Every Solo Leveling Character You Need to Know for Season 1

Solo Leveling is likely going to be the biggest new anime hit to headline the 2024 season. It’s an adaptation of the highly popular South Korean franchise seen across novel and webtoon formats. So get ready for its release with every Solo Leveling character you should know in Season 1!

Each Solo Leveling Character Introduced in Season 1

Solo Leveling may be a Korean property, but the anime adaptation starting with Season 1 will feature different names for each character. The overall plot and structure will still be the same, but given the Japanese animation studio handling the project, it’ll feature the same characters but with Japanese names. Here is an overview of the Solo Leveling characters you should know in Season 1:

While most of these characters have their names and actors confirmed, it’s important to know their role in the series, and relationship with the protagonist, Sung Jinwoo. For fans of Persona, you might recognize Aleks Le as the voice of the upcoming Persona 3 Reload’s Protagonist, so the English dub has its perks as well!

All Solo Leveling Anime Characters We Know So Far

The world of Solo Leveling initially feels like a grindy open-world JRPG complete with characters assuming hunter ranks, with E being the lowest and S being the highest. With that in mind, we introduce you to Sung Jinwoo and the gang:

Jinwoo Sung

Sung Jinwoo is an E-Rank hunter and is given the dubious pleasure of being the weakest of them all. Like all other hunters, Sung had his powers awaken, but in a negligible state. This made him a burden when joining other hunters who entered the world’s dungeons to fight otherworldly threats. But it’s also his cleverness that allowed him to survive the most crucial moment early in the series.

After a terrifying massacre in a double dungeon that completes a secret quest, ‘Courage of the Weak,’ Sung’s cleverness is rewarded with a mysterious power granted by “The System” allowing him to complete quests, level up, and convert his defeated enemies into minions called Shadows. Jinwoo must join the fight against the many threats crossing into the human world while ascending to enormous heights as a hunter with a suddenly brilliant future.

Jinah Sung

Sung’s sister, who looks after him following the first incident. Jinwoo financially supported her so that she could focus on school. This was made especially difficult by the tragic events that incapacitated their mother after their father disappeared. Aoi / Jinah is especially close to Jinwoo and was devastated by the close call in the double dungeon.

Joohee Lee

A B-Rank healer, Joohee (anime name change TBD) is one of Sung’s earliest advocates and protectors who witnessed the terrifying event that killed most of their party while granting Jinwoo his abilities.

Go Gunhee

Go is the Chairman of the Hunters Association, holding an S-Rank. He’s an aging hunter with government connections who is currently the most powerful one around, at least for now.

Jong-In Choi

An S-Rank mage and Guild Master of the Hunters Guild, Jong-In is the strongest mage-type hunter of his class. An approachable, friendly character with a penchant for fire magic and smoking cigarettes.

Jinho Yoo

Kenta / Jinho is a younger hunter like Sung Jinwoo, a Tanker class sporting a D-Rank status. He looks up to Sung and serves as comic relief in the original story.

Yoonho Baek

A fighter specializing in transformation magic, Yoonho leads the White Tiger Guild. An extremely strong, built S-Rank hunter, his transformation can give him the edge in battle against most opponents.

Jinchul Woo

An A-Rank hunter and Chairman of the Hunters Association, Jinchul’s role is closely tied to that of Go, and over time, it grows greater in significance. His uncanny sensory abilities allow him to sense powerful hunters even his most advanced colleagues can’t quite match.

Haein Cha

An S-Rank hunter and keenly perceptive of Sung Jinwoo’s particular gifts, Haein is somewhat socially awkward despite her Vice-Guild Master position in the Hunters Guild. Her connection and interactions with Jinwoo will be an important one that fans will enjoy!

There are numerous other noteworthy characters you will encounter, such as Song Chiyul early on, as well as Il-Hwan Sung and Kyung-Hye Park, Jinwoo’s parents. But being familiar with the names of every character above will be crucial while following Solo Leveling Season 1!

What is the Significance of the Name Changes in Solo Leveling?

With the change of location from Korea to Japan, and Solo Leveling taking place in Tokyo, fans worried what changes there could be beyond that. On the surface, this couldn’t hurt too badly. After all, the seminal Korean masterpiece Oldboy is loosely based on the Japanese manga Old Boy.

But fans might find the change from Sung Jin-Woo (or Jinwoo Sung) to Shun Mizushino to be especially jarring. The name had a deeper meaning, a conjoining of “Treasured Friend” and “Successor or One on the Verge of Winning.” This new name, Shun, meaning “Fast” or “Talented,” with Mizushino possibly meaning to “water the bamboo” — a metaphor for reaching your goals as a team or individual — has meaning, but you have to reach a bit to get there.

It’s all largely rubbing fans wrong without being an egregious offense, so my suggestion is to check the anime for yourself. A-1 is a fantastic studio that’s contributed to Fairy Tail, Fate, Nier, and many others, and this show is poised to be a standout of the season.