Flying Ant Behavior and Strength, Explained

Episode 8 of Solo Leveling Season 2 -Arise from the Shadow- focused primarily on Sung Jinwoo’s final raid on the Demon Castle Dungeon, but in his absence, the Korean and Japanese Hunter Associations are preparing themselves for one of the most dangerous operations yet: a fourth attempt to take back Jeju Island from the colony of giant ant magic beasts that infested the region three years prior to the events of Solo Leveling. An ant capable of flight wrought havoc on an island off the coast of the Japanese mainland, over 100km away from Jeju Island itself, indicating that the Jeju Island ants have experienced some kind of pressure that necessitates their evolution and mastery of flight.

If this ability is mastered, it could herald the end of the world, so the two countries are banding together to take down the colony. Here’s what the Japanese Hunters have learned about the ants so far.

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Jeju Island’s Ant Threat

One Ant Can Cause Severe Devastation

The giant ant that appeared briefly in Solo Leveling Season 2 -Arise from the Shadow- episode 7 also features in episode 8, where it is seen terrorizing civilians, on what is later revealed to be one of the islands of the Japanese archipelago, roughly 140km away from the actual colony in Jeju Island. That is concerning, because it indicates an evolution of the threat that was previously safely confined to the island. After three different Jeju Island raids failed, the Korean government simply gave up on taking back the region and made it inaccessible to the public. The ant that attacked the Japanese island went on to cause 294 civilian casualties, with 108 Hunters deployed to contain the threat, leading to the deaths of four E-Ranks, one C-Rank, as well as one B-Rank.

A single ant killed over 300 people. Based on these statistics, Korean Hunter Association Chairman Go Gunhee surmised that a winged ant is comparable to an A-Rank Hunter, which means it would spell disaster if the threat were to be exported to the rest of the world. The Jeju Island situation is one of the most dire incidents to take place since the emergence of the Gates 10 years prior to the events of Solo Leveling, and a cautionary tale to the Hunter world regarding the dangers of leaving Gates unconquered.

The Ant Physiology and Behaviour

How Japan Concocted an Ant Extermination Plan

During the meeting between the Japanese and the Korean Hunters’ Associations, it was revealed that the ants grow very quickly after they hatch, but only have a maximum lifespan of about a year, which means that if they can successfully take down the ant queen, the entire colony will die off within a single year, exterminating the threat forever. Due to the fact that the ants are drawn to stronger enemies; a fact learned over the course of the three previous attempts to take back Jeju Island. The Draw Sword Guild, the biggest guild in Japan and second largest in all of Asia, will commit ten of its eleven S-Rank Hunters to act as a diversion for the ant drones and soldiers, while Korea’s Hunters head into the colony to take down the queen. This is a crazy plan, as the diversion squad would have to deal with, quite literally, thousands of ants, but they’re confident that they’ll be able to pull it off, as AI simulations have shown this plan to have the highest chance of success.

Fans of Solo Leveling who have read the manhwa or webcomic understand this upcoming Jeju Island Raid Arc to be one of the series’ most exciting, not to mention immensely important in rounding off the first phase of the story – Jinwoo’s ascent. The craziest part is the fact that when Jinwoo returns from the Demon Castle, he’ll decide to sit out the Jeju Island Raid at first, but you know the thing with plans is that they don’t always work out. Something will necessitate Sung Jinwoo’s participation, and it will likely be the greatest thing to come out of season 2. The importance of this arc is further highlighted by the fact that the previous Jeju Island Raid is the first thing we see in the Solo Leveling anime, and the appearance of the winged ants was first teased at the very end of the first season, building up immense excitement among fans who know.

Solo Leveling

Release Date

January 7, 2024

Directors

Shunsuke Nakashige

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  Taito Ban

  Shun Mizushino (voice)

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  Genta Nakamura

  Kenta Morobishi (voice)