Summary
- Sung Jin-Woo surprises everyone by releasing Min Byung-Gu’s shadow, a first for him.
- Byung-Gu’s shadow automatically heals Cha Hae-In after being summoned by Jin-Woo.
- Jin-Woo cancels the shadow extraction on Byung-Gu out of respect for his peaceful nature.
Solo Leveling’s Sung Jin-Woo is widely known for his shadow extraction skill, which allows him to raise an army of shadows. He often uses it on his fallen enemies, but during the Jeju Island raid, he uses the skill on Min Byung-Gu, the S-rank healer who died fighting against the Ant King. In an unexpected turn, Jin-Woo releases Byung-Gu’s shadow—a first on his record.
Before Jin-Woo extracts Byung-Gu’s shadow, the healer fights bravely against the Ant Queen, her guards, and, of course, the Ant King. He protected his colleagues with every healing and buff magic technique he had, leading to his tragic demise. Not only did the ant king devour his head, but the powerful beast also absorbed some of his abilities. Fortunately, Jin-Woo arrives just in time to continue Byung-Gu’s efforts to save his fellow S-rank hunters and defeat the Ant King in Solo Leveling.
Related
Solo Leveling: What to Expect After the Jeju Island Arc?
Everyone is going to know Sung Jin-Woo’s name after the thrilling events of the Jeju Island arc.
The following section contains spoilers from Solo Leveling‘s Jeju Island Arc
Sung Jin-Woo Uses Shadow Extraction on Min Byung-Gu
A Drastic Measure to Save Cha Hae-In’s Life
Initially, Min Byung-Gu opposes Baek Yoon-Ho’s decision to join the fourth Jeju Island raid party after the tragic events of the last attempt that cost them Eunseok’s life. However, due to Yoon-Ho’s stubbornness and willingness to protect the nation, Byung-Gu comes out of retirement to join the mission and support his friend. He becomes the sole healer of the group that faces the Ant Queen and her remaining guards.
Everything was going according to plan until the Ant Queen died and her powerful offspring, the Ant King, came for revenge. Byung-Gu tries his best to support the Korean team with his healing and buff magic, despite putting his life at a greater risk. It wasn’t long before the Ant King came after Byung-Gu’s life, leaving the other hunters, particularly Cha Hae-In, unable to fight due to their severe injuries.
“Listen up, Shadows, go find Byung-Gu’s body!”—Sung Jin-Woo
While it looks like all hopes are lost, Sung Jin-Woo swaps locations with a shadow knight to finally help defeat the Ant King. Later, Jin-Woo realizes that Cha Hae-In’s life is in danger due to the severity of her injuries. With no other options left, Jin Woo commands all his shadows to find Byung-Gu’s remains. Even without Byung-Gu’s head, Jin-Woo successfully extracts his shadow to heal Cha Hae-In and save her life.
Min Byung-Gu Becomes One of Jin-Woo’s Shadows
Jin-Woo Fails Twice in Summoning Byung-Gu’s Shadow
For the first time, in Solo Leveling, Jin-Woo cancels his shadow extraction. This is a rare occurrence, as Jin-Woo loves to use the skill on his fallen enemies, especially those who hold immense power and strength. Until now, Jin-Woo has never hesitated to use the skill on targets that would be useful for future battles, making it a huge surprise when he willingly releases Byung-Gu’s shadow—despite knowing about his powerful healing and buff magic techniques.
On Jeju Island, Jin-Woo fails twice in summoning Byung-Gu, which tells a lot about the healer’s strong will to resist the skill. It is said that the success of the shadow extraction skill depends not only on the target’s strength or level but also on their willingness to accept Jin-Woo as their master and join his army. Jin-Woo only manages to raise Byung-Gu’s shadow on his third and final attempt, much to the surprise of the onlookers, particularly Baek Yoon-Ho, who can hardly believe what just happened.
“This is the only way. Arise”—Sung Jin-Woo
Right after the summoning, Byung-Gu’s shadow automatically heals Cha Hae-In even without Jin-Woo’s orders. This speaks volumes about Byung-Gu’s kind and compassionate character, but for Yoon-Ho, the shadow is not Byung-Gu anymore. He has already lost Byung-Gu and there’s no way to bring him back for real.
Jin-Woo Releases Min Byung-Gu’s Shadow
Jin-Woo Cancels Shadow Extraction
While Min Byung-Gu’s shadow may be useful in battle because of his abilities, Baek Yoon-Ho thinks it will be a huge disrespect if Jin-Woo ever thinks of keeping his shadow. After all, Byung-Gu is not the type of hunter who wants to be on the frontlines and fight magical beasts one after another. He had an aversion to fighting, which was one of the reasons why he initially rejected the Jeju Island mission. In fact, he would rather become a civil servant, particularly a history professor, instead of going into a dungeon and killing monsters.
Fortunately, Jin-Woo is not a selfish anime character who would disregard Byung-Gu’s feelings. In honor of Byung-Gu, Jin-Woo decides to cancel the shadow extraction skill on his shadow, allowing him to rest once and for all. Apart from Byung-Gu, Jin-Woo also decides to cancel the shadow extraction skill on the Ant Queen.
“I guess he thinks it’s immoral to turn a human being into a shadow.”-Sung Jin-Woo
Min Byung-Gu’s death serves as a reminder that even S-rank hunters are not untouchable in Solo Leveling. He died a heroic death, and Jin-Woo recognizes his legacy, proving that, despite his outrageous abilities, his humanity is still intact.
- Release Date
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January 7, 2024
- Directors
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Shunsuke Nakashige
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Taito Ban
Shun Mizushino (voice)
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Genta Nakamura
Kenta Morobishi (voice)
