“Solo Leveling” brings the fantasy genre to reality in the most painful way

While most fantasy anime are enjoyable and inspire viewers, "Solo Leveling" stands to practically do the opposite. Through its dark tone and narrative techniques, it avoids the more commonly sugar-coated myths and creates a setting designed to make the main characters feel desperate. For fantasy enthusiasts, there are still some genre elements to enjoy, and there are positive developments to anticipate in the plot of this series. However, the story of "Solo Leveling" as a whole is not for those with weak hearts.

including "Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood" and "Sword Art Online," share playful elements and themes. These are some of the most inspiring stories about adventure, exploration, growth, and friendship, benefiting from the diverse elements that fantasy can offer. Among these popular series, there are also high and/or ambitious goals. In "Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood," the Elric brothers seek to restore their bodies, while in "Sword Art Online," Kirito and his friends have the choice to live any life they desire, and if they are strong enough, they can escape from the dangerous fantasy setting. In the case of "Solo Leveling," however, its leading characters are not taken on a grand adventure where the key to happiness or peace is growth and friendship. The anime clearly illustrates that they are ultimately stuck in a survival-of-the-fittest scenario.

The anime for the winter 2024 season introduces viewers to the main conflict of the series. In the real world setting, gates suddenly open to a fantasy world at random locations around the globe. These gates, referred to as "Gates" in the anime, only lead to potential destruction for humanity as deadly mythical creatures pour out of these extraordinary portals. With the emergence of the gates, supernatural powers also randomly manifest in humans. These power boosts, whether physical or supernatural, become the key to fighting the monsters. This led to the formation of hunters, a profession where one puts their life on the line to fight monsters for humanity.
While the idea of fighting for the noble goal of preserving life may seem ambitious and noble, "Solo Leveling" takes several dark turns in its lore. Firstly, those who possess abilities from the moment their powers awaken, regardless of their level, can never become stronger through any amount of training. For the main character, Sung Jinwoo, this means that he is at the bottom level. In addition to the power imbalance among warriors, there is also an inevitable presence of unbalanced commerce and economy. In the hunter profession, there is a billion-dollar industry sponsoring hunters through individual companies. An early scene in the anime shows how the scouts quickly track official offices announcing a person's ranking. The higher the ranking, the higher the likelihood of recruitment by larger companies.
For Jinwoo, poverty and survival are a constant struggle for him and his family. Due to his mother's illness from exposure to high levels of supernatural powers, he jumps at the chance to become a licensed hunter, assured that it will provide him with more money and endless job opportunities. Unfortunately, his classification as an E-rank hunter means that he faces greater difficulty surviving in dungeon missions and earns less money because lower ranks must accept lower-level tasks for lower pay. With weakened abilities and few resources to defend himself, Jinwoo constantly gets injured and struggles to stay alive.
In the plot alone, "Solo Leveling" is far from the fun and inspiring fantasy anime that has been popular for years. Its protagonist and main characters aren't on an exciting adventure, nor are they given a chance to form aspirations. Depending on their predetermined skill levels and their mental ability to fight, they are perfectly suited for a fantasy life as hunters, or they are condemned to suffer and die in merciless dungeons. The story gives Jinwoo the life-changing change he needs, but not without greater suffering and risks. After episode 2, Jinwoo is usually given an impossible training opportunity to increase his level, but this is almost at the expense of his life.
In the S-rank dungeon, Jinwoo is nearly beaten to death by giant evil statues. As part of an unknown ritual, Jinwoo will be rewarded after a certain period of time, but he must survive that painful torture. Even after surviving the dungeon and training under the mission registry looming over him, Jinwoo's journey is still not a pleasant experience. Unlike other fictional heroes who train under the supervision of a supportive teacher, Jinwoo has a task list telling him what needs to be done. If he decides that the challenge is not suitable for him, the task list will force him into a life-threatening situation.
While Jinwoo's luck in life is not the most inspiring compared to other fictional heroes, at least he has agency and momentum in this story. For the rest of the characters, choices are limited, especially for those with lower rankings among hunters. There is no clear solution to the gate conflict, so hunters continue to risk their lives with little hope for peace. This approach to the story is dark and unassuming, but that's part of what makes it a standout series. It's immersed in overwhelming realism despite being a fantasy series.