In anime, there is a wide spectrum of emotions that characters can express. While some characters wear their hearts on their sleeves like the title character Naruto Uzumaki, others rarely show their emotions, like Rei from Neon Genesis Evangelion. Sung Jinwoo, the protagonist of Solo Leveling, has a unique relationship with his emotions which change as he goes through his journey to become the strongest in his world.
Jinwoo begins his story as a physically weak Hunter who barely survives dungeon missions. In his profession as a Hunter, his life is constantly at risk when he's at work, and because of the hazardous nature of the job, only the bravest can withstand the emotional and mental pressures that come with it. In the first few episodes of the series, Jinwoo manages to take these pressures in stride, but not without a sense of fear and stress. After an unknown S-ranked dungeon threatens the lives of Jinwoo and several of his experienced colleagues, Jinwoo miraculously survives with few injuries and little emotional damage. His physical healing is certainly thanks to the Quest Log; however, his positive mental state and the lack of emotions he grows to have all prompt questions around his peculiar character. These details are either a choice to support the story or missing something critical.
The Anime Takes A Passive Perspective On Jinwoo's Trauma
Solo Leveling's Protagonist Isn't the Typical Lovable Underdog
Taking a whole new approach, Solo Leveling takes the ideas behind the underdog and sets a new bar for the trope.Jinwoo's experience in the S-ranked dungeon was nothing short of horrific. Trapped in a dark, enclosed space that no one knew anything about, Jinwoo and his party of Hunters, all ranking above him, were faced with towering enemies who struck fear in them with just a glance. Several Hunters, people who were stronger and bolder than Jinwoo, were murdered in some of the most savage ways right in front of him. Despite his ability to control the situation through his intelligence, solving the puzzles and riddles of the dungeon Jinwoo was powerless. Especially towards the end of this experience, Jinwoo was abandoned and left with no way of defending himself against these terrifying giant statues. With his body tossed around like a rag doll, he suffered in his near-death experience. That being said, when he wakes up in the hospital, his reaction to the traumatic event is far from expected, at least from a realistic approach.
With how tortured Jinwoo was in the last moments of the S-ranked dungeon, most viewers would expect him to struggle mentally and emotionally moving forward. He has flashbacks to those horrific moments, but those are very brief. He's able to brush them off and focus on the next step he has to take in life. Surprisingly enough, research from several studies has shown that this may be normal in people who go through near-death experiences, or NDEs for short. A scientific paper by Dr. Bruce Greyson on the psychodynamics of near-death experiences shares that "The most common characteristic feature of NDEs is a pervasive positive effect." The National Library of Medicine echoes this idea of the positive impact that a near-death experience may have on a person.
Also written by near-death experience researcher Dr. Bruce Greyson, an overview of the many varying impacts of NDEs lists the many ways in which a person can be positively changed by their near-death experience. This list includes but is not limited to the loss of fear of death, strengthened belief in life after death; feeling specially favored by God, a new sense of purpose or mission; heightened self-esteem, increased compassion and love for others, lessened concern for material gain, recognition, or status, greater desire to serve others, and increased ability to express feelings. In Jinwoo's situation, and based on this research, it makes sense to say that he comes out of his traumatic near-death experience with a greater sense of himself and his life.
In all fairness, there isn't any concrete proof that the writer's plan for Jinwoo's journey is to have this positive psychological reaction to his near-death. It could arguably have been a way to skip ahead to the next details of the plot. However, this is another way for many viewers to relate to Jinwoo's character. The idea of a "rebirth" from a near-death experience is plausible for many people who have gone through such experiences, and witnessing a character like Jinwoo who goes through the same experience and comes out stronger is a great detail, whether planned or coincidental. Unfortunately, the anime continues down a dark path with Jinwoo's character, but that doesn't mean he's any less inspirational because of that. Jinwoo proves over time to be more complicated and layered than initially expected, one of his most unexpected traits being a degree of unsettling apathy.
Jinwoo Proves That Emotions Don't Faze Him In Episode 6
Solo Leveling Brings the Fantasy Genre Into Reality in the Most Crushing Ways
Solo Leveling tells a dark story that not all viewers may be able to stomach.From Jinwoo's positive experience after trauma, he is granted strength he never could have acquired on his own. He is treated like no one else is in his world and given the power he needs in exchange for absolute servitude to the Quest Log. This way of life never phases Jinwoo because he can follow his life's goal of supporting his family. As he carefully chooses the stats he wants to raise, Jinwoo decides to focus primarily on strength because, in his society, it's the strongest who survive. This concept of "survival of the fittest" becomes a major influencer on Jinwoo's actions, on top of the apathetic Quest Log.
In episode six, Jinwoo faces a group of C-ranked Hunters who take advantage of the weak to reap greater benefits for themselves. Jinwoo senses something is wrong as they fight through the first part of the dungeon, but keeps a cool head, not once phased by the enemies around him like he used to. After Jinwoo survives being trapped with the giant spider dungeon boss with only a novice D-ranked Hunter, the C-rank Hunters threaten his life. At this point, Jinwoo has no fear of death and is confident in his abilities, standing as an inspirational hero who turned his life around. However, when the Quest Log tells him to kill each of the Hunters, he only hesitates for a moment. Jinwoo accepts the idea that he is being protected as a "player," and therefore, his life weighs more than the C-rank Hunters.
Jinwoo's calculated murder of those six Hunters is a darker side to his toned-down emotions. It reveals that his morals and compassion are something he can switch on and off with the use of his reasoning. From the first episode, Jinwoo always showed a higher level of intellect and strategy than anyone else, but because of his friendly smile and his genuine love of his family, it was hard to see him as anything but a heroic character. His quick healing from trauma may or may not be a planned show of newfound strength, but this decision to have an apathetic side to him is certainly a choice and adds a complex and engaging part to his character journey.
Jinwoo Is A Complicated Character Who Relies On Reason More Than Anything Else
REVIEW: Solo Leveling's Fifth Episode Takes a Changed Jin-woo to Familiar Places
Solo Leveling Episode 5 finds Jin-woo trying to keep his new skills a secret - but new characters and developments may force him into action.Through Jinwoo's story, he is forced to endure challenges that critically impact his character, yet that impact only shows slightly because of his controlled emotions. When he survives the S-ranked dungeon, he comes out a new person. With the focus on his journey as the "player," he can overcome and lose his fear of death and feel that he is serving a higher purpose as he becomes stronger. Because the enemies that he defeats are all fantasy monsters, his development appears to be a positive journey of acquiring strength and confidence. The story takes a darker tone once the Quest Log and Jinwoo show how apathetic they both can be in episode six. Jinwoo reasons that his life is more important than the lives of those who threaten him, and from that logic, he takes life without regret. This doesn't turn him into a villain who enjoys hurting others. Instead, he becomes an anti-hero whose realistic focus is more on survival than anything else.
The major trend within Jinwoo's character throughout the entire series, so far at least, is how much he weighs his decisions on intellectual reasoning. While there is a science behind why Jinwoo moved on with ease from his trauma, there is also his habit of reason. His intelligence is what kept him calm in the S-ranked dungeon, and arguably it's the reason for every action, thought, and feeling that he has. Jinwoo's highly intellectual mind isn't completely immune from emotions as he does feel fear, among other emotions, early on in the series. Instead of being controlled by these emotions, he uses his intellect to make the best decisions to keep him safe and propel him forward in his story -- this proves to be his greatest strength. His first reaction to his survival and the Quest Log is to be inquisitive rather than worry, and in the case of the six Hunters, Jinwoo reasons away any guilt he could possibly feel.
With how often Jinwoo uses his intelligence throughout the anime, this proves to be a clever choice that defines his character. There is the option where he could have had a critical mental break from his trauma like Jeehoo, but in retrospect, that would lessen the impact that his reasoning has on his character. His triumph after trauma also has great merits for viewers who can take inspiration from him. The major point to draw with Jinwoo is that mental reasoning, as opposed to swaying emotions, is his greatest character-defining trait, and because of that the minimal emotions he feels are actually a critical part of his story. In a world where only the strongest survive, Jinwoo uses intelligence as his most fearsome weapon and ignores emotions as they can be a sign of weakness in this series.
Solo Leveling
In a world of gifted hunters and monsters, a weak hunter Sung Jin-Woo gains extraordinary powers through a mysterious program, leading him to become one of the strongest hunters and conquering even the strongest dungeons.
- Release Date
- January 7, 2024
- Cast
- Aleks Le , Taito Ban
- Main Genre
- Action
- Seasons
- 1
- Studio
- A-1 Pictures
- Creator
- Chugong
- Writers
- Noboru Kimura
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