Premiere Date
12-07-2025
Warning: The following contains spoilers for Solo Leveling Season 2: Arise from the Shadow, now streaming onCrunchyroll.
Recently, I wrote about the appeal ofSolo Leveling, having previously found its monumental success somewhat confusing given the simplicity of its premise and the ubiquity of its tropes.The feature was ultimately an appraisalof the anime’s aesthetic strengths, with that very simplicity - in tandem with strong audio/visual presentation - at the heart of its appeal.
Funnily, almost immediately after that feature was written, the first English-dubbed episode of Season 2 dropped, and it’s a bit staggering how much the show stepped up its game. The premiere ofArise from the Shadowmay start just like any other episode, but by the end, it somehow managed to feel bigger and bolder than the entirety of the first season combined.
How Season 2 “Levels Up”
For die-hard fans, it might not come as an improvement so much as the logical upgrade, but there are a lot of factors at play that give Season 2 an advantage from the get-go.Game Rant’s own Naledi Ramphele just wrote about ithimself, largely focusing on the differences in pacing, tone, and characterization as compared to the original manhwa. This piece, on the other hand, is mostly going to focus solely on the anime.
Season 1 found success most obviously due to the strength of its animation and sound design, the latter of which was greatly aided byHiroyuki Sawano’s finely crafted, hype-inducing score. Additionally, the power fantasy at the heart of its narrative, and the story of self-improvement/ wish fulfillment embodied through the protagonist, Jinwoo Sung, was a big draw.
Specifically for fans of the source material though,Solo Levelingmust have felt like a revelation to an audience that was used to being disappointed with most manhwa adaptations. WithArise from the Shadow,Solo Levelingdemonstrated that it wasn’t merely a one-hit wonder but rather primed to go even bigger with its sequel. Almost immediately, the anime is far more engaging than usual, not through any major shift in direction, but simply by having a lot more… stuff.
Escalation Across the Board
Barely halfway into the premiere,an unforeseen complication throws Jinwoo, Song-yi, and a group of hunters of varying ranks into a frozen forest unlike any dungeon seen before. The resulting chaos not only puts pressure on Jinwoo to balance survival versus discretion but also draws the attention of powerful players responding to the incident outside the gate.All the while, the antagonists within the Red Gateexhibit so much more personality and sentience.
At the end of Season 1, Igris the Bloodred was the first foe to show even a trace of personality, with a quiet cockiness reminiscent of Nelo Angelo fromDevil May Cry, and the unforgettable strength to back it up. Season 2 wastes no time demonstrating that this would not be an isolated incident. The ice elves might be minor villains, but their leader Barca has a phenomenal screen presence compared to any monster that preceded him, no matter how imposing.
Best of all, by the end of the Red Gate arc,Jinwoo’s army of shadows displays some personalitythemselves, injecting some well-needed levity in addition to creating dynamism in battle. This concept is made even more interesting when Jinwoo subtly kills Kim Chul in self-defense and makes him a part of his army. The fact that Iron’s personality reflects the man he was in life is both a sly dig at Kim and a clever articulation of Jinwoo’s power. Kim Chul literally became a shadow of himself.
What Makes It Better Than Season 1?
Everything described above contributes to the feeling thatSolo Levelingis becoming a more chaotic, complicated, and intriguing narrative, which feels much more cohesive on the whole. In the first season,every scene featuring the S-rank Huntersfelt questionable in its necessity, like it was more fan service for manhwa readers than it was necessary for newcomers. The underlying plot involving their investigation of Jeju Island never could dig its hooks in because it didn’t feel important, much less connected to Jinwoo’s story in any meaningful way.
That changes immediately in Season 2. Between the signs that the mysterious “System” is hiding some deeper truth from Jinwoo to the signs of monsters from Jeju Island evolving, both sides of the narrative suddenly click. If that weren’t enough, Jinwoo is well and truly on the S-Ranks’ radars as early as Episode 14. He’s not just steadily gaining power anymore; he’s gotten to a level where he cannot remain invisible, which invites stronger, unique threats.
It’s no great mystery why this is all happening now. From a writing standpoint, it’s natural to see the stakes raised in the continuation of a popular story, especially once there’s less exposition needed to explain the rules. In that vein,Solo Levelinggot the hard part done last season, but it also improved the pacing, meaning that what exposition persists feels less cumbersome with more emotion driving the rest of the narrative.
How Jinwoo Improves as a Lead
Don’t mistake Season 2’s charm for simply a greater abundance of plot, though. Jinwoo is made that little bit more interesting thanks to how the story begins to suggest the cost of this great power he has acquired. He’s closer than ever to being able to cure his mom, but the way he hungers for battle and the concerning darkness in his gaze when he does so begs to question what lies ahead when he’s accomplished his mission.
Sure, this doesn’t exactly come as a surprise. A darker twist was to be expected of a story that solely articulates a hero’s rise through something as vague and corrupting as “power” alone, butit’s Jinwoo’s lingering humanity that makes the journey interesting. He retains the kindness that has always made him likable, and the performance - especially by Aleks Le in English - lends him further depth that the script alone might have otherwise struggled to conjure.
All this is to say that - as of the time of writing -Solo Leveling’s biggest problems from Season 1 have been largely addressed in its sequel, and to great effect. The action is even bigger and better than before, and the building intrigue surrounding the larger narrative only makes these battles hit harder and therefore, Jinwoo’s journey more engaging.
The Lessons Learned from Season 2
There are two lessons to be learned here. First, this anime could have benefited greatly from tighter pacing at the very beginning, which might have led to events like the Red Gate arc happening sooner andleaving Season 1 off on a stronger cliffhanger. The second and far more important lesson, however, is also a familiar one that might contradict the first: sometimes even a good show needs time to find its footing. It’s something true of a lot of good TV.
If you haven’t givenSolo Levelinga shot, or possibly tried it and found it lacking, Season 2 is the best reason to give it another go. In a way, it feels like the true beginning of the story, with the foundation firmly laid and plenty of surprises left in store. As someone who was previously quite skeptical of this series, that tune has completely changed.Solo Leveling: Arise from the Shadowhas thus far been a very fun time worthy of the hype.
