Highlights
- Episode 4 of Solo Leveling delivers stunning visuals and intense combat scenes, making it the best episode so far.
- Jinwoo's continuous investment in his Strength stat proves to be effective as he gains newfound strength and defeats formidable enemies.
- The episode showcases Jinwoo's growth as a character and his determination to overcome his weaknesses, culminating in an epic battle against the King of the Swamp.
The following contains spoilers for Solo Leveling, Episode 4, "I've Gotta Get Stronger", available on Crunchyroll.
The fourth episode of Solo Leveling was a grand affair in comparison to what has come before it, and gave its audience a number of visual feasts over the course of the episode. The episode made good on the setup created by the first three, and in this one, we get to see the series protagonist in full combat against a number of fearsome enemies. The middle to end of Solo Leveling episode 4 were quite a thrill as Sung Jinwoo overcame yet another obstacle and showed off the experience he gained while in the Hapjeong Station Instance Dungeon in quite the flashy display of his newfound strength.
With dazzling animation and a strong finish, episode 4 of Solo Leveling is definitely the best of the anime thus far, and continues the series' great start this Winter 2024 season, giving the sense that the Solo Leveling story has finally taken off from its introductory arc.
Solo Leveling: Determination of the Weak
Jinwoo wakes up in hospital after the Double Dungeon ordeal, and discovers just how demanding and dangerous his new life as a Player can be.
Each Kill Makes Jinwoo Stronger
The episode picks up from when Jinwoo is forced to start off the bout against a Steel-Fanged Lycan unarmed. He quickly learns the positive effect of his continuous investment into his Strength stat as his once-frail body leaps and flips about with ease, and he even manages to keep the wolf at bay for a while with his bare fists. Banking everything on the idea that the System works like a game, Jinwoo pulls up his inventory and finds a lucky souvenir from his near-death experience: Kim Sangshik's high-quality sword (that cost three million won). Jinwoo then kills the Lycan and reaches Level 2, but he has no time to celebrate as two more of them appear. While having any weapon is better than none in this situation, Jinwoo's somewhat clumsy use of the sword communicates more than just weakness, but incompatibility with the weapon in question. After killing one, the other flees, giving Jinwoo a chance to check his status panel and see the results of his hard work. Throughout the battle, Jinwoo faced varying levels of discomfort and fear; however, it barely compared to the terror he felt in the Cartenon Temple.
He learns that leveling up heals his wounds and improves each of his base stats by 1 point. Beyond that, Jinwoo learns that combat is by far the most effective means of getting stronger, and he speculates that his bonuses will only improve the higher he goes. Unlike regular dungeons, magic beasts in Instance Dungeons do not drop essence stones, but drop various items that Jinwoo can make use of or even sell at a "Store" interface integrated into this System. Assessing his earlier performance, Jinwoo surmises that at his current level, he probably cannot defeat the dungeon boss, and his only means of exit is to find a teleportation stone. However, just as he comes to this conclusion, the Lycan that fled returned with an entire swarm of its kind to take down Jinwoo; however, his fear is replaced by an enjoyment of battle spurred on by his life of constant failure and weakness. After taking down 34 of them, the sword he was lucky to obtain was worse for wear, but he managed to get a teleportation stone for his troubles. The combat against the Lycan horde was satisfying and seeing Jinwoo overcome the fear he feels in the moment not only grabbed attention, but served as a turning point for Jinwoo's character in this early stage as he gained the title "Wolf Assassin".
Solo Leveling: Second Awakening, Explained
What does it mean for a Hunter to go through a "Second Awakening"?
Jinwoo Has Become Something Beyond a Regular Hunter
After defeating the Lycans, Jinwoo figures out that the names of enemies are colour-coded: white for weaklings, orange for enemies on the same level as Jinwoo, and red if they are far stronger. He descends a stairwell to the lower levels of the subway, where he's immediately attacked by a giant steel-scaled mega-serpent: the King of the Swamp – the Blue Venom-Fanged Kasaka. With a broken sword as his only weapon, Jinwoo changes his grip style to that of a dagger-user, visually communicating through his use of an unusual weapon, his resilience, resourcefulness and luck. With tough steel hide, the Kasaka is a tough opponent for Jinwoo, who is massively overpowered in the opening exchange. The Kasaka shows the intent to fully crush its opponent, giving him no chance to collect his thoughts. A lifetime of frustration at his own weakness wells up within him as the serpent overwhelms him. Realizing the overwhelming and undeniable superiority of unbridled strength in life-or-death situations, Jinwoo puts up the fight of his life as he steels his resolve and goes all-out.
The animation, music, and Taito Ban's voice-acting performance as Jinwoo savagely rips and crushes the powerful enemy with his bare hands made this an incredible scene and a beautiful piece of animation as Jinwoo defeats the King of the Swamp. The dynamic camera angles as Jinwoo fought an opponent several times larger than himself made for an extremely high-stakes fight, and the way in which the visuals assumed a scratchy kind of quality to the lines in the climax of the fight shows the intention from A-1 Pictures to make the Solo Leveling anime a visual marvel. Having killed the Dungeon Boss, Jinwoo earned a number of interesting items, including what is set to become his signature weapon, the Kasaka's Fang; a special C-Rank dagger with poison and paralysis effects. After clearing the dungeon, Hapjeong Subway Station went back to normal and Jinwoo emerged from the entrance unaware of the carnage taking place nearby.
A Display of Overwhelming Strength
In an "out of the frying pan, into the fire" kind of way, Jinwoo emerges from Hapjeong Station, which is right in the area of where a Gate went unconquered. Realizing that her refusal to do the raid led to the current situation, Joohee ends up joining a hodgepodge party created to deal with the magic beasts emerging from the Gate; however, their lack of teamwork is beyond obvious. Since it has only been a week since the Double Dungeon incident, Joohee is still understandably traumatized; however, with the situation getting dire as the party struggles to put a dent in the Dungeon Boss now rampaging in the streets, her inability to heal effectively frustrates her colleagues. A soldier patrolling the area manages to identify Jinwoo as a Hunter and ushers him towards the battle, where he watches among the crowd of gawking civilians to assess the situation.
Realizing what he must do, Jinwoo throws the remaining stub of Kim's knife at the rampaging monster's head like David did Goliath, enabling the Hunter party to finish the job. To illustrate just how amazing Jinwoo's feat was, the tank of the raiding party realized that they had help, and wondered if they were assisted by a high-ranker. Joohee's intuition tells her that Jinwoo was there, capping an intense and gritty episode of Solo Leveling that cements its position as a must-watch this season, and evidence that the anime adaptation might just live up to its parent story – and the hype.
Why is Everyone So Excited About Solo Leveling?
Solo Leveling is one of the most anticipated anime of the year. What is it that has anime fans so excited?
