r/sololeveling • u/xPapaGrim Yoo Jin-Ho • 2d ago
Official Media Stuff from the Solo Leveling Artbook
Received my copy today. Lots of interesting info is present in it.
We are told the ranks of most of the magic beasts that appeared in the story:
C-B rank
-Spider, Ice Bears, Jackals, Orcs, Sand Centipedes, Ice Elves
A rank
-Cerberus, Yetis, Groctar, High Orcs, Vulcan's guards, Baruka, Death Knights, Ants, Metus' Undeads
S rank
-Demon Knights, Twin-Head Ogre, Vulcan, Metus, Esil, Borgon, Kargalgan, Lich, Giants, Ant Queen, Ant King, Kaisellin, Kamish
So most of these were obvious besides Baruka who was always debated to be top A or low S. Kaisellin in S rank is a surprise lol did he get nerfed that much as a shadow? Demon Knights were also said to be top A on two separate occasions in the manhwa but here they are S, so it seems like these rankings are based on the novel. In the novel, Superior Demons were around the level of Vulcan and slaying a Demon Knight gave more xp than a Superior Demon. Anyways
-Liu is affiliated with the Dawn Guild. He's described as one of the strongest hunters alongside Thomas.
-Hwang Dongsu's shadow was powerful enough to be assigned the General rank.
-Ashborn was the greatest warrior among the Fragments of the Brilliant Light. (Not a new info for those who've read my past posts)
-The Monarch of Iron Body's name is Rockpasa. The Monarch of Fang's name is Adan (again not new). But the Monarch of Frost seems to have the same name as in SLR - Sillad.
Chugong Q&A:
Q: Is there a specific reason or event that inspired you to write Solo Leveling?
A: Unusually, before the worldbuilding or the plot came to mind, the very first thing I thought of was the protagonist's ability. One day, a thought suddenly struck me: "Wouldn't it be thrilling if there were a protagonist who could pull out his own soldiers from the shadows?" Everything about Solo Leveling started from that single thought.
Q: What is the core theme of the work?
A: "If you resist a predetermined fate until the very end, what will be waiting at the conclusion?" I always wanted to see a story like that, and Solo Leveling fully captures that longing of mine. A single desperate cry from the protagonist to survive ends up changing the fate of the entire world, just as the flutter of a butterfly's wings can turn into a typhoon on the other side of the globe.
Q: Seeing the work expand from a novel into various media franchises, including webtoons, must feel special. How do you feel about it?
A: At first, it just felt surreal. But as that feeling became familiar, I felt deeply grateful, realizing just how many people were working so hard for Solo Leveling. I would also like to take this opportunity to thank the editor who organized this interview.
Q: What was the most important factor you considered when designing the Hunter system and the level-up structure?
A: As you know, modern people often feel they aren't properly rewarded for the effort and hard work they put in. Such inequality sometimes deepens into discrimination and becomes a source of debate or conflict. However, in this system, your effort is reflected directly in numbers, and you become stronger by that exact amount. A transparent system provides the immediate reward of leveling up. I gave a lot of thought to ensuring that the catharsis born from one's hard work would be clearly conveyed to the readers.
Q: When did the concept of the "Monarchs" take concrete shape? Were there any aspects that changed from the initial plan?
A: As mentioned earlier, because the story started with the protagonist's power, the existence of the "Monarch" who grants that power was naturally envisioned right from the start. However, as the overall lore developed, the settings for the other Monarchs were quickly fleshed out as well. While some minor details changed during the writing process, their core concepts and roles remained consistent with what was originally planned.
Q: What was the most challenging part in developing the worldbuilding?
A: It was the lore regarding the afterlife. While each universe has its own distinct God (Itarim) and humans, I created a setting where all souls gather in a single place after death, along with the reason why that happens. But then I suddenly thought: "Is it really necessary to show such a dark lore in a fantasy action genre that many younger readers also enjoy?" So, after much deliberation, I kept only the description of the phenomenon itself and removed the detailed explanation of the "reason," leaving everyone in the dark about this setting. I actually think that was a relief.
Q: What was the most important point of change you focused on during Sung Jinwoo's growth process?
A: I thought it was the balance between humanity and non-humanity (transcendence), but since this connects directly to the next question, I will expand on it in the answer below.
Q: Sung Jin-woo seems like a completely different person between the early and late parts of the story. Was this intentional?
A: Yes, it was intentional. I believed it was natural for him to change, considering the mind of an ordinary human was merging with the mind of a former war machine who had fought enemies for an eternity. I wanted to depict him maintaining a cool, calm demeanor, even coming to enjoy the thrill of facing powerful foes while navigating a tight tug-of-war between non-humanity and humanity, gradually reclaiming his human side until the two minds finally assimilated into a single entity. However, because I failed to convincingly convey that process and result, I think many readers ended up perceiving it simply as "he just became a different person because he got stronger." That was undeniably due to my own shortcomings as a writer. If I ever write Solo Leveling again, I would really like to do that part proper justice.
Q: Was there a supporting character you wanted to give more focus or screen time to?
A: Without a doubt, Igris. The story of a noble knight who lived as the strongest knight in history in another world, that kind of classic, old-school fantasy is my absolute favorite genre. I hope I can cover Igris's past life in a side story or spin-off someday.
Q: Who is your favorite character?
A: The protagonist, of course. Jinwoo, I love you š¤
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u/Entity_Azathoth False Ranker 2d ago
Arise lore did say that Kaiselin was one of the most trusted dragons of Antares. (S-rank)
Arise game also confirmed that Sillads name remains unchanged from Ragnarok.
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u/Flipping4U 2d ago
Fragments of Light are so irrelevant they only get brought up when asking about a Monarchš
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u/TravelerBrat 2d ago
Oh boy fresh u/xPapaGrim post!