Images: A-1 Pictures
Jinwoo officially becomes an S-Rank Hunter, and the reactions are priceless.
After several episodes packed with intense battles, Solo Leveling takes a step back this week to focus on world-building, character interactions, and a few light-hearted moments. While the action was toned down, this episode still moved the story forward in a big way, particularly around Jinwoo’s rank reassessment.
Solo Leveling Episode 19, The 10th S-Rank Hunter, was another solid entry, staying true to the manhwa while keeping things engaging. The pacing felt just right, and we finally got some proper comic relief after the high stakes clashes of previous episodes. Jinwoo’s S-rank reassessment, the guild leaders scrambling to recruit him, and a few golden reaction shots made this a fun watch from start to finish.
Let's break down some of the details from this episode.
Warning: Spoilers ahead.
The animation hit the right notes
The episode struck a good balance between staying faithful to the manhwa and adding small but effective tweaks. It didn’t try to overdramatise or clean things up too much—except maybe Jinwoo, who remained effortlessly cool (but sometimes slightly awkward) the whole time.
The animators nailed the facial expressions, bringing extra life to scenes like the tense recruitment standoff between Baek Yoonho and Choi Jong-in. We rarely see silly moments like these, with them quipping that they didn’t care about Lee Min-sung or “Min-anyone (fun fact, in some translated subtitles, the second Min was Lee Min-ho!)."
One of the best touches was how they handled Jinwoo’s rank reveal to his sister Jinah and her friend Song-yi. Instead of just shouting their reactions like in the manhwa, the anime went for a more natural approach—Song-yi stuttering in disbelief before Jinah’s realisation kicked in. And let’s not forget the absolute shriek from that ugly miner who thought he could push Jinwoo around, that’s the cherry on top of all these fitting reactions to Jinwoo’s new Hunter rank.
The big reveal: Jinwoo’s strength on display
Jinwoo’s reassessment gave South Korea’s top hunters—Go Gun-hee, Choi Jong-in, and Baek Yoonho—a front-row seat to his overwhelming power.
They first saw his magic, but Yoonho’s reaction when he realised Jinwoo’s physical strength was just as insane was priceless. He was also the first to figure out what makes Jinwoo terrifying—his ability to keep growing stronger. It’s interesting that Yoonho kept this to himself, although I would personally say that was quite the smart move.
And just like Episode 16: I Need to Stop Faking, this display was also extremely satisfying to watch. We've seen Jinwoo pushed to the side and being weak, but when he was given the opportunity, he tirelessly worked his way up to S-rank.
Eternal Slumber
This episode also threw in more hints about the mysterious illness affecting Jinwoo and Jinah’s mother. Now, Jinho’s father seems to be suffering from the same thing, supposedly due to weak magic resistance. But where’s the exposure coming from? It’s probably not Jinho—he’s only D-rank and his father has interacted with him plenty of times.
That leaves one possibility: Jinwoo. Jinho spends a lot of time around him, and since Jinwoo’s power has skyrocketed, could that have affected Jinho’s father?
This could also lead to how Jinwoo’s mother got the illness as well. Jinwoo was just an E-rank hunter and back then, his power level was close to zero, so he can't have been the cause of his mom’s Eternal Slumber.
But then, there’s the matter of Sung Il-hwan, Jinwoo’s father, who was introduced to us at the beginning of Season 2. We’ve already seen how much stronger he is than Hwang Dong-soo, an S-rank from the U.S. He might be the reason behind Jinwoo’s mother’s condition.
Back to the Demon Castle
![]()
Jinwoo is back in the Demon Castle, and this time he’s taking a more tactical approach, splitting his shadows into teams. The upper floors seem different from what we’ve seen before—these demons are more organised, even if they don’t stand a chance against Jinwoo. With one last demon left shaking in fear, what’s next for Jinwoo in this dungeon?
Jinwoo’s strength is now out in the open, but he’s not interested in the attention and is hellbent on completing the Demon Castle. Let’s not forget that we saw a preview of the giant flying ant in one of the nearby islands—which only means that the Jeju Island Arc is just around the corner. With the next episode promising even more action, things are only going to get better from here.
With the excitement for Solo Leveling Season 2 ramping up, catching up or reviewing hints and theories from previous episodes might be a good idea. If you'd like to do so, click here.
