Solo Levelinghas made a name for itself as one of the greatest anime series of the past decade, and somehow, it could be even better. There are rare moments within the series where a few changes might make the series even better. While it’s hard to say for sure whether these changes would genuinely improve the series,there’s no doubt that they would make it much more interesting.
Solo Levelinghas broken record after record, showing just how popular and critically acclaimed the series is. The series' greatest strengths come from its main character, Sung Jinwoo, the world the story is set in, and the top-tier fights that bring the series to the top of the genre. With these changes, however,Solo Levelingcould be even better, taking over the highest spot as the greatest shōnen series around.
This article covers theSolo Levelinganime as well as the manhwa, so there are spoilers for anime-only fans.
10Jinwoo Dates Cha Hae-In In The Main Timeline
The Pair Hang Out A Few Times, But Their Relationship Blossoms In The Epilogue
Jinwoo’s relationship with S-Rank Hunter Cha Hae-In isn’t really shown in the main timeline. They do have some great moments in the main timeline, including their first real interaction in a dungeon. Cha Hae-In’s sense of smell is almost too intense, as other Hunters reek when she’s around them, causing her to cover her face with a handkerchief. When she meets Jinwoo, she finds the first Hunter who not only doesn’t smell bad, but actually smells a little good.
They hang out a few times in the main timeline, but their relationship really blossoms after Jinwoo uses the Cup of Reincarnation and rewinds time by 10 years. The main timeline would bea lot more interesting if it showed Jinwoo and Cha Hae-In actually spending a little more time together,showing their relationship’s beginnings sooner rather than later.
9Jinwoo Recruits More People Into His Guild
Jinwoo Really Didn’t Need More Guild Members, But It Would Have Made For An Interesting Dynamic
Every guild in Korea rightfully wants to add Sung Jinwoo to their rosters. At first, he was the 10th S-Rank Hunter to come out of Korea. While that is a feat in an of itself, it was only the beginning for the only Hunter with the ability to actually get stronger. Eventually, Sung Jinwoo becomes one ofthe strongest characters inSolo Leveling,surpassing every other Hunter within the entire country.
Jinwoo then goes on to create his own guild: the Ahjin Guild. Jinwoo really doesn’t need anyone else within his guild because he’s strong enough to clear dungeons out on his own, but he does add his friend Jinho to the mix. Eventually, Cha Hae-In wants to join as well, but that’s about it. It’s obvious that Jinwoo really doesn’t need anyone else to join his guild, butit would have been cool to see him working with, or even commanding, another group of powerful Hunters.
8Jinah’s Relationship With Jinho Is Explored
Jinah And Jinho’s Relationship Is Never Really Shown In Solo Leveling
Sung Jinwoo’s sister, Sung Jinah, is one of the funniest characters in the series. She’s a normal high-school-aged girl who has a great, and hilarious, relationship with her brother. One of their funniest moments together is when Jinwoo goes to Jinah’s school for a parent-teacher conference and all of Jinah’s classmates can help but stare at her older brother, causing her to ask if he needs her to set him up on a date.
Yoo Jinho is Sung Jinwoo’s friend and Vice-Guild Master. Eventually, Jinho and Jinah get married, but their relationship is never really shown in the main timeline. It would have made for a great story arc to seetwo of the people Jinwoo is closest to begin to fall in love with each other, putting the Second Shadow Monarch in an interesting and fun position.
7Monarchs Could Be Added To The Shadow Army
It Isn’t Possible, But If Monarchs Could Be Part Of The Shadow Army, Jinwoo Would Have Unreal Soliders To Call Upon
There are few characters as powerful as the Monarchs.The strongest Monarchs inSolo Levelingare stronger than nearly every other non-Monarch put together, showing the insane difference between Hunters and the seemingly divine beings. Jinwoo is able to add every living being to his Shadow Army, but Monarchs aren’t really living beings. They inhabit bodies while they are on Earth, using mana-based bodies in the process.
Monarchs don’t have Shadows like regular Monsters or Hunters inSolo Leveling,but if they did, they would easily bethe strongest Shadows in Jinwoo’s army. If Jinwoo was able to add the King of Demons and the Monarch of White Flames, Baran, to his Shadow Army,he might not have even needed to lift a finger during his fight against Beru on Jeju Island.It’s an interesting idea that could have made the show better, even if it was totally impossible.
6A National Level Hunter Joins The Shadow Army
The Strongest Hunter Jinwoo Recruited Was An S-Rank
Jinwoo added plenty of different monsters and Hunters to his Shadow Army. He added knights, like Igris, Ice Bears, like Tank, and even High-Orc Shamans, like Tusk. While Jinwoo was able to add a few evil Hunters to his ranks, they were never as strong asthe strongest Hunters inSolo Leveling.The strongest rank for all Hunters inSolo Levelingis National Level, signifying that a Hunter is so strong, they have the same might as an entire nation.
There are only four National Level Hunters in the series, and while Jinwoo got into a fight with one of them, he was never able to add any to his Shadow Army. The strongest Hunter he ever added was S-Ranked Hunter Hwang Dongsoo, later known as the Shadow Greed. It would have been very interesting to seesomeone as strong as Thomas Andre or Liu Zhigang in the Shadow Army.
5Jinah Dies To The Orcs
If Jinah Actually Died In Solo Leveling, The Series Would Have Taken A Much Darker Turn
Solo Levelinghas plenty of dark moments, but before it gets too dark, Jinwoo arrives at just the right time and saves the day. It’s happened several times throughout the series: he stops Atsushi Kumamoto from hurting Cha Hae-In, he saves his fellow Korean S-Rank Hunters from getting demolished by the Ant King, and notably, he saves his sister Jinah from rampaging Orcs that kill a lot of her classmates.
It’s a brutal moment that doesn’t get entirely bleak because of Jinwoo. If Jinwoo wasn’t able to make it in time, however,Solo Levelingcould have become one ofthe best, darkest anime of all time.Sung Jinwoo isn’t necessarily a vengeful character, but it would have been fascinating to see his character change if his sister had died. He ends up rewinding time by 10 years anyway, so her death wouldn’t have been permanent.
4Jinwoo Is Able To Keep Kamish In The Shadow Army
The First Ever S-Rank Boss Wasn’t Able To Stick Around For Long
There are seven ranks of Hunters inSolo Leveling:E-Rank, D-Rank, C-Rank, B-Rank, A-Rank, S-Rank, and finally, National Level. While Hunters can get their latent abilities tested and earn one of the first six ranks depending on their power level, the only way to become a National Level Hunter is to defeat the boss of an S-Rank Gate. The only S-Rank Gate in history, before Jeju Island, was the one Kamish came out of.
Kamish is so strong that when he was alive, he destroyed most of North America. His skeleton was kept after his defeat, giving Jinwoo a chance to try and extract his Shadow. While he was able to resurrect the Shadow for a few minutes, it had been too long since Kamish had died for his Shadow to remain intact.Kamish is known as “Humanity’s Greatest Calamity”, and he could’ve added an unbelievable amount of firepower to Jinwoo’s Shadow Army.
3Min Byung-Gyu Stays As One Of Jinwoo’s Shadows
Min Byung-Gyu Could Heal Even Better Than Sung Jinwoo
Min Byung-Gyu has one of the saddest stories inSolo Leveling.As one ofthe few Korean S-Rank Hunters, Min Byung-Gyu was sent to Jeju Island for the third raid in an attempt to stop the ever-growing threat of the Ants. He’s one of the strongest healers in the series, but even he wasn’t strong enough to stop his friend Eunseok from dying. He retired from being a Hunter after the failed raid, but returned to the fight once more for the Fourth Jeju Island Raid.
Unfortunately, Min Byung-Gyu was killed during the raid. When Cha Hae-In was on the verge of death and Jinwoo was out of options, he extracted the healer’s Shadow, saving her life. Min Byung-Gyu never wanted to be a fighter, so Jinwoo released his Shadow after Cha Hae-In was healed. It’s a beautfiul moment that shows Jinwoo’s patience and grace, butMin Byung-Gyu would have been one of the strongest and smartest Shadows in the series if he was still in the Army.
2Chairman Go Gunhee Is Able To Fight
Go Gunhee Is One Of The Coolest Characters In Solo Leveling
Chairman Go Gunhee is easily one ofthe coolest characters in anime. He radiates aura like the sun radiates light. Before he was the Chairman of the Korean Hunters Association, Go Gunhee was one of the first S-Rank Hunters in the country. He is one of the strongest characters in the series; later inSolo Leveling,it’s revealed that Go Gunhee is actually the vessel for the Brightest Fragment of Brilliant Light, the strongest of all the Rulers.
Go Gunhee was able to fight as a Hunter for a little bit inSolo Leveling,but because of his old age, his body wasn’t able to keep up with the power he would put through it. He was forced to take an administrative role instead, which still helped organize the Hunters in the country and create some peace between the rivaling Guilds. Still,there are few bigger what-ifs inSolo Levelingthan the possibility of Gun Gunhee’s return to the battlefield without any restrictions.
1Jinwoo Adds Baruka (Barca) To His Shadow Army
There are few characters inSolo Levelingas captivating as the leader of the Ice Elves, Baruka. Known as Barca in the anime, this character was incredible on the battlefield. He was even stronger than Sung Jinwoo when they fought, forcing Jinwoo to not only rely on Igris' help, but Iron as well.If it wasn’t a three-vs-one battle, Jinwoo would most likely have died to this vicious character.
Baruka was interesting for a number of reasons. First and foremost, he was one ofthe strongest villains inSolo Levelingwhen he first appeared on-screen. Second, he was arguably one of the most intelligent as well, as he already had the ability to speak when Jinwoo met him. If he joined Jinwoo’s Shadow Army, he would have had a number of entertaining interactions with both Jinwoo and the rest of the Shadow Soldiers.
