Solo Leveling Season 2 Episode 1 proves that Sung Jinwoo is the goat

My new favorite anime of 2024 is Solo Leveling Season 1, a nice way to start the year combining two of my favorites: anime and video games. My love only expanded with the second season as Sung Jinwoo honed in on his newfound class from the Job Change Quest.

When we last saw Jinwoo, he had just uncovered his new power (spoilers for anyone who hasn’t watched the end of Season 1) with Necromancy. The first time I watched this reveal, I was pleasantly surprised to see a class like this. At the most, it’s always been the more traditional ones like Fighter or Mage, but never something similar to Necromancy. With Solo Leveling Season 2, also known as Arise from the Shadow, we see Sung finally put this class into action, showing him as the puppetmaster of the undead.

Jinwoo will need to put the skill to the test when he enters a new gate with fellow hunters. His goal is still the same as the last season: level up to garner enough strength for the Demon’s Castle. Remember, the castle holds the Holy Water of Life, the potential cure to his mother’s deadly illness. This season will likely bring us back to this menacing place, but in the show’s current standing, Sung must first deal with the latest gate before getting there.

Solo Leveling Season 2’s setting primarily takes place in a snowy environment, differing from the deserty Penalty Zone and castle-like interiors of dungeons. The visuals have more or less stayed the same as Season 1, with a few more developments in shading, which is more than enough considering it was already visually pleasing from the get-go.

Due to the alteration in the environment, enemies have also changed to match the gate’s frosty world. It’s the perfect chance for Jinwoo to get used to his Necromancy, commanding his soldiers to take out surrounding enemy forces. Sure, it’s a little gory to watch, but what can you expect from an anime that started out violently? By the end of the episode, Jinwoo uses Necromancy effortlessly, almost as if we’re watching a master at work despite him only unlocking the skill a little while ago.

Although Sung Jinwoo seems like an expert in the art of Necromancy, he still acknowledges that he needs much more room to grow in the episode. That’s one of the many things I respect about him since he doesn’t entirely let his profound powers get to his head. Well, he does in very few situations, but he typically gets punished for it and immediately sees the error of his ways. The need to always want to improve oneself and correct mistakes is the main reason why Jinwoo is the GOAT. Humble kings tend to be way more successful, in my opinion, than those who think they’re perfect.

Even the characters he’s just met in the episode can see just how amazing Sung Jinwoo is, and it’s incredibly satisfying for my boy to get the recognition he deserves. Almost everyone notices his power, taking out beasts that others have died fighting. It’s not hard to see the changes in him since Season 1, in light of the new season’s very manly, buffed look. Oh, and he’s got a fancy new hairdo that makes all the girls simp over. I can already see the string of new thirst trap edits on TikTok.

While Arise from the Shadow’s first episode is only the tip of the iceberg, setting up the stage for what looks like an epic Season 2, we’ll likely be getting more into the nitty-gritty stuff in the next few weeks. There will presumably be many more top-dog moments with Sung Jinwoo, too, furthering his status as the greatest of all time.

There are a lot of lingering questions from the first season, like what happened on Jeju Island? And who is the true mastermind of the System? Fortunately, we may get an answer with the first 12 confirmed episodes for the season, releasing every Saturday on Crunchyroll.