Solo Leveling Season 2: All Story Arcs, Explained

 

 

Solo Leveling has returned with its much-awaited second season, and so far, everyone is impressed with the new season's quality. Of course, a few fans aren't happy that the show excluded some scenes from the manhwa, but the majority of the fandom is ready to forget that as long as they get spectacular fight sequences.

Season 2 began with the Red Gate Arc and concluded the story arc in just two episodes. The new season will feature a total of 13 episodes, and if the show doesn't pivot towards slow-paced storytelling, we might see a decent number of story arcs being adapted in Season 2. But one may wonder how many (and which) story arcs they can expect to see in Season 2. Well, here's the answer.

Red Gate Arc

Chapters 46-55

Season 2 of Solo Leveling picks up from Red Gate, the 8th story Arc of Solo Leveling. In this arc, Jin-Woo decides to expose Han Song-Yi (his sister's friend) to the dangers of Hunter's profession by accompanying her to a C-Rank gate. However, things take a rather interesting turn when that low-tier gate turns out to be a Red Gate. Red Gate Arc is special for so many reasons, but fans love the story arc mainly because it shows Jin-Woo's Shadow Army in action for the very first time.

It's a brief yet action-packed story arc where we see Jin-Woo exerting his dominance over the Ice Elf, Baruka. The anime adaptation completed the Red Gate Arc in just two episodes. The creators decided to skip a few conversational scenes from the manhwa to move the story faster; however, there was absolutely no compromise with the action sequences. Every scene featuring Jin-Woo's fight with the Ice Elf is a stroke of brilliance, and it only gets the fandom more excited for what's ahead for Jin-Woo in the upcoming story arcs.

Demon Castle Arc

Chapters 56-61

Demon Castle, the 9th Arc of the Solo Leveling Manhwa, sees Jin-Woo attempting to complete an S-Rank Dungeon. Up until this point in the story, we couldn't say for sure how strong Jin-Woo has gotten with the help of the System. However, Jin-Woo's visit to this Dungeon confirms that, at this point in the story, our protagonist has reached the level of an S-Rank Hunter. So, you could say that the Demon Castle Arc tells us that Jin-Woo still has a long way to go before becoming the strongest Hunter.

Also, in the Dungeon, Sung Jin-Woo will come across the recipe for the Holy Water of Life. Jin-Woo wants to earn more money so that he can continue his mother's treatment. And well, the Holy Water of Life is an item that can heal his mother's illness.

All this while, Jin-Woo is able to keep his newly developed powers a secret. However, in Demon Castle Arc, the big dogs at the Hunter Association start realizing that Jin-Woo is hiding his true potential. Since this arc only lasts for six chapters and given the pacing of the current season, the anime will likely conclude the Demon Castle Arc in two episodes.

Retesting Rank Arc

Chapters 61-64

Retesting Arc picks up directly after Jin-Woo's return from the Demon Castle. At this point, the Hunter Association desperately wants to know if Jin-Woo went through a reawakening. Jin-Woo has avoided this for too long, but the guy knows that he will have to go through a Restesting to evaluate his current rank. Well, guess what? Sung Jin-Woo comes out as an S-Rank Hunter during the evaluation. Sung Jin-Woo's power level gets everyone's attention, and even the most prominent and wealthiest Guilds put in efforts to recruit the Hunter.

This story arc isn't action-heavy, but it is important because it reveals Jin-Woo's new rank. It's incredibly satisfying to see the world finally acknowledge Jin-Woo. Also, let's not forget that Retesting Rank Arc brings Jin-Woo's father into the picture. This is the smallest story arc of Solo Leveling, only lasting for four chapters, so the creators might wrap this up in a single episode.

Hunters Guild Gate Arc

Chapters 65-75

The Hunters Guild Arc is surely one of the best story arcs of Solo Leveling, mainly because we get to see more of Cha Hae-In in this arc. We don't see her fighting or taking on any powerful enemies, but she does come face-to-face with Jin-Woo. Apparently, while waiting for his S-Rank license, Jin-Woo joins an A-Rank Dungeon as a Miner. Cha Hae-In is also a part of this Raid, and she notices something unusual about Jin-Woo.

Cha Hae-In gets so fascinated by Jin-Woo that she follows him on another A-Rank Dungeon raid. In this same Dungeon, Cha Hae-In witnesses Jin-Woo taking on several High Orcs and the Dungeon Boss, Kargalgan, all by himself. Hunters Guild Gate is an action-heavy story arc, and while many of us won't remember Jin-Woo defeating Kargalgan, we'll surely remember seeing Cha Hae-In getting startled by Jin-Woo's powers. Hunters Guild Gate is a long story arc lasting 11 chapters, so the anime will likely take around three to four episodes to adapt this one.

Return to Demon Castle Arc

Chapters 76-89

On his first visit to the Demon Castle, Jin-Woo is able to collect 2 out of 3 ingredients for the Holy Water of Life. So, to collect the final and the third ingredient to complete the recipe, our protagonist heads back to the Castle. At this point, Jin-Woo feels confident that he can beat the final boss, Baran, the Kind of Demons. Even though the fight against Baran isn't easy, Jin-Woo's quick thinking helps him secure the win. During his difficult venture, Jin-Woo comes across Esil Radiru, the eldest princess of the Radiru Clan. Esil is a demon, but realizing the true potential of Jin-Woo's might, she decides to help the Player and takes him to Baran.

Even though Jin-Woo has faced several potent enemies, he hasn't fought anyone like Baran before. After the Architect and Igris, Baran is the next strongest opponent of Jin-Woo. It's safe to say that Jin-Woo's fight with Baran will be the highlight of Season 2. It's hard to say for sure, but we can assume that it'll take at least four episodes to adapt the Return to Demon Castle Arc to its entirety.

The season might not end with Return to Demon Castle Arc, though, as there's a chance the creators will conclude Season 2 by teasing the Jeju Island Arc. Solo Leveling has been teasing Jeju Island since the beginning, but we'll have to wait for Season 3 to experience the arc's brilliance on our screens.