Solo Leveling Bids Farewell To Sung Jinwoo In New Release

The protagonist of Solo Leveling, Sung Jinwoo has always been the biggest highlight of this brilliant series by Chugong. Sung Jinwoo’s journey began in the Double Dungeon, where he faced a brutal battle and then went on to acquire the powers of the System, marking the beginning of his life as a proper Hunter. Ever since then, Sung Jinwoo's strength has grown considerably, and by the end, he even reaches the level of a godly being with unparalleled strength.

In the main universe of Solo Leveling, Jinwoo's strength and status as a godlike being are maintained to this day. But Solo Leveling: Arise just unveiled a new alternative universe to us. In this universe, Jinwoo never acquires the power of the System. Instead, he is implied to have died, while Lee Joohee takes over and shows her true potential instead.

Solo Leveling’s New Hunter Origin Story Features A New Timeline Where Jinwoo is Dead

Solo Leveling's story had a truly iconic beginning where, after being thrust into the Double Dungeon, Jinwoo and the other Hunters face an almost inevitable death. However, through Jinwoo’s wit and indomitable will, some of them manage to survive. After these events, Sung Jinwoo awakens to the power of the System, which allows him to level up and tap into the powers of the Shadow Monarch. This reality for Jinwoo is true for the main timeline, but it isn't constant across all the universes of Solo Leveling.

On August 7, 2026, a new Lee Joohee alt was revealed for the game Solo Leveling: Arise, showing a different timeline to us. Her full release on August 27, 2026, gave us a look at Jinwoo in an alternate universe. Lee Joohee, the Pilgrim of the Labyrinth, was finally added to the game, and akin to many other major Hunters that were added, she received her own Hunter Origin Story in the form of a one-shot manhwa explaining her rise to power.

Lee Joohee, the Pilgrim of the Labyrinth, is not the same Lee Joohee that we see in the original Solo Leveling story. Instead, it has been stated that this Lee Joohee is from an alternative universe. In that universe, something tragic happened to Jinwoo. In Lee Joohee's new Hunter Origin Story, it is implied that this universe’s Jinwoo has died. After sensing the danger from the Double Dungeon, Jinwoo pushes Lee Joohee out, sparing her from the events that scarred her in the original universe. Furthermore, unlike in the original universe, Jinwoo never steps out of the Double Dungeon.

“They were good people. They welcomed me despite how meek and timid I was. They were the reason I could still smile, even in the dungeons I feared so much. But in a flash… I lost them all.” — Lee Joohee After Losing Jinwoo in New Hunter Origin Story

Instead, the gate disappears, and Jinwoo and all the other Hunters stuck in the Double Dungeon simply vanish with it. This is quite a shocking turn of events, as Jinwoo is the main character of the series and someone we would always expect to stick around until the end.

Lee Joohee Surpasses Sung Jinwoo In Solo Leveling Alternate Universe

The Double Dungeon is where it all started for our iconic protagonist, Sung Jinwoo. After facing the God Statue, he is finally deemed worthy of becoming the vessel of Ashborn. Thus, he is bestowed with the power of the System. By leveling up with the System, Jinwoo goes from the weakest E-Rank Hunter to one of the most powerful beings in the whole Solo Leveling universe, able to fight the strongest Monarchs and stand up to any threat in his path.

In this new timeline, however, Jinwoo remains as weak as we knew him to be in the beginning. Since Jinwoo never made it out of the Double Dungeon, it is implied that he was never chosen as the vessel of Ashborn in this universe. In part, this could be due to the absence of Lee Joohee, whom he wanted to save. Joohee was a major motivator for Jinwoo in the original story of the Double Dungeon. With her being pushed out, Jinwoo’s true perseverance was never brought out, and we can say that he either died at the hands of the God Statues or was stuck forever with the Architect in the Double Dungeon. It makes no sense for the Architect to keep him and the other hunters alive, so he most certainly did die.

As far as the character of Lee Johee goes, this new timeline completely changes her. In the original story of Solo Leveling, Lee Joohee is a meek character with little confidence or desire to go into Dungeons. This was also observed in Solo Leveling: Arise's Joohee. But things quickly changed after the events that led to the disappearance of the Double Dungeon gate. Lee Joohee finds within herself new confidence and gains the will to explore Dungeons, becoming a Pilgrim of the Labyrinth.

Furthermore, it is implied at the end of Solo Leveling: Arise's new Hunter Origin One-Shot that she experiences a Reawakening. A Reawakening allows a Hunter to power up in strength, something that is otherwise impossible for them to do. In that sense, it's very possible for our B-Rank Healer, Lee Joohee, to have powered up in this universe and become an S-Rank Hunter. After all, for a B-Rank Hunter to be clearing Dungeons like Lee Joohee would be impossible. This is definitely an interesting turn of events for another wasted character who was completely sidelined after Jinwoo's awakening in the original story.

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How Lee Joohee and Sung Jinwoo Could Reunite In The Alternate Universe

In Lee Joohee's new Hunter Origin story, Jinwoo is implied to have died. Without being chosen as Ashborn's vessel, Jinwoo wouldn't have survived the incident that wiped out most of the Double Dungeon Hunters in the original timeline. This never came to pass in the alternate timeline, so he's most certainly not around anymore.

“Maybe I’ve lost my mind. Maybe it’s fate. Maybe it’s a sign not to rely on anyone else. To face my guilt head on. Whatever the case… there’s only one way to find out. Wait for me, everyone. I’ll save you… no matter what it takes.” — Lee Joohee in New Hunter Origin Story

However, the ending of Joohee's Hunter Origin story is open-ended. At the end of it, we see Joohee with a strong will to explore new gates in hopes of finding Jinwoo and the other Hunters who were on the expedition with them. In that sense, it is very well possible that somewhere in the Double Dungeon, Jinwoo is still being kept alive. It may be possible for Lee Joohee to find Jinwoo once more through her many expeditions. It's also possible that, while Joohee's Jinwoo is dead, she will be able to reconnect with our main character through accessing another universe.

Either way, it's unlikely for Netmarble Studio to expand Lee Joohee's story too much beyond what we already got. The studio will leave the story open-ended, up to fans' interpretations. Side missions could bring forward more information over the next few weeks.

Solo Leveling: Arise is available to play on Mobile and PC

Solo Leveling TV-14 Animation Action Fantasy Release Date 2024 - 2025-00-00 Studio A-1 Pictures Creator Chugong Streaming Service(s) Crunchyroll