Solo Leveling season 2 has begun airing. Two episodes in, and the series has received an amazing response. However, there are plenty of differences between the anime and the manga. While it is natural for the anime to compress or change a few sequences, Solo Leveling: Arise completely glosses over one major scene in the manga.

Episode 2 of Solo Leveling season 2 featured an awesome battle against the ice elves, but also the betrayal of Kim Chul the A-rank hunter who resented Jinwoo. In the episode, Jinwoo is driven to kill the hunter to save himself, later turning him into a shadow. But did Jinwoo really have to kill Kim Chul?
Sung Jinwoo’s Role in Kim Chul’s Murder Was Sugarcoated in Solo Leveling: Arise Episode 2

From the very beginning, Kim Chul has been a bully and a brat. He discriminated against weaker hunters and only enrolled the strongest in his team, leaving the rest to die. In episode 2 of Solo Leveling season 2, Kim Chul saw how the presumably weaker team was doing better than his and could not hold back his jealousy and murderous attitude. He decided to kill Jinwoo, which made the latter attack in defense.
However, the sequence is not so straightforward in the manhwa. In chapter 43 of Solo Leveling, Jinwoo had planned to provoke Kim Chul from the start. The anime might have made it look like Jinwoo was only trying to protect himself, but the reality is completely different. Jinwoo knew that he needed a stronger shadow to defeat Baruka. Thus, he purposely kicked the sword in Chul’s direction.
Chul used the same sword to attack Jinwoo which would later lead to his demise. In the anime, it is almost impossible to notice that Jinwoo kicked the sword purposely, and his monologue is also cut off. The anime is actively working to make sure that Jinwoo is not seen as a morally grey character, even though he just killed a person for his profit.
Was Jinwoo killing Kim Chul Justified?
Let’s first look at the facts before you hop on to say Jinwoo is a murderer or Kim Chul deserved to die. Kim Chul abandoned the hunters, who he thought were weak. It is akin to a death sentence, and the lower-ranking hunters would have died unless Jinwoo was there. Who knows how many times he has done this to other hunters?
Kim Chul’s entire group was exterminated and when he found that the other team had supplies, he lost his mind. He charged at the group with his sword, intent on killing Jinwoo right then and there. Jinwoo did not kill him then, even though he had a great chance and could have called it self-defense. This proves that Jinwoo did not hold any personal malice against Kim Chul. But when Baruka proved to be too strong for him to defeat, circumstances changed.

Yes, Jinwoo kicked the sword toward Kim Chul but had the latter decided to give up on his pettiness and engage with the real enemy instead, it would have gotten him out of the dungeon alive. But Jinwoo correctly guessed the nature of the arrogant hunter. As expected, Chul took the sword and attacked Jinwoo giving him the excuse he needed to kill the hunter.
Jinwoo had probably realized that keeping the hunter alive probably wasn’t worth it, and he would only hamper others. Additionally, he might also blab to the world about Jinwoo, and even exaggerate his tales. Nothing good would have come out of leaving him alive. Additionally, defeating Baruka was an immediate necessity, one that called for a stronger shadow.
Thus, Jinwoo did what he could in the situation. He coldly calculated how to bait Kim Chul and then acquired a new shadow. After all, what happens in the dungeon stays in the dungeon. In the end, Jinwoo remains a morally grey character who needs to make necessary sacrifices every now and then. You must remember that Jinwoo is not Luffy or Naruto, and that is exactly what sets him apart so that fans can relate to him even more.