The Best Solo Leveling Episodes

Summary

• Episode 2 shifts tone, showing Jin-Woo at his weakest, setting the stage for his evolution.
• Episode 4 marks Jin-Woo’s rebirth, showcasing his newfound strength and evolution.
• Episode 6 reveals the dark side of human nature in a chilling confrontation between Jin-Woo and a corrupt hunter.

Solo Leveling is a series that thrives on pushing its characters to their limits with great action and battles. The series has many great episodes that stand out and leave viewers breathless. Whether it is a jaw-dropping twist, an epic fight, or a moment of growth that redefines the protagonist, Solo Leveling has it all.

These next episodes don’t just advance the plot; they elevate the entire story, making viewers feel the weight of every decision, every fight, and every victory, specifically by the protagonists. In these moments, Sung Jin-Woo’s true potential is shown as that of a hunter capable of changing the world around him.

7

Season 1, Episode 2

The Double Dungeon Tragedy

• Episode Title: If I Had One More Chance

Episode 2 picks up right after the cruel revelation in The Double Dungeon. Initially, the dungeon seemed too easy, but later, it became a slaughterhouse for the hunters. This is the point at which the series switches its tone. Also, from the beginning of the series, the story showed viewers that Jin-woo was the weakest hunter alive and had been scraping by with easy dungeon raids. However, the Cartenon Temple changed everything. It turns out, the towering statues in this episode are executioners, making the atmosphere eerie.

Moreover, what makes this episode exceptional isn’t just the tension but how it shatters Jin-woo’s world. There was fear in all the hunters’ eyes, and while others stopped thinking, Jin-woo found a way to adapt and understand the rules of the temple. The episode crescendos into its most iconic moment with Jin-woo, bloodied and broken, choosing to stay behind so his remaining party members can escape. Jin-woo resigned himself to fate in this episode like a man who knows his death is inevitable. But then, the System appeared…

“Do you wish to become a player?”

6

Season 1, Episode 4

Jin-Woo’s Rebirth

• Episode Title: I’ve Gotta Get Stronger

In the Solo Leveling series, Episode 4 is not just another episode of Jin-woo leveling up; it’s the moment he stops running from death and starts getting the hunger to become stronger and face his fears. If the Double Dungeon was his rebirth, then this episode is the first time viewers see the new Jin-woo and what he is truly capable of.

The third episode showed glimpses of this change, but the fourth is where the reality of his evolution sinks in. The man who used to barely scrape by in E-Rank dungeons is now hunting goblins and lycans in a way that feels unnatural. Jin-woo’s fight against the blue venom-fanged Kasaka in an instant dungeon was exhilarating, and it depicts that Jin-woo can now thrive in dangerous battlegrounds. What makes the episode great is the role change in Jin-woo, who shifts from the hunted to the hunter after the tragedy of the Double Dungeon. The final nail to the coffin of this episode is how Jin-woo easily defeats the stone troll from the dungeon break after he exits the Instant dungeon.

5

Season 1, Episode 6

Sometimes, Humans Are A Dungeon’s Real Threat

• Episode Title: The Real Hunt Begins

At the center of this episode is Jin-woo’s clash against Hwang Dongsuk and his crew. Hwang is a corrupt hunter and a C-Rank who preys on the weak. He lures Jin-woo and Yoo Jinho into his raid, not to hunt monsters, but to murder them and keep all the dungeon’s loot for himself. In Dongsuk’s mind, it’s a perfect plan. He sees Jin-woo and Jinho as weak hunters who won’t have any chance against him, and therefore, they would make easy marks.

After Dongsuk betrayed Jin-woo and Jinho, he seals them in a cave with the dungeon boss, but Jin-woo defeats the massive venomous spider. Hence, Dongsuk and his crew make a U-turn to kill Jinho and Jin-woo, as what happens in the dungeon remains a secret. The events that transpired from this moment sealed Episode 6 as one of the most satisfying, chilling, and defining moments in the first season. The System ordered Jin-woo to kill Dongsuk and his crew, and he turned into a bloodthirsty maniac swiftly. Jin-woo killed the crew unfazed, and even though he was also protecting Jinho, his execution-style efficiency was eerie.

4

Season 1, Episode 9

The Corrupt Hunter

• Episode Title: You’ve Been Hiding Your Skills

In Episode 9, Jin-woo enters a dungeon with some survivors from the Double Dungeon incident. Alongside them are three prisoners brought in by Kang Taeshik of the Hunter Association. Supposedly, the raid was a means for the prisoners to reduce their sentences. On the surface, it seems like just another C-Rank dungeon run, but the real danger is not the monsters inside.

Taeshik is not just a hunter; he’s an assassin who operates under the guise of enforcing justice but has no problem killing to protect his interests and satisfying his bloodlust. Taeshik proceeds to kill the three prisoners because, to him, they do not deserve to live. While carrying out this task, two other hunters see him, and he executes them on the spot as well to eliminate any loose ends. At this moment, Jin-woo and the remaining two hunters, Lee Joohee and Song Chiyul, find out that he is a killer. Taeshik knows they will be a liability and wants to kill them so his deeds remain secret. The fight between Jin-woo and Taeshik is the highlight of this episode. Taeshik, a trained killer, moves first and is fast and experienced. However, Jin-woo counters him effortlessly and defeats him.

3

Season 1, Episode 11

Jin-Woo Vs Igris

• Episode Title: A Knight Who Defends An Empty Throne

By this point, Jin-woo has evolved from the weakest E-Rank hunter to a man who can crush enemies that once would have killed him. Like Jin-woo’s first fight through the System, the interface gives him another hard task—a job change quest—to clear an Instant dungeon. Jin-woo was not given many power-ups in Episode 11 to fight against the countless enemies he encounters.

He fought against knights who did not fall easily and mages with powerful magic. However, the hardest encounter in this castle was Jin-woo’s battle against Igris, who defended an empty throne. Unlike the monsters Jin-woo has fought before, Igris isn’t mindless. He is smart and fast and wields his sword with great precision. The animation in this scene is flawless; every sword clash, every dodge, every moment of struggle is felt. Jin-woo isn’t just fighting for his life; he’s proving that he is up to the challenges that the System has yet to show him, and in doing so, finally, Jin-woo defeats Igris.

2

Season 1, Episode 12

The Shadow Army

Episode 12 picks up immediately after Jin-woo’s grueling fight against Igris in an Instant dungeon. Jin-woo’s body is battered, and his strength is almost drained, but he wins. When he thought it was finally over, the System was not done with him, and he was given a far greater task to level up. The mages in this task open up many portals simultaneously, with knights trooping out from them. With Jin-woo at his lowest after the fight with Igris, he knew the battle would be lost if he did not find a way to stop the knights. He realizes that the Mages are the ones summoning the knights, and he kills them one after the other, thereby leading to the deatha of the knights as well.

Afterward, Jin-woo is given a Necromancer Gift, the ability to create an army from the dead. With the command word “Arise,” Jin-woo raises the dead knights but cannot raise Igris easily. Apparently, Igris must acknowledge Jin-woo as his master to awaken him, and Jin-woo is able to so that after many trials. With that, Jin-woo has the Shadow Army at his disposal. The animation, atmosphere, and the weight of Igris kneeling make everything in this episode feel legendary.

1

Season 2, Episode 2

The Red Gate

• Episode Title: I Suppose You Aren’t Aware

In Episode 14, what begins as a routine dungeon raid quickly becomes an unforgettable battle. As the hunters gear up for the raid, the gate suddenly turns red. A Red Gate doesn’t just appear on a whim; it is a clear sign that something unnaturally dangerous is in the gate. In this vein, the hunters must clear the gate and kill the enemies before they can return. While other hunters panic, Jin-woo sees it as a chance to level up.

Just when the episode couldn’t get any more intense, Jin-woo faces massive Ice Bears and Barca, the leader of the Elves. Jin-woo killed all the Ice Bears in their cave and made them a part of his Shadow Army. In the final fight against the Elves, Jin-woo summons his Shadow Army while he fights against Barca. The battle against Barca is intense, but Jin-woo eventually wins. Jin-woo left the gate with the remaining survivors carrying a powerful new aura that suggests he can overcome the impossible.