Solo Leveling: Every major death from Season 1 explained

Now that Solo Leveling Season 1 has ended, it’s time to look back at every major death in the anime so far.

Solo Leveling makes it clear from the very first episode that it’s not going to be for the lighthearted. Gory, brutal, and fast-paced, the anime established the dangerous world of the story from the beginning. However, it’s not a total death fest that might make fans squeamish. Instead, Solo Leveling character deaths are used to keep the edge of the story alive.

Notorious as the “weakest hunter of all mankind”, E-rank hunter Sung Jinwoo goes on a fateful quest that changes his life forever. Faced with a brutal death, he is given a second chance with a mysterious System at his disposal that gives him challenges to become stronger. Thus begins Jinwoo’s journey from the weakest to the strongest.

There are quite a few deaths in Solo Leveling Season 1, some major and some of unnamed minor characters. It’s the major deaths in the series that make the most impact on the story. So, here are every major death in Solo Leveling Season 1 explained.

1. The hunters on the D-rank quest

The first few major deaths that happen in Solo Leveling Season 1 are memorable for one reason: it’s the turning point in the story. At the beginning of the series, Jinwoo accompanies a group of hunters to a quest in a D-rank dungeon. However, things take a turn for the worst when they find another dungeon inside.

Witnessing the Statue of God and the other statues leads to brutal massacre that leaves only a few survivors. Many hunters die after the statues systematically begin killing them. Their deaths are memorable despite all of the dead hunters of this massacre being unimportant characters because the massacre pushes the story forward and sets the tone of the series.

2. Cho Kyuhwan and Lee Chul-Jin

Cho Kyuhwan and Lee Chul-Jin are members of Dongsuk’s raid party and C-rank hunters. Kyuhwan is the Mage type who uses fire magic while Chul-Jin engages in physical fights with a dagger. Like their team leader, they are also cruel men who regularly lead unsuspecting hunters to their deaths. Jinwoo kills them and their whole team in the blink of an eye.

3. Hwang Dongsuk

Though Song Chi-Yul warns Jinwoo about lizards, the hunters who kill other hunters, it isn’t until the Lizards and Dungeons Arc that Jinwoo encounters one. Hwang Dongsuk is a C-rank hunter with a team who needs two more low-ranking hunters to go on a C-rank dungeon quest. For that, he hires Jinwoo and Jinho.

It later turns out that despite his initial amicable persona, he’s a cruel man who regularly kills other hunters by taking them on quests. Dongsuk and his team are the first humans that Jinwoo kills, something that changes the protagonist’s personality forever. Dongsuk’s death has another significance as it makes Jinwoo an enemy of a powerful S-rank hunter.

4. Kim Sang-Shik

During the massacre of the Double Dungeon, one of the very few who manage to escape is Kim Sang-Shik. He’s a D-rank hunter and a dedicated family man who risks his life for the sake of his wife and children. When the horrific events of the Double Dungeon begins, he is one of those who selfishly leaves Jinwoo and others behind to escape with his life.

Sang-Shik meets Jinwoo, Heesoo, Chi-Yul again during the Dungeon & Prisoners Arc. During this quest, he ends up witnessing Kang Tae-Shik killing the prisoners. This leads to his doom as the hunter brutally kills him and Kang Jeongho. At his last moment, he finally apologizes to Jinwoo for leaving him behind. His death has a heavy impact on Jinwoo who understands his love for family.

5. Kang Taeshik

The strongest human Jinwoo fights against in Solo Leveling Season 1 leads to one of the major deaths in the series. Kang Taeshik is an Inspector working for the Hunter Association’s Surveillance Team. He’s a B-rank hunter and an Assassin type who also works as a hitman for hire.

Taeshik is a cruel and bloodthirsty man who finds enjoyment in killing humans. He admits that despite being a hunter, he prefers to kill humans rather than monsters. Taeshik takes the job to kill three prisoners from their victim’s father and uses the dungeon to dispose of them.

After killing Sang-Shik and Jeongho who witness his murders, he fights and is ultimately killed by Jinwoo. Taeshik’s death proves how much stronger Jinwoo is than a B-rank hunter and also gets him his Stealth ability.

6. Blood-Red Commander Igris

While Taeshik is Jinwoo’s strongest human opponent in the anime yet, Igris is leagues ahead of him. After suddenly getting a job change quest, Jinwoo goes to a dungeon and encounters Blood-Red Commander Igris, the final boss of the dungeon who guards an empty throne.

Clad in blood-red armor, Igris is a force to be reckoned with. After a brutal fight, he’s ultimately killed by Jinwoo. Igris is an honorable soldier and deservedly earns the position as the first soldier in Jinwoo’s shadow army after he achieves his Necromancer ability. 

Thus, Igris’ death is by far the most significant in the series so far. It also creates the famous “arise” moment, which is another brownie point for Igris.

These are all the major deaths in Solo Leveling Season 1. There are sure to be more in Solo Leveling Season 2 which is finally confirmed by Crunchyroll with the official title Solo Leveling: Arise from the Shadow. Until Season 2 is released, check out our other guides on who is the strongest hunter in Solo Leveling, and the best anime like Solo Leveling.