8 Reasons Solo Leveling's Sequel Dominates the Original Series

Popular as it may have been before, Solo Leveling has become a mega-hit since its anime released nearly two years ago. That said, with the lack of updates surrounding season 3 and the original manhwa having long ended, fans are quickly shifting their sights to Solo Leveling's sequel, Ragnarok. Now in its second season, Solo Leveling: Ragnarok has been steadily gaining readership and is already quite a hit among manhwa fans in particular. All that said, Solo Leveling may have been shown up by its own sequel, which arguably does a lot of things better than the original. 6 Solo Leveling: Ragnarok Has Better Worldbuilding Tiel smiling sinisterly in the preview for Ragnarok season 2 One of the hallmarks of a great sequel is how well it expands on the story and world of the original story, and whether it answers any lingering questions. Essentially, at the end of the day, a sequel should feel warranted, and Solo Leveling: Ragnarok more than excels in that regard. Ragnarok beautifully expands on Solo Leveling's lore and worldbuilding, exploring the threat posed by outer gods known as the Itarim in the absence of the Absolute Being. Adding to this, Solo Leveling: Ragnarok also sets down ground rules for inter-dimensional travel, which explains Jinwoo's absence, Beru's weakness, and the Itarim Apostle's gradual growth. Granted, much of the story takes place in Korea, much like Solo Leveling, but in return, Ragnarok does touch more on various species of magical beasts as the Monarch heirs are incorporated into the story. 5 Solo Leveling: Ragnarok is More Focused From the Start Jin Woo and the Statue of God in front of the shadows of the monarchs from Solo LevelingCustom Image by Ana Nieves Another huge point in Ragnarok's corner is that its story does seem to be more focused from the very start, in that Suho sets out to get stronger with a concrete goal in mind, which is to help Jinwoo and Hae-in return. From the very start, the goal is to deal with the Itarim's Apostle, which gives the plot a concrete direction. Compare this to Solo Leveling, where Jinwoo's motivations to grow stronger are rather hazy at the beginning. It very much seems like the fear he experienced in the Double Dungeon is the only thing pushing him to persevere. Of course, with the Elixir of Life entering the picture, Jinwoo does eventually set his sights on healing his mother of the Eternal Slumber. But, after accomplishing this goal, the same sense of purposelessness seems to enter the story, at least until the Monarchs and Ashborn enter the story and force saving the world onto Jinwoo. 4 Solo Leveling: Ragnarok Makes Better Use of Its Supporting Cast Esil as she is recruited by Suho in Solo Leveling: Ragnarok One of the most common criticisms of Solo Leveling is how it criminally underutilizes its supporting cast. Given the series is quite literally called "Solo Leveling," it's no surprise that it stays focused solely on its main character almost all the time. However, it's quite disappointing when even the series' most popular and interesting characters, like the S-rank hunters, are eventually shoved aside and turned into fodder meant to make Jinwoo look more powerful, while other allies like Esil are forgotten entirely. Luckily, Solo Leveling: Ragnarok actively works to solve this issue. Suho's ability to bond with the other Monarch heirs and gain special powers using this bond skill essentially means Suho's never truly fighting alone. Characters like Esil, Ammut, and other heirs play an active role in the story as Suho's companions, and it makes the series more fun to read. Ragnarok even gives the S-rank hunters a fair fighting chance, giving them their own power-ups using Suho's ability to create shadow items. As the battle against the Itarim's Apostle inches closer, it's clear that this time, the S-rank hunters and Suho's allies will fight alongside him, and it's quite a refreshing change from Solo Leveling. 3 Solo Leveling: Ragnarok Features More Creative Powers and Abilities Sung Suho with gauntlets in the background While Jinwoo may have a host of powerful skills like the Ruler's Authority and Kandiaru's Blessing at his disposal, his skill set as a whole mostly stays limited to his shadow powers. Beyond his shadow armor, Solo Leveling also does not give Jinwoo any interesting transformations. However, Solo Leveling: Ragnarok does get fairly creative with Suho's powers and abilities, and fittingly so, given Suho's background in art. Firstly, Ragnarok gives Suho an all-new power in the form of his bond skill with the other Monarch heirs. Using this skill with Gray also gives Suho a stunning transformation with glowing white hair straight out of Dragon Ball. Ragnarok also reinvents Suho's Shadow Monarch powers, giving him a power not even Jinwoo has, which is the ability to create items out of shadows that can level up and share their stats with the wearer. What's more is, this is only the beginning of Suho's powers as the so-called "Irregular White Shadow." 2 Solo Leveling: Ragnarok Handles Strength Progression Better Custom Image By Ana Nieves As a power fantasy series, it's pretty much a given that Solo Leveling's all about the thrill of seeing Jinwoo grow so overpowered until practically no one's a match for him. No doubt, Jinwoo has multiple fights that he struggles to win, from the Job Change Quest right up until the climactic battle against Antares. Both Jinwoo and Suho's growth is shaped by hard work and hardship, and yet Suho's growth arguably feels more realistic. Because of how Solo Leveling treats its S-rank hunters, the power creep begins to set in towards the Jeju Arc. Meanwhile, Ragnarok spends its first whole season building Suho up to face Lee Minsung, an A-rank hunter. Even as a formally recognized S-rank hunter in season 2, Suho still feels like the underdog compared to the Itarim's Apostle, and it's hard to imagine him clearing the S-rank gate all by himself as Jinwoo did at Jeju. There's no doubt Suho will eventually get there, but for now, it's more satisfying to see the series take its time. Jin-woo as seen in the cover of Solo Leveling Ragnarok season 2. All in all, the biggest strength Ragnarok has over Solo Leveling is its protagonist. Sung Suho makes for a much more compelling protagonist than Jinwoo, whose cardboard personality has always left more to be desired. Suho's character arc gradually takes shape over the course of season 1 of Ragnarok, reaching its climax during the Job Change Quest. Sung Suho's story isn't just about wanting to reunite with his family but also about finding himself. Initially, he aims to be just like his father, but in time, he finds his own reasons for wanting to grow stronger. Suho embraces his creative side, finds his own fighting style, and even chooses his own destiny outside of the three choices presented to him at the end of the job quest. Suho being more in touch with his emotions than Jinwoo also helps readers follow along with his journey more closely and maybe even relate to him along the way. At the end of the day, Suho simply has a lot more depth built into him that makes Solo Leveling: Ragnarok so much more compelling than Solo Leveling. Release Date 2024 - 2025-00-00 Network Tokyo MX, Gunma TV, BS11, Tochigi TV Directors Tatsuya Sasaki, Toru Hamasaki Writers Shigeru Murakoshi, Shingo Irie, Fuka Ishii Genta Nakamura Yoo Jin-ho

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