Is Hwang Dongsuk a key antagonist in Solo Leveling? Explained

With the release of its fifth episode, the Solo Leveling anime is the talk of the Internet once again. It showcased Sung Jinwoo leveling up further, as his appearance undergoes a drastic change. It also introduced key characters like Yoo Jinho and Hwang Dongsuk, with the latter shaping up to be a key antagonist of the ongoing arc.

In just 5 episodes, the Solo Leveling anime has emerged as the most popular anime of the Winter 2024 season. It has captivated the viewers with top-tier animation and exhilarating action sequences. The anime has also received overall positive reviews from longtime fans of the series, who were delighted upon seeing the manhwa get an anime adaptation.

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Exploring Hwang Dongsuk's status as an antagonist in Solo Leveling

Hwang Dongsuk, introduced in the latest episode of the Solo Leveling anime, is the main antagonist of the ongoing Dungeons and Lizards arc of the series. He was introduced as the leader of the Raid Party that Sung Jin-Woo joined, who at first, seemed pretty normal. However, his malicious intentions came to light at the end of the episode, as he betrayed Jinwoo and Jinho, leaving them to die in the Dungeon.

Solo Leveling episode 5 saw Sung Jinwoo get discharged from the hospital after making a successful recovery and looking for ways to make some money. He decided to join the strike squad for a C-Rank Dungeon raid. In the latest episode, he also met Yoo Jinho, who went on to be one of the people closest to Jinwoo in the series.

Right from the beginning of the raid, Jinwoo had a bad feeling about his party members, especially Hwang Dongsuk. The latter initially came off as a friendly and trustworthy person. His intuition proved to be correct, as Dongsuk and the rest of his allies trapped Jinwoo and Jinho in the Boss Chamber while they focused their attention on mining the mana crystals.

At this point, Jinwoo realized that Dongsuk and all of his raid party members were lizards, aka Hunters. The lizards abuse their power and leave behind weaker members of their party to suit their own selfish purposes.

While Hwang Dongsuk's character is yet to be fully explored in the Solo Leveling anime, manhwa readers are aware of what fate holds in store for Jinwoo. In the episode, he was revealed to be the older brother of Hwang Dongsoo. The latter is an infamous S-Rank Hunter of South Korea, who left his home country for fame and money and migrated to the United States.

Dongsuk was driven by the desire to prove to his younger brother that he was just as capable a Hunter as him, despite being a C-Rank Hunter. However, being arrogant and sociopathic seemed to be the only qualities that the two brothers seemed to have in common. This was seen as how they lived to serve their own selfish purposes and were more than willing to get rid of anyone who didn't side with them.

However, this very quality led to his demise, as Jinwoo mercilessly killed Dongsuk and all of the remaining raid party members. This left him and Jinho as the only survivors of the Dungeon Raid. Dongsuk's death served as a key factor in the story, it made Dongsoo hell-bent on avenging his brother.

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Final Thoughts

In conclusion, Hwang Dongsoo serves as a minor antagonist of the Solo Leveling series, despite being the primary villain of the Dungeons and Lizards arc. That said, his death was a significant event in the overarching narrative, as it served as the central motivation for Hwang Dongsoo's character in the story.