Explore the captivating journey of Solo Leveling across its dozens of thrilling arcs! From its inception in the original manga to its recent anime adaptation, this article will delve into the intricate narrative that defines each arc of this gripping series. Here’s every arc in Solo Leveling, listed.
Do be warned that this article contains broad spoilers for the entire manga.
- Arc 1: D-Rank Dungeon Arc
- Arc 2: Reawakening Arc
- Arc 3: Instant Dungeon Arc
- Arc 4: Dungeon & Lizards Arc
- Arc 5: Dungeon & Prisoners Arc
- Arc 6: Yoo Jinho Raid Party Arc
- Arc 7: Job Change Arc
- Arc 8: Red Gate Arc
- Arc 9: Demon Castle Arc
- Arc 10: Retesting Rank Arc
- Arc 11: Hunters Guild Gate Arc
- Arc 12: Return to Demon Castle Arc
- Arc 13: Jeju Island Arc
- Arc 14: Recruitment Arc
- Arc 15: Ahjin Guild Arc
- Arc 16: Double Dungeon Arc
- Arc 17: Japan Crisis Arc
- Arc 18: International Guild Conference Arc
- Arc 19: Monarchs War Arc
- Arc 20: Final Battle Arc
- Arc 21: Epilogue
- Arc 22: Academy Arc
Arc 1: D-Rank Dungeon Arc
The D-Rank Dungeon Arc is the first arc in Solo Leveling and features the introduction of the series’s main character, Sung Jinwoo. During a D-Rank dungeon raid, E-Rank Hunter Sung Jinwoo and his party stumble upon a concealed dungeon within the gate.
Curiosity drives them to explore the newly uncovered area, only to realize too late that it’s a trap. Trapped inside, they face living, bloodthirsty statues, who punish them for even the slightest misstep in their game.
Arc 2: Reawakening Arc
Following his ordeal in the Double Dungeon, Jinwoo awakens in a nearby hospital three days later. There, he stumbles upon the “System”, a mystical program that relatively functions like a video game; with each quest that he conquers, his strength is exponentially enhanced.
Arc 3: Instant Dungeon Arc
Jinwoo obtains a key to an E-Rank instant dungeon and decides to go dungeon-exploring solo for the first time ever. It goes about as well as you’d expect.
Arc 4: Dungeon & Lizards Arc
Jinwoo enlists in a strike squad targeting a C-Rank dungeon, hoping to get some quick cash and experience points. His plan falls short however when the “friendly” hunters he joins up with for the raid are not at all who they appear to be.
Arc 5: Dungeon & Prisoners Arc
Jinwoo regroups with his fellow Double Dungeon survivors for a final raid. Unforeseen danger arises, however, in the form of probational prisoners led by their no-nonsense supervisor, Kang Taeshik.
Arc 6: Yoo Jinho Raid Party Arc
Jinho and Jinwoo had a previous deal that included them forming an oddball raid party to clear out several C-Rank dungeons together, which is what they began doing with little complications (at first).
Arc 7: Job Change Arc
Despite what its name might suggest, the Job Change arc doesn’t include a major career change for Jinwoo. Instead, he is alerted by the System of a new quest, and he finds himself transported to yet another instant dungeon.
Inside the dungeon, he encounters a legion of armored soldiers and a cryptic red knight, who stands sentinel over a vacant throne.
Arc 8: Red Gate Arc
In an attempt to familiarize a novice E-Rank, Han Song-Yi, with the true dangers of being a hunter, Jinwoo decided to reach out to Ahn. With Ahn’s help, he manages to secure positions within one of the brutal White Tiger Guild’s training exercises.
However, things take an unexpected and dire turn as they become ensnared within one of the fatal Red Gates, which are known for sealing off their entrances as soon as they’re entered.
Arc 9: Demon Castle Arc
Jinwoo decides to head to the infamous Demon Castle, an S-Rank instant dungeon expertly crafted by the System. While exploring its dangerous depths, he uncovers a recipe for a potion called the Holy Water of Life, an elixir with the potential to heal his terminally ill mother.
Arc 10: Retesting Rank Arc
After acquiring two out of three necessary ingredients for crafting the Holy Water of Life potion, Jinwoo decides to revisit the human world in order to undergo a re-evaluation of his current rank.
Arc 11: Hunters Guild Gate Arc
While waiting for his S-Rank license to be approved, Jinwoo enlists in a mining team affiliated with the Hunters Guild, eager to partake in high-stakes A-Rank dungeon raids firsthand.
Arc 12: Return to Demon Castle Arc
You probably already know what this arc entails just by its title, but regardless, the Return to Demon Castle arc involves Jinwoo’s return to the infamous Demon Castle in order to find the third and final ingredient for the Holy Water of Life potion. This arc is, by far, one of the most popular arcs in Solo Leveling.
During his journey, he encounters Esil Radiru, a benevolent demon noble who proposes to lead him to Baran, the Demon King, on the condition of sparing her clan’s lives. Of course, Jinwoo accepts her proposal.
Arc 13: Jeju Island Arc
Having successfully cured his mother of Eternal Slumber, Jinwoo understandably opts out of participating in the Jeju Island Raid, so that he can focus on caring for her as she recovers.
However, he is soon forced to reconsider when a monstrous ant emerges during the raid, wreaking havoc and decimating S-Ranks all over the place with little to no effort.
Arc 14: Recruitment Arc
While attending the funeral of Min Byung-Gyu, a former S-Rank healer, Jinwoo encounters Norma Selner, an upgrader working under the esteemed Federal Bureau of Hunters.
Arc 15: Ahjin Guild Arc
After Jinwoo creates his own guild (the Ahjin Guild), he strikes a deal with the Knights Guild to assist in clearing a top-tier, high-stakes A-Rank Gate on their territory for a fee. Meanwhile, however, a crisis unfolds at the high school that his sister, Jinah, attends as a student.
Arc 16: Double Dungeon Arc
Still perplexed by the origin of his abilities, Jinwoo decides to revisit the Double Dungeon in search of answers. Unfortunately for him, however, the overseer of the System is reluctant to humor any of his questions.
Arc 17: Japan Crisis Arc
When an S-Rank Gate unexpectedly materializes in Japan’s capital, the Japanese government’s S-Rank strike squad, supposedly the strongest in the country, tries and ultimately fails to neutralize the imminent threat. So instead, Jinwoo takes it upon himself to intervene and tackle the job single-handedly.
Arc 18: International Guild Conference Arc
Invited to America as Korea’s representative at the International Guild Conference, Jinwoo finds himself amidst a global audience.
During this, the Monarchs, an ancient malevolent force, commence their rematch with the Rulers, their age-old adversaries, by targeting one of the seven Rulers’ vessels in the human realm.
Arc 19: Monarchs War Arc
The Monarchs persist in their pursuit of the Rulers’ vessels across the human world, claiming victims in both Brazil and Korea.
Inadvertently targeted, Jinwoo “appears” to fall victim to their onslaught. However, the Monarchs’ arrogance proves fatal as they underestimate the strength of his powers and fail to obliterate his body in time, leading to their own demise.
Arc 20: Final Battle Arc
Despite what its name might suggest, this is not the final arc in Solo Leveling. However, it does feature the final major battle in the series, so it really might as well be the ending for some fans.
After having absorbed the powers of the Shadow Monarch, Jinwoo braces himself for his most daunting trial to date: a confrontation with Antares, the mightiest and most merciless Monarch of them all.
Arc 21: Epilogue
Following the demise of the Monarchs and humanity’s salvation from imminent extinction, Jinwoo decides to literally travel back in time to rewrite history itself, aiming to rescue those that he had lost along the way.
Arc 22: Academy Arc
Having finally fulfilled the goals he set for himself, Jinwoo resumes life as a regular high school student in the altered reality shaped by the Cup of Reincarnation, oblivious to the trials awaiting him on the horizon.
And that’s all of the arcs in Solo Leveling! The original manga series is marked as finished with just under 200 chapters and 22 individual arcs, meaning the anime still has quite a ways to go in terms of catching up. Feel free to check out some of Twinfinite’s other anime content while you wait for more episodes of Solo Leveling to be released, like our list of Webtoons that deserve anime adaptations!