters from South Korea and Japan. This is a welcome change of pace that makes the mission feel a bit more perilous as a result. It’s not like the S-Ranks are just damsels in distress the whole time, though. Hunters like Choi Jongin, Cha Haein, and Baek Yoonho really pull off some awesome moves and techniques that would give Jinwoo a run for his money.
RelatedIf Cha commits her full strength to the fight, she can take down even the strongest character in shonen anime.
The S-Ranks also help hone in on another part of why Jeju Island is so memorable; the political drama. In a world where Hunters have more power than any military force, S-Rank Hunters are the measure of any individual country’s influence. As Japan’s major political rival, South Korea is a roadblock to greater power for the Japanese government, and especially the Japanese Hunter’s Association. With South Korea’s S-Ranks out of the way, the country would be completely at Japan’s mercy, which ultimately makes the Jeju Island Raid a great opportunity for the Japanese Hunters to seize political power from their neighboring country.
It’s an interesting plot thread that’s really only possible to explore in the absence of Sung Jinwoo, as Solo Leveling’s protagonist tends to suck the air out of any story arc to become its focus. With Jinwoo still spending time with his family throughout the better part of the Jeju Island arc, it gives the series a chance to explore this deeper aspect of Hunter society. That political world-building is just another reason why Jeju Island sticks out to fans of Solo Leveling’s source material.
Jeju Island Introduces The Series’ Most Beloved Shadow Soldier
The Ant King is a Major Reason Why Fans Are So Hyped About Jeju
Image via DUBU (Redice Studios)
Of all the reasons Solo Leveling fans look forward to Jeju Island, one of the biggest is the arrival of the Ant King and the eventual Shadow Soldier he becomes, Beru. Even before the Ant King becomes Beru at the end of the arc, he serves as one of the most badass villains in the entire series. The Ant King is unique in that his innate skill, Gluttony, allows him to absorb the skills and knowledge of any being he devours. After devouring Min Byunggu, the Ant King even acquired the ability to speak human language, making him only the second Magic Beast in the series to do so (Esil and Barca weren’t actually speaking human language, Jinwoo only understood them because of the System).
The Ant King is a powerful and highly intelligent opponent, and his Gluttony skill makes him the only villain who can even “level up” like Jinwoo can. There’s truly no one in the Jeju Island Raid party that stands a chance against the Ant King, to the point that he even kills the strongest of their ranks, Goto Ryuji, in a matter of two blows. This makes the Ant King exceedingly exciting to watch, even before he turns into a Shadow Soldier. Of course, as great as the Ant Ming is, it’s the Ant King’s Shadow form that manhwa and light novel fans are dying to see.
RelatedSolo Leveling’s English-language publisher shares a hilarious post conveying their appreciation for main Solo Leveling voice actor Aleks Le.
Beru joins Jinwoo’s Shadow Army as his strongest soldier by far, entering as Jinwoo’s first General Grade Shadow Soldier. This blesses Beru with the ability to talk to Jinwoo even without the Gluttony skill, as he’d soon find when other Shadow Soldiers like Igris and Greed reached the same level. Beru being able to communicate in this way with Jinwoo moght be considered either a gift or a curse, depending on who’s asking. For fans, it’s definitely a gift, as Beru is easily one of the funniest characters in the series. On the other hand, it’s probably a bit of a curse for Jinwoo, since he always has to put up with Beru’s over-the-top obsessive love for him at every turn.
The Second Phase of Solo Leveling Officially Begins After Jeju
After Jeju Island, Things Escalate Fast
Solo Leveling is basically split into two acts. The first story act consists of Sung Jinwoo’s struggle to become stronger using the System, fighting through mysterious dungeons and encountering increasingly difficult threats. The second act consists of Jinwoo having officially reached the pinnacle of power as an S Rank, his new journey one of self-discovery as he uncovers the truth of the System and encounters that truth head on as Earth’s hero. As Jinwoo rescues the S-Ranks on Jeju and reveals his power to the world, the Jeju Island Raid arc becomes the definitive end of that first phase of the story and the start of its true second half.
Solo Leveling’s early arcs are all about Jinwoo finding a way to grow stronger, but its latter arcs move into the realm of overpowered fantasy in a way that few series have ever ventured to confidently approach. The stakes become higher, Jinwoo’s power becomes incomprehensible, and his enemies become Godly in proportions. While anime-only fans were already claiming Jinwoo was becoming too overpowered too quickly in Season 1, they had not even scratched the surface of what he becomes after Jeju Island’s conclusion. In a way, the series doesn’t really feel like it actually starts until this second half, because Jinwoo is not really the edgelord powerhouse manhwa and light novel readers know and love until after this quintessential moment.
RelatedJinwoo’s fight against Baran in Solo Leveling was already a standout in Season 2, but the fact it references DBZ’s Cell Saga makes it even cooler.
Because of how dramatically the second half of the series departs from that of the first, it’s often a cut-off point for many readers of the manhwa as well. After Jeju Island, Solo Leveling is less about Jinwoo leveling up and more about how he deals with the consequences of the new level of power he has reached. In that sense, it’s not even the Jeju Island arc itself that’s so highly anticipated, but what it signifies. Jeju Island signifies a major turning point for Jinwoo, the completion of Jinwoo’s main cast of beloved Shadow Soldiers, and – perhaps most of all – the beginning of the true major conflict for the series.
The Jeju Island Raid is easily one of the most exciting arcs in the series, contributing to the hype around it. Even more than the raid itself, though, what many are excited about is what reaching this point of the story means for the anime. As Season 2 has already proven, the fights just get more intense and more epic as the story goes on, and the Jeju Island Raid represents the action stepping up to yet another level.
Solo Leveling Season 2 is currently streaming on Crunchyroll.
In a world of gifted hunters and monsters, a weak hunter Sung Jin-Woo gains extraordinary powers through a mysterious program, leading him to become one of the strongest hunters and conquering even the strongest dungeons.
