Why Hunters in Solo Leveling Don’t Rule the World Despite Their Power

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Summary

  • Hunters in Solo Leveling don’t act out of line despite their immense power.
  • Social upheaval from hunters’ awakening is minimal, possibly due to strong societal pressure.
  • Hunters may prioritize defending humanity from external threats over ruling the world.

In the realm of Solo Leveling, these hunters possess extraordinary abilities, performing remarkable deeds, and demonstrating an exceptional durability that surpasses human limits. Given their immense strength relative to ordinary individuals, it’s only natural to assume they would wield significant influence in the narrative’s world.

Despite the high-ranking hunters appearing obedient to various global authorities, one might wonder if there’s something restraining them. It wouldn’t be surprising if the universe of Solo Leveling depicted a turbulent era where powerful hunters, particularly those with questionable characters, seized control over society. One may ponder why these hunters adhere so strictly to societal rules when they possess the ability to reshape reality according to their strength.

Hunters Seem to Be Tightly Controlled

A Missing Bit of World Building

It’s surprising that the sudden appearance of extraordinary abilities among Earth’s population in the story of ‘Solo Leveling’ didn’t lead to more significant societal upheaval than we’ve witnessed. In the beginning, it’s been just over a decade since humans began transforming into hunters, but the world appears to have remained largely unchanged. This situation could have resembled the introduction of Quirks in the ‘My Hero Academia’ universe, where a swift social transformation occurred as society adapted to the new normal. Why is this different in ‘Solo Leveling’?

“The weak will always lose, no matter what. That’s the way it is.” -Sung Jinwoo in Episode 6

It might be that in various worlds, governments have greater power over individuals who’ve awakened compared to Quirk users in My Hero Academia. In contrast, Solo Leveling features gates as a scarce resource, and hunters are publicly recognized after undergoing mana examination. Due to the limited entry points for gathering equipment and earning money with their powers, hunters depend on being sanctioned by the government or guild organizations. This system keeps in check any potential renegade awakeners. For instance, B-Rank hunter Kang Taeshik from Season 1 of Solo Leveling, despite his inclination towards murder and psychopathy, is bound to follow rules within the Korean Hunter Association as a respected member. It seems plausible that if he could operate as a rogue hunter, he might choose to do so instead of maintaining his respectable image.

If social control were powerful enough to suppress the instincts of hunters, it might explain why they’ve never considered uniting against humanity using their abilities. This strong social control could stem from a numerical advantage, as hunters, especially those in higher tiers, are relatively few compared to the rest of the human population. Given their minority status, it may be challenging for them to reorganize society with themselves in positions of power due to the lack of sufficient numbers. Hunters remain vulnerable and could be defeated if they’re careless, and taking over the world would necessitate cooperation with non-hunters and amassing armies willing to suppress their fellow humans under hunter rule.

Moral Responsibility

Hunters Are Facing an Existential Threat

One plausible explanation for why hunters may not aspire to control the world with their power is that humanity currently faces a dire threat from dungeon gates and monsters. In many narratives, external threats often serve as powerful unifying forces, bringing disparate groups together towards a common objective. Given their unique ability to combat dungeon breakouts, hunters might feel an added responsibility to act for the greater good in this world, as they are the ones with the potential to counteract these perilous events. If an evil and powerful hunter sought world domination by dismantling Earth’s defenses, they would find themselves ruling over nothing if their actions resulted in more dungeon openings and monstrous invasions.

So far in the anime, we’ve encountered only a few hunters from countries other than Korea. These future characters appear to be extremely submissive towards their host nations, despite having abilities equivalent to a nation’s military forces. It’s surprising that high-level National Hunter characters haven’t used this power for personal gain in some way. One possible reason for their lack of rebellion could be the origin of their powers, which hasn’t been explored in the first two seasons of the anime yet. I’m looking forward to seeing more instances of hunters misusing their powers, as it would add an intriguing twist to the story and give Jinwoo a foe that seems more familiar.

Solo Leveling can be streamed on Crunchyroll and Amazon.

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2025-06-06 19:07