Solo Levelinghas enjoyed near unparalleled success since debuting during the winter 2024 anime season. Coming along and stealing the spotlight from other established titles in the industry, studio A-1 Pictures' latest energetic battle fantasy seriesbuilt itself quite a fan base over the course of its first season. Just a year later, its popularity was sent to another level with season two, andafter sweeping the 2025 Crunchyroll Anime Awards, it seems nothing can stopSolo Leveling’s upward momentum.
However, the series isn’t perfect. Season two was defined by its breathtakingly impressive visual quality and fights that pumped upSolo Leveling’s ever-growing fan base, but it alsointroduced a few issues into the anime. Sung Jinwoo reached an all-new level of strength and began recruiting more powerful shadows to his ranks, kicking up the action while pulling off flashier moves in battle.But that’s exactly why season one was better than season two, and why the series might be in some trouble moving forward.
Solo Leveling Has a Power Scaling Problem
The Hit Anime Series Might Have Made Its Hero a Bit Too Strong
When Sung Jinwoo was first introduced to the audience,he was known as ‘The Weakest Hunter in the World’. Grading out as an E-Rank, the lowest level a person can rank and qualify as a Hunter, he wasn’t very useful during raids. His accomplishments amounted to little more than surviving various confrontations, making his being chosen by the System a moment that was incredibly easy to cheer for. Anime fans love a good underdog story, and were given one with Jinwoo.
Despite having access to the System,Solo Leveling’s protagonist still had to work to become stronger, resulting in Jinwoo becoming even more of a likable character. His progress and victories in battle became moments of catharsis for viewers, who couldn’t help but be won over by the one-time Weakest Hunter in the World’s journey of leveling up. By the timehe faced off against Igrisin season one’s climactic final battle, Jinwoo was far from the incompetent fighter he once was.
However, his jump in strength might have happened just a bit too quickly. Following the Job Change that saw Jinwoo take on the Necromancer class, he was given the ability to recruit shadows into his army, starting with the incredibly powerful Igris. Once season two picks up,he’s far stronger than any other Hunter featured in the series to that point, and no presence he faces is much of a challenge anymore.
The overpowered protagonistisn’t all that uncommon, especially for the genreSolo Levelinginhabits,but Jinwoo’s strength effectively takes any of the tension out of the series' fights. They may be beautiful to watch, but they aren’t exactly nail-biting experiences. Even the battle with Beru that capped off season two wasn’t entirely difficult for Jinwoo, ending with him walking away relatively unscathed and with a new powerful shadow to boot. In contrast, the fight with Igris during season one was a suspenseful battle to the death.
Sung Jinwoo Was Better Off as the Underdog
Solo Leveling’s Protagonist Has Become Too Powerful, and the Stakes Have All But Disappeared
Jinwoo absolutely dominating any opposition that makes itself known may not be an issue to some, and others might even enjoy watching him put his powers to work in one-sided fights.Solo Levelingnever fails to deliver an impressive action sequence, and with the success the series has seen thus far, it can be assumed that any further entry into the series will look even better. But so long as Jinwoo continues leveling up, completely outmatching his opponents in battle,the series will have a difficult time setting any stakes.
The Monarchs to comewill certainly offer more of a challenge than anyone else currently in the series, though it takes some time forSolo Levelingto have them face-off against its hero. With the story left to cover, anime fanslikely won’t set their eyes on either the Frost or Beast Monarchs in action until a future season four. Until that point, there shouldn’t be much that could cause Jinwoo to break a sweat.
It isn’t so much thatSolo Leveling’s protagonist is overpoweredas it is his enemies being underpowered. A character like Goku works because, despite his being unfathomably strong, there’s always a new villain even more powerful than he is. IfDragon Ball’s leading hero wasn’t offered much of a challenge after defeating someone like Frieza, there wouldn’t have been a point to the series continuing. It can be argued that the only thing keepingSolo Levelinggoing is the sense of mystery, but even that was stronger during its first season.
Solo Leveling Isn’t Without Its Flaws
Anime’s Latest Mega-Hit Is Good, But Not Perfect
A rather large and loud portion of the anime communitywasn’t very happy whenSolo Levelingtook home the Anime of the Year Awardat Crunchyroll’s annual Anime Awards in May. Many felt the seriesrobbed the breakout hitFrieren: Beyond Journey’s End, while others simply believed the show was unworthy of such a title. WhileSolo Levelingmay have its flaws, it’s practically undeniable that the series was at least deserving of being in the conversation for this past year’s top anime.
Solo Levelingis a feast for the eyes, and its action and general premise keep the series interesting enough to keep fans invested. It might lack the tension or stakes that other titles in a similar genre might offer, but to claim the anime is undeserving of its latest awardis to dismiss its strengths entirely, of which there are many.
Unfortunately,Solo Levelingseems to have sacrificed the suspense and stakes it kept during its first season for one-sided battles starring one of anime’s most overpowered heroes. Countless fans won’t take issue with such a development, but there are sure to be some disappointed by the series' new direction.Season three may be as far away as 2028, which leaves A-1 Pictures plenty of time to find a way to keep its latest hit series interesting, despite Jinwoo’s lack of competition.
Solo Leveling
Cast
Solo Leveling follows Sung Jin-woo, the world’s weakest hunter, who gains extraordinary powers through a mysterious program after surviving a brutal monster attack. As he navigates his newfound abilities, Jinwoo embarks on a quest to uncover the secrets of his powers and the dungeon that altered his fate.
