Solo Leveling Reveals The Dark Truth About S-Class Hunters

Solo Leveling reveals a dark truth about S-Class Hunters, especially when it comes to dungeons and the principles of survival of the fittest. Sung Jinwoo exercises this right when caught in a kill or be killed situation. Because when it comes to expeditions, what happens in the dungeon, stays in the dungeon. Well, except for the reports submitted to the bureau afterward.

In episode #6 of the anime, or chapter #24 of the manhwa, the expedition to a C-rank dungeon ends with hunter Hwang Dongsuk’s death. Although the report afterward includes the annihilation of the strike squad, hunters Sung Jinwoo and Yoo Jinho both roam free after some light questioning. However, this does not mean that the matter is entirely settled. The true danger lies outside the dungeon in the form of S-Class hunter Hwang Dongsoo, the younger brother of Hwang Dongsuk.

Murder is only one part of the dark side within Solo Leveling. While the survival of the fittest reigns as the law within dungeons, this principle may also apply outside of them. Sung Jinwoo is an anomaly of the system who is able to level up, whereas other hunters do not have the wherewithal to increase their stats, therefore creating their own hierarchy with E-Class at the bottom of the food chain and S-Class at the top.

S-Class Hunters Are Above The Law

Episodes #6 and #7 establishes the hierarchy among hunters

The dark truth about S-Class hunters is revealed when Hwang Dongsoo targets the survivors of the incident for revenge. While he does ask what the consequences of his actions would be if he murdered a hunter in another country, it’s clear that this is only for posterity. The truth is, he would technically get off with a light sentence, if anything at all, despite the two possible legal consequences that would follow his actions. This dark truth is less defined in the manhwa, clearly illustrating how S-Class hunters are powerful enough to operate outside the law.

This reality is mentioned several times over, up to the end of the manhwa, such as when Woo Jinchul as the Chief Inspector of the Korean Hunter’s Association warns Jinwoo to leave the country for a while, since S-Class hunter Dongsoo is entering Korea to enact his revenge. So, even though the Hunter’s Association knows Dongsoo’s intentions about visiting the country, they have no way to hold his power in check. Even when Jinchul picks Dongsoo up from the airport in chapter #47, the S-Class hunter rhetorically taunts the A-Class hunter saying, “You? Stop me?” as though daring any authority to try to apprehend him.

While S-Class hunters possess the powers to maintain a position outside the boundaries of the law, so too might those within the realm of A-Class. Chapter #52 during the Red Gate arc is where S-Class guild masters Baek Yoonho, of the White Tiger guild, and Hwang Dongsoo, of the Scavenger guild, provoke each other. A-Class hunter Woo Jinchul stops the two S-Class hunters before their fists collide, effectively ending the confrontation. This shows that those within A-Class may also potentially operate beyond the law, as well as match up against those at a class level above their own.

Justice is Truly in the Eye of the Beholder

Original manhwa created by Chugong, anime adaptation produced by A-1 Pictures

With a world ravaged by dungeons and monsters, it’s no wonder that society would operate differently under these conditions. However, when it comes to the law, those awakened as hunters operate within a different power structure. A hunter’s ranking does not only determine the strength of their powers, but also their influence, especially where it concerns guilds and the bureau. Solo Leveling unmasks its darkness not only through Jinwoo’s shadows, but also through its untenable hold on S-Class hunters.

Solo Leveling is available to stream on Crunchyroll.

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