The First S-rank Gate, Explained

Solo Leveling recounts the story of a world that has been riddled with conflict ever since mysterious Gates teeming with monsters started spawning in every country. Each of these Gates presented a unique challenge for the Hunters, who were expected to venture into them and deal with the magic beasts that threatened humanity.

Like the Hunters, the Gates are also ranked in accordance with the international S-E ranking system. Throughout the series, many dangerous dungeons appear that push even the most established Hunters to their limits. But S-rank Gates are different. They can be so dangerous that they pose an existential threat to an entire country. The Jeju Island Gate is a good example, but let’s go a few years back and understand the first S-rank Gate that ever spawned.

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Humanity’s First Brush With an S-rank Gate: A Historical Overview

A Powerful Dungeon Boss Wreaks Havoc in America

Many years before Sung Jinwoo had a near-death experience in the Double Dungeon which led to his reawakening, humanity faced an existential threat that sent shockwaves throughout the world. Humanity had learned to fight monsters ever since the magical portals connecting Dungeons to the human world started spawning around the globe, but nothing could have prepared them for the crisis that gripped the West Coast of America when an S-rank Gate spawned in the region.

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Until that point in human history, there had never been a documented appearance of an S-rank Gate, so clearing it was something that had naturally never been done before. Knowing how dangerous Dungeon Breaks are, the American government had the foresight and the humility to lure top S-rankers of the world by offering them huge incentives to come and fight for them. The thrill of fighting intimidating magic beasts and the accompanying rewards managed to successfully attract over 100 S-rank Hunters, some of whom probably also wanted to go into the history books as one of the first to conquer an S-rank Gate.

Unfortunately, the battle took an ominous turn when the Dungeon boss was revealed to be a bloodthirsty red Western dragon named Kamish. At one point, the combined forces of the top S-rankers seemed insignificant in front of him as he wreaked havoc on America’s West Coast. Over 1,000,000 civilians lost their lives in the ensuing chaos and destruction, along with almost all the Hunters who took up weapons to fight.

Just when it seemed that all hope was lost for humanity, five S-rankers from different parts of the world banded together to defeat Kamish. The group consisted of China’s Liu Zhigang, India’s Siddharth Bachchan, America’s Christopher Reed, Thomas Andre, and an unknown healer-type Hunter. This remained the only instance of an S-rank Gate being conquered until Sung Jinwoo stepped in to rescue the Jeju Island raid party by defeating the Dungeon boss.

First S-rank Gate’s Lasting Influence

Humanity’s Victory Over Kamish Changed the World Forever

After Kamish’s rampage came to an end, the world truly grasped the frightening nature of such Gates. Humanity’s victory came at a huge cost, as elite Hunters and countless civilians lost their lives. This was a sobering reminder that there were forces in the world powerful beyond human comprehension.

Since the five Hunters stood out as humanity’s greatest hope in the darkest moments, each one of them went on to become National Level Hunters after they were granted authority that rivaled entire nations. The influence of such Hunters increased dramatically as they gained far more power to shape global events.

But this was not just limited to National Level Hunters, as guilds started amassing disproportionate power to influence their country’s policies regarding Gates. A good example of this is Japan’s Draw Sword Guild, which wielded enough authority to plan a raid party for Jeju Island without ever caring about the opinions of other guilds in their country.

The rise of National Level Hunters and influential guilds were some of the obvious far-reaching consequences of Kamish’s rampage in America. Nations were willing to allow guilds to do as they pleased, knowing that their survival depended heavily on them if a dangerous Gate were to spawn. Such power also helped top Hunters amass huge fortunes for their services and establish themselves among the elites of society.

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Solo Leveling

Release Date

January 7, 2024

Directors

Shunsuke Nakashige

Writers

Noboru Kimura

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  Taito Ban

  Shun Mizushino (voice)

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  Genta Nakamura

  Kenta Morobishi (voice)