Is the ‘Solo Leveling’ Manhwa Finished? Answered

I’m hot on the Solo Leveling trail. I can almost smell the answers. It seems like goblin sweat and orc butt. But I’m gonna see this job through to the very end. Because tha’t’s what it MEANS to be an S-Rank Hunter. I will find out about the Manhwa’s ending.

I can’t wait for the anime to roll out. They’re only on episode four! I’ve gotta move faster. That’s why I’m hopping in my car, blasting the show’s opening theme on repeat, and driving in one direction until I hit a building, a ditch, a small pond, or maybe some ANSWERS.

What is Solo Leveling about?

Solo Leveling is an anime set in a fantasy world about about Jinwoo, an E-rank Hunter (totally trash tier), who sets out on a quest to become a God-tier S-rank Hunter, earning him respect and renown! After running afoul of some particularly nasty baddies in a dungeon, the hunter is saved from death by a mysterious magical program called “The System,” which chooses him to be its “Player.” What does this mean? It means that every time our hero slays a monster or completes a quest, The System will reward him with experience points that allow him to level up his stats. Just like a real-life fantasy video game!

What does the internet have to say about the manhwa?

According to the digiverse, the manhwa has indeed come to an end. After 179 chapters, the series ended in a controversial (some would say “underwhelming”) finale.

Spoilers ahead!

At the climax of the series, Jinwoo faces off against Antares, the Monarch of Destruction. After initially trying to tempt Jinwoo with the promise of power if the two joined forces, Antares then turned into a giant dragon to end Jinwoo for good. Jinwoo was able to land a decisive blow against the dragon using his father’s dagger, and victory was achieved. Sounds great, right? Super climactic?

Well, no. Because Jinwoo’s attack only bought time for some other people to kill the dragon. The all-powerful Rulers came in at the last moment to land a killing blow against Antares. While some fans were satisfied, others saw it as a massive deus ex machina that effectively rendered Jinwoo’s journey meaningless.

To make things even worse, Jinwoo decided to use the mythical Cup of Reincarnation after his battle with the dragon in order to resurrect everybody. Don’t get me wrong; it’s a major bummer that his father and Adam died—along with other companions that he made along the journey—but bringing them all back at the end of the series made many fans feel like it made their sacrifices meaningless.

And when I mean he brought everyone back, I mean everyone. The Cup of Resurrection even brought back Antares! Then, the end-game leveled up Jinwoo goes back in time and beats all the Monarchs and Antares again, but we don’t even get to see it!? What gives!? Why make him fight everyone a second time? Why redo the journey but make everyone come out okay in the end? Stories are supposed to be messy because life is messy. And when art isn’t true to life, it doesn’t affect us nearly as much as the art that is.

(featured image: A-1 Pictures and Crunchyroll)

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Sarah Fimm

Sarah Fimm (they/them) is actually nine choirs of biblically accurate angels crammed into one pair of $10 overalls. They have been writing articles for nerds on the internet for less than a year now. They really like anime. Like... REALLY like it. Like you know those annoying little kids that will only eat hotdogs and chicken fingers? They're like that... but with anime. It's starting to get sad.