The second season ofSolo Levelingis continuing to makepretty big changes from the webtoon/manhwa, for better or for worse.There are very few, if any, anime adaptations that perfectly represent the source material they come from. Most series make a few small changes along the way for the better. The medium of anime is different from text, and certain story elements need to be portrayed in a different light, forcing creators to make changes.
The changes inSolo Levelingare odd, however, because they don’t seem to be that necessary. There have been a range of changes from the source material that bring up a fair number of questions. These changes are pretty large too, making fans look at the story from a different perspective that wasn’t originally included in the webtoon.
Solo Leveling Is Still Breaking Records
Solo Leveling Is An Anime On Another Level
Even with all the changes being made,Solo Levelingis crushing it in the numbers department. It has broken record after record, and somehow, the record-breaking train isn’t stopping any time soon. The first season ofSolo LevelingsmashedJujutsu Kaisen’srecord for the most likes on the popular streaming platform Crunchyroll.
In the first two days the first season premiered,Solo Levelinggot over 114,00 likes. Somehow,the premiere of the second seasonwas even more popular than the first,garnering 129,000 likes in a single day.That’s even more likes in even less time, showing that not only isSolo Levelingretaining its value, but the series is only getting better.
With all the changes being made to the series, it’s hard to tell whether the show is worse or better off because of them. With all the success the anime is getting, it can be easy to say that the changes are good. TheSolo Levelingwebtoon, however, was already one of the most popular webtoons of all time before the anime was even announced.
The Webtoon Goes In A Different Direction
The Webtoon Paints Some Of The Characters In A Much Different Light
The webtoon goes in a fairly different direction than the anime during a couple of key moments. One of the largest changes between the two was the episode dedicated to Sung Jinwoo and his mother. The whole premise of the anime adaptation ofSolo Levelingwas for Jinwoo to get strong enough to acquire the Elixir of Life and heal his mother.
When he finally achieved his goal, it wasone of the most emotional moments in the series.He finally revived his mother from her brutal illness and brought his family back together. The webtoon spends a decent amount of time on this moment, but not as much time as the anime.
The anime spent an entire episode on Jinwoo healing his mom.A lot of fans complainedabout the time this moment took up, but it made since given how significant this goal has been to Jinwoo on his journey. Even with this moment stretched out,Solo Levelingis adapting its source material at a rapid pace, looking to finish the Jeju Island Arc before the second season comes to an end.
The Japanese Hunters Are Much More Evil In The Webtoon
They’re Looking Forward To The Downfall Of The Korean Hunters
One of the biggest changes in the second season revolves around the Japanese Hunters. They’re a large part of the Jeju Island Arc, and in the webtoon, they’re a lot more nefarious than their anime counterparts. The changes start right as the new group of Hunters gets introduced to the series.
In the webtoon, they’re shown to be much more vicious. They look down on the Korean Hunters from the moment they see them, and in terms of strength, they’re not entirely wrong. During their sparring match, the Japanese Hunters are relishing the defeat of their Korean counterparts, but not in the anime.
Solo Leveling Season 2 Brings Its Biggest Villain to Life With Episode 23 Promo
Solo Leveling season 2 is one of anime’s biggest new gen releases, and this teaser for episode 23 shows that the series is going to get even better.
The anime doesn’t give the Japanese Hunters much of a personality at all.They’re powerful, but that’s about it. It makes sense in a way, as the anime is adapting so much of the source material, it might not have had time to focus on the Japanese Hunters as individuals. Still, it would have been a welcome addition, especially considering what happens later in the arc.
Goto Ryuji Faced Death In The Webtoon
Goto Ryuji is the strongest Hunter in Japan and one ofthe strongest Hunters inSolo Leveling. When he’s first introduced to the series, he’s stronger than every Hunter in Korea by some distance (before Jinwoo’s true strength is revealed). He’s shown to be a Stoic character most of the time, but underneath his calm and composed demeanor is a nasty attitude.
Goto Ryuji looks down on the Korean Hunters immensely. He was working with the Chairman of the Japanese Hunter Associationto take down the Korean’s best Hunters indirectly,which is a large plot point of the Jeju Island Arc thatSolo Leveling’sanime skips entirely.
The Japanese want to make the Koreans weaker. They’re using the Jeju Island Raid as a way of thinning out Korea’s best Hunters, a point that isn’t revealed in the anime until much later. It’s an odd omission that doesn’t really make much sense in hindsight, as when the Japanese Hunters are inevitably killed by the Ant King, it won’t be satisfying like it was in the webtoon.
The Japanese Hunters' Deaths Will Be Much Less Satisfying In The Anime
Since They Aren’t As Villainous, Viewers Don’t Have A Reason To Root Against Them
The Ant King is the strongest enemy any Hunter has faced since Kamish himself. He’s so strong that not even Japan’s best Hunter, Goto Ryuji, stood a chance against him. Not only did Ryuji get obliterated by the Ant King, but most of Japan’s strongest Hunters couldn’t even look at the Ant King before they were beheaded.
The fact that the Japanese Huntersweren’t as evil in theSolo Levelinganime makes their deaths worse.If they were morally worse characters, like they were in the webtoon, it would have made their deaths a lot more important and satisfying to the story overall. Instead, they are nowhere near as significant as they could have been.
The second season ofSolo Levelinglooks like it will end with the best arc in the entire series, the Jeju Island Arc. The Jeju Island Arc isSolo Levelingat its best for a few reasons, and in the webtoon, one of those reasons was seeing the look on the Chairman of the Japanese Hunter’s Association’s face when he realized that not only did he lose his best Hunters, but Korea has an even stronger one up their sleeve.
