Summary
The first season ofSolo Levelinghas officially endedwith the second season swiftly on the way.From the fascinating main character to the exhilarating action sequences to the thrilling story,Solo Levelinghas all the ingredients of a great action/adventure anime. That’s why it’s not an exaggeration to say that this series was undoubtedly one of the most exciting Shonen anime of the season.
However, lurking behindSolo Leveling’sglory is a trap that can, and has, ensnared many great Shonen stories that came before it. Some series managed to find a way to avoid the trap, while others were swallowed whole. So let’s use this chance to talk about this so-called “trap”, whySolo Levelingis the perfect victim for it, and some of the great and famous Shonen series that have encountered this trap before.
The Shonen Formula
Most action Shonen anime series rely on two basic foundations; an interesting/straightforward story and exciting/fast-paced action sequences. Be itFist of the North Starfrom 1984 orMashle: Magic and Musclefrom 2024, every action-oriented Shonen series follows these two guiding principles.
After all, the main target audiences for this genre are teenagers and young adults, and a straightforward story with fast-paced action is what they want. Unfortunately, these basic foundations are also the reason why a certain trap exists, waiting for every unsuspecting series.
The Shonen Trap
Sincemost Shonen series use the same basic foundations,they end up with mostly similar storytelling formulas. The main hero fights against enemies that are stronger than them and through various trials and tribulations, the hero manages to beat the enemy and comes out stronger than before. The same things happen in the next fight against the next enemy. Rinse and repeat.
Unfortunately, the straightforward nature of this story structure means that the story is prone to repetition. Repetition leads to predictability. Predictability eventually leads to a boring watching experience. After all, most people would feel reluctant to watch something if they can already predict how the story will likely turn out. This is the trap that awaits every Shonen series.
Those That Have Been Caught
Almost every Shonen series, big or small, has been caught in this trap. That being said, how long they stay in that trap depends entirely on the author. Some of the big-name series that are known to use a highly formulaic story areDragon Ball,Bleach,andFairy Tail.The same thing can be said for the early parts ofNarutoandOne Pieceas well.
Newer titles likeMashle: Magic and MuscleandKaiju No. 8also seem to follow the same track. Make no mistake, those are some of the most entertaining and iconic series in the genre, but nobody can deny that their stories sometimes felt so repetitive and predictable.
How This Trap Can Catch Solo Leveling
Most anime fans would agree thatSolo Levelinghad one of the best first seasons for a new series. It opened with a stellar first episode and presented great character development and thrilling action sequences for the rest of the series. So the problem is not the first season, but rather the upcoming season. Because there are certain story elements that may guideSolo Levelingright to the trap.
Release Date
May 11, 2025
The endless hordes of monsters andthe Bloodred Knight Commander, Igris,that appeared at the end of Season 1 were undoubtedly the toughest enemies that Jin-woo had to fight thus far. But those who have read the original manhwa can testify that there are way stronger and more ruthless opponents down the line. So as predicted by the Shonen formula,Solo Levelingwill feature increasingly stronger opponents throughout the series.
That alone shouldn’t be a problem. After all, facing a tough enemy is the easiest route to character development. The tricky part is in composing and structuring those increasingly harder battles so that they won’t feel too repetitive. No matter how interesting the villain or the battle scenes might be, once the viewers can predict what will happen next, that’s the moment the series loses its appeal.
Jul 04, 2025
Another thing that nudges this series towards the aforementioned trap is the fact that the story focuses heavily on a single character,the S-Rank Hunter Sung Jin-woo.Jin-woo is a fascinating character with the potential for exponential growth. And the fact that he fights those hordes of strong monsters alone is one of the reasons why the fans like him.
Unfortunately, the premise that makes this series unique is also its biggest constraint.This series doesn’t really have any other character worth rooting for other than Jin-woo. There may be some spotlight given to some side characters, but at the end of the day, this is all about the world’s greatest S-Rank Hunter. Unfortunately, there’s only so much that a single character can do to keep the viewers’ attention focused solely on him throughout multiple seasons.
How to Survive the Trap
Numerous Shonen series have been caught in this trap and managed to come out unscathed. Likewise, there are also lots of titles that successfully evade this trap altogether. So let’s use this chance to see two of the most common methods that they used to survive this trap.
Major Setbacks
One of the best things to do to break out of the cycle of repetition is to present a major setback to the main heroes. An obstacle that is so great that the heroes have a hard time getting back on their feet.One Piecedid that wonderfully withthe Summit War Saga,which is arguably the best saga in the series.
In the Summit War Saga, the Straw Hats were not only defeated but they were also separated. As if that’s not enough, Luffy even lost the most important person in his life by the end of the saga. For the first time in the series, the Straw Hats pirates experienced an utter defeat. The fans loved these dramatic moments. This saga alone reignites the fans’ love and excitement for the series as a whole because nobody can predict what will happen next.
Utilize the Side Characters
Demon Slayeris a story about Tanjiro’s journey to save his sister and defeat the source of all evil in the world. However, every so often, the series shifts the focus to the supporting characters. The best example of this statement is in one of the most memorable and beloved arcs in this series,the Mugen Train arc.Tanjiro made a great contribution during the Mugen Train arc, but make no mistake, the true star of this arc is none other than the Flame Hashira, Kyojuro Rengoku. A character that had barely appeared in the story before.
This is not a one-off occurrence, becauseDemon Slayerloves giving the limelight to its supporting characters. This lets the viewers know that the world within the story is truly alive and filled with different people that we can support and relate to, which makes the story so much more enjoyable to watch.
There are numerous other series that have used both of these techniques to avoid the trap.Attack on Titanwas a series about one major setback after the other, whileJujutsu Kaisenthrives by givingthe spotlight to its side characters.IfSolo Levelingcan do either of these things or at least bring much more variety into the structure of its story, then it will survive the trap. Otherwise, it will plunge straight into it.
Solo Levelingis available to stream onCrunchyroll.
Solo Leveling
A-1 Pictures' Solo Leveling is an anime based on Chugong’s popular web novel. Set in an unforgiving fantasy world where hunters explore dungeons filled with monsters, the vulnerable Sung Jinwoo gains a significant power boost after he is picked to be a solo player by the System.
