Solo Leveling: What is a second awakening? Hunter Rank System Explained

The anime is only four episodes in, but already provides many terms for its viewers to analyze: among them, what is the second awakening?

Solo Leveling started barely a month ago, and already its protagonist has seen all the colors: Sung Jinwoo narrowly escaped death while his team of hunters ventured into a double dungeon.

If he narrowly escapes, it won’t be the case for everyone: most of the group has been decimated, his friend Juhee is traumatized and the team leader, Mr. Song, has lost his arm, which will prevent him from continuing to practice the profession.

And when Jinwoo miraculously finds himself in the hospital, agents come to visit him and believe that he has undergone a “second awakening” . But what is it exactly?

What is Second Awakening in Solo Leveling?

In Solo Leveling, the world has changed with the appearance of portals leading to alternate universes. These portals are actually dungeons, containing monsters and a boss. If the latter is not eliminated, the portal will break and spill its creatures into the contemporary world to which Jinwoo belongs.

Problem: Conventional weapons do not work on these creatures. We must therefore count on hunters, human beings with special abilities. These powers appear after an awakening, and are evaluated then classified into ranks: the highest being S, the lowest being E – that of Jinwoo.

In the words of the main character, “the power of hunters is determined upon awakening and can never change.” Never? In reality, there is a way, and it is precisely the second awakening. It happens that certain individuals manage to push their limits, and then reach rank A or S, the highest.

Is Sung Jinwoo experiencing a second awakening?

jinwoo solo leveling system — solo leveling animation partners/crunchyroll

When Sung Jinwoo returns alive from the D-Rank Dungeon, in which most of his teammates died, everyone expresses surprise. Those in charge of the hunter organization doubt that the weaker hunter could have survived without going through a second awakening.

The young man is therefore given the test to determine his new rank… but the disappointment is great for Jinwoo: because it turns out that he has not moved one iota. His mana is even so low that it catches agents off guard.

In reality, Jinwoo obtained an ability very different from that of the other hunters: after his experience in the double dungeon facing the terrifying “god” statue, he inherited the “system” , an interface reminiscent of those of many video games.. Said system will be as much an asset as a disadvantage, since it will force the young hunter to train hard, even if it often means putting his life in danger.

Jinwoo is therefore strengthening physically, but his abilities are not the same as those calculated for the ranks of Solo Leveling hunters: he has become a separate being, a bit like an RPG (role-playing game) character, able to choose himself -even where to place your skills.