Spoilers ahead for Solo Leveling.
Solo Leveling is built around a thrilling power fantasy. Adapted from Chugong’s web novel and its acclaimed webtoon, the story follows hunters with supernatural abilities as they fight dangerous beasts and protect humanity. Its protagonist, Sung Jin-woo, begins as an E-Rank hunter but gains access to a video game-like System that allows him to grow stronger at remarkable speed.
Jin-woo’s rise from the weakest hunter to an overwhelming force is central to the series’ appeal. His progression feels earned, and his search for answers about the System leads to a succession of memorable battles. The anime’s striking animation and clear, escalating stakes make the straightforward world-building easy to enjoy.
That focus on one hero comes with a cost. Supporting characters can be pushed aside or removed just as their potential becomes clear. This is understandable in a story about Jin-woo’s solitary growth, but several hunters, allies and rivals could have carried much richer arcs.
Five characters who deserved more time
These five figures each brought a different kind of promise to Solo Leveling, whether through their abilities, personal sacrifices or potential as a foil for Jin-woo.
Esil Radiru
Esil is the eldest princess of the Radiru Clan and a demon noble. She encounters Jin-woo after her knights attack him on the 80th floor of the Demon Castle. Once he defeats them, Esil begs for her life and offers to guide him through the tower. She later contributes to his battle against the Demon King Baran.
Her combination of self-preservation, courage and comic relief makes her immediately engaging. Unfortunately, her original storyline ends soon after she is introduced. The sequel Solo Leveling: Ragnarok, which follows Jin-woo’s son Sung Suho, gives Esil a substantially larger role as the Monarch of Gluttony. She eventually provides Suho with the rare Demon King’s Purified Blood, an ingredient needed to create the Holy Water of Life. That return is welcome, but Esil still could have had more to do beside Jin-woo.
Christopher Reed
Christopher Reed is one of five National Level Hunters and one of America’s two strongest hunters. The story signals his death early, prompting Reed to seek Jin-woo’s help in avoiding that fate. His abilities finally receive attention during the International Guild Conference Arc, when three Monarchs ambush him inside a dimensional gap.
Reed fights bravely but dies soon afterwards. His mutilated body is later found among the ruins of his mansion, leaving only a brief glimpse of his fire magic and the power implied by his rank. Ragnarok revisits him through a revised timeline, but the Itarim—gods responsible for creating all existence—target him and he dies again. For a character presented as such a formidable hunter, Reed’s repeated fate feels more like a missed opportunity than a satisfying conclusion.
Lee Joohee
Lee Joohee is a B-Rank Healer who was close to Jin-woo when he was still an E-Rank hunter. During the D-Rank Dungeon Arc, she repeatedly heals and protects him during a dangerous raid. The horrors of the Cartenon Temple, also known as the Double Dungeon, leave her traumatised and frightened of dungeons, eventually leading her to retire from hunting.
Choosing a quieter life is a valid and even fitting outcome for Joohee. It highlights the widening gap between her desire for peace and Jin-woo’s pursuit of greater power. Still, her sudden disappearance removes one of Jin-woo’s earliest sources of compassion and support. Their diverging paths are believable, but the series leaves little room to explore what that friendship might have become.
Sung Il-Hwan
Jin-woo’s father, Sung Il-Hwan, left his firefighting career and became one of Korea’s first S-Rank Hunters. Because the formal ranking system did not yet exist, he never received the privileges later associated with that rank. During a raid, Il-Hwan became trapped in a dungeon for more than ten years, causing his family to believe he had died.
The Rulers, an ancient race of angelic warriors, eventually rescued him. In return, Il-Hwan became their vessel and accepted their order to kill the future Shadow Monarch. His return to Earth brings little comfort: he reunites with Jin-woo but dies soon afterwards, disintegrating before he can explain his disappearance or the Rulers’ demands.
Il-Hwan’s sacrifice is important to the larger conflict, yet the emotional resolution is painfully brief. After more than a decade apart, father and son deserved the chance to share a fuller conversation and rebuild their family life.
Goto Ryuji
Goto Ryuji is introduced as Japan’s strongest hunter and the Guild Master of the Draw Sword Guild. He is ruthless and has little regard for human life, but his political ambition and survival-of-the-fittest philosophy make him an intriguing counterpoint to Jin-woo.
During the Jeju Island raid, Goto loses contact with his guild members and discovers they have been killed. He shows little grief because he had secretly planned to eliminate the Korean S-Rank Hunters rather than help reclaim Jeju. The Ant King then ambushes Goto and his allies, beheading him quickly.
Goto’s death suits his arrogance, but it also ends the story of a rival whose strength had been heavily emphasised. Once he is gone, the narrative can place Jin-woo firmly at the centre of the conflict with the Ant King. A longer arc might have made Goto a more effective antagonist before his inevitable downfall.
Potential left on the sidelines
Solo Leveling remains an entertaining series because its central progression is so effective. Even so, its supporting cast often exists to demonstrate how far Jin-woo has surpassed everyone else. For readers who enjoy character-driven stories as much as spectacular battles, these five unfinished arcs are a reminder of what the series leaves unexplored.
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