"Solo Leveling - Arise From The Shadow" Season 2 Talkback (Spoilers)

[Yojimbo]

Solo Leveling - Arise From The Shadow (season 2)

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Through relentless battles, Jinwoo honed his abilities and eventually completed a "Job Change Quest," acquiring the title of "Shadow Monarch," which allows him to command an army of shadow soldiers. Now, driven by the hope of curing his ailing mother, Jinwoo sets out on a new journey to obtain materials for the "Holy Water of Life".

Episode 1 "You aren't E-rank, are You" - January 4, 2025

After a scheduled meeting with Jinah's teachers, Jinwoo is asked to talk to one of her classmates, Han Song-yi, who is working as a hunter. In an effort to show her the harsh reality of the job, Jinwoo takes her to a raid designated for new hunters of the White Tiger guild.

Premieres:
-Japanese: January 4, 2025
-English: January 18, 2025

Related Threads:
-Season 1 Talkback

External Links:
-Crunchyroll page
-Trailer

 

[Yojimbo]

Rut ro, stuck in a Red Gate situation. Though kind of good timing with the arrival of Hwang Dong-soo.

Wow, leaves the lower ranks to die but the A-rank ends up being out of his element and forced to run like a coward.

Shadow army did pretty well but that MP drain. Still. Igris ruled.

Oh, there's two bosses in this gate? Both the Ice Bear boss and the Ice Elf boss had those purple marks. Guess the gate is gonna end, Sung's gonna have to probably kill that Elf, too. But I guess after this gate is dealt with, Sung will have to deal with Hwang unless bureaucracy gets in the way, lol.

 

[Yojimbo]

Episode 2 "I Suppose You aren't Aware." - January 11, 2025

After being trapped inside of a red gate, Jinwoo has to contend with a bloodthirsty pack of ice elves who question his humanity.

 

[Yojimbo]

Pretty good boss battle this time around. Using the shadow army during the fight was a neat new tactic. The mages. Iron and Igris at the same time. But he killed Kim Sul then extracted a shadow from him - that's ice cold - even though he was off his rocker. Pretty odd he could extract from the elf boss. Bummer.

In addition to that, he's now on Baek's radar.

The only thing that gave me pause was the elf boss saying they didn't hear the "Kill Human" around Jinwoo. If they're setting up some weird reincarnation twist, I'd be a little bummed. I liked that he was just a weak human that stumbled on a 1 in a million scenario. Kinda takes it away if he's just a reincarnated god or demon. Idk.

Ooo, someone's crushin'. ROFL, he thought they hooked up. Yikes and a half.

 

[Yojimbo]

Episode 3 (15) "Still a Long Way to Go" - January 18, 2025

Having completed his promise to Jinho to clear 19 dungeons, Jinwoo is stronger than he was when he fought the Cerberus. In order to gather the ingredients for the Elixir of Life and save his mother, he once again enters the S-Rank Demon's Castle dungeon.

 

[wonderfly]

From the front page of AnimeSuperhero.com:

"The “Solo Leveling” Season 2 Dub Is Finally Out!"​

"January 18th marks the debut of the dub for Solo Leveling season two on Crunchyroll. Based on the South Korean web novel “Only I Level Up” (by author Chugong), Solo Leveling Season 1 premiered in January of last year, and proved to be one of the more surprise hits of 2024. Thankfully, the dub for Season 2 is only two weeks behind the release of the subtitled episodes, making for not too much of a wait for dub fans. Saturdays are going to become an even more marque day for English dubbed anime fans as blockbuster releases Bleach and Sakamoto Days also debut new dub episodes Saturdays.

Here is the dub cast:"

Read the full article here.

 

[Yojimbo]

Jinho got a rare chance from his father. Because of Sung or because he's already calculated Jinho will fail? Seems like Sung will stick with Jinho and thus, the Yoojin Guild, out of loyalty. But that's just step one. Can they recruit any A or S ranks?

Sung's father?! Is a S-rank that's been trapped for 10 years?! Took out Hwang Dong-soo like nothing. He seems to be alluding to the island and with the other guild hiding the intel about the flying ants... seems like this season is heading towards a big rematch on this island.

Wow, he made it pretty far to level 75 and is 2/3 of the way with the elixir to save his mother. Seems this is another arc that might come to its end this season.

More action and intrigue this week, hope they can keep it going.

 

[Yojimbo]

Episode 4 (16) "I Need To Stop Faking" - January 25, 2025

Jinwoo realizes that he'll need to become even stronger in order to clear the Demon's Castle and decides to have his hunter rank reassessed.

 

[Yojimbo]

Needs to level up some more for the final demon boss but can't go on the high level raids so he basically outs himself by going to reassessment. Risky. Everyone's gonna try and recruit him now. But confirmed to us he's now a S-rank!!!

Hilarious he just brushed off Choi Jong-In. And Choi already deduced his assassin skill.

But made a good impression on the president.

Well, at least Hwang Dong-soo is now distracted with getting revenge on someone else...

Oops, thought he was being sly going for a mining gig but Sung got caught by Cha Hae-In. How's he going to get out of his one... feels like a face-to-face has been in the making for a long time now.

Hmm, and now that they now's he's an S-rank - they're probably gonna want him on the team that tries to go back to raid Jeju Island again.

 

[Yojimbo]

Episode 5 (17) "This is What We're Trained to Do" - February 1, 2025

Before attempting to finish the Demon's Castle, Jinwoo decides to earn some money to help prepare.

 

[Yojimbo]

Oh, so all Hunters smell bad. heh heh.

Man, the mining team and this 2nd assault team all seem like good ppl. No wonder Sung gets nostalgic then apprehensive. Mm, but one mage figures it out but keeps quiet about it.

I could see next being a gut wrenching slaughter then Sung blows his cover to save who's left the episode after. Or can Chae enter and will join the fray. Hmm.

Sucks mages have no means yet to unlock the gate when this happens.

 

[Yojimbo]

Episode 6 (18) "Don't Look Down On My Guys" - February 8, 2025

The Hunters Guild strike team is confronting the high orc shaman Kargalgan when Jinwoo crashes the fight.

 

[Yojimbo]

Another entertaining battle with Sung not really struggling and pwning a dungeon boss. lol, he forgot the orc's name and just called him Fang based on looks. Wonder how much longer before he fights something that stands a chance, the final demon boss or those Jeju Island beasts?

Wow, the Ultimate Hunter admitting it's just a title in name...

Lee Minsung seems like a celebrity/actor who became a Hunter. Should be amusing.

 

[Frontier]

Cha just can't fathom all the weirdness surrounding Jinwoo! All she can do is track him down, even if it means following him into a dungeon in only her casual clothes and wielding a pickaxe! But hey, a weapon is better than no weapon!

Kihoon's party confronts Kargalgan and they are so demonstrably out of their depth, especially when Kargalgan utterly terrifies all of them into submission...but props to Kihoon for at least trying to fight, even if it didn't end well. Luckily they've got Jinwoo around to Solo everybody.

"Don't look down on my guys!" - Especially when Jinwoo can buff them and also fight in tandem with them to slay a bunch of High Orcs!

Ponytail Cha!

If I had a nickel for every time Woo followed Jinwoo into a situation that was demonstrably more dangerous than it should've been...I'd have a lot of nickels. But hey, he finally gets to see Jinwoo in action!

Kargalgan can unleash all his magic and try to waste Jinwoo's MP...but Jinwoo has potions and can just raise Kargalgan's own High Orcs as part of his army, so taht won't stop him. In fact this is so absurd Kargalgan's programming starts glitching.

This isn't the first time Jinwoo has slain a monstrous mage, good thing he's resistant to curses/poisons and has mages of his own, and knows how to creatively use his environment to his advantage! Another boss slain by the solo leveler.

I'm not surprised Jinwoo acquired Kargalgan as a summoner, but I almost feel bad that Jinwoo totally forgot his name. "Tusk" it is.

Look at Jinwoo getting the VIP treatment! But at least he also has the gratitude of Kihoon's party. Plus Cha getting super flustered and hoping she didn't look embarrassing in front of her crush.

Don't feel too bad Dongsin, we can't all be Solo Leveling!

Who is this Lee Minsung guy? He seems to have a high opinion of himself.

 

[Yojimbo]

Episode 7 (19) "The 10th S-Rank Hunter" - February 15, 2025

Jinwoo officially becomes an S-Rank hunter, allowing him to finalize his preparations for the Demon's Castle.

 

[Frontier]

All this press is here for Lee Minsung, but Jong-In and Baek are here for the REAL star! And also competing with who will get to recruit him, it's a business after all, though Jinwoo just really wants to just get this over with and feels kind of awkward.

Is that Kosuke Toriumi as the Reaper Guild guy?

Lee Minsung is chasing clout as a Hunter to direct attention away from all his scandals, and is only using it as a stepping stone to being an actor again, but that just means he's not worth the time of any Hunter worth his salt from Chairman Go to Woo. This isn't about him, it's about Jinwoo's reassessment.

Ah yes, his Hunter ability is "summoning magic." Let's go with that. I mean, he can summon an army that can intimidate two S-Rank Hunters, so that should be enough, right?

I love how he only went through all this because he's trying to sell a sphere and get better gear to go into a dungeon. And then he makes a massive splash in the news because the world finally discovers him as the latest S-Rank Hunter.

It's time for the world to acknowledge Jinwoo! Plus we've got Jinah finally finding out what her brothers become, Song-Yi trying not to let "Jinwoo-kun" slip near his sister, the miners being shocked, Joohee and Chi-Yul being less surprised, and of course Cha is intently watching as well!

Sorry Jong-Yi and Baek, Jinwoo is on that solo leveling grind so he can't join a guild! It's why he won't join Jinho either...but he'll let his bro come to him, even if it gets Jinho in trouble with his family. He's ride or die with his bro! And a convenient means of covering with Jinah and getting driven around.

Jinwoo still has a budget, so don't tempt him to break glass to get free gear. Of course he can sell the stuff from his "in-game" store for even more money, so it all works out.

Oh hey, Baek actually figures out that Jinwoo is "leveling up," more or less.

Good to know Jinwoo can use his Shadow Army to protect Jinah AND clean up the neighborhood.

Uh oh. Looks like something got loose from Jeju Island.

What are the chances that both Jinwoo and Jinho would have parents with the same disease? Jinwoo's search for a cure might be more necessary then he knows. And also, is it some kind of deliberate culling to put into coma's people with no resistance to magic?

Dang, Tusk with the Sphere of Avarice is like Godzilla.

Look at Jinwoo using his army to mass farm the dungeon without him having to lift a finger! Well, until some Demon Knights start hunting and killing his guys...but they didn't expect Jinwoo to hunt them.

 

[Yojimbo]

Yeah, that was pretty hilarious he unintentionally took all the attention from the Lee guy and wow, freaked out all the heavy hitters with his power. Even Baek couldn't see him bolt. But good on Baek for deducing what's going on with Sung. Wow, Sung a known S-rank and has to deal with being a 'celebrity' now. And of course his sister is only annoyed about it, lol.

Very interesting the stuff he buys go for a whole lot more IRL.

Flying ant got even further and landed on the mainland. Ulp. They're going to have to organize another raid so. And gee, I wonder who will finally conquer the island.

Cute that Jinho elected to run away from home. Wow, so like Hunters are a like walking nuclear reactors and the normies with lowest resistance get the equivalent of magic cancer aka Eternal Slumber. Eh... what does that bode for Sung's sister?

That's one way to augment a shadow...

The Demon Knight backing away. Wow.

 

[Yojimbo]

Episode 8 (20) "Looking Up Was Tiring Me Out" - February 22, 2025

Seeking the remaining ingredient for the Elixir of Life, Jinwoo continues his conquest of the Demon's Castle.

 

[Frontier]

Luckily for the last of Jinwoo's opponents that they turn out to be none other than a pretty girl voiced by Kaori Maeda! That instantly increases her survival rate! Welcome to the cast, Esil! Jinwoo was missing a demon girl to his Harem.

I almost have to respect that she still tried to kill Jinwoo when his back was turned, even knowing how strong he was, and then was back on her knees begging for her and her families' life just as quickly. Girl wastes no time! Also, Cha isn't the only lady who gets close-ups of her butt.

What better reason to keep Esil alive than that she can help him move more smoothly through the dungeon? And give him some necessary backstory, from how the demons actually used to be in their own realm at war with SOMETHING until they all got ported here with the desire to "protect." Was it just to stand guard against the Player who would inevitably try to fight them?

The Chimera Ant...I mean, the Jeju Island bug, goes through town like it's Cell in his first form, but it just goes to show that the Hunters can't leave the island alone anymore, not when the threat is this dangerous and could invade them at any moment. So it's time to bring together all the S-Rank Hunters and all the guilds together to finally clear Jeju Island!

Look at Jinwoo putting the fear of JWS into Esil's dad and then basically stealing her away...to clear the dungeon, of course, though Esil seems to be getting other ideas with the mount she's blushing around him.

It's nice of Esil to think of negotiating with the other demons, but does this look like that kind of show? Besides, Jinwoo is doing her family a solid by securing their power base, even if he can't get their name right.

There it is, Floor 100! With Demon Monarch Baran! The toughest opponent Jinwoo has ever faced up to this point! Complete with his own Wyvern steed and army to go toe-to-toe with Jinwoo and HIS army! Jinwoo can't quite sneak up on him but he CAN bring him down to his level.

So we've got Ryuji Goto (Kazuhiko Inoue) from Japan helping organize the Jeju Island raid. Seem like they'll be relying a lot on the Japanese S-Ranks for this mission. Just kind of surreal to have Japanese people in this Korean webtoon anime.

But dang, look at Baran tearing through Jinwoo's guys! Jinwoo finally runs out of MP! Jinwoo can't even wield a dual-wielding duel against him! Baran might finally be the one opponent Jinwoo can't beat.

And maybe he would've lost...if not for Esil distracting Baran long enough for Jinwoo to rely on his old faithful, his monstrous strength (and Shadow Monarch tentacles) to rip Baran's arms off and then knock his head clean off with an uppercut. Demon Slaying never looked so clean.

It's a new dawn for Jinwoo and Esil's family! Even if he still can't get their name right.

 

[Yojimbo]

Sung got sweet on a demon girl who tried to kill him several times. lol. Sure. Though it was a surprise after all those levels, he meets demons he can talk to and convince them to agree to his terms. And the levels with nobles can be bribed with items. The lore she was giving was intriguing but troubling. This realm isn't even their home realm and some even more powerful entity teleported them there and cast a spell, I guess, making them all want to protect it. And something so powerful all demons united to fight them. Are we talking monsters, angels, or gods? Maybe it's related to the statues in episode 1?

lmao, both Esil and her dad thought of 'that' when Sung requested he take her.

Sung is really bad at remembering names, lol.

Great fight. Pity it was just one episode. But can't wait to see the gains he gets from taking on the Demon Monarch. And well, he can finally save his mom's life. Didn't think it would come down to Sung using his bare hands. But now that he's completed all levels, do the surviving demons stay there or do they get teleported back home?

yeah, feels like the next arc is Raid #4. That's rad we get to see some S-ranks from Japan also take part in the mission. The plan sounds too easy. There's probably going to be a curve ball, right? Like a super soldier ant that no one but Sung can beat? They also seem to be sure if they kill the queen, the rest they don't kill will die in a year. I hope they know there are certain species that have multiple queens and one happens to be Asian.