Solo leveling Session 01 Episode 01 (I'm Used to It)
Rating: 8.3/10(EP)
Season: Season 1
Episode:01
Genre: Action, Fantasy, Adventure
Language: Japanese
Year: 2023
Subtitle: Available
Main Characters
Shin: The main protagonist, a brave and determined fighter.
Yuki: Shin's best friend with a mysterious past.
Kira: A powerful antagonist with a hidden agenda.
About the Story
Episode 1 of Solo Leveling throws viewers straight into the dark, dangerous world of hunters and magical gates. The story opens with a brief narration about how portals started appearing around the world, unleashing deadly dungeons filled with monsters. To combat them, some humans awakened special powers and became known as "Hunters." These hunters are ranked from S to E, with S-rank being elite and E-rank being considered almost powerless.
Enter the main character, Sung Jin-Woo, widely known among his peers as "the World's Weakest Hunter." He's an E-rank hunter who continues risking his life in low-level dungeons, not for glory or passion, but to cover his mother’s hospital bills and support his younger sister’s education. Despite his weak stats and poor reputation, Jin-Woo remains determined and courageous, often putting others' safety above his own.
The episode introduces us to a group of hunters preparing to enter a dual-layered dungeon. The atmosphere is tense but casual, with some hunters mocking Jin-Woo and others simply ignoring him due to his low rank. The dungeon appears to be of D-rank, seemingly manageable, but things soon take a horrifying turn.
Inside the first layer of the dungeon, the team deals with some goblins and wolves with ease. But then they discover a hidden gate, which leads to a second layer—what seems to be an ancient temple filled with ominous statues. Despite the obvious warnings and eerie setting, curiosity and greed push the group forward.
Once inside the inner chamber, they find themselves face-to-face with massive stone statues, with one sitting on a throne that seems to be the centerpiece of the room. At first, nothing happens. But then, all hell breaks loose. One of the statues opens its eyes, and in an instant, chaos erupts. A giant statue begins slaughtering the hunters with laser beams from its eyes and weapons from its arms. Panic sets in as the hunters are forced into a desperate fight for survival.
Jin-Woo, despite his fear, remains sharp and quickly observes a set of commandments engraved on the temple wall: "Worship the god," "Do not run," and "Prove your faith." These clues are the only hope for survival. Jin-Woo pieces together the correct actions: kneeling before the statue, not fleeing the room, and engaging in a series of deadly trials that seem designed to test the hunters’ dedication to the "god" of the temple.
Even as others are wiped out by the deadly mechanisms of the temple, Jin-Woo bravely steps up to try and solve the mystery. The group is whittled down to just a few, and it's Jin-Woo who ultimately leads the survivors through the steps. But the temple has one final surprise. A holy altar rises from the floor, and it demands a blood sacrifice. Jin-Woo, already heavily injured, selflessly offers himself, pushing his friend out of danger just before being crushed by the final mechanism.
As Jin-Woo lays in a pool of blood, seemingly at death’s door, a mysterious blue screen appears before his eyes—similar to a video game interface. It declares that he has completed the secret tutorial and has qualified to become a “Player.” The episode ends with Jin-Woo’s unconscious body surrounded by light, leaving viewers with countless questions and a burning curiosity about what this “Player” system means and how it will change his destiny.
The first episode masterfully balances world-building, action, horror, and character development. Sung Jin-Woo’s courage and perseverance despite his weak status makes him instantly likable. The twist at the end adds a unique gaming element to the story, setting the stage for an epic transformation arc that fans of fantasy, adventure, and dark action are sure to love.