Will Beru appear in Solo Leveling Season 1? Explained

With just 3 episodes out, Solo Leveling fans are already asking when their favorite characters are to debut in the anime. Still in its very early stages, Sung Jin-Woo has received the most screen time with Cha Hae-In, Choi Jung-In and Woo Jinchul among others appearing as well.

Manhwa readers will be eager to see a certain someone in action since their introduction turned a very many heads - Beru. The Ant King's shadow and Jin-Woo's loyal aide floored fans with his battle style and loveable personality. This article details whether or not he might debut in Solo Leveling season 1.

Disclaimer: This article contains spoilers for the Solo Leveling Manhwa.

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Solo Leveling: Beru to appear in Season 1?

To put it simply, Beru is unlikely to appear in Solo Leveling Season 1. Given the anime's pacing - episode 1 covering chapters 1 to 3, episode 2 covering chapters 4 to 10, and episode 3 covering 11 to 13 - it is a tad bit tough to gauge. However, if the rumors are true and the first season does have 2 cours, Beru's appearance will depend on the anime's pacing.

If the studio returns to its 7 chapter pacing, at most, viewers will be treated to the series of events that occurs till chapter 80 or so. This won't be enough as Beru makes his Manhwa debut in chapter 105 and Novel debut in chapter 124. All this would occur under the likely circumstance of Season 1 having 12 episodes.

But if the studio does decide to introduce a second cour, then Beru should surely debut in the anime as well. A second cour would mean covering the events of the story till about chapters 159/160, assuming it is paced at 7 chapters per episode. However, presently there is no fixed number since each episode covers the source material a little differently.

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Who is Beru?

Beru is the shadow of the Ant King in Solo Leveling. He appears as a large humanoid shadow ant with a purple glow, neon eyes, sharp claws, and a pair of smoky wings. Being born to kill, he has a fierce bloodlust and is quite brutal during battle. He holds nothing back unless ordered to by Sung Jin-Woo.

Outside of battle, he has a strong sense of loyalty to his master Jin-Woo and a lighter side to his personality, seen joking and complimenting him amidst a fight.

He came to exist during the Jeju Island Arc. This was when Jin-Woo battled and bested the Ant King, following which he extracted its shadow to add to his army. Upon doing so, the shadow thus formed displayed the ability to talk and asked for a name. Jin-Woo decided on the name Beru and thus he was born.

Beru and Jin-Woo conversing in Solo Leveling (Image via Chugong, D&C Media)

He later appears in several other arcs, like the Ahjin Guild Arc, where he is ordered to fight Cha Hae-In as a test for the latter). He also appears in the Double Dungeon Arc, where he is tasked with looking after Jin-Woo's sister, Jinah, and the Japan Crisis Arc, where he leads Jin-Woo's army into the city to dispatch the remaining giants.

As for his abilities, he is one of Jin-Woo's strongest shadows, rising from General Grade rank to Marshal Grade. Beru possesses immense strength, speed, durability, regeneration, and flight. He is able to increase and decrease his size, paralyze and poison enemies, and is an expert healer, for himself and Jin-Woo.

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Final thoughts

Sung Jin-Woo in Solo Leveling (Image via A-1 Pictures)

So far, the Solo Leveling anime has covered about 13 chapters in 3 episodes. The next episode is a day away but is yet to be seen how many chapters that might cover. As mentioned, for Beru's case and others like Esil Radiru, pacing is the key factor.

Season 1 ending with 12 episodes rules out any possibility of seeing Beru in action. A second cour, on the other hand, would introduce both Esil and Beru to first-time viewers. Finally, Solo Leveling Season 2, again with 12 episodes, will probably not see Beru since the story won't have progressed that much. So at the moment, the third season is the likeliest for Beru to debut.