Solo Leveling has been a massive success from the very first episode. I think that I can speak for every anime-only out there who had no idea just how great the series would be. Right from its first moments, Solo Leveling comes flying out of the gates with amazing animation, a gripping story, and one of the best edgy characters in anime.

Sung Jinwoo's reawakening has been so much fun to watch. He's the perfect character to acquire a host of top-tier powers, and the world his story is set in makes for an interesting viewing experience as well. I had so much fun watching the Solo Leveling anime, I couldn't wait another week for a new episode to come out. I decided to check out the webtoon online, and it did not disappoint. While I loved certain aspects of the manhwa, there might be one big letdown anime-only watchers experience later down the line.

Solo Leveling Is A Once In A Once-In-A-Generation Hit

It Broke Record After Record

There are a ton of other shōnen anime series out there that want to be what Solo Leveling is. At its core, Solo Leveling is one of the best edgy anime series of the past decade. The series does everything right to set itself up as a dark, violent, brutal show that pulls no punches, and that's exactly what makes an edgy series good. Watching Jinwoo stealthily take down a group of A-Rank monsters while he hides his true abilities from the rest of the group is peak Solo Leveling.

I'm not the only one to hold the series in such high regard. On the best anime streaming site currently available, Crunchyroll, Solo Leveling has broken a ton of records. The first episode of the second season became the most-liked premiere episode in the history of Crunchyroll, amassing 129,000 likes in less than 24 hours.

Do you want to know who previously held the record? It was also Solo Leveling's first episode from the first season, which initially gained the record with 114,000 likes in the same timeframe. To call Solo Leveling a once-in-a-generation hit is obvious when you watch the amazing series, but even the numbers themselves back it up.

The Anime for Solo Leveling Is Unreal

Season Two Might Be Even Better Than Season One

There's a pretty good argument to be had that the Solo Leveling anime is even better than the manhwa. Not only does the anime give Jinwoo a much better goal earlier in the series after he finds the recipe for the Elixir of Life, but the animation itself brings the series to life in a way that nobody saw coming. As someone who recently read the Solo Leveling webtoon (in about two days, to be entirely honest with you), I can say full-heartedly that the manhwa is amazing.

Even with all the highs of reading the series, there's nothing like seeing it on-screen. Jinwoo and all of his Shadows look even better in the anime, flying across the screen and taking down scores of enemies at once. The first season did impeccably well adapting the events of the manhwa, and the second season took everything that the first did well and ran with it.

After reading the manhwa, I think that the best part of the series is still yet to come. While season two looks to be an absolute treat, the possible third season of Solo Leveling, when they possibly adapt the Jeju Island Arc, will be the best in the entire series.

The Manhwa Peaks With the Jeju Island Arc

Solo Leveling Is Still Good After, But Jeju Island Is Its Best

The absolute peak of Solo Leveling is the Jeju Island Arc. I would argue that this single arc eclipses everything that comes after it, and beats out many of the arcs that came before it too. Solo Leveling is at its best when Jinwoo's powers are still being uncovered by the people around him. Solo Leveling is nothing if it isn't an edgy anime. Edgy animes are almost always done poorly, but Solo Leveling does edgy anime right.

To be a truly edgy anime, a series needs a main character who has a lot of trauma (Jinwoo's death and suffering as an E-Rank), that same character quickly getting incredibly strong (Jinwoo leveling up through the system), and a bunch of characters who are shocked when they see his transformation (everyone else in the series). During the Jeju Island Arc, each of these three pieces is at their pinnacle.

Jinwoo is absurdly strong, steps in to save people who couldn't even fathom his strength at exactly the right time, and wipes the floor with one of the strongest characters in the series. While the rest of the series has great fights, nothing compares to the Jeju Island Arc. Jinwoo later goes on to fight Divine Beings, which takes away from the show's seriousness. Pitting Jinwoo against gods seems cool on paper, but it isn't as impressive as his fight against the Ant King or even Goto Ryuji leading up to the arc.

Solo Leveling Could Fall Off Before It Ends

The Peak Isn't The End

As a viewer, I want a series to end at its peak, or just after it. In Naruto, there's nothing better than the Fourth Great Ninja War, and the series knows it. It doesn't spend much time after the events of Naruto and Sasuke's final battle, choosing to wrap up the series when it's at its best.

I don't want to get ahead of myself, but I have a feeling that the Solo Leveling anime will peak when Jinwoo heads to Jeju Island. The series will probably be adapted for around five seasons given the current pacing, placing the Jeju Island Arc somewhere around season three. That leaves two whole seasons that aren't as good as Jinwoo vs. The Ant King, which might be a massive letdown for a lot of fans.

Luckily, all of Solo Leveling is jaw-dropping. From Solo Leveling's gripping first episode until the last, I have exactly zero doubt that the series won't be one of the first shows I watch every week. I just hope that the events after the Jeju Island Arc can be at least somewhat as good as what's set to be the peak of the series.