Solo Leveling Anime Season 1 Ending Explained

As a manhwa reader, after watching underwhelming anime adaptations of manhwa, such as God of High School, Noblesse, and others, I was skeptical about the Solo Leveling anime. But A-1 Pictures proved me wrong by hitting a home run with the debut season of Solo Leveling. Solo Leveling had a banger debut season. Season 1’s finale is the talk of the town right now, with Igris resurging as Sung Jinwoo’s first-ever shadow. However, if you feel baffled about Solo Leveling season 1’s ending, let’s discuss what it means and what’s in store for fans in season 2.

Spoilers Warning:
This article includes spoilers for the finale of the Solo Leveling anime.

What Happened in Solo Leveling Season 1 Finale?

We have broken down the finale into sections for better understanding. Therefore, find out more about the ending of Solo Leveling Season 1 below:

Sung Jinwoo vs Igris the Blood Red

The final two episodes (episodes 11 and 12) of the anime feature Sung Jinwoo entering an instant dungeon for a Job Change quest. Upon entering the dungeon, Jinwoo fought several knights and sorcerers before making his way to the final boss, Igris the Blood Red.

The battle between Sung Jinwoo and Igris was a clash of the titans going toe-to-toe against each other. But in the end, Jinwoo emerged as the winner in this epic battle, thanks to his indomitable spirit and the incredible skills he gathered along his leveling-up journey.

Sung Jinwoo Resurrects Igris

The quest didn’t end after defeating Igris as Jinwoo was tasked with surviving inside the dungeon against a horde of enemies yearning to slit his throat. We all know how Jinwoo steps up his game whenever a terrible trial is thrown at him, and he rightly does so again in this fight to the death.

Upon completing the quest successfully on the second try, Sung Jinwoo switched his job title from Assassin to Necromancer. Since Sung Jinwoo had racked up tons of experience points by grinding, he immediately leveled up to the top of the Necromancer class, i.e. the Monarch of Shadows.

On becoming the Shadow Monarch, Sung Jinwoo unlocked a new skill called Shadow Extraction. With this newfound power, Jinwoo went near Igris and extracted his shadow by saying that one magical world – “Arise”. It’s the spell to raise the dead and make them his loyal soldier.

Jinwoo then renamed the red knight Igris and resurrected the army of dead soldiers he defeated inside the dungeon.

So, the first season concluded with Sung Jinwoo having obtained the ultimate power to assemble an army of his own, the power to overthrow anyone. We will continue to see him level up and add more shadows to his arsenal in the upcoming season of Solo Leveling anime.

Where Will Solo Leveling Season 2 Begin?

Solo Leveling Season 1 adapted the first seven arcs, until chapter 45 of the manhwa, which marks the end of the Job Change arc. Thus, the second season of the Solo Leveling anime will adapt the manhwa from chapter 46 (Red Gate Arc), where we see Sung Jinwoo and Yoo Jinho heading into a different type of perilous dungeon. So, if you are planning to read the Solo Leveling manhwa after Season 1, you need to start from chapter 46.

Solo Leveling Season 2 has already been confirmed by the production staff and is officially titled Season 2: Arise from the Shadow.

Based on the first season’s adaptation, we speculate that season 2 will adapt close to another 45 chapters (chapters 46-90) of the manhwa. It will likely tease the introduction of the greatest arc of the Solo Leveling manhwa (Jeju Island arc) in the finale of season 2.

That said, share your rating of the debut season of Solo Leveling with us in the comments below.