Warning: The following contains spoilers for Solo Leveling Season 2, Episode 12!!

There’s no doubt that Solo Leveling Season 2 just delivered on its climax before the season finale with the most cinematic fight episode so far in the franchise.

Despite the incredible return of Goku's Super Saiyan 4 in its fight against Gomah and Re:Zero Season 3 also going strong recently, featuring one of the best battles in the franchise, Garfiel vs. Kurgan, which carried a lot of emotion, Solo Leveling's fight between Jinwoo vs. the Ant King, completely sured fans' expectations, becoming the best animated anime fight of 2025 so far that could into history as some of the greatest fighting sequences of all time.

Solo Leveling Season 2 Goes Beyond the Manhwa With the Best Anime Fight of the Year

The Original Anime Scenes in Jinwoo Vs. The Ant King Elevate their Encounter to New Heights

Jinwoo’s journey hasn’t been short of incredible action, with the fights against Baruka, Kargalgan, and Baran crashing anime sites, but Solo Leveling not only managed to outdo itself but also left viewers speechless and showed what it is capable of with the spectacular fight of Jinwoo vs. The Ant King. Despite the fact that A-1 Pictures took more creative liberties with the source material than in any other battle so far, this actually elevated its status to legendary, taking an intense, yet relatively short clash from the manhwa and extending it to a full-on beat down that lasted almost 10 minutes.

Jinwoo Vs. The Ant King was greatly improved by several additions made by the production team. In the anime, the fight appears evenly matched at first, making it more interesting for viewers as Jinwoo seems to struggle more to defeat the Ant King compared to the manhwa. In the manhwa, Jinwoo totally dominated the fight, as he recognized that the Ant King’s power was almost equal to Baran’s, and he had leveled out after defeating him.

Jinwoo obtained the Fatal Strike ability in Solo Leveling Season 1, Episode 10 by leveling up after the fight against Kang Tae Shik.

An extra scene of Jinwoo struggling was also added in the anime when he is saved by a system notification about the Fatal Strike ability’s upgrade when he was in a pinch after being tackled by the Ant King, while in the manhwa he just casually activated the skill, and this reached its max level, ing to be called Mutilation. While some fans may argue that Jinwoo being overpowered is part of Solo Leveling’s charm, many viewers prefer some tension, and this change helps the audience relate to the weight of the fight and root for him to win.

Jinwoo vs the Ant King Is a Groundbreaking Anime Fight

New Animes Could Be Inspired by Solo Leveling’s Fighting Sequences

Having a similar feeling to remarkable anime fights like Saitama vs. Boros and Mahito vs. Yuji as well as the outstanding battle of Jinwoo against the Blood Red Commander Igris, Jinwoo vs. The Ant King featured a radical shift in the previous fight's visual style, starting as a high-tension pure fistfight steadily evolving into a speed match with blue and red streaks appearing all over.

Furthermore, the incredible change of perspective from Jinwoo to the Ant King, as well as the changes in the camera direction and cinematic moments, like the reflection of Jinwoo on his dagger and the close-up of his eye as he was about to be attacked, were intense and kept viewers on the edge of their seats.

The amazing reception of the fight is proved by the sequence of Sung Jinwoo vs. The Ant King, shared by Crunchyroll on its YouTube channel, has rapidly gained more than 5 million views and already anticipates that Solo Leveling is going to inspire many battles in anime for the years to come.

The Anime Showcase The Ant King Power’s Better Than the Manhwa

Solo Leveling Season 2 Perfectly Conveys the Ant King’s Fear

Additionally, the adaptation makes the Ant King more powerful with a more detailed transformation sequence where he changes to a form focused on speed and by featuring him using the iced magic that he absorbed from eating one of the Japanese S-Rank hunters, which wasn’t showcased in the manhwa. Also, the changes in the fight in the anime, where the fight appears to be equal, make the point where the Ant King becomes desperate even more exciting, capturing that difference in powers afterward, which aligns with the intention of the source material.

Jinwoo initially seized the Ant King’s strength, since he was always thrilled to fight with opponents that could match up to him and became serious only after he ed that he had to hurry due to Cha Hae In’s condition. Is after Jinwoo notices that the Ant King could heal himself that he double his efforts, since he realizes that he would be more difficult to kill than he originally thought.

This was highlighted better as the Ant King is shown without limbs and has to heal himself more times, being far more terrified of Jinwoo in the anime. This way, the adaptation excels with the fast-paced and intense battle of Jinwoo Vs. the Ant King, becoming a strong contender for the best anime fight of 2025.

Source: Crunchyroll YouTube Channel