This episode hits so hard, you can’t help but shout, "Who’s the weak one now?!"
Is it just me, or is Episode 16 of Solo Leveling Season 2 the most satisfying one yet? Funny enough, this is the first episode of the second season where there aren’t any long combat sequences.
What makes it so compelling is that it finally tackles Jinwoo’s reassessment and how everything starts to change for him. Episode 16, titled I Need to Stop Faking, marks the beginning of Jinwoo’s decision to (almost) step out of the shadows. Being an E-rank hunter has limited his movements, as well as the dungeons and bosses he can face, so he’s finally doing what we’ve all been waiting for—taking the next step to join higher-ranking missions.
Warning: Spoilers Ahead
The reassessment
If you’ve read the manga, you knew this was coming. But after watching Jinwoo struggle, persevere, and level up from being "the weakest hunter in the world," seeing this moment unfold on screen feels incredibly rewarding.
Especially when Jinwoo overhears the candidates waiting to be reassessed. The way E-ranks are dismissed as useless—unable to make good money or contribute meaningfully—hits hard, considering that was Jinwoo’s reality for so long.
Then came the reassessment. Jinwoo’s strength is so overwhelming that the measuring device couldn’t even handle it properly. At this point, it’s clear he’s far stronger than many of the S-ranks we’ve seen so far.
It’s the kind of scene that grabs your attention, like those makeover moments in lighter flicks where the entire room pauses and gawks. .Except this isn’t some quick transformation—Jinwoo’s journey has been gruelling, and he’s earned every ounce of his newfound power.
Even better, he’s now catching the attention of some big names: Choi Jong-in, the “Ultimate Hunter” from the Hunters Guild, Baek Yoon-ho of the White Tiger Guild, and Go Gunhee, the president of the Hunter’s Association.
Jinwoo’s nonchalance throughout all of this is the cherry on top. He flatly rejects the Ultimate Hunter—in the manga, he verbally turns him down, but watching him just walk past Choi Jong-in and say sorry in the adaptation is so much more satisfying.
Seeing him like this brings back memories of being a fresh graduate with okay grades nervously applying for jobs vs. being (or in my case, scouting) the experienced professional with all the purple unicorn skills that make them such high demand that every top company is vying for them.
That’s Sung Jinwoo now.
It’s time to stop discriminating against this "E-Rank" hunter
A quick side note: nothing frustrates me more in any series than the unnecessary bullying of weaker characters. Sure, it’s a reflection of real-life struggles—physical, financial, or social—but that doesn’t make it any less aggravating.
That’s why it’s great to see Jinwoo become someone no one can push around anymore. After enduring the grind of 75 floors in the Demon Castle and levelling up significantly, Jinwoo is unstoppable. His interactions with miners who once looked down on him for being E-rank—contrasted with their awestruck reactions to his strength—are pure gold.
And let’s not forget that thick-lipped bully who thought his bulk gave him the upper hand—only to be silenced by a single, murderous glare from Jinwoo. It’s the ultimate “who’s the weak one now, huh?!” moment.
Jinwoo’s motives
With all his power, danger, and dungeon-clearing achievements, it’s easy to lose sight of why Jinwoo is doing all this.
His first motivation is his family. He’s determined to support his younger sister, as she has no one else, and to pay for his mother’s medical bills. When Jinwoo reawakened, he discovered he could craft the Elixir of Life, a remedy that can heal anything. Collecting the ingredients to potentially cure his mother from Eternal Slumber has become his primary goal.
But then there’s another side to him. Jinwoo isn’t your typical virtuous, ever-kind protagonist who saves people without question. Since embarking on this journey, his thirst for battle—and sometimes even for blood—has been impossible to ignore.
There’s always a dangerous glint in his eyes when he faces monsters, sometimes accompanied by a sly smile. The satisfaction he gets from clearing dungeons is palpable. When Jinwoo says, "I long for battle," the words carry weight. If you’ve been following the series, you can’t help but cheer him on: Yes, Jinwoo! Keep going!
His conversation with Go Gunhee, where he claims he belongs in the dungeons, is delivered with such conviction that even the president of the Hunter’s Association momentarily longs for it as well.
For Jinwoo, the dungeons are like a game. With quests to complete, bosses to defeat, items to collect, and stats to optimise, every achievement—whether acknowledged by others or not—feeds his hunger to grow stronger.
Enter Hae-in
This episode also marks Jinwoo’s first proper meeting with Hae-in. Finally! She’s been teased since Season 1, and manga readers know how significant her role is in the future.
Jinwoo immediately recognises her strength but hides his aura and presence from her during their first encounter. When they meet in the dungeon, Hae-in almost catches him red-handed trying to provoke the A-level boss. And let’s talk about her nose. She’s always covering it—what’s that about?
Hae-in strikes me as the righteous type, based on how she’s been portrayed so far. The big question is: will she help Jinwoo achieve his goals, or will she end up opposing him? I can’t wait to see more of their dynamic.
Overall, Episode 16 is the best of the season so far. There’s barely any combat, aside from a brief showcase of the Hunters Guild’s coordination, but the episode unpacks so much with bigger implications for the story.
This episode made me cheer for Jinwoo all over again. With his reassessment as an S-rank hunter now complete, I can’t wait to see what happens next.
