Son Kihoon gets the "A1 treatment" Solo Leveling season 2 fans were badly hoping for

Modified Feb 02, 2025 21:30 GMT

Son Kihoon gets the "A1 treatment" Solo Leveling season 2 fans were badly hoping for (Image via A-1 Pictures)

Solo Leveling season 2 episode 5 was released on February 1, 2025, and the episode marked the debut of Sun Kihoon. He is a part of the Hunters Guild and a leader of one of the guild's Strik Team. His appearance and reception in the manhwa was lukewarm, but the anime gave him justice that the majority of and weren't expecting.

Being an A-ranked Hunter, the anime episode highlighted Kihoon's skills against the dungeon jackals and even High Orcs. Moreover, his sheer determination to become a captain could also be felt in the episode through his acts and this was what differentiated the anime from the manhwa chapter where the character was introduced.

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

Solo Leveling season 2: Exploring the introduction of Son Kihoon

In Solo Leveling season 2 episode 5, while Sung Jinwoo was enjoying the break with his mining team, a Hunter arrived and requested a member who could carry their luggage in the next raid. As expected, no one had the guts to join the Hunter because miners never make a good fighter. However, Sung Jinwoo volunteered to help the Hunter.

The Hunter then introduced himself as Son Kihoon, an A-rank Hunter from the Hunters Guild. He was also the leader of one of the guild's strike teams, which was to raid a dungeon. Jinwoo then accompanied the hunter as his party was getting ready for their raid. As the party entered the dungeon, the focus turned toward Kihoon who was getting nervous.

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Firstly, the party faced dungeon jackals, which Kihoon pretty easily centered. However, they were then faced with a bigger threat, the High Orcs. Even though the odds were against the Hunter's party, Kihoon remained steadfast and continued fighting against the High Orcs.

Surprisingly, this focus on Kihoon's fighting sequences was an anime-original detail and pushed his character to the next level. While the manhwa introduced him as 'just another side character,' the anime gave him more love than expected, leading to him becoming a highlight of Solo Leveling season 2 episode 5.

Reactions from the fandom

Son Kihoon as seen in the anime (Image via A-1 Pictures)

The fans were surprised, but they didn't leave this chance to explain how the character deserved the spotlight A-1 Pictures gave him. As claimed by one fan, it was due to the character's 'admirable' personality which helped him stand out. As the manhwa couldn't pay much attention to him, the anime gave him his due character development through the battle against the High Orcs.

On the other hand, fans appreciated the individual elements of the episode, including how Kihoon's fighting sequences were outstanding and how the character, as a side character, received a main character treatment. Lastly, one fan was excited to see Kihoon's behavior in the next episode when everyone faced Kargalgan.

"I really liked his character even though he wasn't a prominent figure in the story. His personality is admirable," a fan said.

"The animation sequences went hard!!!!" another fan claimed.

"A side character given main character treatment," another fan said.

"Ep 6 gonna be heat," another one said.

Final thoughts

Son Jihoon's future performance might not fit his introduction, which was hinted at in episode 6's title. Nonetheless, his introduction was indeed a special one that was pretty different than the manhwa. Moreover, it is pretty amazing how the fans noticed it and gave it its praise without any due.

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Edited by Tiasha