Summary

• Solo Leveling's father-son reunion scene falls short in the manhwa because Il-Hwan's character didn't resonate enough with fans before he met his tragic demise.
• Even though the reunion itself wasn't very impactful, it did highlight why Jinwoo is the person he is — namely, that he inherited many of his best traits from his father.
• The Solo Leveling anime has the opportunity to make Jinwoo and Il-Hwan's reunion better by starting to develop Il-Hwan's character earlier in the series, as it has done with characters like Cha Haein and Go Gunhee.

The following contains spoilers for the Solo Leveling manhwa by Chugong, Dubu, and h-goon.

Solo Leveling tells a very individualistic story about one man's growth to become the strongest. Sung Jin-woo was always alone from the very beginning when he was left to take care of his mother's medical bills and his sister's school payments on his own. Jin-woo's need to carry everything on his shoulders was directly tied to the fate of his father, an ex-hunter named Il-Hwan. Il-Hwan's absence forces Jin-woo to grow up and mature quickly, stumbling through life without the guidance of the father he so desperately needs.

It's this contextual backdrop that makes the father-son reunion between Sung Jin-woo and Sung Ilhwan important when it finally happens in Chapter 166 of the manhwa. However, the narrative unfortunately fails to deliver this scene with the emotional intensity that it potentially could have. Il-Hwan is not only an absentee father; he's also mostly absent from the story, and that comes with the consequence of making fans care much less about his fate. However, while the reunion fell short overall, its greatest strength — like all things in Solo Leveling — came in its treatment of Sung Jin-woo as an individual.

Updated by Brett Cardaro, February 15, 2024: With the Solo Leveling anime bringing Sung Jin-woo's story to an even wider audience, more and more people are becoming familiar with the circumstances surrounding Jin-woo's lonely road to strength. The anime has done a great job further characterizing the main cast in a way that the manhwa was unable to, so it may be very well possible that the anime could make Jin-woo's reunion with his father even better when that time comes.

Jin-woo's Reunion With His Father in Solo Leveling, Explained

Jin-woo became the family's breadwinner in Solo Leveling when his father disappeared during a raid, leaving him, his sister, and mother alone. Soon after, it became just the siblings after their mother fell into an eternal sleep, so Jin-woo had to find some way to earn money and get the medicine she needed. After years of no contact, Jin-woo had pretty much accepted that his father wouldn't be coming back. However, Sung Il-Hwan was still very much alive and had not forgotten his family.

Sung Il-Hwan made his big reappearance in Chapter 56 of Solo Leveling when he emerged out of an A-Rank Dungeon looking more beast than human. One of the first words he spoke was about his desire to return home, where his family awaited him. Somehow, even though his devotion to his family was clear, his reunion with Jin-woo in Chapter 166 doesn't strike a very strong emotional note.

When Jin-woo was stabbed by the Frost Monarch, he "died" and was briefly transported into an alternate reality. The other remaining Monarchs seized the chance to kill him off for good — except they were thwarted by someone they never expected: a vessel of a Ruler, Jin-woo's father. While Jin-woo was incapacitated, Sung Il-Hwan fought off the two Monarchs by himself, buying enough time for Jin-woo to awaken as the Shadow Monarch. He didn't escape unscathed, however; blood dripping down from his cut-off arm, Jin-woo's father limped away to wait for his death.

What Happened to Sung Jin-woo's Father in Solo Leveling?

After father and son eventually reunite, Sung Il-Hwan explains where he's been all these years. After failing to defeat the dungeon boss, he was trapped in a dimensional rift. Desperate to return home to see his family, he made a deal with the Rulers. He would become one of their vessels and carry out their mission to defeat all the Monarchs, including the next Shadow Monarch. Jin-woo's father was anguished to discover he might have to kill his own son and, although he didn't actually attempt this, he didn't actively try to find a way out of it either.

The only reason he wasn't forced to make that choice was because the Rulers decided that keeping Jin-woo alive would be in their favor, and Il-Hwan's task was now to protect his son. That's not to say he would've gone through with it if the Rulers hadn't changed their minds, but the fact that he hesitated and was visibly conflicted is a little disconcerting, especially when he claims he only helped Jin-woo when he saw his son was going to aid the humans. Il-Hwan's choice may very well have been different if Jin-woo had decided to side with the Monarchs instead.

The Good and the Bad in Jin-woo's Reunion With His Father

The main issue inherent in the reunion between Jin-woo and Il-Hwan is the lack of development that their relationship gets before this moment. Jin-woo's conversation with his father is meant to be heartfelt, with Jin-woo confessing resentment towards his father for not coming back to their family. The problem is that Solo Leveling has focused very little on who his father is until this chapter. Il-Hwan's regret is palpable, but when he finally hugs his son as golden cracks appear across his body, it feels melodramatic. On the contrary, when Jin-woo's mother says that she feels they can now move out of the house, it's much more moving because it was established early on that she only stayed. After all, she hoped Il-Hwan would come back.

Despite how anticlimactic the reunion was, it did highlight some significant similarities between Jin-woo and Il-Hwan. It's remarkable how easily they've accepted both of their respective roles as the Shadow Monarch and a vessel of a Ruler — and the responsibilities associated with them. Both choose to fight alone, with Jin-woo doing so because he doesn't want anyone else in the line of fire. From the very beginning of Solo Leveling, it's clear that Jin-woo will go to any lengths to protect his family, and his love for them is paralleled by Il-Hwan's choice to sacrifice himself to save his son. In this way, instead of standing on his own as an interesting character, the best thing that Il-Hwan does as a character is give further insight into why Jin-woo is who he is.

How the Anime Can Make the Reunion Between Jin-Woo and Il-Hwan Better

The Solo Leveling anime has a unique opportunity to improve in areas where the manhwa came up short. Even in the first episode alone, many important characters who weren't introduced into the story until later, like Cha Haein, Yoo Jinho, and Go Gunhee, were given screen time to familiarize fans with these important characters early. Just as Monarchs and Rulers aren't intrinsically good or bad (after all, the Rulers betrayed the Absolute, and the Shadow Monarch saved the world), the reunion between Jin-woo and Il-Hwan doesn't have to be either.

There are redeemable aspects of the scene that still make it effective, even if most of its emotional high notes fall flat. While it'll still be quite a while until this scene is animated, that may actually work in its favor in the long run. Just like Jin-woo didn't get stronger overnight, fans can't be expected to care about Il-Hwan at the moment it matters most without ample build-up. The anime still has plenty of time to make Il-Hwan more of a character that audiences will care about when he's finally forced to say his fateful — and hopefully, emotional — farewell to his son once again.