Solo Levelingis one of the best shōnen anime series of the past few years, and that’s saying something. The past few years have been the best a shōnen anime fan could ask for. With series likeKaiju No. 8, Demon Slayer, Fire Force,and more dominating screens, fans of the action-oriented genre have been more than thrilled by each and every anime season coming up. Somehow, amidst a bunch of healthy competition,Solo Levelinghas managed to reign supreme.
It’s broken record after record, and after watching even a single episode, it’s easy to see why. The series has a litany of the best fights in anime, one of the best, edgy characters around, and one of the most interesting worlds around that is just waiting to be explored.WhileSolo Levelingcertainly stands out on its own as an amazing anime,it shares a ton of similarities with one other titan of the shōnen genrethat some fans might have looked past.
Solo Leveling Is a Once-in-a-Generation Hit
Solo Leveling Is Already Breaking Record After Record
Solo Leveling’sfirst season was a gigantic success. It brokeJujutsu Kaisen’srecord on Crunchyroll, amassing 114,000 likes in just two days. While most second seasons have a hard time reaching the same heights as their first season,Solo Leveling’smomentum just kept going.Thesecond season topped the record set by the first, reaching 129,000 likes on Crunchyroll in a single day.That’s more likes in half the time, showing thatSolo Levelingis still just getting started.
There are a ton of reasons whySolo Levelingworks so well. At its core, it’s a pure weakest-to-strongest fantasy. While other series try to create a weak character that eventually becomes strong,Solo Levelinghas perfected the formula. Sung Jinwoo is a lovable hero from the very beginning of the series, going through one of the most traumatizing first episodes in anime in the first season.
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Even though he’s had the deck stacked against him his whole life, he hasn’t stopped trying. He worked hard as the world’s weakest Hunter to fund his sister’s education and continue paying for his mom’s expensive hospital bills. When he becomes the ‘Player’ and starts his path to becoming insanely strong, the series really gets going. Jinwoo is the perfect person to step into this new role, and he proves it time and time again.
Solo Leveling Is at Its Best During the Jeju Island Arc
The Best is Yet to Come
While the first two seasons ofSolo Levelinghave already proved that the series might already be considered one of the best anime of all time,the peak of the series is yet to come.Solo Levelingis at its best during Jinwoo’s ascent to the top.It’s arguably the best edgy anime series ever made, and part of being edgy is Jinwoo’s skills slowly being uncovered by both those who doubted him and those who thought that they were well above him.
Solo Levelingis at its best during the Jeju Island Arc. Jeju Island is home of the Ants, a new breed of monster looking to take over the world through violent evolution. If this plot line seems familiar, it should. It’s not only the best story line inSolo Leveling,but the best inHunter x Hunteras well. Both series feature terrifying ants that evolve quickly thanks to their ability to eat their enemies and gain the skills that their fallen foes once had.
While it might not be the best thatSolo Levelingpeaks in the middle,the series' similarities withHunter x Huntershouldn’t be overlooked. Both series have a great Ant-related arc that brings their main characters to life and pits them against the strongest enemies they have faced so far.
Solo Leveling Has a Few Things in Common with Hunter x Hunter
Evolving Ants, Hunters, Hunter Associations, and More
Solo Levelinghas a lot in common withHunter x Hunter.Both series star Hunters looking to protect normal citizens from monstrous threats. Both feature a large Hunter Association that works to govern the Hunters and protect the people relying on it. Both Hunter Associations also feature a wise, white-haired old man as the chairman. Even though both Go Gunhee and Isaac Netero might be beyond their primes, they’re stilltwo of the strongest Huntersin their respective series.
Beyond their similarities on the surface,they both feature a lovably unhinged protagonist as well.While Gon is much younger than Sung Jinwoo, they’re both focused on their goals at all times. There aren’t many characters in anime that work harder than either one of them. Gon learns Nen faster than Wing could have ever understood and was even willing to sacrifice his life if it meant killing Pitou.
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Gon’s fierce loyalty to his friends leads to unimaginable sacrifices and consequences.
Before Sung Jinwoo even got his ability to level up, he was doing what he could for his family. After leveling up and asserting himself as one of the strongest Hunters in the world, he still took on a myriad of difficult raids so that he could become even stronger. It’s a good thing that both Gon and Jinwoo fight for the good side, because if they didn’t, there aren’t many characters that could take them on.
Hunter x Hunter and Solo Leveling Have More in Common Than People Thought
Two Staples of the Shōnen Genre
As two of thebest shōnen series of all time, it’s not too surprising thatSolo LevelingandHunter x Hunterhave a few things in common. They have a few things most wouldn’t expect them to have in common though, like the fact thatboth their protagonists are Hunters and belong to a Hunter Association.The biggest surprise that the two series share in common is the Ant arcs. InHunter x Hunter,it’s the Chimera Ant Arc, arguably the best arc in the entire series so far.
The Chimera Ant Arcbrings an entirely new side of Gon’s character to light. Before the arc, the young boy hadn’t suffered many losses. When Pitou kills Kite, however, that changes. Gon dedicates himself to revenge, and he even holds Komugi hostage to make sure that Pitou does his bidding. It’s a refreshingly dark series of events that cementHunter x Hunteras one of the best series around.
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Solo Leveling’sant arc is the Jeju Island Arc, in which the combined forces of Korea and Japan head to Jeju Island during the Fourth Raid. Sung Jinwoo’s skills finally come to light, showing the entire world just how powerful he really is. He’s even able to recruit one of his strongest Shadows during the arc, making his Shadow Army even stronger in the process. If there’s anyone out there who lovesSolo Levelingand somehow hasn’t seenHunter x Hunter,these similarities and more make it a great pick.
