Solo Leveling is easily the most popular anime adapted from a manhwa yet, thanks to the incredible adaptation by A-1 Pictures. It’s a faithful adaptation with a few minor changes here and there, making fans enjoy the true essence of the story. However, the Season 2 finale featured several crucial differences from the manhwa. The finale wraps up the Jeju Island Arc by featuring the aftermath of Korea’s biggest raid ever. The entire world witnessed Jinwoo’s fight against the Ant King and his shadow army, eradicating the monsters on the island. The finale also featured Jinwoo’s plan of opening his own guild instead of joining someone else’s.
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The studio has yet to officially announce Solo Leveling Season 3, but we might get an update soon. The anime’s popularity is record-breaking, and with so much story left to cover, the studio is strongly likely to renew a sequel. The story will finally unravel the truth about the world, the reason the gates started appearing, and Jinwoo’s role in shaping the future as the Shadow Monarch. Anime-only fans may be unaware, but they missed out on quite a lot since the finale wrapped up the story within a limited time frame.
Warning: Spoilers Ahead for the Solo Leveling Manhwa!
[RELATED: Solo Leveling: What Will Happen After the Jeju Island Arc?]
Jinwoo Actually Had Difficulty Turning Byung-Gu Min into a Shadow
In the anime, Jinwoo easily extracts the shadow of the S-Rank Healer, unlike in the manhwa. Usually, Jinwoo has difficulty turning someone powerful into a shadow, but that’s the case this time. His first two attempts at extracting Byung-Gu’s shadow fail before he realizes the healer is strongly opposed to becoming one. Byung-Gu hated violence and wasn’t keen on going on dangerous missions.
However, as the best healer in the country, he realized his important role. Just as he feared, he died on the mission. On the other hand, Jinwoo thinks it’s unethical to command a dead human being. Kim Chul is different since Jinwoo knew the former was selfish and willing to sacrifice those around him, forgoing his humanity in the process. In the third attempt, the extraction is complete. Byung-Gu fulfills his role before Jinwoo releases the shadow as a form of respect.
Jinwoo Put a Lot More Thought Behind Beru’s Name in the Manhwa
Jinwoo realized Beru was much more special than the rest of his Shadow soldiers. In the army, he instantly names him Beru when Shadow asks for a name. However, the real reason Jinwoo named him such was because he thought it’d be strange if he just called him Ant or King. Jinwoo usually comes up with simple names for his shadows, such as Iron and Tank. This time, he thought his new shadow should have a name that sets him apart from the others. He then remembered the name of the author who wrote a novel, “The Ants,” and settled for the name Beru.
Jinwoo Didn’t Extract the Ant Queen in the Solo Leveling Season 2 Finale
The anime excluded the scene where Jinwoo extracts the Ant Queen right after naming Beru. The extraction is successful in the first attempt, but all his shadows that were extracted from the ant monsters, excluding Beru, suddenly start to act strangely. Beru explains that the Queen has the inherent power to rule over her colony. Jinwoo understands that as long as the Queen is alive, he won’t be able to command the shadows of the ant monsters.
He also notices that the Queen’s mana is incredibly low, considering her rank. Beru reveals that her mana is mostly used for reproduction, but now her mana has depleted since she no longer has that ability. Since the Queen isn’t suited for combat, he terminates the contract with her shadows.
The anime also excludes the scene after the contract termination when Jinwoo stops his shadows from picking up the mana stones from the dungeon. That will be important to rebuild the island, but he still picks up the valuable stone from Beru’s corpse, which is rightfully his.
Solo Leveling Anime Didn’t Properly Introduce Two Characters
After the Korean S-Rank Hunters leave the dungeon, Jinwoo stays behind to deal with the remaining monsters. In Chapter 105, we see David Brennon, director of the Federal Bureau of Hunters, watching the footage at 4 am because of Michael Connor, the Deputy Director of the Bureau. They both plan to recruit him and discuss his father, who showed up inside a dungeon and was mistaken for a monster. Illhwan Sung went missing after brutally attacking Dongsoo Hwang.
However, they also want to proceed cautiously and not be reckless like they were in recruiting Dongsoo. This would easily worsen the relationship between the United States and Korea. Additionally, in Chapter 106, right after Liu Zhigang’s impressive display on the Coast of China, the manhwa introduces Thomas Andre. He is a national-level Hunter and one of the most important characters in the story. He is also the Guild Master of the Scavenger Hunter Guild in the United States, the same one Dongsoo joined after leaving Korea. Although we see Thomas’s glimpse in the finale, the entire scene of him talking about Dongsoo and Jinwoo was removed from the manhwa.
Solo Leveling Season 2 Finale Features an Unexpected Scene
Ideally, the anime season should’ve ended after the two mysterious monsters left the island. However, to build up more hype around the finale, the anime features a scene from Chapter 110, where Jinwoo is returning from his meeting with Norma Selner in the Recruitment Arc. He encounters a gate in the middle of the road and enters alone to clear it. Upon entering, he realizes it’s a Red Gate, but that’s hardly a challenge for him and his shadow army.
The third season will likely cover the entire arc since it’s a crucial part of the story. The finale also had a few jumbled up to provide a more streamlined storyline. However, even though some of the scenes were excluded from the episode, they will likely be featured in Season 3, giving it room for more content.
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