Ore dake Level Up na Ken Season 2: Arise from the Shadow

Sung Jin-Woo, dubbed the weakest hunter of all mankind, grows stronger by the day with the supernatural powers he has gained. However, keeping his skills hidden becomes more difficult as dungeon-related incidents pile up around him.

When Jin-Woo and a few other low-ranked hunters are the only survivors of a dungeon that turns out to be a bigger challenge than initially expected, he draws attention once again, and hunter guilds take an increased interest in him. Meanwhile, a strange hunter who has been lost for ten years returns with a dire warning about an upcoming catastrophic event. As the calamity looms closer, Jin-Woo must continue leveling up to make sure nothing stops him from reaching his ultimate goal—saving the life of his mother.

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

Sung, Jin-Woo Main

Ban, Taito Japanese

Cha, Hae-In Supporting

Ueda, Reina Japanese

Igris Supporting

Sung, Jin-Ah Supporting

Mikawa, Haruna Japanese

Go, Gun-Hee Supporting

Ginga, Banjou Japanese

Lee, Joo-Hee Supporting

Honizumi, Rina Japanese

Yoo, Jin-Ho Supporting

Nakamura, Genta Japanese

Sung, Il-Hwan Supporting

Koyama, Rikiya Japanese

Choi, Jong-In Supporting

Hirakawa, Daisuke Japanese

Baek, Yoon-Ho Supporting

Touchi, Hiroki Japanese

Kaneko, Atsushi Producer

Takahashi, Kanako Producer

Choi, Jinkeun Producer

Furuhashi, Souta Producer

Reviews

Feb 2, 2025

KyomaBritannia

Recommended

Preliminary (5/13 eps)

So far, nothing but an improvement over the first season. Loving the world building, especially of the guilds, powers and magic beasts. There's one new "magical beast" with long black hair in particular that I can't wait to see more of. The improvement in the animation is really nice when I already had no issues with it in the first season. Pacing is pretty fast, but they manage to show you so much information during the fights instead of constantly stopping to explain everything to you like a child. They even manage to squeeze in a few comedic moments that are actually fun. Ignore the ... crybabies upset because it's rated higher than their favorite show ever that's airing at the same time, definitely worth a watch for anyone who likes action fantasy.

Reviewer’s Rating: 9

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Jan 25, 2025

Centuari

Mixed Feelings

Funny

Preliminary (4/13 eps)

...are the people clicking 10 actually watching the show? Are they the same people who thought Kirito was an interesting character? Maybe they just really love dungeon diving shows? I'm trying to connect the dots, and all I'm left with are more questions.

If you want to know what 'mid' looks like, oh boy have I got a show for you. The animation is good! The music is fun! The setup is interesting! And...that's the show. Readers have always admitted that the series was carried by its art, and if they had been able to deliver that on a top-tier level with the anime I could ... see where people were coming from. But it's merely good, and these days good isn't good enough to stand out in the space. The plot is largely nonexistent, the MC is a blank power-fantasy slate after the first episode or two, and it's more of the same in season 2 so far.

Reviewer’s Rating: 5

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Feb 2, 2025

hardrodsquirter

Not Recommended

Preliminary (5/13 eps)

Just when I thought Season 1 couldn't get any worse, Season 2 somehow came back and doubled-down on the worst aspects that made the prequel incredibly tedious to watch. The basic concepts of stakes and tension are still a myth even in this season. The story also just wants to flex how "strong", "badass" and "cool" Jin-Woo has become by presenting him in convenient scenarios that inevitably ends up in his favor with little to no conflict at all, it's baffling. This season honestly just made me feel like I'm reading someone's powerfantasy self-insert fanfic on Wattpad that they wrote in middle school.

Anyway, the point ... is, the narrative seems like it's only interested in making Jin-Woo a "cool" character. However, for a character to be seen as cool, it often works best when it’s a byproduct of who they are rather than their primary goal. When a character strives to be "cool" for the sake of it, it just comes across as forced or one-dimensional, but when their "coolness" emerges naturally through their actions, values, and growth— it feels earned and authentic. For instance, a character who is competent, confident, or kind without trying too hard often are seen as cool exactly because of these traits. Think about characters like Aragorn from The Lord of the Rings or Aang from Avatar: TLAB as an example, they’re cool characters not because they aim to be, but because their choices, demeanor, and inner strength makes them compelling. If the narrative's end goal is simply to make Jin-Woo look "cool", then the risk is the character ultimately losing its depth and relatability (which is what's already happening in this season, unfortunately). The "coolness" factor should be an organic outcome of a well-rounded character, not the driving motivation.

One more thing I found frustrating is that Solo Leveling can't seem to find a balance between powerfantasy and meaningful character development. It's always the former at the expense of the latter. Take Mob Psycho for comparison— Mob is an insanely overpowered character, but the story doesn’t make his strength the focal point of his identity. Instead, it highlights his emotional growth, his struggles with self-worth, and his desire to be accepted for who he is beyond his powers. What makes Mob’s journey so compelling is that his powers are almost irrelevant to his core struggles. While he can obliterate anyone or anything, his real challenges are still deeply human— learning to navigate through relationships, handle emotions, and finding confidence in his ordinary self are all aspects that made Mob such a well-written character. The story also paces his growth beautifully, allowing moments of vulnerability, humor, and reflection that make his eventual triumphs feel earned and deeply satisfying. The difference between Mob and Jin-Woo is in how they define themselves. Mob doesn’t want to be defined by his powers, while Jin-Woo seems to lean into them as his new identity. The key to striking the balance is focusing on who the character is without their powers and letting the powerfantasy support their journey rather than overshadow it.

To make matters worse, the show's ratings are an over-inflated mess and doesn't reflect what it truly is, and the people in the 'recommended reviews' section lacks even a speck of decency to be transparent and critical about certain aspects of the show. They're cowards tucked inside their natural habitat; an echo-chamber. In truth, Solo Leveling is a meathead powerfantasy brainrot. Hey, if that's your thing then by all means go for it, BUT if you're someone who's mentally above the age of 14 and find your time extremely valuable then I suggest skipping this show entirely as it's nothing more than a shallow, pointless spectacle equivalent to jangling keys in front of a baby.

Reviewer’s Rating: 1

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