# Solo Leveling

Solo Leveling, also alternatively translated as Only I Level Up (Korean: 나 혼자만 레벨업; RR: Na Honjaman Rebereop), is a South Korean portal fantasy web novel written by Chugong. It was serialized in Kakao's digital comic and fiction platform KakaoPage beginning on July 25, 2016, and was later published by D&C Media under their Papyrus label since November 4, 2016. The novel has been licensed in English by Yen Press.
A webtoon adaptation of Solo Leveling was first serialized in KakaoPage on March 4, 2018; it was illustrated by Jang Sung-rak (Dubu) and the webtoon's first season concluded on March 19, 2020, followed by its second season, which was released from August 2020 to December 2021. The webtoon has been licensed in English by Yen Press. Its individual chapters have been collected and published in thirteen volumes by D&C Media, as of June 2024.
An anime television series adaptation produced by A-1 Pictures aired from January to March 2024. A second season, entitled Arise from the Shadow, premiered in January 2025.
A Korean drama adaptation is in development, and spin-off webtoon Solo Leveling: Ragnarok premiered in August 2024.
A role-playing video game titled Solo Leveling: Arise has been released by Netmarble.

## Plot

In a world where hunters — human warriors who possess supernatural abilities — must battle deadly monsters to protect mankind from certain annihilation, a notoriously weak hunter named Sung Jin-woo finds himself in a seemingly endless struggle for survival. One day, after narrowly surviving an overwhelmingly powerful double dungeon that nearly wipes out his entire party, a mysterious program called the System chooses him as its sole player and in turn, gives him the unique ability to level up in strength. This is something no other hunter is able to do, as a hunter's abilities are set once they awaken. Jinwoo then sets out on a journey as he fights against all kinds of enemies, both man and monster, to discover the secrets of the dungeons and the true source of his powers. He soon discovers that he has been chosen to inherit the position of Shadow Monarch, essentially turning him into an immortal necromancer who has absolute rule over the dead. He is the only Monarch who fights to save humanity, as the other Monarchs are all trying to kill him and wipe out the humans.

## Characters
### Sung Family
#### Sung Jin-woo

    Voiced by: Taito Ban (Japanese); Aleks Le (English)
    Japanese name: Shun Mizushino (水篠 旬, Mizushino Shun)
    Sung Jin-woo (성진우; Seong Jinu) is the protagonist of the series. Originally a famously weak E-rank hunter, he gets the chance of a lifetime when he is selected as the Player of the System and is able to grow in strength without limit. Taking advantage of his new power, Jin-woo rises up to become the entire humanity's power, far stronger than the National Level Hunters. He eventually discovers the secret behind the System. Everything started from the never ending war between the Rulers and the Monarchs, two groups of extremely powerful humanoid beings created by a God. The previous Shadow Monarch, Ashborn, chooses and trains him through The System so he can be his successor. Though initially showing no feelings for her at all, he eventually develops a crush on Cha Hae-in and in the end, marries her, and eventually have a son, Suho, who inherits some of his powers.
    In the sequel series Ragnarok, Jinwoo leaves Earth in order to join forces with the Rulers in a new war against the Itarim, beings of mysterious Outer Gods who seek to take over the universe in which he has to defend, but not before sealing Suho memories and powers in order to live a normal life. When the Itarim's invasions eventually reach Earth spawning new gates, he tasks Beru to unseal Suho's memories and powers and train him in order to help defend Earth from the new war.

#### Sung Jin-ah

    Voiced by: Haruna Mikawa (Japanese); Rebecca Wang (English)
    Japanese name: Aoi Mizushino (水篠 葵, Mizushino Aoi)
    Sung Jinah (성진아; Seong Jina) is Jinwoo's younger sister. Unlike her brother, she is not a hunter and is a student in high school.

#### Park Kyung-hye

    Voiced by: Yuri Amano (Japanese); Colleen Clinkenbeard (English)
    Japanese name: Satoko Mizushino (水篠 聡子, Mizushino Satoko)
    Park Kyung-hye (박경혜; Bak Gyeonghye) is Jinwoo and Jinah's mother. Four years before the events of the main storyline, she suddenly became ill with Eternal Slumber, an incurable and magically induced sleeping disorder, and fell into a coma soon after, forcing Jinwoo to take over as the breadwinner of the family in her place. However, about four years later, Jinwoo was able to cure her condition and wake her up by using a rare potion he crafted while training with the System.

#### Sung Il-hwan

    Voiced by: Rikiya Koyama (Japanese); Robert McCollum (English)
    Japanese name: Junichiro Mizushino (水篠 ジュンイチロー, Mizushino Jun'ichirō)
    Sung Il-Hwan (성일환; Seong Ilhwan) was a Korean S-Rank Hunter, Kyung-Hye's husband, and Jinwoo and Jinah's father. Ten years before the events of the main storyline, he suddenly disappeared inside a dungeon while on a raid, leaving his family to presume him dead. However, about a decade later, he returned to the human world to aid his son in the coming war against the Monarchs and was eventually revealed to be a Rulers' vessel, one of the seven humans chosen by the Rulers to serve them as their hosts. Although Il-Hwan ultimately succeeded in his mission, he ended up exerting far more power than his body could handle in his last battle with the Monarchs and consequently died afterwards in his son's arms, with Jinwoo unable to do anything to save him.

#### Yoo Jin-ho

    Voiced by: Genta Nakamura (Japanese); Justin Briner (English)
    Japanese name: Kenta Morobishi (諸菱 賢太, Morobishi Kenta)
    Yoo Jin-ho (유진호; Yu Jinho), D-Rank Hunter, is Jinwoo's sworn brother and a righteous man. He hails from a wealthy family and eventually becomes the vice chairman of Jinwoo's guild after he impresses the latter with his sense of loyalty and commitment. Jinho is estranged from his biological brother and tends to dress up in very fancy and expensive armor that he usually buys from foreign manufacturers, which serves as a prominent running gag throughout the series. He has a crush on Jinwoo's sister Jinah and eventually marries her in the epilogue.

#### Cha Hae-in

    Voiced by: Reina Ueda (Japanese); Michelle Rojas (English)
    Japanese name: Shizuku Kousaka (向坂 雫, Kōsaka Shizuku)
    Cha Hae-In (차해인; Cha Haein) is a Korean S-Rank Hunter who specializes in swordsmanship and the only female S-Rank in the country. She has a rare condition that causes other hunters to smell foul to her. She eventually develops romantic feelings for Jinwoo after she was impressed by him in action and also because he is the only hunter she has ever met who actually smells nice to her; initially, Jinwoo did not reciprocate her feelings, but eventually grew to fall for her as well. At the end, Jinwoo married her in the revised timeline, leading to the birth of their son, Suho. In the sequel series Ragnarok, she mysteriously disappeared at the same time of Jinwoo's departure to fight the Itarim, leading to Suho's quest in search for her.

#### Sung Suho

    Sung Suho (성수호; Seong Suho) is the 16-year old son of Sung Jin-woo and Cha Hae-in and the protagonist of the sequel series Solo Leveling: Ragnarok. He inherited some of his father's powers and was manifested since birth, but Jinwoo sealed his memories and powers in hopes to live a normal life, though it created a rift between them when he left. When the Itarim's invasion reaches Earth, his memories and powers were unsealed by Beru and was given the same system his father used to level up and goes on a quest to defend Earth from Itarim and search for his missing parents, hoping to reunite with them.

### Shadow Army

An immortal race that were resurrected by the power and led by the Shadow Monarch, which is an extraction of mana from both monsters and hunters. Unlike summons from other hunters, they are capable of growth, speech, and have the highest amount of warriors, to the point that their sheer numbers and overwhelming might surpassed all the top guilds. There are multiple grades of shadow soldiers, including basic grade, normal grade, elite grade, knight grade, elite knight grade, commander/general grade, marshal/commander grade, and Grand Marshal grade. Only soldiers of commander/general grade can speak.

#### Ashborn

    Ashborn (아스본; Aseubon) is the King of the Dead and the Monarch of Shadows. He is also the strongest Ruler and the Greatest Fragment of Brilliant Light. After spending eons fighting in the ancient war between the Rulers and the Monarchs, Ashborn grew weary of the ceaseless violence, leading him to eventually chose Jinwoo as his host in hopes of ending the bloodshed once and for all. When Jinwoo is later killed by the Monarchs, Ashborn appears in the flesh to save him and gives Jinwoo a detailed explanation of his past. After transferring the rest of his powers to Jinwoo and bringing him back to life, Ashborn goes into eternal sleep and allows Jinwoo to take his place as the Shadow Monarch.

#### Igris

    Igris, the Blood-Red Commander, is a high-ranking knight with exceptional swordsmanship and loyalty, holding the position of marshal that rivals Beru but overshadowed by Bellion. He kneels before his master after battles. Igris dislikes Iron's foolish behavior in battle. Despite being a battle lover, Igris values education and argues with Bellion about Suho's schooling. He is also one of the most powerful knights. Igris once served the Shadow Monarch Ashborn during his war with the Rulers eons ago. After Ashborn decided to retire and find a human successor, he tasked Igris with testing his successor in battle when the time was right.

#### Beru

    Voiced by: Akira Ishida
    Beru is an ant shadow that has been extracted from the Ant King, a powerful S-Rank beast that overpowered all S-Rank hunters with ease, which killed Goto Ryuji, and incapacitated Cha Hae-In, until Jinwoo managed to kill it. Beru is one of the most powerful shadows holding the position of General, which later he became Marshal that rivals Igris but overshadowed by Bellion. He also has a very fond streak for Jinwoo's son, Suho.

#### Kargalgan/Tusk

    Voiced by: Kenta Miyake (Japanese); J Balvin (English)
    A high orc shaman shadow, he is the boss an A-rank dungeon, as he nearly the defeated the Hunter Guild's strike team, he is also the first one to realized that Jinwoo was a Monarch. As an Elite Knight Grade shadow, his power is the same level of an S-Rank hunter.

#### Kim Chul/Iron

    Voiced by: Chikahiro Kobayashi (Japanese); Patrick Seitz (English)
    Japanese name: Yuuma Uehara (上原 悠真, Uehara Yuuma)
    Iron was the shadow of Kim Chul (김철; Gimcheol). During Jinwoo's fight with Baruka, a crazed Kim Chul attempted to kill Jinwoo only to be killed himself by Igris. Knowing that he would have a hard time defeating Baruka only with Igris' help, Jinwoo quickly extracted Kim Chul's shadow from his corpse and named him Iron. He is known for being an idiotic and dunced shadow, even copying Igris' habit of bringing a head to Jinwoo, much to the knight's annoyance.

#### Hwang Dong-soo/Greed

    Voiced by: Junichi Suwabe (Japanese); Matthew David Rudd (English)
    Japanese name: Masato Ukyo (右京 将人, Ukyo Masato)
    Hwang Dongsoo (황동수; Hwang Dongsu) was a Korean S-Rank Hunter based in America who attempted to kill Jinwoo after learning that the latter was responsible for the death of his older brother Dong-suk. He was eventually killed by Jinwoo himself, angered after making the mistake of abducting and brutally torturing Jinho for information on the circumstances of his brother's murder. Following his death, he became one of Jinwoo's shadow soldiers, nicknamed "Greed".

#### Tank

    Tank is the shadow of an ice bear that Jinwoo encountered during the Red Gate Incident. As a Knight Grade Shadow, Tank is about as powerful as an A-Rank Hunter. He was also strong enough to plow his way through a horde of demons like they were bowling pins and kill a Naga in one hit.

#### Kaisel

    Kaisel is the shadow of Kaisellin, a wyvern that Baran used as his battle mount. After he killed Baran, Jinwoo extracted the shadow from Kaisellin's corpse and named it Kaisel, as he didn't remember the wyvern's original name. Unfortunately, due to the fact that Kaisel was only good for flying and not fighting, Jinwoo rarely ever used him as the story progressed and only ever summoned the wyvern whenever he needed to travel somewhere by air and couldn't use Shadow Exchange.

#### Bellion

    Bellion is a servant of Ashborn and the strongest shadow in existence, holding the position of Grand Marshal. Bellion was born eons ago from the fruit of the World Tree, a mystical tree so large that it could blanket the entire sky with its branches alone. Following this, he became Ashborn's lieutenant, a position that he retained after his death, and was the first shadow soldier to ever be created from Ashborn's power.

### Hunters
#### National Level Hunters
##### Thomas Andre

    Thomas Andre (토마스 안드레; Tomaseu Andeure) is one of the strongest hunters in America and one of the five National Level Hunters, ranking 1st in the world. He is also a Rulers' vessel and is nicknamed the Goliath due to his large build and immense superhuman strength. He later befriends Jinwoo after the latter defeats him in a fight and gives him Kamish's Wrath, the strongest magical weapon in the world, as a gift.

##### Liu Zhigang

    Liu Zhigang (류즈캉; Ryu Jeukang) is the strongest hunter in China and one of the five National Level Hunters, ranking 2nd in the world. He is also a Rulers' vessel and was the strongest hunter in Asia until Jinwoo surpassed him in power. He later becomes on good terms with Jinwoo when they meet each other for the first time during the annual guild conference.

##### Christopher Reed

    Christopher Reed (크리스토퍼 리드; Keuriseutopeo Rideu) was one of the strongest hunters in America and one of the five National Level Hunters, ranking 3rd in the world. He was also a Rulers' vessel and the first of the seven to be killed by the Monarchs.

##### Siddharth Bachchan

    Siddharth Bachchan (싯다르트 밧찬; Sitdareuteu Batchan) is the strongest hunter in India and one of the five National Level Hunters, ranking 4th in the world. He is also a Rulers' vessel and the only one of the seven to never make a physical appearance in the webtoon.

#### S-Rank Hunters
##### Go Gun-hee

    Voiced by: Banjō Ginga (Japanese); Kent Williams (English)
    Japanese name: Kyoomi Gotou (後藤 清臣, Gotō Kyoomi)
    Go Gunhee (고건희; Gu Geonhui) was a Korean S-Rank Hunter and the Chairman of the Korean Hunters' Association, the government agency responsible for overseeing all the hunters, gates, and guilds active within Korea. Although he was later revealed to be a Rulers' vessel, he suffered from a variety of health problems due to his old age, preventing him from using his powers to their maximum output, and was ultimately killed by the Monarchs in battle.

##### Baek Yoon-ho

    Voiced by: Hiroki Tōchi (Japanese); Christopher Sabat (English)
    Japanese name: Taiga Shirakawa (白川 大虎, Shirakawa Taiga)
    Baek Yoon-ho (백윤호; Baek Yunho) is a Korean S-Rank hunter who specializes in transformation magic and the Guild Master of the White Tiger Guild. He is also the first one to discovered Jinwoo's ability to grow.

##### Choi Jong-in

    Voiced by: Daisuke Hirakawa (Japanese); Ian Sinclair (English)
    Japanese name: Shin Mogami (最上 真, Mogami Shin)
    Choi Jong-In (최종인; Choe Jongin) is a Korean S-Rank Hunter who specializes in fire magic and the Guild Master of the Hunters Guild.

##### Lim Tae-Gyu

    Voiced by: Kohsuke Toriumi (Japanese); Johnny Yong Bosch (English)
    Japanese name: Keisuke Kurosu (クロス 圭介, Kurosu Keisuke)
    Lim Tae-Gyu (림태규; Lim Taegyu) is a Korean S-Rank Hunter who specializes in archery magic and the Guild Master of the Fiend Guild.

##### Ma Dongwook

    Voiced by: Akio Otsuka (Japanese); Brent Mukai (English)
    Japanese name: Dougen Machida (街だ 同源, Machida Dougen)
    Ma Dongwook (마동욱; Ma Dongwook) is a tank class Korean S-Rank Hunter who specializes in gigantification and the Guild Master of the Fame Guild.

##### Min Byung-Gyu

    Voiced by: Junya Enoki (Japanese); Lee George (English)
    Japanese name: Tsuyoshi Minobe (美濃 部剛, Minobe Tsuyoshi)
    Min Byung-Gyu (민병규; Min Byonggu) is a Korean S-Rank Hunter who specializes in healing magic and an old friend of Baek.

##### Eunseok

    Voiced by: Takuma Terashima (Japanese); Ryan Colt Levy (English)
    Japanese name: Fuuki (風紀)
    Eunseok (은석; Eunseok) was a Korean S-Rank Hunter who specialized in lightning magic and an old friend of Baek and Min, who died during the 3rd Jeju Island Raid.

##### Goto Ryuji

    Voiced by: Satoshi Mikami (Japanese); Christopher Wekhamp (English)
    Goto Ryuji (고토 류지; Goto Ryuji) was the strongest hunter in Japan. Despite the fact that he was small fry compared to the National Level Hunters, Goto was very egotistical and had a callous disregard for human life. His hubris ultimately cost him his life when he was later killed in one hit by a powerful ant monster called the Ant King during a raid on the Jeju Island S-Rank Gate.

##### Lennart Niermann

    Lennart Niermann (레나트 니어만; Renateu Nieoman) is the strongest hunter in Germany, ranking 12th in the world. Despite being the best in his homeland, Lennart is not particularly arrogant and has a strong sense of duty towards the cause, as displayed when he was willing to use himself as bait to save Thomas from getting killed by the Monarchs.

#### Other Hunters
##### Lee Joo-hee

    Voiced by: Rina Honnizumi (Japanese); Dani Chambers (English)
    Japanese name: Eri Mizuki (観月 絵里, Mizuki Eri)
    Lee Joohee (이주희; I Juhui) is a Korean B-Rank hunter who specializes in healing magic and one of Jinwoo's old friends during his days as an E-Rank Hunter. Although she survives the double dungeon alongside Jinwoo, some bloody experience while raiding dungeons traumatizes her to the point that she ultimately retires as a hunter.

##### Song Chi-Yul

    Voiced by: Eiji Hanawa (Japanese); Sean Hennigan (English)
    Japanese name: Isamu Mabuchi (馬淵 イサム, Mabuchi Isamu)
    Song Chi-Yul (송치열; Son Chiyeol) is a C-Rank Hunter and a kumdo teacher. He is also one of Jinwoo's old friends, having known him since he was an E-Rank Hunter, and one of the six survivors of the first Double Dungeon incident.

##### Kang Taeshik

    Voiced by: Koki Uchiyama (Japanese); Alan Lee (English)
    Japanese name: Taisei Michikado (道門 泰星, Michikado Taisei)
    Kang Taeshik (강태식; Kan Teshik) is a B-Rank Hunter who worked as an inspector for the Korean Hunters Association's Surveillance Team and secretly a hitman for hire, who enjoys taking advantage of the lawlessness within gates.

##### Woo Jin-chul

    Voiced by: Makoto Furukawa (Japanese); SungWon Cho (English)
    Japanese name: Akira Inukai (犬飼 晃, Inukai Akira)
    Woo Jin-chul (우진철; U Jincheol) is a Korean A-Rank Hunter and the Chairman of the Korean Hunters Association. Prior to the death to Go Gunhee, the previous Chairman, he was the Chief Inspector of the Korean Hunters Association's Surveillance Team. He is also the first human to learn about the war between the Monarchs and the Rulers through Jinwoo.

##### Hwang Dongsuk

    Voiced by: Yasuhiro Mamiya (Japanese); Jarrod Greene (English)
    Japanese name: Hayato Ukyo (右京 隼人, Ukyo Hayato)
    Hwang Dongsuk (황동석; Hwang Dongsuk) is a tank class Korean C-Rank Hunter and the older brother of S-Rank hunter Dongsoo who tries to murder Jinwoo and Jinho while in a dungeon.

##### Han Song-Yi

    Voiced by: Miyu Tomita (Japanese); Emi Lo (English)
    Japanese name: Rin Asahina (朝比奈 りん, Asahina Rin)
    Han Song-Yi (한송이; Han Sonyi) is a Korean E-Rank Hunter and close friend of Jin-ah, who gets recruited to "participate" in Jinwoo and Jinho's C-rank raids.

##### Park Heejin

    Voiced by: Ruriko Aoki (Japanese); Trina Nishimura (English)
    Japanese name: Satsuki Imamiya (今宮 さつき, Imamiya Satsuki)
    Park Heejin (박희진; Park Hijin) is a Korean B-Rank Hunter of the White Tiger Guild who participates in the Red Gate incident with Jinwoo.

##### Son Kihoon

    Voiced by: Takaaki Torashima (Japanese); Stephen Fu (English)
    Japanese name: Fumiaki Hokazono (外薗 文明, Hokazono Fumiaki)
    Son Kihoon (손기훈; Son Kihun) is a tank class Korean A-Rank Hunter of the Hunters Guild who leads Strike Team B.

##### Lee Bora

    Voiced by: Riria Ito (Japanese); Xanthe Huynh (English)
    Japanese name: Yukari Fujisaki (藤崎 ゆかり, Fujisaki Yukari)
    Lee Bora (이보라; Lee Bora) is a Korean A-Rank Hunter of the Hunters Guild and a member of Strike Team B.

##### Gina

    Voiced by: Kotomi Aihara (Japanese); Crystal Lee (English)
    Japanese name: Lina (リナ, Rina)
    Gina (지나; Jina) is a Korean A-Rank Hunter of the Hunters Guild who specializes in telekinesis and a member of Strike Team B.

##### Han Semi

    Voiced by: Sayaka Senbongi (Japanese); Sura Siu (English)
    Japanese name: Satsukime Chiyui (ちゆい さつきめ, Chiyui Satsukime)
    Han Semi (한세미; Han Semi) is a Korean A-Rank Healer of the Hunters Guild and a member of Strike Team B.

##### Lee Minsung

    Voiced by: Gen Satō (Japanese); Ricco Fajardo (English)
    Japanese name: Minoru Tomoya (友や 実る, Tomoya Minoru)
    Lee Minsung (한세미; I Minsun) is an egocentric world-famous Korean actor, who awakens as a A-Rank Hunter and joins the Reapers Guild.

##### Park Jongsoo

    Voiced by: Kazuyuki Okitsu (Japanese); David Matranga (English)
    Japanese name: Shusuke Bando (バンド 種助, Bando Shusuke)
    Park Jongsoo (박종수; Park Jongsoo) is a tank class Korean A-Rank Hunter and the Guild Master of the Knights Guild.

### Monarchs

    The Monarchs (군주; Gunju) are an ancient race of overlords created by the Absolute Being who seek to wipe out the human race for their own ends, making them the primary antagonists of the series. As a result, they have a cruel disregard for life and are generally very arrogant towards those they find inferior to themselves, especially humans. The Monarchs also each govern a different race of monsters and take after the race that they rule over in appearance, they are spiritual beings who possessed humans like the Ruler's vessel, only completely become their own identity.

#### The Original Monarchs
##### Antares

    Antares (안타레스; Antareseu) was the King of Dragons and the Monarch of Destruction and the strongest Monarch. He was also the leader of the Monarchs which makes him the final antagonist of Solo Leveling. After Jinwoo killed three of the other Monarchs, Antares invaded the human world in order to draw him out and finish him off. However, despite his best efforts, he ultimately failed to achieve his ambitions and was killed by the Rulers. He is eventually defeated by Jinwoo once again in the revised timeline, and his title is soon to be succeeded by his son Suho.

##### Yogumunt the Monarch of Transfiguration
#### The Heirs of the Monarchs

    As revealed in Ragnarok, the Monarchs all have successors to replace them if they are ever slain in battle. They are also able to pass down their powers to their children, as shown by how Jinwoo's son Suho was born with powers similar to his father's and accidentally awakened them as a toddler. It is also revealed that a Monarch's title might not always be inherited by their successor and can be altered during the succession process. This was shown with Ammut, who was converted into a suitable successor for Tarnak as the Monarch of Iron Body. The Heirs serves as Suho's main allies in the fight against the Itarim.

##### Esil Radiru

    Voiced by: Riho Sugiyama (Japanese); Jad Saxton (English)
    Esil Radiru (에실 라디루; Esil Radiru) is a demon noble and the eldest princess of the Radiru Clan, who Jinwoo first encountered in the 80th floor of the Demon Castle. After being effortlessly defeated by Jinwoo, she becomes her guide in the realm in exchange for her life, which Jinwoo accepts, and they become allies in overthrowing Baran in the realm. It is later revealed in Ragnarok as the last living demon noble, Esil is next in line to succeed Baran as the Monarch of White Flames. She eventually becomes the second heir of the Monarchs that became an ally to Suho.

##### Gray

    Gray is the descendant of Rakan, the Beast Monarch and his successor and his last living heir. He is the first heir of the Monarchs that became an ally to Suho.

##### Ammut

    Ammut is a crocodile like creature and trainer of Suho.Sung Suho meet with him during raid and frees him from dungeon.He is current successor of Tarnak monarch of iron body.

##### Sirka
### Other Characters
#### Rulers

    The Rulers (지배자들; Jibaejadeul), also called the Fragments of Brilliant Light, are an ancient race of winged humanoids who aim to protect the human race from being annihilated by the Monarchs. Although they have noble ambitions, they are willing to use morally questionable methods to achieve them and are indirectly responsible for the millions of human lives lost ever since monsters first began using gates to cross over to the human world. The Rulers also heavily resemble angels in appearance and are able to use a form of telekinesis unique to themselves called Ruler's Authority.

#### Itarim

    The Itarim (이타림; Itarimu), also known as the Outer Gods, are a race of gods who are responsible for having created all of existence and hail from outer universes. Sometime after the deaths of the Monarchs and the Absolute Being (who is revealed to be one of them) in Jinwoo's world, the Itarim discovers and takes interest in this. Intrigued by the now-masterless world he had left behind, they began to observe it and seek to take ownership of it. However, their presence did not go unnoticed, drawing the attention of the Rulers, who banded together with Jinwoo to oppose them. What followed was a brutal war of attrition between the Rulers and the Itarim. They serve as the main antagonists of Solo Leveling: Ragnarok.

## Media
### Web novel

Solo Leveling was first serialized in Kakao's digital comic and fiction platform KakaoPage since July 25, 2016, and later published by D&C Media under their fantasy fiction label "Papyrus". Since 2016, the novel has garnered 2.4 million readers in KakaoPage. The novel was licensed in English by Webnovel under the title Only I Level Up and released from December 21, 2018, to June 24, 2019.
The novel has been licensed and published in collected volumes by Yen Press since February 16, 2021.

#### Volumes

| No. | Original release date | Original ISBN | English release date | English ISBN |
| 1 | November 4, 2016 | 979-11-7033-666-2 | February 16, 2021 | 978-19-7531-927-4 |
| 2 | November 4, 2016 | 979-11-7033-667-9 | June 22, 2021 | 978-19-7531-929-8 |
| 3 | December 21, 2016 | 979-11-7033-755-3 | October 19, 2021 | 978-19-7531-931-1 |
| 4 | January 25, 2017 | 979-11-7033-858-1 | April 5, 2022 | 978-19-7531-933-5 |
| 5 | February 23, 2017 | 979-11-7033-911-3 | August 9, 2022 | 978-19-7531-935-9 |
| 6 | March 30, 2017 | 979-11-7033-976-2 | December 13, 2022 | 978-19-7531-937-3 |
| 7 | April 4, 2017 | 979-11-6140-318-2 | March 21, 2023 | 978-19-7531-939-7 |
| 8 | May 24, 2017 | 979-11-6140-412-7 | July 18, 2023 | 978-19-7531-941-0 |
| 9 | June 22, 2017 | 979-11-6140-467-7 | — | — |
| 10 | July 20, 2017 | 979-11-6140-549-0 | — | — |
| 11 | August 24, 2017 | 979-11-6140-626-8 | — | — |
| 12 | September 21, 2017 | 979-11-6140-693-0 | — | — |
| 13 | October 27, 2017 | 979-11-6140-827-9 | — | — |
| Side Story | April 18, 2018 | 979-11-6268-337-8 | — | — |

### Webtoon

A webtoon adaptation launched in KakaoPage on March 4, 2018, and concluded its first season on March 19, 2020; its second season began on August 1, 2020, concluding on December 29, 2021 with its 179th chapter. It was illustrated by Jang Sung-rak (aka Dubu), the CEO of Redice Studio, who died on July 23, 2022, after suffering from a cerebral hemorrhage. Its first collected volume was released by D&C Media on September 26, 2019. In Japan, Solo Leveling launched in Kakao Japan's digital comic service Piccoma, and has accumulated over 650 million cumulative readership. It was also selected as the No. 1 webtoon in Piccoma's "Best of 2019". The webtoon has been published digitally in English by Webnovel and Tappytoon since May 7 and June 4, 2020, respectively. It is also published on Tapas in English. The collected volumes have been licensed and published in North America by Yen Press since March 2, 2021.
A side story was published between January and May 2023, with Chugong returning as writer and featuring a new art team following the death of Dubu.

#### Volumes

| No. | Original release date | Original ISBN | English release date | English ISBN |
| 1 | September 26, 2019 | 979-11-89320-29-4 | March 2, 2021 | 978-1-97-531943-4 |
| 2 | January 30, 2020 | 979-11-89320-36-2 | July 20, 2021 | 978-1-97-531945-8 |
| 3 | August 27, 2020 | 979-11-89320-69-0 | November 16, 2021 | 978-1-97-533651-6 |
| 4 | April 29, 2021 | 979-11-91363-73-9 | May 10, 2022 | 978-1-97-533724-7 |
| 5 | October 7, 2021 | 979-1-16-777002-8 | September 20, 2022 | 978-1-97-534438-2 |
| 6 | July 25, 2022 | 979-1-16-777037-0 | March 21, 2023 | 979-8-40-090026-6 |
| 7 | February 22, 2023 | 979-1-16-777070-7 | August 22, 2023 | 979-8-40-090048-8 |
| 8 | May 25, 2023 | 979-1-16-777089-9 | January 23, 2024 | 979-8-40-090107-2 |
| 9 | August 30, 2023 | 979-1-16-777113-1 | August 20, 2024 | 979-8-40-090193-5 |
| 10 | April 18, 2024 | 979-1-19-354981-0 | November 19, 2024 | 979-8-40-090253-6 |
| 11 | June 4, 2024 | 979-1-19-382120-6 | February 18, 2025 | 979-8-40-090255-0 |
| 12 | August 29, 2024 | 979-1-19-382139-8 | May 20, 2025 | 979-8-40-090257-4 |
| 13 | November 28, 2024 | 979-1-19-382173-2 | August 19, 2025 | 979-8-40-090259-8 |

### Anime

An anime television series adaptation was announced at Anime Expo 2022. It is produced by A-1 Pictures and directed by Shunsuke Nakashige, with Noboru Kimura writing the scripts, and Tomoko Sudo designing the characters. It was originally scheduled for 2023, but was later delayed and eventually aired from January 7 to March 31, 2024, on Tokyo MX and other networks. The first episodes were screened from December 2023 in Tokyo, Seoul, Los Angeles, India, and Europe.
Crunchyroll is streaming the series. Medialink licensed the series in Southeast Asia and Oceania (except Australia and New Zealand).
After the broadcast of the first season finale, a second season titled Solo Leveling: Arise from the Shadow was announced. It premiered on January 5, 2025. A compilation film of the first season, titled Solo Leveling: ReAwakening, was screened along with the first two episodes of the second season in Japan from November 29 to December 12, 2024. Crunchyroll had acquired the North American and select international rights for the compilation film, screening it in the United States and Canada on December 6, 2024.

#### Music

The original music of the series is composed by Hiroyuki Sawano. The series' opening theme song is "Level", performed by SawanoHiroyuki[nZk]: Tomorrow X Together, while the ending theme song is "Request", performed by Krage. The original soundtrack was released in Japan by Aniplex and in the United States by Milan Records on March 27, 2024. Milan Records released the soundtrack on vinyl records in the United States on October 4, 2024.
For the second season, the opening theme song is "Reawaker", performed by Lisa (feat. Felix of Stray Kids), while the ending theme song is "Un-Apex", performed by TK from Ling Tosite Sigure.

### Games
#### Solo Leveling: Arise

In January 2022, Netmarble announced that they are developing Solo Leveling: Arise, a role-playing video game based on the series. The game was released on March 18, 2024.

#### Solo Leveling: Unlimited

Otherworld, a Cube Entertainment subsidiary, developed Solo Leveling: Unlimited, a blockchain-based Web3 digital collectible project.

## Continuation
### Solo Leveling: Ragnarok

In April 2023, Kakao announced a sequel titled Solo Leveling: Ragnarok. The web novel began releasing through KakaoPage on April 10, 2023.
The story is set after the events of Solo Leveling; the side story acts as a prelude. Sung Su-ho, the son of Sung Jin-woo and Cha Hae-in, inherited his father's powers as the Shadow Monarch. However, his powers and memories were locked as a child, so he can have a normal life. But when Gates started to open up around Earth again during his third year of university, Su-ho is chosen as a Player by the System. Therefore, Su-ho must become a Hunter in order to face the new threat that is related to his parents' disappearance.
The web novel is written by Daul, who replaced Chugong, the writer of the original Solo Leveling web novel. Chugong revealed he decided to support Daul, saying he still experienced the same emotions he felt when he first began serializing the original web novel. The first 105 chapters debuted on KakaoPage on April 10, 2023.
The webtoon adaptation premiered on August 1, 2024, being developed by Redice Studio. Dangdo is the main writer adapting Daul's story, while Jin is the main artist.
In February 2025, Daul revealed the first 300 episodes act as the "Epilogue" arc, while the "Prologue" arc is currently in development.

## Reception
### Web novel

Since its release, the web novel has received constant positive reception. Eun Yoon of Fugue ranked the book at #5 in her list of best web novels, describing it as "a stand-out in the genre, offering thrilling and enjoyable reads for fans of action-packed fantasy". Adam Symchuk from Asian Movie Pulse called it a "page turner", stating, "at 315 pages I found myself getting through the series in a couple days. There is a great sense of reward as you get to see Jinwoo level up and the new problems that arise as he heads towards godlike power. The only negative, having to wait for the next book as two major conflicts get introduced in the closing chapters."
Timothy Blade of Comic Book Resources, however, had a more negative review of the novel's ending, commenting on its "controversial" nature and calling out the number of plot holes and inconsistencies. He also described the comic's ending as a "more rushed version" of the novel's ending, further stating, "Jinwoo seemingly didn't need a grand, heroic reason for having power, making the reason as simple as wanting to live with and protect those he loved in the Solo Leveling ending."

### Anime
#### Critical response

On review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the first season of Solo Leveling holds an approval rating of 100% based on nine reviews, with an average rating of 7.7/10. The series premiere received generally positive reviews by the writers of Anime News Network. Rebecca Silverman felt that the gore in any scenes wasn't "excessive" and found the story interesting. Nicholas Dupree praised the writing, action scenes, score, and execution, but criticized the exposition and characters. Richard Eisenbeis praised the world-building while James Beckett praised the storytelling and execution, noting that Sung Jin-woo is "likable" enough lead that "his nondescript niceness is much preferable over the edgy dweebs that you sometimes get as the heroes of these kinds of fantasy power trips." Rafael Motamayor of IGN gave the first season a score of 8/10, praising its animation, action sequences, visuals, choreography, soundtrack, and world-building, while criticizing the tedious mechanics and the lack of "nuance" in writing.

#### Accolades

| Year | Award | Category | Recipient | Result |
| 2024 | 4th Astra TV Awards | Best Anime Series | Solo Leveling | Won |
| 2024 | IGN Awards | Best Anime Series | Solo Leveling | Nominated |
| 2025 | 7th Global Demand Awards | Most In-Demand Anime Series of 2024 | Solo Leveling | Nominated |