Over recent years, manhwa has gained major popularity in the world of manga and comics. Simply manga-style comics made by Korean creators, there are a lot of trends in manhwa that differ from its Japanese, Chinese, and Western counterparts. No manhwa highlights these traits better than the smash-hit manhwa, Solo Leveling.
Solo Leveling, also known as Only I Level Up based on its Korean name, is a manhwa focusing on an alternate reality in Korea plagued by monsters from another world. To protect the people of the world, governments have sanctioned the creation of "hunters" with superpowers to defeat the monstrosities that come to the Earth. The manhwa focuses on these hunters, creating an interesting blend of fantasy and reality; however, readers should be aware of a few points before they start reading.
Updated on April 11th, 2022, by Scott Vengel: Despite quite some time passing since the manhwa official ended, Solo Leveling is still immensely popular. With the recent anime adaptation leaving a good impression, and the ending leaving unexpected sentiments for the series, readers still have a lot to say about Chugong's hit manhwa. Nonetheless, this article will be updated in order to give more insight into the world of Solo Leveling for readers looking to start the series, as well as to fix a few clarity issues.
10 Solo Leveling Was Written By Chugong
The sole author of the fantasy web novel, Solo Leveling, Chugong lives in South Korea. So far, the author has only written the Solo Leveling series, however, the series has become a huge success due to their talent.
In addition to Chugong, the series was released on KakaoPage for South Koreans, as well as published by D&C Media. For English speakers, the series can be found on Webnovel and Piccoma for Japanese speakers.
9 Solo Leveling Is A Modern Fantasy Story
Modern fantasy has been a growing genre over the last few decades, especially in the manga industry with titles like A Certain Magical Index and Noragami. Loosely defined as a fantasy story (or a world with fantasy elements) based in the modern world, Solo Leveling is a perfect example of a modern fantasy story manhwa.
Modern South Korea finds itself in a world plagued by monster-spawning portals, called Dungeons. To combat this growing threat, the world has organized organizations called Hunter Guilds, that build up teams of tanks, healers, and other people with special abilities. The story heavily derives its themes from RPGs and fantasy novels, making it perfect for manhwa fans that also enjoy these types of games.
8 Solo Leveling Is Both A Web Novel And A Manhwa
Generally speaking, many series that are successful in the manhwa and manga world started as either light novels or web novels (see A Certain Magical Index and Who Made Me A Princess). Solo Leveling isn't different, originally a web novel before its manhwa adaptation.
Likewise, due to the series' quick popularity among both Korean and overseas audiences, there have been quite a few other media adaptations. The series has also had a game developed, and at the moment, a drama being produced in the United States. That said, unfortunately for anime fans that love fantasy, Solo Leveling does not have an anime adaptation (yet.)
7 Sung Jin Woo Is Solo Leveling's Protagonist
The manhwa Solo Leveling focuses on the story of Sung Jin Woo. A beginner hunter, Sung Jin Woo is considered by the community to be the worst hunter in South Korea. Nonetheless, as the title suggests, Sung Jin Woo eventually receives a power that allows him to level up his abilities over time.
Of course, Sung Jin Woo makes for a protagonist that audiences can get attached to. His personality is serious yet with a sense of humor that people can adore (both in the series and among the audience). And with his power, Sung Jin Woo changes throughout the story in a way that keeps audiences on their seats.
6 Solo Leveling Is Long
First published back in 2018, the manhwa has a lot of life in it. There is a lot of lore and background to the world of Solo Leveling, which gives the manhwa its unique complexity and suspense. As such, readers can expect a lot of material to read.
Despite the short amount of time the series has been around, there is a lot to read for those looking to start Solo Leveling. The web novel had 13 volumes released, with the manhwa ending at chapter 179. In the end, Solo Leveling is a perfect series for readers that want to read a series that spans over a long period of time.
5 Solo Leveling Can Be Dark
Like many manhwa of its kind, Solo Leveling isn't for everybody. Granted, the series doesn't cross the line of inappropriate nudity and the likes. However, the themes of the novel and manhwa can be very dark at times, as one would expect from monsters attacking the Earth.
Those queasy about gore may want to avoid reading the manhwa, as there are a few scenes that may be disturbing in this regard. On the other hand, for readers that can get past the grim imagery, they will find a story rich with interesting perspectives and character dynamics.
4 Solo Leveling Has A Lot Of Characters
It's not uncommon for novels to have a lot of characters, especially if the focus of the novel is world-building and character development. However, as fans see with Solo Leveling, having a lot of characters can make reading tricky if the reader isn't prepared.
Solo Leveling has upwards of 19+ important characters that are integral to the central plot of the story. And this isn't including side characters that only show up from time to time in the plot. Naturally, it can be a little tricky for readers to remember every detail in the story; taking notes can help a lot when getting through Solo Leveling.
3 Solo Leveling Has A Lot Of Lore To Account For
Just as the story has a lot of characters, Solo Leveling is a series ripe with lore. Between the intricate world inside the portals that the monsters come from, and the complex systems of governments and hunter guilds on Earth, the manhwa is a masterpiece for world-centric readers.
However, for readers looking for a simple action-packed story, Solo Leveling may not be the best first choice. Despite the excellent fights and beautiful scenes, readers that have trouble keeping track of important factions and plot points may want to keep notes.
2 Solo Leveling Isn't Read Like A Japanese Manga
At its core, Solo Leveling follows the common structure of most other manhwa (and webcomics). That is to say, instead of being separated into individual pages, readers will need to continuously scroll down the page to read more.
Of course, this may be offputting for readers used to both Japanese manga and Western comics. In addition, Solo Leveling follows the same style of reading as Western comics, reading from left to right, up to down. Manga readers may want to keep this in mind when they start reading the manhwa.
1 Solo Leveling Is Incredibly Popular
Of course, most prospective readers are aware that Solo Leveling is a popular manhwa series. But many aren't familiar with the true extent of the series' popularity.
Solo Leveling is one of the top-rated manhwa series overall, and it has a large community to boot. The series has at least 2.4 million readers on their Korean site alone. In the end, this means that fans will find a lot of fellow fans to enjoy the series with.