after sweeping the 2025 Crunchyroll Anime Awards, it seems nothing can stop Solo Leveling's upward momentum.

However, the series isn't perfect. Season two was defined by its breathtakingly impressive visual quality and fights that pumped up Solo Leveling's ever-growing fan base, but it also introduced a few issues into the anime. Sung Jinwoo reached an all-new level of strength and began recruiting more powerful shadows to his ranks, kicking up the action while pulling off flashier moves in battle. But that's exactly why season one was better than season two, and why the series might be in some trouble moving forward.

Solo Leveling Has a Power Scaling Problem

The Hit Anime Series Might Have Made Its Hero a Bit Too Strong

When Sung Jinwoo was first introduced to the audience, he was known as 'The Weakest Hunter in the World'. Grading out as an E-Rank, the lowest level a person can rank and qualify as a Hunter, he wasn't very useful during raids. His accomplishments amounted to little more than surviving various confrontations, making his being chosen by the System a moment that was incredibly easy to cheer for. Anime fans love a good underdog story, and were given one with Jinwoo.

Despite having access to the System, Solo Leveling's protagonist still had to work to become stronger, resulting in Jinwoo becoming even more of a likable character. His progress and victories in battle became moments of catharsis for viewers, who couldn't help but be won over by the one-time Weakest Hunter in the World's journey of leveling up. By the time he faced off against Igris in season one's climactic final battle, Jinwoo was far from the incompetent fighter he once was.

However, his jump in strength might have happened just a bit too quickly. Following the Job Change that saw Jinwoo take on the Necromancer class, he was given the ability to recruit shadows into his army, starting with the incredibly powerful Igris. Once season two picks up, he's far stronger than any other Hunter featured in the series to that point, and no presence he faces is much of a challenge anymore.

The overpowered protagonist isn't all that uncommon, especially for the genre Solo Leveling inhabits, but Jinwoo's strength effectively takes any of the tension out of the series' fights. They may be beautiful to watch, but they aren't exactly nail-biting experiences. Even the battle with Beru that capped off season two wasn't entirely difficult for Jinwoo, ending with him walking away relatively unscathed and with a new powerful shadow to boot. In contrast, the fight with Igris during season one was a suspenseful battle to the death.

Sung Jinwoo Was Better Off as the Underdog

Solo Leveling's Protagonist Has Become Too Powerful, and the Stakes Have All But Disappeared

Jinwoo absolutely dominating any opposition that makes itself known may not be an issue to some, and others might even enjoy watching him put his powers to work in one-sided fights. Solo Leveling never fails to deliver an impressive action sequence, and with the success the series has seen thus far, it can be assumed that any further entry into the series will look even better. But so long as Jinwoo continues leveling up, completely outmatching his opponents in battle, the series will have a difficult time setting any stakes.

The Monarchs to come will certainly offer more of a challenge than anyone else currently in the series, though it takes some time for Solo Leveling to have them face-off against its hero. With the story left to cover, anime fans likely won't set their eyes on either the Frost or Beast Monarchs in action until a future season four. Until that point, there shouldn't be much that could cause Jinwoo to break a sweat.

It isn't so much that Solo Leveling's protagonist is overpowered as it is his enemies being underpowered. A character like Goku works because, despite his being unfathomably strong, there's always a new villain even more powerful than he is. If Dragon Ball's leading hero wasn't offered much of a challenge after defeating someone like Frieza, there wouldn't have been a point to the series continuing. It can be argued that the only thing keeping Solo Leveling going is the sense of mystery, but even that was stronger during its first season.

Solo Leveling Isn't Without Its Flaws

Anime's Latest Mega-Hit Is Good, But Not Perfect

A rather large and loud portion of the anime community wasn't very happy when Solo Leveling took home the Anime of the Year Award at Crunchyroll's annual Anime Awards in May. Many felt the series robbed the breakout hit Frieren: Beyond Journey's End, while others simply believed the show was unworthy of such a title. While Solo Leveling may have its flaws, it's practically undeniable that the series was at least deserving of being in the conversation for this past year's top anime.

Solo Leveling is a feast for the eyes, and its action and general premise keep the series interesting enough to keep fans invested. It might lack the tension or stakes that other titles in a similar genre might offer, but to claim the anime is undeserving of its latest award is to dismiss its strengths entirely, of which there are many.

Unfortunately, Solo Leveling seems to have sacrificed the suspense and stakes it kept during its first season for one-sided battles starring one of anime's most overpowered heroes. Countless fans won't take issue with such a development, but there are sure to be some disappointed by the series' new direction. Season three may be as far away as 2028, which leaves A-1 Pictures plenty of time to find a way to keep its latest hit series interesting, despite Jinwoo's lack of competition.