Solo Leveling | How JinWoo got sexy

Big Hype

Solo leveling has probably been the most hyped piece of media to exit Asia in the last 5 years or so. This time it enters the west bearing the Korean flag seeking to solidify the legacy of manhua adaptations. Solo leveling is very pure in its execution. It doesn’t do anything particularly new but instead cuts away all the fat of a power fantasy story and gives us a hero’s journey that’s extremely finely tuned. This kind of power fantasy is exactly why young boys flock to anime. 

Jin woo starts out life as a feeble powerless adventurer with the lowest class possible. He makes no money from his raids because he is unable to kill any of even the lowest ranked monsters. The story of Jin Woo goes deeper however because his mother is sick and he has a younger sister whom he has to provide for. For Jin Woo success inside the gates are life and death, literally and literally. 

Solo Leveling – Leveling Up

This is where the main appeal comes, because Jin Woo is overpowered by even the weakest monster, his life is constantly in danger therefore his perception of Danger and risk of death is materially heightened. The best way to look at it is that he is so weak that a D-Rank monster poses the same risk of death to him as a S-Rank monster. What that equates to is that his performance against an S-rank would be better than maybe even a B-rank adventurer as this situation of being overpowered is so familiar for him.. We see this when Jin Woo’s party enters the Cartenon Temple. Most of his team is paralyzed by fear but not Jin Woo as he permanently lives in near death circumstances for every single gate he enters. 

The anime methodically and carefully shows us Jin Woo’s circumstances and i love it because when he gets granted immense power we feel vindicated as an audience. We can see that he deserves it  and we are rooting for him. He is a self insert but with so much of his own character. After surviving the Cartenon Temple Jinwoo is selected as the player and is able to level up; solo. He applies his hard working nature to this new venture. His life turns around quickly, he can now kill some monsters which affords him gear and food for himself and his sister. He can then take on better gates that make even more money. His physique changes as he gains muscle, he looks taller due to posture correction. He even gets smarter from leveling.

My favourite part about Jinwoo and by extension this anime is his measured approach to getting stronger. He tries for quests just above his skill level where he still faces the risk of death but the reward is enough to justify it. The reason this appeals so much to me and other boys and men is because this is reality. When we go to the gym the approach is exactly the same, add more weight, risk injury but grow. Squat harder , bench press heavier. Serious and severe risks in the pursuit of self improvement. Just 10 extra pounds for a higher 1 rep max. Jinwoo applies jimbro science to fantasy leveling. 

Solo Leveling Job Change Quest

Nowhere in the anime is this more exemplified than  in the Job Change quest and Jinwoos battle against Blood-red commander Igris alongside the horde of Knight class warriors and spellcasters. Jinwoo won this challenge through a combination of luck, effort and ambition. He was under leveled for the battle but grew during the fight by achieving several level ups. Also he got a break from the dungeon because of a penalty quest. This allowed him to reset his combat state, assess a new approach for handling the dungeon, assign level up points and check his inventory. This part is the luck i was talking about

JinWoo Ascends

At the end of that quest he went from almost dying to becoming a shadow monarch with an army at his command and S-Class combat capabilities. Again this appeals to the men; young and old immensely because this shows how quickly your situation can change. Jinwoo went from having nothing to everything in a few short months but his mentality was always that of a winner. Even when he was almost dying in class E dungeons. his approach never changed and that served him well.

So with the right mindset whether you are struggling in school, business or at the gym; things will eventually turn around if you keep pushing. In a world where male leaders are persecuted or feminized; men don’t have much to look to for guidance and inspiration but anime has never disappointed me in this arena. Solo Leveling and Jin Woo is one of the best examples of that ideology and this is why we love anime.