Solo Leveling Returns With a Brand New Backstory Ahead of New Movie

The wait for the Solo Leveling movie continues even more than a year after the second season finale. However, the announcement took over a year, and fans will have to wait even longer for the movie to be released. The second season wrapped up the fan-favorite Jeju Island Arc, where Jinwoo cleared an S-Rank Dungeon Break all by himself. Although all the Hunters in Korea were mobilized for the mission, none of their contributions could even come close to what Jinwoo accomplished all by himself. Among the many hunters taking part in the mission, one of them was also Lee Joohee, a retired B-Rank healer who quit working as a Hunter after the Double Dungeon incident.

However, she agreed to help out with the crisis since her powers could be of use to save those in need. As one of the most underrated characters, Joohee was quickly forgotten by fans, but Solo Leveling: Arise gave her a much-needed backstory. The free-to-play game developed by Netmarble includes playable canon and original characters set in the same world as the main story. The official website often reveals new one-shots for those characters, tapping into the part of their lives we have never seen in the original story.

Solo Leveling: Arise Gives Lee Joohee a Brand New Backstory

The Hunter Origin one-shot takes readers back to when the story started, where Jinwoo was the weakest Hunter in all of humanity. As an E-Rank with barely any powers, he survived countless battles thanks to Joohee’s healing abilities, who often joined him on dungeon raids. The story revealed her panic and devastation when he made it out of the Double Dungeon alive, believing that Jinwoo and the rest of the party didn’t survive. It wasn’t until a few days later that she received a call from the Hunters Association that the gate was marked as inactive and she would receive a reward soon.

Despite her worries and attempts to rescue her fellow team members, all hope seemed lost. However, just when all hope seemed lost, a new gate opened in front of her where she could see visions of Jinwoo and the other part members she often went on missions with. Despite knowing it could be dangerous, she rushed into it, believing she could gain the power to save them. The one-shot ends on a cliffhanger as she reaches out to the gate for the sake of others.

What Will Happen in Solo Leveling Movie?

Instead of going the usual route with a third season, the studio decided to continue the story in a sequel movie. Since the second season wrapped up the Jeju Island Arc, the movie will adapt the Recruitment Arc and Ahjin Guild Arcs from the main story. Now that the whole world knows what Jinwoo is truly capable of, he will continue to stay at the center of attention.

The movie will introduce several new characters, including the National Level Hunters, a title given only to those with powers beyond that of an S-Rank Hunter. Even one of those National Level Hunters could single-handedly rival an entire nation’s military. Depending on the pacing and the runtime, fans might even get a glimpse at the Double Dungeon Arc, which is a major turning point in the story.