Solo Leveling is one of the most popular manhwa series of the present, while Hunter x Hunter is a genre-defining shonen manga by the legendary Yoshihiro Togashi. These two series seem completely different at first, with one being a modern power fantasy with an overpowered protagonist and the other a classic shonen with deep world-building and strategic battles. The Hunter x Hunter manga debuted in 1998 and slowly became one of the most iconic series of all time. The series has one of the best world-building, a unique power system, and intriguing characters that fans still adore. On the other hand, Solo Leveling helped popularize Manhwa globally with its unique setting and stellar art.
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Solo Leveling’s anime is currently airing the second season, finally commencing the Jeju Island Arc. It has been hyped since the anime debut, and now Korea has started the fourth raid after careful preparation to reduce as many casualties as possible. The arc takes place on an island where an S-Rank Gate appeared several years ago. Even the strongest Hunters were incapable of conquering the dungeon, which led to a dungeon break. With the last three raids being complete failures, Korea is giving its all for the fourth one. Those familiar with Hunter x Hunter must have noticed how the Jeju Island Arc is similar to the Chimera Ant Arc. However, there are more things in common between the two.
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The Concept of Hunters and the Hunter Association Exist in Both Worlds
In Hunter x Hunter, Hunters are licensed individuals who have proved themselves through a rigorous exam and can access locations and resources not available to the general public. They dedicate themselves to various pursuits like tracking treasures, beasts, or people, depending on their specialization. The Hunters take on various jobs, ranging from treasure hunting and tracking down individuals to discovering and investigating new things.
Some even take on assassinations, all while using their license to facilitate these tasks. There’s even a Hunter Association, a non-government organization responsible for testing and licensing the Hunters. Meanwhile, Solo Leveling’s Hunters aren’t that different as they are also granted a license by the Hunter Association and can access places that the public can’t – the gates. Their job is to conquer the dungeons lying inside those gates whenever they appear.
The Hunter’s activities are all overseen by the Association. If there is one difference between the Hunters from both series, it’s that the ones in HxH are expected to learn Nen as part of the “Secret Hunter Exam,” but it’s not a requirement. Meanwhile, the Hunters in Solo Leveling must possess special abilities that allow them to fight the monsters. The monsters are from other dimensions, and modern weaponry doesn’t work on them. Hence, only the magic powers of the Hunters are capable of stopping them.
Solo Leveling’s Jeju Island Arc Is Really Similar to Hunter x Hunter’s Chimera Ant Arc
The Chimera Ant Arc is one of the most popular arcs in Shonen, where the monsters created a massive threat by taking over an area and evolving rapidly. Because of the threat humanity is facing, the Hunter Association sends several Hunters to defeat the monsters. A group of elite, top-tier Hunters are gathered together to control the situation. However, they are unaware that the Queen of the ants gives birth to a king, the strongest monster of all. Mereum was the Queen’s only hope of fulfilling her wish for world dominance. As the Queen wanted, the king she gave birth to was the strongest the world had ever seen. The king easily defeats his opponents, even the most powerful ones.
All these things are also shown in Solo Leveling’s Jeju Island Arc, making the similarities between the series even more profound. In HxH, Mereum undergoes a significant change, having gained a new perspective on how he views humans. He moved away from his “evil” nature and got a peaceful death. While Beru lacks the complexity and character depth of Mereum, the former also changed significantly after becoming a shadow. Beru is Jinwoo’s first shadow capable of speech, and he soon becomes a fan-favorite character with his humor and loyalty towards Jinwoo. Both characters were also focused on fighting the strongest person to prove their might. However, after going through the changes, they no longer sought meaningless fights.
