3 weeks Ago By Merlyn De Souza
It would be an understatement to say that Solo Leveling’s second season made quite an impact and has left fans desperately wanting more of the series, especially with Season 3 yet to be officially announced. Luckily for those looking for their next Solo Leveling fix, the series has also spawned an excellent sequel manhwa called Solo Leveling: Ragnarok, which, in very Boruto-like fashion, follows Jinwoo’s son, Sung Suho. That said, unlike other sequels, Solo Leveling’s new sequel may actually be better than the original, and for one very simple reason.
Solo Leveling: Ragnarok arguably outdoes the original series in one specific yet very important area, which is its protagonist. Even though the manhwa has a little over 40 chapters at present, the series has managed to leave quite a strong impact on readers within this short span of time. This is because Solo Leveling: Ragnarok not only checks all the boxes of a great sequel but also features a far more compelling protagonist than the original series, with Suho being much more fleshed out and well-written than Jinwoo, in addition to having a much better character arc and far cooler powers and abilities.
Let’s Face It, Sung Jinwoo Isn’t the Best-Written CharacterAs great as Solo Leveling may be, it’s arguably time fans acknowledged and accepted the fact that Jinwoo’s character lacks much depth as a protagonist. Of course, this becomes much more noticeable as the story progresses, though the inherent shortcomings of his character are arguably present from the very beginning. To put the issue simply, Jinwoo has about as much personality as a piece of cardboard.
He lacks any real conviction for wanting to get stronger in the initial stages of the story, with the Demon Castle and saving his mother with the Elixir of Life only being introduced much later.[RELATED: This Is Solo Leveling’s Best Fight (And It’s Not Against Beru)]A-1 PicturesWhile Jinwoo does care for numerous people around him, like his family, Jinho, and Hae-in, there is little else that can be said about his character beyond this, such as his morals, his quirks, and his idiosyncrasies. In fact, the only time fans see Jinwoo express any significant emotion is when his mother first wakes up from the Eternal Slumber.
Besides initially dealing with the trauma from the Double Dungeon, Jinwoo hardly has a character arc in the series beyond physically leveling up. To make matters worse, even things like having to kill another human and turning a human into one of his shadow soldiers, which should have been major moral dilemmas, are brushed aside quickly. As a result, Jinwoo is not much more than a blank slate for readers or viewers to project themselves onto, essentially making Jinwoo more of a self-insert than an interesting protagonist that fans gradually learn about and understand throughout the series.
Solo Leveling: Ragnarok’s Suho Is a Better Protagonist Than JinwooAlthough Solo Leveling: Ragnarok was clearly an attempt to capitalize on the massive popularity of the original series, rather than give fans a cheap, wannabe copy of Jinwoo, Ragnarok invents a protagonist entirely its own, making the series a breath of fresh air. This holds true for nearly every aspect of Solo Leveling: Ragnarok, which expands on the world and rules of the original in a way that feels natural, and answers lingering questions from the original series while still capturing the same magic that made Solo Leveling so popular in the first place.Although Suho’s journey starts out much like Jinwoo’s with many clever callbacks and references, Solo Leveling: Ragnarok makes sure he eventually chooses his own path, one that is different from Jinwoo’s.
Interestingly enough, this is even a major part of Suho’s character arc in Season 1 of the manhwa, wherein Suho initially tries to follow in Jinwoo’s footsteps, blindly trying to become the next Shadow Monarch without truly knowing why and whether that is truly what he wants. As such, Suho has a far more interesting character arc.Moreover, while Suho has many of the same skills and abilities as Jinwoo, he uses them very differently, not relying as much on his shadow powers as Jinwoo and more on Ruler’s Authority.
Besides having a unique fighting style, Suho even uses his shadow powers in far more creative ways than Jinwoo. To add to this, Ragnarok also gives Suho powers entirely his own, such as his ability to merge with the heirs of the other Monarchs, which gives him the most stunning transformations. All that said, what truly makes Suho a better protagonist is his character itself.
Suho starts his journey with a clear reason to get stronger, which is to find his mother and defeat the Itarim’s Apostle so his family can be reunited. Besides having clear convictions, Suho’s character also has far more personality than Jinwoo, with distinct traits like his sense of curiosity, his occasional overconfidence, and his tendency to poke fun at Beru for being weak. He is often enthusiastic and tends to get carried away when it comes to training and never gives up, even when faced with an impossible training regimen that leaves him with broken bones all over.
Best of all, this is only the tip of the iceberg as Suho’s journey has only just begun, and Solo Leveling: Ragnarok definitely has much more in store for him in teh upcoming seasons of the manhwa. Solo Leveling: Ragnarok is available to read on Tapas.The post Solo Leveling’s Sequel Is Better Than the Original in One Fundamental Way appeared first on ComicBook.
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