Solo Leveling: Arise from the Shadows S2 Ep 3 Review
There’s only one reason why Sung Jin-woo became a Hunter: to provide for his sister and comatose mother. That motivation hasn’t changed since becoming a Player, especially since the Demon Castle Dungeon gave him the means to create a medicine to cure his mother. Having unlocked new abilities and tested them in the Red Gate, it’s time for Jin-woo to return to the Instance Dungeon to see how far he can go. At the same time, things are happening to those connected to Jin-woo that could affect him down the road.
Jinho’s Next Step to Being a Guild Master
Not long after the Red Gate, Jin-woo and Jinho reach the end of their deal: they’ve cleared 19 dungeons together! Rather, it’s more like Jin-woo cleared them, and Jinho helped support him. To his dismay, though, even that becomes pointless with Jin-woo’s Shadows able to carry his gear and mine resources.
Wholesome moment #SoloLeveling pic.twitter.com/3ZhEjPmjXE
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It’s easy to feel sympathetic for Jinho. His father’s seemingly never expected much from him and his brother is a conceited jerk. It’s no wonder that he considers Jin-woo more of a brother than his biological brother. And, despite his now-stoic nature, Jin-woo reciprocates the feeling, to his joy. What’s more, his father actually takes his request to lead their pending Hunter’s guild seriously. However, there’s a catch: he has to recruit Jin-woo.
As expected, Jin-woo’s extraordinary actions are starting to attract attention from those in power. It’s only a matter of time before people start trying to take advantage of his power…or come for his head like Dongsoo.
Yes, that man is who you think he is
Speaking of Dongsoo, this episode reveals the reason he was called back to the US. During a dungeon raid, an American Hunting party found something, or someone: a Korean Hunter. The government detains him for fear of him being a monster, but since he speaks Korean, they bring Dongsoo in to communicate.
You don’t mess with the Sung family #SoloLeveling pic.twitter.com/DF8TB9h4Vj
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What follows demonstrates how Dongsoo is just as wicked as his older brother, as he immediately realizes the connection the mysterious man has to Jin-woo and lies about the young man’s death.
Before you ask, yes. The man in question, Sung Il-Hwan, is Jin-woo’s father and an S-Rank Hunter, to boot. Ten years ago, he got stuck inside a Dungeon that closed on him. He’s only now found his way back to his dimension, and what happened in-between then, and what he learned, will become very important later in the series. What matters at the moment, though, is that he manages to humiliate Dongsoo before escaping custody. So, like son, like father!
Jin-woo Solos Half the Demon Castle
The highlight of the episode (besides the gratitious cameos of Cha Hae-In) are Jin-woo’s return to the Instance Dungeon called the Demon Castle. With the Red Gate affirming how strong he’s gotten since his job change, Jin-woo feels confident enough to try more of the dungeon.
This time, though, Jin-woo has an army at his disposal.
The second journey into the Instance Dungeon hammers home how Jin-woo’s starting to unlock the full potential of his Shadow Army. Not only can they perform menial tasks, they can also deal with the small fry enemies while he focuses on the ones that matter. He’s learning how to lead his forces into battle like a frontline general or king of old, letting him focus on the big boss of the 50th floor.
The fight between Jin-woo and the Avaricious Vulcan, while brief, is another chance for Solo Leveling to flex its animation budget. Thanks to the monster’s size and movement, it also has the benefit of feeling like a fight from Attack on Titan, which is a welcome addition. As always, though, Jin-woo comes out on top.
By the time Jin-woo makes it to the next boss on the 75th floor, he’s marching in there at the head of a small army. The fight that follows is so fast, it can’t even count as a fight! Just an execution.
Jin-woo is Getting There
So, the good news is that Jin-woo is improving by leaps and bounds, but he’s still not strong enough to solo the Instance Dungeon. The episode ends with him returning back to his dimension, but with some extra confidence instilled in himself. Once he beats the final boss of the Demon Castle, he’ll have the last ingredient he needs for the medicine to save his mother.
There’s bad news, though: he’s attracting attention. The more incredible things he does, the more people realize that he’s not an E-Rank Hunter anymore. If anything, the fact that he keeps pretending to be one will cause him trouble down the road. Sooner or later, he’s going to have to get re-re-evaluated and accept his S-Rank status. Otherwise, things could get ugly.
The good thing about Jin-woo, though, is that despite how strong he’s gotten, he’s not letting it go to his head. He still cares about his family (and Jinho), and he never lords his power over others unless he has to. Hopefully, that doesn’t change because…Jin-woo would be terrifying if he went evil. Like Homelander on steroids.
Great episode, though. Jin-woo is one step closer to saving his mother. And we got to see more of Cha Hae-In.
