Solo Leveling: Arise from the Shadows S2 Ep 11 Review
Menaces: a person, people, or entities whose very existence can be considered a threat to one’s health, well-being, and life in general. They are the ones who will end your existence solely for the heck of it. There have been plenty of menaces throughout anime, from Kid Buu to Sukuna to Yujiro Hanma. And now, Solo Leveling has its own menace ready to inflict nightmare fuel upon the whole of Korea. The Ant King has risen, and he is ready to make mincemeat out of everyone in a moment I’ve been waiting to see for a year!
Everything Was Going Fine…
At first glance, the Jeju Island Raid seems to be going well. Throughout the first half, the Korean Hunters manage to make it to the final boss room of the Dungeon, and they’re feeling good about themselves. They think this is going to be their moment to end this threat forever. From an outsider’s perspective, they have everything they need, too! Thanks to their teamwork and, more importantly, the skill of their S-Rank Healer, Byung-Gu, they can handle even the S-Ranked Ants of the royal guard. It’s like watching that one elite team of MMO gamers getting ready to beat the big Dungeon the developer just added!
The fight between the Hunters and the Ant Queen’s guard is fairly entertaining to watch. It’s nothing compared to the fights we’ve seen Jin-woo take part in, but it gives us a good look at why these are the strongest Hunters in Korea. They may not be able to solo the Dungeon like Jin-woo, but they fight like a well-oiled machine. We see Cha Hae-in get the honor of dealing the final blow, providing more evidence for why she’s the best girl in the series. Afterward, everyone starts to celebrate, thinking this 4-year-long nightmare is ending. Little do they know that the Ant Queen wasn’t even the final boss. The real final boss is about to make their debut.
The Ant King Solos Everyone
Despite the anime ruining the suspense in the last episode by showing us what the Queen’s greatest child looks like, it made up for it near the end. The fact that we never see it as it starts killing the Japanese Hunters helps rebuild the tension, which continues at the start of this episode. Without breaking a sweat, the Ant King manages to slaughter that entire team, and then does the same to the ones who came to investigate. However, this moment isn’t what makes this beast a true menace. It’s what he does next.
The Ant King calls all the remaining ants back to the nest, because it knows their mom is dead, and they have to avenge her. So while the other ants start to make their way back, the Ant King walks right in and, through his aura farming alone, manages to make Cha Hae-in drop to her knees in horror.
Then, we hear the same music that played when Jin-woo killed those Hunters in the Dungeon. Even though I read the manwha in advance, my jaw still dropped when I saw what happened next. It was even worse than I remembered!
The Ant King is a Menace!
Byung-Gu’s death was like something out of a horror movie. However, what made it worse was that he had already retired as a Hunter. He quit after the last Jeju raid because he knew if he kept being a Hunter, he’d die gruesome. He was all set to get his certification to be a teacher, but chose to come back because he cared too much about his comrades!
This Ant King is the second coming of Meruem. If he is not stopped, he will lead his army to conquer all of Asia. He’s so strong that he even disrespects the Hunters by telling them they’re not even worth the effort for him to kill. He lets the rest of the Ants finish them while he leaves to find their King and kill them.
So, what are the Japanese Hunters doing during this time? They’re getting ready to leave.
Japan’s Scheming Backfired
Japan never intended to work with Korea to clear out the Ants. Their plan was to use Korea’s S-Ranks as cannon fodder to soften the ants up so they could clear it themselves. Once Goto Ryuji did this, he would meet the requirements to ascend to the one rank beyond S-Rank: the National Rank. They’re Hunters that are so strong they rival an entire country’s military, and they all cleared S-Rank Dungeons. Ryuji had the chance to help clear one in America years ago, but he turned it down to stay in Japan, something that he’s always regretted.
Bro really thought he was the king #SoloLeveling pic.twitter.com/1NKIoZ6uVa
— Solo Leveling (@SoloLevelAnime) March 15, 2025 https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js
In other words, this entire plan was a scheme to gain control over Korea and satisfy a single man’s ego. But not even Japan’s strongest Hunter is enough to handle the Ant King. We don’t even see him die; just his blade breaking.
Jin-woo like “Fine, I’ll do it myself.”
The episode looks like it’s about to end on a very bleak note, with all the Hunters about to be devoured by the horde. However, that is Jin-woo decides to make his move.
Planting his Shadows on most of the Korean Hunters was a smart move. It allows him to instantaneously teleport to Jeju Island in time to save everyone. However, it does beg the question why he didn’t do this as soon as the Ant King appeared. Better yet, why didn’t he let them know that he could have his Shadows provide backup earlier? He could have planted them on every Hunter taking part and have them provide support! It feels like a bit of an oversight by the story.
WORST CLIFFHANGER EVER MAN The setup for Sung Jin Woo vs Beru tho is absolutely insane #SoloLeveling pic.twitter.com/wuktYISbgR
— Masked_saiyan101 (@DbsContents) March 15, 2025 https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js
What’s done is done, though. Now that Jin-woo is about to appear, we are going to get the fight that I’ve been waiting an entire year to see in animated form. Hopefully, this fight will be as good as it is in the gacha game Solo Leveling: Arise. Which, by the way, is in the middle of its spring event.
