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The original promise of the S-rank hunters inSolo Levelingmade the series very exciting in the beginning. These characters were teased as overwhelming powerhouses with interesting powers that we got to guess and speculate about as Sung Jinwoo began his own journey for great power.
However, now that we have hit the end ofSolo LevelingSeason 2, it seems that many of these hyped characters have completely fallen by the wayside in the story. This makes it somewhat of a competition to evaluate which S-rank hunter we were promised who ultimately comes up short of expectations the most. Looking at all the S-rank hunters, it feels like Choi Jong-In is the one who stands out with the most disappointing, wasted potential.
Choi Jong-In’s Flawed Execution
Why The Strongest Hunter Didn’t Live Up To His Name
Solo Levelingstarts by introducing us to Sung Jinwoo, who bears the nickname of the weakest hunter. Later, as Jinwoo starts to grow in power, we are introduced to Choi Jong-In, who serves as his antithesis and is known by the nickname “the ultimate hunter.” Once existing at polar opposites of the spectrum, the show sets up Choi Jong-In to be the ultimate goal to overcome in Jinwoo’s quest tocontinually level up and surpass everyone.
“He who stands at the pinnacle of fire magic.” -Jinwoo describing Choi Jong-In.
However, the execution of Choi Jong-In’s character leaves much to be desired in the series so far. We are treated to many scenes of Choi Jong-In brooding and planning things in the shadows, but we hardly ever see him doing anything impressive that makes him worthy of his title. He commands fire magic to a devastating degree, but he is only ever seen using it in the series against fodder monsters that anyone else could have defeated.
As the Guild Master of the Hunters Guild, and the opposite of the starting state of Sung Jinwoo, there was a lot of hype building for his characterbefore the Jeju Island raid arc. However, while he was instrumental in dealing with swarms of ants, he turned in perhaps the worst performance against the Ant King himself. He was dispatched easily and quickly without putting up a fight or showing any of his techniques. Despite the weight of Choi Jong-In’s character being built up early on, he ultimately has had minimal impact on the story or the fights so far.
Why Choi Jong-In Could Be Better
The Pieces Are There For His Character
It’s a shame that mage characters and their pinnacle in Choi Jong-In seem to be underserved in the series so far. What makes it worse is that the narrative introduces ways that they could be relevant against threats. For example, Jinwoo finds an item called the Orb of Avarice, which is said to double the power of magic attacks. If only Choi Jong-In could have found an item like that, or something that helped cover his weaknesses in close combat, he could have beenan S-rank worthy of his titleas the ultimate hunter.
Unfortunately, the way Choi’s mage class works makes him underwhelming in combat against strong opponents. While he excels at killing fodder with his flames, we never get to see him utilize his fire magic in creative ways or use his calculating intelligence to help him beat the odds in a close fight. Although Choi Jong-In is implied to be a savvy and smart character, he never gets an opportunity to make good on the narrative’s promise to be truly formidable.
While many S-rank huntersfall into a similar boat, Choi Jong-In’s disappointing character portrayal feels like it stings the worst, given the heights we were promised in the beginning. Hopefully, as the series progresses, the story gives formerly hyped characters like Choi a reason to shine. Unfortunately, from how the story has been going so far, it looks like there is reallyonly room for Sung Jinwoo to be doing cool things. This disappointment in the lack of care given to the show’s side characters is expressed in no better way than how Choi Jong-In disappoints viewers.
Solo Leveling
Cast
A-1 Pictures' Solo Leveling is an anime based on Chugong’s popular web novel. Set in an unforgiving fantasy world where hunters explore dungeons filled with monsters, the vulnerable Sung Jinwoo gains a significant power boost after he is picked to be a solo player by the System.
