Solo Leveling has quickly become one of the most popular anime series in the world, with the first two seasons receiving thunderous applause from fans. The story of Sung Jinwoo going from a weak E-Rank Hunter into the Player of the System has resonated with fans, and they can’t wait for season 3 of the series to continue seeing Jinwoo take down stronger and more dangerous threats.
However, one concern with the manga that fans can’t seem to shake is that Sung Jinwoo is just too powerful. He is essentially the Saitama of the Solo Leveling universe, ridiculously powerful and impossible to defeat. While this does make Jinwoo look badass, it also makes the story a little predictable, with no real tension. To elevate the story to the next level, Solo Leveling season 3 would need to up the challenge for Jinwoo and make the side characters more active and powerful so that they could take on potential threats on their own without needing Jinwoo to step in and save the day.
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Sung Jinwoo Redefines Power Scaling
The title Solo Leveling literally reflects the idea of one man soloing his entire verse alone, and Sung Jinwoo embodies that concept. Once a weak E-Rank hunter, Jinwoo was chosen as a Player of the Architect’s System, giving him the ability to grow in strength infinitely. There is no limit to his power, while every other character in the series has a ceiling.
The System also chose Jinwoo as the vessel to the Shadow Monarch Ashborn, handing him a plethora of powerful abilities, making him even more powerful. Jinwoo has immeasurable strength, speed, and durability, can open gates to other worlds, summon shadow soldiers, and add anyone he defeats as a shadow soldier in his shadow army. He is immune to ageing and poisons due to his Longevity and Detoxification abilities. On top of all that, as the Second Shadow Monarch, he also has the Monarch’s Domain and Ruler’s Authority, making him the strongest being in the universe bar none.
So far in the two seasons, Jinwoo has effortlessly defeated all his opponents, even making quick work of a formidable enemy like the Ant King, who killed multiple S-rank hunters during the Jeju Island raid. Jinwoo’s fight with the Ant King is legendary, as despite how powerful the enemy is, Jinwoo effortlessly kills him before resurrecting him as a shadow soldier named Beru.
The Problem Jinwoo’s Strength Causes
The problem with having an overpowered protagonist like Jinwoo is that it makes the side characters damn near useless and the villains nothing more than just punching bags. With Jinwoo’s power increasing so rapidly, it makes his allies fall short and end up being no match for the exceedingly powerful enemies he faces. It is the same problem faced with series like Dragon Ball, where Goku and Vegeta’s god-like power renders the rest of the Z fighters to fodder whom the enemy toys with until the main show begins.
During the Jeju Island arc, characters like Cha Hae-In and Goto Ryuji were literally one-shot by the Ant King, only for Jinwoo to arrive and wipe the floor with him. By Season 3, when enemies like Rakan and Baran take the stage, there’ll be no room for the other S-Rank Hunters to contribute anything to the fights. This risks making the narrative feel repetitive, as the audience kinda already expects Jinwoo to appear and deal with the enemy if the Hunters are in trouble. It undercuts any real sense of danger, since no matter who the enemy is, they’re ultimately no match for Jinwoo’s overwhelming power.
Can Season 3 Fix Jinwoo’s Power Scaling Issue?
The only way to fix the power imbalance between Jinwoo and the supporting characters is to give the supporting characters some individual battles to shine in. In the final episode of Solo Leveling season 2, we saw National Level Hunter Liu Zhigang defeating hundreds of ants with a single strike. Jinwoo’s father, Sung Il-Hwan, also made a brief appearance in the finale. Considering that he is one of the strongest Hunters in the series, it’ll be interesting to see him shine in the upcoming season.
The story needs to focus more on the supporting characters, while leaving Jinwoo as a final detonator for villains who are in a league of their own. Jinwoo can be shown to be predisposed to fighting a stronger enemy, while his fellow Hunters deal with the remaining threats. In series like One Punch Man, the fact that every side character, such as Genos and Mumen Rider, fights like their life depends on it until Saitama arrives is what makes the story feel so much more realised. Solo Levelling can give its supporting cast some moments to shine as well, without taking too much focus away from Jinwoo.
What the Creators Are Saying About Season 3
The entire team behind season 2 was thrilled with the response it got from fans worldwide, and producers Sota Furuhashi and Atsushi Kaneko have asked for support from fans if they’re going to make season 3. Their statement reads:
“Do you know Dragon Ball’s Genki-dama (Spirit Bomb)? We need your energy! If we’re going to make a Season 3, it’s going to take all the support and energy from the fans. I learned that from Akira Toriyama himself! May the great Akira Toriyama Rest in Peace.”
Fans would have to wait a while for season 3 of Solo Leveling to drop, as the creators of the series are committed to making it the best it can be. Kaneko has stated that every episode took around 10 months to complete, and the production and dubbing process can even stretch up to 12 months. However, Kaneko is confident in the vision of director Shunsuke Nakashige, as he’s also the one who directed the first two seasons that were received so well by fans, especially season 2.
The production team behind Solo Leveling seems to care about adapting the property in the best way possible, making the necessary changes while not straying from the main storyline too much. So, it is likely that they will recognise the problem with Jinwoo’s infinite strength and will devise a workaround to make the story more interesting and keep some tension in the series. For now, fans will just have to trust the process and patiently wait for season 3.
