This episode delivered where it mattered—animation, storyboarding, music, and a villain who truly lived up to the hype.
There’s no way around it: Solo Leveling Episode 23 named, "It's Going to Get Even More Intense," delivered. Honestly, this is how every episode of season 2 should and could have been. There were no rushed scenes and no choppy animation. It also paid homage to other characters aside from Jinwoo, making most characters (except that single Japanese official) likeable, at the very least. Most of all, the episode and its animation did justice to both of its fight scenes and the supervillain of this arc, Beru.
Accompanied by simple musical scoring that was top-notch, and stellar storyboarding, Episode 23 effectively conveyed the intensity of the situation and the impending sense of doom the characters in the episode felt as they encountered Beru.
WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD.
Slight changes in the Japanese S-Rank Hunters make their deaths feel more tragic
From the moment the episode opened, the tension was suffocating, but it was beautiful. The beheading of the three Japanese S-rank soldiers was brutal, especially considering that Kenzo Tanaka was considered stronger than some of Korean S-rank hunters. From this point on, viewers know that when the Korean team faces Beru later on, things will be dire.
Kei, who shared a similar sensitivity to the scent of mana as Cha Ha-ein, is especially in danger. He threw up from the stench of Beru’s magic power, before using his ice magic in an attempt to protect himself and Ippei. We knew it was getting serious when an entire ice wall was visible from a few kilometres away. Considering Kei’s power is likely closer to Choi Jong-in’s power, the sheer intensity of each scene sent chills down my spine too. Of course, we now know that he still got completely obliterated. Later on, after Beru nearly killed the South Korean S-rank hunters, Ryuji Goto comes face to face with Beru.
There were also slight changes to the attitudes of the Japanese S-rank hunters in the anime, making them less irritating and their deaths more tragic. For one, the Japanese hunters weren’t as conceited as in the manhwa. Although they felt that they were stronger than the Koreans (except maybe for Jinwoo), they were more professional and cooperative in the anime, and treated this like a job more than anything else.
Sure, Goto had ulterior motives in the beginning. He wanted to become a national hunter, but he was particularly neutral with the orders handed down to him to retreat and abandon the mission. In the previous episode, the anime made it look like the power gap between him and Jinwoo wasn’t wide. Finally, as Beru’s aura overwhelmed him, the reality was revealed— Goto was no match for Beru. We didn’t see Goto’s head roll but we’re sure that he would have been done for at that point, after his sword breaks.
The Korean S-Rank hunters received a lot of love… and a lot of blood
Another highlight of this episode was the portrayal of the Korean S-rank hunters. In previous episodes, we were only given glimpses of how powerful they might be, but we never saw them at their full potential. Episode 23 did a great job of showing some love to each one before Beru's arrival. Jinwoo hogged the spotlight in the last ten episodes, so sometimes, it felt like he was just going to keep “aura farming” forever. Paying some attention to the Korean hunters was much appreciated—they weren’t treated like one-and-done side characters. They were fiercely fighting like warriors who stood their ground and overpowered other ants.
We saw how an extremely powerful S-rank team should work. Ma Dongwook’s supreme tanking powers were shown by his increasing size to taunt enemies. There was also Lim Tae-Gyu, who showed what an extremely OP ranger could look like, raining arrows non-stop on enemy ants. There’s also Baek Yoonho, who transforms into a mighty white magical beast.
And then let’s not forget the “Ultimate Hunter”, Choi Jong-in—it was so cool to watch his flames transform into dragons at his strongest form—and it’s no wonder why he’s one of the stronger hunters in the team. Then, we finally see Cha Hae-in in full motion. She was both graceful and beautiful as she danced with her blades and took out enemies in swift motion. Even the power of Byung-gu was made apparent. We do know he’s a healer, but he provided well-timed buffs to his team with much vigour—much like when Hae-in was about to, to deliver the final blow to the Queen Ant.
The biggest villain of the season: Beru
And then there’s Beru. When this monster finally entered the battlefield, everything changed. If Jin-Woo is a one-man army, Beru is his terrifying counterpart. The sheer presence of this thing was overwhelming. Even Cha Hae-in, and that Japanese S-rank hunter with enhanced senses, could barely move because of the horrific smell emanating from him.
I have to admit though, I’m not the biggest fan of Beru’s anime design. It gives off this weird Kamen Rider meets pro wrestler vibe, all bulked up and monstrous, but it's only because I prefer the more insect-like look from the manhwa.
But the way they animated him? Perfect. His antlers, his feelers, those eerie sounds he makes—it all worked to make him even more terrifying. His speed was also unbelievable: The Japanese S-rank team didn’t even stand a chance. And when he turned his sights on the South Korean hunters, things got intense.
When Beru started laying waste to the South Korean hunters, all the hairs on my body stood up. With Dark Aria blasting in the background, the intense hopelessness the characters felt was conveyed at its peak.
First, he took down Cha Hae-in in brutal fashion: she was first impaired by the intense scent of Beru’s mana, then crushed with no defence. I could the agony of that blow through the screen. It was exactly how I imagined it from the manhwa, and it was amazing to see it animated so well.
For some reason, I’m glad Beru didn’t go for everyone’s heads right away as he did with the Japanese S-rank hunters—but the showdown would probably have been the same: Dongwook’s arms getting cut off, spurting blood uncontrollably, Yoon-ho in his beast form was simply injured in a quick flash, and before Jong-in could react and use his flames, Beru impaired him with one clean slash that sent his blood spewing everywhere, while Tae-gyu flew, like one of his arrows.
Byung-gu’s death was one of the best and worst moments of this episode
Then came one of the most heartbreaking moments of the episode—Byung-gu’s death. Many pointed out that it was the tank’s fault that Beru tried to look for the healer because he said they had “a reliable companion” (in other translations, healer)—but even the queen ant knew there was a healer and tried to kill him.
Viewers may have forgotten that Beru was intelligent, and as he thrashed Ma Dongwook around, (with the anime even taking a nod to how the Hulk thrashed Loki like a toy in the first Avengers movie), we could see Byung-gu glowing.
In the light novel, there was a reason for it. Beru wasn’t just thrashing Dongwook around for fun. He was using it to pinpoint the source of the healing magic, hunting down Byung-gu in the most terrifying way possible. Honestly, it felt unfair, as he pierced Byung-gu’s stomach and just ate his head.
I wasn’t prepared. I knew it was coming, but seeing it animated was worse than I imagined—the anime took it to another level. The horror and desperation in Byung-gu’s eyes and his expression was so effective. And when Beru took Yoonhoo by the neck and repeated Byung-gu’s last words like an eerie monster? That was nightmare fuel.
The fact that Byung-gu came out of retirement just to help made it even worse. He knew they needed him, and he still wasn’t enough to stop what was coming. Honestly, they were all lucky that Beru got distracted by Goto Ryuji, who was the only one remotely strong enough to draw his attention—and died anyway. Because if he hadn’t? The South Korean team could have been wiped out.
Jinwoo utters the now-famous words: Exchange
There was some debate as to how the anime portrayed Jinwoo. Many were criticising Jinwoo, who was just doing his thing at home and “not caring.” But Jinwoo really did truly believe that the S-rank team was enough to retake Jeju Island from the ants and chose to stay with his mother, especially since neither he nor other hunters were aware of Beru at the time.
Secondly, he attached shadows to some of the hunters—and he still didn't have the ability to see what's happening through his soldiers yet. So the only time he would be able to sense that someone was in danger was when Goto swiftly died at the hands of Beru, and the shadow soldier would have returned to him, and then secondly, when his soldiers started to interfere and defend the Korean team.
In the manhwa, this was a bit more apparent—as the shadow soldier appeared out from Yoonhoo, there was a shot of Jinwoo on the street sensing danger finally. The only difference was that he was on the roof possibly watching what was going on—but because the broadcast was ten minutes delayed, it would have been too late for him to know that Byung-gu had died.
Jin-Woo hasn’t even arrived yet, and this episode was already the most intense one of the season. The stakes, the brutality, and the sheer terror that Beru brings—it all made this episode an absolute masterpiece. If only the rest of the season had been like this. For now, at least, Season 2 finally gets the love that it deserves, and we’re hoping that the last two episodes will be just as good.
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.
