Jeju Island Raid Party, Explained

Summary

Jeju Island arc features high-stakes raid with Korean-Japanese hunters for dramatic power shift.
Korean hunters work together to kill Ant Queen, aim to collapse ant colony within a year.
Japanese Blade Guild led by Goto Ryuji sends diverse melee combat specialists on a mission.

Solo Leveling‘s Jeju Island arc is arguably one of its most exciting. Filled with drama, action, suspense, and unexpected twists, it sets the stage for Sung Jinwoo’s rise as a hunter and dramatically shifts the balance of power in the hunter world.

While the protagonist naturally plays a crucial role in the story arc, the high-stakes raid initially does not include him. The Jeju Island raid party heading to the forsaken island is a unique bunch of Korean and Japanese hunters who are tasked with freeing the region from the clutches of the magic beasts.

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Understanding Jeju Island Raid Party’s Purpose and Significance

Korean and Japanese Hunters Fight for Their Countries’ Future

Arc: Jeju Island Arc
Anime: Episodes 21 to 25
Webnovel: Chapters 111 to 127
Previous Arc: Return to Demon Castle Arc
Next Arc: Recruitment Arc

Ever since an S-rank dungeon spawned on Jeju Island, the region has been overtaken by magic beasts who evolve constantly. Despite several attempts to reclaim it, every single mission has ended in tragedy. But when an evolved ant capable of flight manages to get to an island off the coast of Japan, it wreaks havoc on a scale that concerns the Korean and Japanese governments.

The last time I played with ants was when I was a little boy. I remember hearing faint snapping noises every time I torched an ant with a lighter, now, I hear fireworks.

In order to reclaim Jeju Island before the ants there become an existential threat to both countries, a strike squad of S-rankers is assembled to launch a final raid. While top Korean hunters from different guilds decide to work together for the mission’s success, Blade Guild hunters led by Goto Ryuji represent Japan.

Before Jeju Island, only one S-rank dungeon had spawned in the world, and it had led to the deaths of over 1,000,000 people. This means that failure is no longer an option for Korea and Japan, as losing would most likely mean that a catastrophic fate awaits both countries.

The Korean Contingent

Korea Sends Six S-rankers to Jeju Island

Korea has had a total of 10 S-rankers in its history. Three of those are either dead, retired, or went rogue. Although Sung Jinwoo participates in the sparring session before the raid, he eventually declines to join the Jeju Island raid party. As the best hunter in Korea, his absence creates a vacuum and significantly weakens the Korean contingent.

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However, Korea still has some extremely dexterous and driven hunters who volunteer to join the raid for varied reasons. Keeping their differences aside, they put their lives on the line for the greater good. Among them, perhaps the best hunter is Cha Hae-In, the vice-guild master of the Hunters Guild. Specializing in melee combat, she is a ruthless fighter whose unique style is quite efficient against high-ranking monsters.

Apart from Cha, Hunters Guild’s Choi Jong-In also joins the raiding party. His fire magic is powerful enough to burn most magic beasts to cinders. It is extremely efficient in long-range combat, which can make it a nightmare for the evolved ants.

The Korean contingent also includes the White Tiger Guild’s Baek Yonhoo, the Fiend Guild’s Lim Tae-Gyu, and the Fame Guild’s Ma Dongwook. Korea’s sixth and final S-ranker for the Jeju Island raid is the experienced healer Min Byung-Gyu, who comes out of retirement to redeem himself and avenge his fallen comrades.

Korean Hunters’ Mission

The Koreans are entrusted with the responsibility of cornering and killing the Ant Queen, following which the ant colony is expected to collapse within a year.

The Japanese Contingent

Japan’s Blade Guild Represents the East Asian Country in the Raid

As mentioned earlier, hunters exclusively from the Blade Guild represent Japan in the Jeju Island raid party. The Japanese contingent is led by Draw Sword Guild’s guild master Goto Ryuji. Considered one of the best hunters in Asia and a living legend in his country, Ryuji brings a ton of experience to Jeju Island, making him a key figure in Japanese plans for the raid.

I’d like to have a one-on-one fight with you. What do you say?

Alongside Goto, Blade Guild sends four other fighter-class hunters, all of whom specialize in melee combat like Korea’s Cha Hae-In. The Japanese contingent also includes Ippei Izawa, Kei, Akari Shimizu, Tatsumi Fujishima‎‎, and Mari Ishida. From healers to assassins, these five unique hunters bring a diverse skill set to the raid, adding depth to Japan’s raid team.

Japanese Contingent’s Mission

Before the Koreans go into the ant caves to look for the Ant Queen, the evolved ants living there must be lured out to make the task easier. The Japanese hunters take it upon themselves to draw out the evolved ants so the Ant Queen can be cornered with very few defenders left to protect her.

Jeju Island Raid Party: Are They Good Enough?

Korean and Japanese Hunters Face an Uphill Battle

When the first S-rank dungeon spawned on the West Coast of America, it claimed 1,000,000 lives, and over a hundred S-rank hunters failed to lost their lives in the process. While it’s unclear how dangerous Jeju Island’s S-rank gate is in comparison to the one in America, because of the inherent power differences in high-ranking dungeons, the raid team undoubtedly has an uphill battle in front of them.

Are there others? Others you call king?

Only 16 S-rankers are enlisted for the mission. If things go south, it’s highly likely that none of them will come back alive. The Jeju Island Raid Party has only two paths to success: either the dungeon turns out to be among the weakest of its class, or Sung Jinwoo somehow comes to the raid team’s rescue.

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Solo Leveling

Release Date: January 7, 2024
Directors: Shunsuke Nakashige
Writers: Noboru Kimura

Taito Ban

Shun Mizushino (voice)
Genta Nakamura

Kenta Morobishi (voice)

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