Solo Leveling winning Anime of the Year has caused a lot of debate online. Many fans feel the show doesn’t deserve all the hype. While the animation and fight scenes are impressive, the same can’t be said for the main character, Sung Jinwoo. Even though the story focuses on him, Jinwoo feels flat and doesn’t match what most viewers look for in a main character today.
Jinwoo is always shown as unbeatable. Once he becomes a Player of the System, he defeats every enemy without much effort. This removes any real tension from the fights and makes him hard to relate to. He has the look of a stoic hero like Guts or the power of someone like Saitama, but without the growth or strong personality that makes those characters stand out.
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A One-Dimensional Power Fantasy
Jinwoo can’t help but think of himself as a replica of One Punch Man’s Saitama. But the only catch is that Saitama is a satirical character based on overpowered and underutilised heroes like Jinwoo. His super strength is all about the setup for a joke, and his powers make him feel bored and detached from fighting. Jinwoo is an MC but with none of the internal struggle or self-awareness.
He’s not written to develop. He acquires new abilities and powers, but never grapples with their repercussions. The lack of any genuine threat means there isn’t a sense of urgency in his growth. The audience doesn’t ever get to see struggle against a big villain or him lose someone close to him. He responds to tragedy with the same frozen glance he reserves for the battlefield. A massive war or the loss of one of his comrades does not register emotionally with him.
No Real Consequences
One moment that highlights this emotional disconnect is when Cha Hae-In is nearly killed during the Jeju Island arc. She takes a devastating hit from the Ant King, and it feels like a turning point that should be extremely impactful for Jinwoo. Instead, he quickly saves the situation by reviving Min Byung-Gyu as a shadow to heal her.
The story constantly shields Jinwoo from real consequences. Most of the characters who die have little connection to him, so their loss carries no emotional weight. His toughest enemies fall quickly, often without putting up much of a fight. Even the Monarchs, introduced as the biggest threat to humanity, are dealt with before they become a serious threat. With no major losses or hard decisions, Jinwoo never has to evolve except for his level, which keeps increasing.
Predictable Fights, No Stakes
The fights in Solo Leveling look impressive, but hold no real weight. Every enemy is introduced with a menacing buildup, only to be toyed with, killed, and sometimes become a part of Jinwoo’s Shadow Army. There’s no strategy, no suspense and no big stakes for any fight that takes place. Jinwoo might take a hit for dramatic effect, but the outcome is never in doubt. He heals, summons more Shadows, and finishes the job.
Even major battles in the series play out like a predictable action sequence. It always stays the same: the opponent taunts him, Jinwoo says something cold. Cue aura burst, OST drop, and a one-sided slaughter. It’s extremely formulaic, like during the Jeju Island arc, where the Korean S-Rank Hunters were being one-shotted by the Ant King. The situation looked very hopeless and then Jinwoo arrived and defeated the Ant King without breaking a sweat.
Where Is the Character Arc?
Once Jinwoo takes on the mantle of the Shadow Monarch, he starts to feel more like a distant god than a grounded character. His goals are simple: protect his family and defeat the Monarchs. With modern anime characters like Eren, Loid, or even Itadori having so much more complex motivations and journeys, Jinwoo’s aura farming can only take him so far.
Another flaw with Solo Leveling is that Jinwoo almost has no flaws, and the story treats that like a big plus. Even showing emotion seems to be avoided, as if it would make him look weak. His relationships feel shallow. His connection with Cha Hae-In seems more robotic at best. He’s not a character fans can connect with, and while his journey might be cool, he lacks the same impact that well-written MCs like Luffy and Naruto have on the audience.
Even Goku, who lives for battle, shows warmth and deep care for the people around him. He has put his life on the line more than once for his friends and family. When he unlocks Ultra Instinct and finally stands up to Jiren, it feels like the result of real growth. It is not just another power-up. That is what sets a great protagonist apart from a decent one.
Conclusion
Solo Leveling looks incredible and delivers intense fights, but Jinwoo’s invincibility is its biggest flaw. Without real challenges, losses, or emotional consequences, he becomes hard to connect with. The series may have won Anime of the Year, but it did so with a main character who never really grows. That leaves a lot of its deeper potential unexplored.
This is why many fans believe an anime like Frieren: Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End would have been a stronger choice for the award. It also features an overpowered main character, but the story focuses on her journey of reconciling with the past and learning to grieve. Frieren explores the emotional weight of immortality and leaves a lasting impact through its storytelling.
