40 Fun Facts About Solo Leveling

Which pen-named author wrote the original web novel, serialized from July 2016 and printed in 14 volumes?

Chugong is a pen name, and when the sequel Ragnarok went to a new writer in 2023 he publicly backed it, saying it stirred the same feelings as his own first chapters.

Which studio, set up by Aniplex in 2005, produced the Solo Leveling anime that premiered in January 2024?

A-1 Pictures was unveiled as the studio in 2022 with a 2023 debut planned, but the show slipped to 7 January 2024 on Tokyo MX; the studio later took Best Studio at the 15th Newtype Anime Awards.

Which S-rank swordswoman finds every other hunter smells foul, yet thinks Sung Jin-woo smells nice?

Cha Hae-in is the only female S-rank in the country, falls for Jin-woo after he saves her three times, and in the revised timeline they marry and have a son.

Which grade does Sung Jin-woo hold at the start of the story, when he is mocked as the weakest hunter alive?

E-Rank is the bottom of the hunter scale, and because a hunter's abilities are fixed at awakening, a bottom-grade hunter who keeps getting stronger is unheard of.

Which talking shadow does Jin-woo raise from the Ant King after beating the creature into submission?

Beru can speak because of his high rank, rises to Marshal alongside the knight commander, and grows fond of Jin-woo's son.

Which publisher, also behind Seven Knights and Lineage 2: Revolution, made the action RPG released in May 2024?

Netmarble announced the game in January 2022, more than two years before its 8 May 2024 release, and in July 2025 said a second title, Solo Leveling: Karma, was in development.

Which Shadow Monarch, weary of an eons-long war, chose Sung Jin-woo as the successor to inherit his power?

Ashborn, the King of the Dead, belonged to both warring sides at once, which is why Jin-woo alone among Monarchs fights on humanity's side.

Which digital comic and fiction platform first serialized the web novel, with its webtoon following in March 2018?

KakaoPage has drawn 2.4 million readers to the novel since 2016, and the same platform launched the sequel Ragnarok in April 2023.

Which artist, head of Redice Studio, drew the webtoon through its 179 chapters before his death in July 2022?

Jang Sung-rak, known as Dubu, ran Redice Studio; after his death a new art team drew a 2023 side story with the original writer returning.

Which Japanese comic app ranked Solo Leveling its No. 1 webtoon of 2019 on its way to 650 million reads?

Piccoma has logged over 650 million cumulative reads of the webtoon in Japan, and the app's operator is a co-producer of the sequel anime film announced in 2026.

The Monarchs have fought an ancient war against which beings, whose seven chosen human hosts are called vessels?

The Rulers chose seven humans as vessels, and the top-ranked hunters of America, China and India are among them, alongside Jin-woo's own father.

Which King of Dragons and Monarch of Destruction leads the Monarchs as the story's final antagonist?

Antares invades the human world to draw Jin-woo out after three fellow Monarchs die, and in the original timeline it is the Monarchs' ancient enemies, not Jin-woo, who kill him.

Which King of Demons, the White Flame Monarch, rides a huge white dragon and is the first Monarch Jin-woo defeats?

Baran's defeated mount is resurrected as the wyvern shadow Kaisel, and Jin-woo also gains the power to swap places with any of his shadow soldiers.

Which dungeon, reached past a guardian Cerberus, does Jin-woo clear to win the potion that finally cures his mother?

The Demon's Castle lies behind a guardian Cerberus that nearly kills Jin-woo several times, and a demon noble he defeats on the 80th floor guides him to the top.

Which American hunter nicknamed Goliath, ranked first in the world, befriends Jin-woo after losing a fight to him?

Thomas Andre is a National Level Hunter and a vessel, and his gift after the fight is the strongest magical weapon in the world.

Which weapon, the strongest in the world, does the hunter nicknamed Goliath give Jin-woo after their fight?

Kamish's Wrath comes as a gift rather than loot: the world's number-one hunter hands it over after Jin-woo beats him and they become friends.

Which Chinese hunter, ranked second in the world, is Asia's strongest until Jin-woo overtakes him?

Liu Zhigang meets Jin-woo for the first time at the annual guild conference and the two part on good terms.

Which ageing S-rank chairs the Korean Hunters Association and is killed by the Monarchs despite hidden vessel powers?

Go Gun-hee's age and ill health stop him using the power at full output, and he is one of seven humans the Monarchs' enemies chose as hosts.

Which A-rank, once the surveillance team's chief inspector, becomes chairman of the Hunters Association?

Woo Jin-chul is the first human told of the war between the Monarchs and their ancient enemies, and in the sequel he brands criminal awakened beings 'Villains'.

Which White Tiger Guild master, a transformation-magic user, is the first S-rank to realise Jin-woo can grow?

Baek Yoon-ho's staffer Ahn Sangmin is the one who notices Jin-woo surviving mission after mission and deduces he has reawakened.

Which Japanese guild master, his country's strongest hunter, is killed in a single hit by the Ant King?

Goto Ryuji had challenged Jin-woo to a duel that was called off when it escalated, and six other Japanese hunters die alongside him in the raid.

Which S-rank based in America hunts Jin-woo to avenge his brother and ends up as the shadow nicknamed Greed?

Hwang Dong-soo abducts Jin-woo's guild vice-chairman to learn who killed his brother Dong-suk, and pays for it with his life.

Which first-timer D-rank, kitted out by family wealth in pricey gear, becomes vice-chairman of Jin-woo's guild?

Yoo Jin-ho calls Jin-woo his sworn brother, dresses in fancy armour as a running gag, and in the revised-timeline epilogue marries Jin-woo's sister.

Which S-rank, trapped in a gate for ten years and presumed dead, escapes through a gate in the United States?

Sung Il-hwan is a vessel who dies in his son's arms after pushing that power past what his body can take, and is revived when Jin-woo rewrites the timeline.

What item does Jin-woo use to create a new timeline after the war with the Monarchs?

The Cup of Reincarnation creates a revised timeline in which he marries and has a son, and in the sequel the gates start opening again during that son's third year at university.

Which writer replaced the original author for the sequel web novel Solo Leveling: Ragnarok, which began in April 2023?

Daul wrote 357 chapters before ending Ragnarok in July 2025, while Dangdo and the artist Jin handled the webtoon version from July 2024.

Who is the protagonist of Solo Leveling: Ragnarok, whose inherited powers were sealed so he could live a normal life?

Sung Suho gets his memories back and the same System his father used, then sets out to find his missing parents while fighting the Itarim.

Which Blood-Red Commander must Jin-woo slay in a castle to finish the job-change quest?

Igris matches or exceeds Jin-woo in speed and strength, and the fight fills the first season's eleventh episode, 'A Knight Who Defends an Empty Throne'.

Which shadow does Jin-woo raise from the A-rank Kim Chul, who turned on him during the fight with the boss Baruka?

Iron is known as the dim-witted shadow; he copies the knight commander's habit of bringing Jin-woo a head, much to the knight's annoyance.

Which shadow, taken from an ice bear in a snowbound dungeon, can kill a Naga in a single hit?

Tank is a Knight Grade shadow about as strong as an A-rank hunter, and plows through hordes of demons 'like they were bowling pins'.

Which Grand Marshal, born from the fruit of the World Tree, is the strongest shadow and the first ever created?

Bellion served the previous Shadow Monarch as lieutenant and outranks both the knight commander and the ant king in Jin-woo's army.

What happens to Jin-woo the first time he skips the System's daily goals?

He gets a penalty quest and nearly dies in it, after which he dutifully completes the daily goals and starts getting stronger.

Which actor was announced in July 2025 as Sung Jin-woo in Netflix's live-action adaptation of the webtoon?

Byeon Woo-seok heads a cast that reportedly includes Kang You-seok as Jin-woo's sworn brother, with Kakao Entertainment among the producers.

What subtitle did the second anime season carry when it aired from January to March 2025?

Arise from the Shadow was announced straight after the first-season finale and ran to 13 episodes, one more than the first season.

What subtitle was announced in 2026 for the sequel anime film, with Tao Tajima named as director?

Beyond the System is the first new Solo Leveling anime made as a theatrical feature rather than a recap, and keeps the studio behind both TV seasons.

In the anime's Japanese-language version, Sung Jin-woo goes by what localised name?

Shun Mizushino is the Japanese-dub name, and the localisation renames the Korean cast, turning sister Jin-ah into Aoi Mizushino.

Which King of Giants and Monarch of the Beginning was the hidden boss of the Tokyo S-rank gate?

Legia lurked beneath the Tokyo gate while three other Monarchs teamed up against the hunters in the Japan crisis.

Which surveillance-team inspector, secretly a hitman for hire, tries to kill Jin-woo to hide his crimes?

Kang Tae-shik exploited the lawlessness inside gates to kill for money, and Jin-woo overpowers and kills him.

Which C-rank kumdo teacher, the senior hunter leading the party among the killer statues, loses an arm but survives?

Song Chi-yul is one of only six survivors and is expected to retire after losing the arm, yet he joins the later C-rank dungeon run with the other survivors.

Which actress was cast as the S-rank swordswoman in Netflix's live-action series announced in July 2025?

Han So-hee's casting was announced alongside the male lead's in July 2025, with Kang Mi-na also confirmed for an undisclosed role.