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WARNING: The following contains spoilers for the Solo Leveling Manhwa
At the time of writing, we are midway through the second season ofSolo Leveling.Jinwoo’s battle as the new S-Rank hunter in South Korea is still going strong in this anime adaptation. But what if you may’t wait to find out more about Jinwoo and his Shadow Soldiers? Well, you can read the original webtoon. After all, Jinwoo has already completed his story there. But what if you have already finished the originalSolo Levelingwebtoon and stillstarving for moreSolo Levelingcontent?
Well, most people may not realize it butSolo Levelingactually has a sequel. It’s calledSolo Leveling: Ragnarok.That being said, while the story is a direct continuation of the original, the sequel is actually made by a different writer and a different artist. So, is theSolo Levelingsequel as good as the original? And the more important question is, should you read it?
Solo Leveling: Ragnarok
What’s This Sequel All About?
The story ofSolo Leveling: Ragnarokcenters around Sung Jinwoo’s son, Sung Suho. When Suho was in high school, his parents—Sung Jinwoo and Cha Hae-In—vanished without a trace, leaving him to live with his aunt and uncle.
Unlike Jinwoo’s original world, the world of Ragnarok has never been plagued by dungeons and monsters. That is until the time when Suho is about to graduate from high school. Countless people from all over the world suddenly undergo an Awakening. Soon after, dungeons that contain dangerous monsters and precious resources appear all over the place. This strange phenomenon eventually led to the formation ofa new profession called the Hunters.Unfortunately, Suho himself is not among the Awakened people.
That is until a group of Hunters who are infected by a new kind of monster wreaks havoc near his campus. Despite having no magical powers whatsoever, Suho still tries to save his classmate who is about to be beaten by one of those infected hunters. That’s when a dialog box pops up in front of Sung Suho. Written inside the box is this simple question: “You have earned the right to become a player, do you accept it?”
“This situation…this is similar to that dream. If I can become like that dream, is there any reason not to accept it in this desperate situation? I accept.”
—Sung Suho, Chapter 1
At that precise moment, Sung Suho is awakened as an E-Rank Hunter. So begins Suho’s journey asa hunter who can keep leveling up,just like his father. Along the way, he will learn about the reasons why his parents went missing and the sinister forces that want to destroy the Earth.
Like Boruto - But Better
Solo Leveling: Ragnarokis not the first story that put the son of the hero from the original series as the main character for the sequel. Other stories have used this premise before.The most popular one of them all is Boruto.While the two series share some common story elements,Solo Leveling: Ragnarokis arguably a better version of Boruto.
The Case Against Boruto
One of the biggest criticisms of Boruto is how much it nerfed Naruto and other characters from the original series. Naruto was basically a demi-God at the end of the series, yet he barely qualified as a Hokage in the sequel. Meanwhile, Boruto either inherits or stumbles upon so many powerups that it makes him unnecessarily powerful.
When Naruto was his son’s age, he was still struggling to master the way to walk on water and had to go on missions where he struggled against mid-level ninjas. Boruto, on the other hand, gets to fight powerful aliens and survives to tell the tale. In my humble opinion, this absurd power-scaling andthe tendency to always try to outdo the previous generationstakes the enjoyment out of the story.
The Case For Solo Leveling: Ragnarok
That is not the case at all with Ragnarok. Here, Sung Suho is awakened as an E-Rank hunter and has to slowly climb the ladder, just like his father used to do. What about Sung Jinwoo? Well,the Monarch of Shadows has basically become the new Godfor this universe. His son, S-Rank hunters, monsters, and other high-level beings on Earth can’t even touch Jinwoo’s left toe. That’s how powerful our hero has become, just like how he was at the end of the originalSolo Leveling.
It’s true that Suho has some advantages that his father didn’t have, but his road to power is still as long and as painful as his father’s. He nearly lost his life in the C-Rank dungeons and he is powerless against A-Rank hunters, yet he keeps pushing in order to get stronger. That makes following his journey as exciting as following Jinwoo’s journey in the original story.
Different Characters & Different Fighting Styles
Another thing that makes following Suho’s journey so interesting is the fact that he has a different fighting style from Jinwoo. After all,a person’s approach to combatis shaped by their personality, upbringing, and preferences. Nowhere is this more evident than in this series. They share similar skills and tendencies, but their approach to combat couldn’t be more different.
The Way of an Assassin
Jinwoo spends a considerable amount of time at the bottom of the barrel. He struggles against low-level monsters and often leaves the dungeon with multiple injuries. Despite his lack of power, he still tries his best to be a hunter because he wants to provide a better life for his sister and pay for her mother’s hospital bills.
He can’t afford to stay still and spend a long time on a single opponent. He needs to defeat as many enemies as possible and do so as quickly and as swiftly as possible. That’s whyhe becomes an assassinwho fights with twin daggers and commands an army of powerful shadow soldiers.
The Way of a Brawler
Compared to his calm and introverted father, Sung Suho is an outgoing young man who always tackles everything head-on. He is ready to stand up against bullies and won’t hesitate to help the victim of injustice. Unlike his father, Suho doesn’t really have people that he absolutely needs to protect, which means he is free to go all out without a care in the world.
Before he awakens as a hunter, Suho is pursuing his dream of becoming an artist. His creative mind always tries to find different ways to achieve the result he envisions. His personality, environment, and preferences eventually mold him intoa brawler who fights with his fistsand always finds new ways to utilize his shadow soldiers.
Is Solo Leveling: Ragnarok as Good as the Original?
So, isSolo Leveling: Ragnarokas good as the originalSolo Leveling?Well, it’s still a bit too soon to give that verdict. But one thing’s for sure, the sequel is undoubtedly as entertaining to read as the original. It has the perfect combination of novelty and familiarity in it.
The story is familiar enough so thatthe fans of the original can seamlessly enter the story and feel at home.But there are enough novelties in it to make the story feel fresh and different from the original. So, the last question is, should you read the sequel? If you like the original, then yes, you should definitely readSolo Leveling: Ragnarok.
