Solo Levelling Season 2 premiere recap – Jinwoo is more powerful than ever

Solo Leveling hit the anime stage in 2024 with massive impact, becoming one of the most popular and critically acclaimed anime of the year.

Based on the Korean web novel, it tells the story of a fragile boy, Sung Jinwoo, living in a world where value correlates to strength. Suddenly given the ability to level up, he finds himself rapidly advancing in an increasingly dangerous, violent, and bleak world.

The hugely popular premiere season ended with Jinwoo coming into his own. Barely recognizable from the frail and afraid character seen in Episode 1, he ends the season with his a shadow army under his command, headed by the intimidating commander Igris. 

Fans have been waiting nervously for almost a year to find out what happens next for Jinwoo, and the Season 2 premiere certainly did not disappoint.

The Red Gate

Jinwoo graces our screens more confident and strikingly handsome than ever (and somehow taller,) joining a mixed team of mostly A and B ranks to enter a C-Rank gate in order to show one of his sister’s classmates the gruelling reality of becoming a hunter. What is supposed to be a simple assignment quickly turns sinister, however.

Upon entering, the gate is sealed off and turns red, much to the horror of both those inside and outside. Things quickly escalate as the team is ambushed by a group of Ice Elves, killing one hunter immediately. It seems that red gates are worse than anything seen yet, locking our heroes in completely isolated dungeon filled with much more powerful monsters.

No one may leave or enter until the dungeon boss is killed.

Crunchyroll

The self-proclaimed leader of the expedition, an arrogant A-Rank hunter called Kim Chul, decides their chances are best if they trim off the fat and separates the group into the strong and the weak. Of course, as an E-Rank, our hero ends up on the weak side, much to the fortune of those he is with. Things don’t go nearly as well for those stuck with Kim Chul.

Jinwoo tries out his new army

As expected, Jinwoo easily dispatches the initial wave of enemies, utilizing for the first time his undead army of shadow soldiers against an army of Ice Bears, and having Igris behead their leader in what makes for a very entertaining battle. His gaining control of Igris can be seen as incredible luck, as the loyal knight’s strength still seems to far surpass Jinwoo’s at this point. The supposedly ‘stronger’ team does not fare quite so well, with the detestable A rank being the only survivor.

It becomes rapidly apparent throughout the episode just how overpowered Jinwoo’s ‘Arise’ ability is, as almost every enemy he conquers goes on to join his ranks as a loyal soldier. Now, not only does he have an army of shadow soldiers and Igris, but also an army of arisen ice bears to fight on his behalf.

The animation during all of this is truly phenomenal and worthy of praise, an apt reward for what’s become a highly anticipated second season. If this is anything to go by, the rest of the Solo Leveling’s adaptation will be a real treat for fans.

Who is after Jinwoo in Solo Leveling?

While Jinwoo and co are fighting for their lives in the red gate, they have fortunately been sealed off from an even greater terror on the other side (it turns out for every day that passes in the gate, only one hour passes in the real world.) 

S-Rank hunter Hwang Dongsoo is out for revenge for the killing of his brother in an earlier episode and has made his way to the gate to murder Jinwoo, finding much to his annoyance that he cannot cross the red gate.

It is abundantly clear that the foes Jinwoo is currently facing are nothing compared to the man who is out to kill him. So, in the end, the red gate was a blessing to Jinwoo. However, it is only delaying the inevitable.

What’s next?

Crunchyroll

The episode ends with Jinwoo thanking his new loyal servant Igris for his help, exuding ever-increasing confidence in his combat abilities and tools at his disposal. Meanwhile, the morale and heart of the A-Rank is crushed as what remains of his team is brutally murdered by the Ice Elves.

These creepy monsters will no doubt be Jinwoo’s next adversary, with their daunting leader most likely being the dungeon boss that will secure their escape. As it stands however, a considerable force would be required to overcome the shadow army Jinwoo is amassing, and it seems somewhat unlikely that any monster, even those as horrifying as the Ice Elves, will be up to the task.

It was a very fun and eventful return to the world of Solo Leveling, with everything from great action to unexpected humour and still many unanswered questions. We cannot wait for more, so make sure to check for a new Solo Leveling episode every Saturday on Crunchyroll and check back here for your weekly recap.

In the meantime, if you’re a Solo Leveling: Arise player, check out our tier list of the best hunter characters you can get in the game.