Cha Hae-in's fanservice scenes in Solo Leveling season 2 may have done more harm than good to her character

Modified Jan 19, 2025 17:30 GMT

Chae Ha-in — Cha Hae-in's fanservice scenes in Solo Leveling season 2 may have done more harm than good to her character (Image via A-1 Pictures)

Solo Leveling season 2 episode 3 was released on January 18, 2025, and the episode showcased some fanservice scenes of Cha Hae-In. While the majority of fans liked this scene and considered it a nice breeze from the hardcore plotline, some fans were critical and didn't like her being used for fan service as it didn't explore her character development in any way.

In the manga, the female character is just an 'S-rank' who hardly makes an appearance outside of her fights. However, the anime gives her more screen time, but most of her scenes are 'fanservice,' which might be an injustice to her. The female character is kind and caring, and the studio should have explored these details instead of using her as bait to attract more fans.

Disclaimer: Any opinions expressed in this article solely belong to the author.

Solo Leveling season 2: Why Cha Hae-in should not be used for 'fanservice'

Cha Hae-In as seen in the anime (Image via A-1 Pictures)

Cha Hae-in is a supporting character in Solo Leveling season 2 and the series Manhwa. She is an S-rank Hunter who is associated with the Hunter Guild as the guild's vice guildmaster. While the series has yet to explore her combat abilities, she is depicted as a strong female Hunter and one of the strongest S-rank Hunters.

Her character development is also minimal at this point, which is just the studio being fateful to the source material, but she has been receiving a lot of 'anime-original' attention. Sadly, this attention is only in the form of 'fanservice,' and this was proved in Solo Leveling season 2 episode 3.

Cha Hae-in as seen in season 1 (Image via A-1 Pictures)

Before Solo Leveling season 2, the first season introduced Cha Hae-in as a strong woman who was against injustice and loved to help others. However, the first season also had scenes where the female character was seen in a wardrobe that focused on her body parts (the jogging scene).

The same was true in season 2 when Cha Hae-in was showcased swimming. This hinted that the series might give her more screen time, but she would only be used for fanservice scenes. While fanservice has its uses, using this female character for it might be a disservice to her character.

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Yes, her character needs more exposure in the anime, but not in the way the series is doing it. Cha Hae-in is a kind character who worries about others' well-being. In Solo Leveling season 2 episode 3, she stressed about revealing the recently seen 'humungous ants' to the masses, as she was worried things might get out of hand soon.

This might be the only scene where her character development was expanded through 'anime-original' details. Other than this, she is only being used for fanservice scenes and the fans might not be fond of this. Her character development should be centered around revealing her personality and kindness, not her skin.

Analysis and final thoughts

As reported during the Solo Leveling documentary, the anime official claimed that Chugong, the manhwa's author, is heavily involved with the 'anime-original' scenes in the anime.

So, the fanservice might be something that the author also wanted to include in this manhwa series but couldn't really get a chance to. Fanservice can be a hit or miss in most cases but it's best to respect the author's decision during such times. Hopefully, the character development around Cha Hae-In might shift in the future.

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Edited by Tiasha