Solo Leveling Season 2 Episode 13 is here, concluding one of the most hyped anime seasons in recent years. The finale titled “Onto the Next Target” concluded the Jeju Island Arc and introduced the next phase of the story. Solo Leveling has been smashing records, officially becoming the highest-rated anime on Crunchyroll with 696K ratings, surpassing One Piece’s 614K ratings. That is insane, especially for a 25-episode anime. And within just an hour of release, the finale had already hit 70K+ likes on Crunchyroll.
A-1 Pictures did a great job adapting Season 2, especially the fight between Sung Jinwoo and the Ant King in Episode 12. That episode became the most liked episode on Crunchyroll with 514K likes and a 9.8/10 rating on IMDb. But Episode 13 had a few things that felt a bit different from the manhwa, which we will talk about here.
The biggest highlight of the episode was Sung Jinwoo adding Beru, the shadow of the Ant King, to his army. This means he now has a shadow soldier who could easily destroy an army of S-Rank Hunters.
Related: Which Manhwa Chapter to Start After Solo Leveling Season 2?
What Led to This Moment?
The previous episode wrapped up the long-awaited fight between the Ant King and Jinwoo. Cha Hae-In was badly injured in the battle, and although Jinwoo arrived in time to save the Korean S-Rank Hunters, the broadcast delay meant the Japanese Hunters had already been wiped out. Jinwoo had assumed 16 S-Rank Hunters would be enough to handle the raid, but clearly, that was not the case.
Ant King massacred the Japanese Hunters first and, after consuming the Ant Queen’s brain, gained knowledge about who murdered her. He then went after Cha Hae-In because she had dealt the finishing blow to the Ant Queen. His ability, Gluttony, lets him devour enemies and gain their knowledge and powers. Before finishing off the Korean Hunters, he wanted to torture them, so he first went for Goto Ryuji and killed him assuming he is the biggest threat, Jinwoo realized that something is wrong as his shadow came back which he placed on Goto Ryuji. Jinwoo used Shadow Exchange to teleport to Jeju Island and saw Cha Hae-In barely clinging to life.
A-1 Pictures Changed a Few Scenes
The anime changed how Jinwoo revived Cha Hae-In. In the manhwa, Jinwoo did not hear any voice, he just figured out on his own that he could use Min Byung-Gyu’s shadow to heal her. But in the anime, they made it look like Min Byung-Gyu willingly told Jinwoo to use him. This change made Jinwoo seem more empathetic rather than just taking a shadow without permission.
Also, in the manhwa, Jinwoo forcefully extracted Kim Chul’s shadow in the Red Gate Arc, knowing he needed a strong shadow to fight Baruka. The anime softened this moment, making it seem like it just happened naturally. Same with Min Byung-Gyu, Jinwoo looked more considerate in the anime.
Beru’s Shadow Extraction
After healing Cha Hae-In, Jinwoo terminated Min Byung-Gyu’s shadow, respecting his peaceful nature. Then he extracted the Ant King’s shadow, but this scene was darker in the manhwa. The anime also skipped an important part, Jinwoo extracting the Ant Queen’s shadow. In the manhwa, he realized that the Ant Queen’s ability to control ants weakened his connection with his shadow ants, so he terminated her extraction. The anime left this out completely.
After Jinwoo came out of the lair, the remaining ants went wild, attacking everything on instinct. Even with all the hunters there, they would not have survived if Beru had not intervened. Jinwoo ordered Beru to take care of them, and Beru wiped out most of the ants instantly. But one escaping colony ran into Liu Zhigang, China’s national-level hunter. He destroyed them in one attack, which looked a lot like Ichigo’s Getsuga Jūjishō from Bleach.
If it weren’t these minions but that black ant, maybe I would have some fun
Liu Zhigang
The episode also covered Min Byung-Gyu’s funeral, which was well-adapted. Then Jinwoo met with Go Gun-Hee and officially declared he was making his own guild instead of joining an existing one.
Meanwhile, at Jeju Island, two unknown figures appeared while hunters were cleaning up the remaining ants. The anime did not reveal their identities, but they are Monarchs, and they are even stronger than the Ant King and national-level hunters.
Recruitment Arc Was Rushed
The episode skipped a lot of the Recruitment Arc, including the introduction of Norma Selner and Adam White. These characters will likely be introduced in Season 3 along with FBH. It makes sense since cramming all of that into one episode would not have worked.
The anime did keep one important scene, Jinwoo encountering another Red Gate. While heading home, he got stuck in traffic, and Go Gun-Hee informed him that a new gate had appeared. Jinwoo entered it solo, and just like before, it turned into a Red Gate. But this time, he was way stronger, so he clears it easily. With Beru by his side, these dungeons are nothing to him now.
Red Gate Images via Battle Sequence. Credits: A-1 Pictures 
Red Gate Images via Battle Sequence. Credits: A-1 Pictures 
Red Gate Images via Battle Sequence. Credits: A-1 Pictures 
Red Gate Images via Battle Sequence. Credits: A-1 Pictures 
Final Scene of Episode Red Gate Images via Battle Sequence. Credits: A-1 Pictures
Solo Leveling Season 2 Episode 13 Review
The finale was great, but it had minor issues in terms of animation and adaptation. A-1 Pictures did a good job overall adapting Solo Leveling Season 2 Episode 13, but there were moments where the animation quality dipped, especially in character movements and some background details (Beru’s extraction). The fight scenes were well-animated especially Beru eliminating the ants and China’s national hunter destroying the colony of ants in one blow.
However, they did not always maintain the same intensity as the manhwa. Some parts felt a bit rushed, and certain cuts made the pacing feel off. The color grading and effects were overall good but could have been better especially when Sung Jinwoo went into the void while extracting the shadow of Beru.
Adaptation-wise, the anime skipped some important details, like the Ant Queen’s shadow extraction, which could have added more depth to the story.
The emotional impact was still there, but some of Jinwoo’s decisions were changed to make him seem more empathetic, which took away a bit of his original cold and calculated nature. Overall, a solid finale, but it could have been even better with a little more polish.
Solo Leveling Season 2 Episode 13 Review
Summary
Solo Leveling Season 2 has officially ended with Episode 13, wrapping up the Jeju Island Arc and Recruitment Arc as well. The episode had some great moments like Jinwoo adding Beru to his shadow army and China’s national hunter showing off his power. A-1 Pictures did well overall, but the animation quality dipped in a few spots, especially in Beru’s extraction scene. Some parts felt rushed, like skipping the Ant Queen’s shadow extraction, which would have made the story feel more complete. The fight scenes were good, and the emotional moments hit well, but some changes made Jinwoo seem more empathetic than in the manhwa. The pacing was a bit off, and a few adaptation choices could have been better. Still, it was a solid ending for the season, just not as perfect as it could have been.
