Solo Leveling Episode 12 Review: A Finale Worthy Of Praise!

The final episode is here, and now, we will see Jinwoo be a better and stronger version of himself by leveling up to new heights. Read ahead to find out more. 

Solo Leveling Episode 12 Overview

Solo Leveling, also known as Only I Level Up or Ore dake Level Up na Ken (俺だけレベルアップな件), is a South Korean web novel written by Chugong. It started on KakaoPage on July 25, 2016, and was later fully published by D&C Media on November 4, 2016. The English version is licensed by Yen Press.

The story was turned into a webtoon on March 4, 2018, illustrated by Jang Sung-rak. The first season of the webtoon ended on March 19, 2020, and the second season ran from August 1, 2020, to December 2021. D&C Media has published seven volumes of collected chapters as of February 2023.

An anime TV series produced by A-1 Pictures is premiering soon in January 2024. Additionally, there’s a Korean drama adaptation in the works, and a spinoff webtoon called Solo Leveling: Ragnarok is scheduled to come out in 2024.

I have tried my best to keep the review as spoiler-free as possible, but there are certain elements that I had to mention to give proper feedback.

– Minor Spoilers –

Solo Leveling Episode 12 Review and Recap: Arise For The Shadow Emperor

Yes, the time has come when we will have to bid goodbye to one of the few best anime of Winter 2024. Just like how we were guaranteed a great experience from the very first episode, we were given the promised result in the last episode. This episode starts from the point of Jinwoo struggling against the army of enemy knights inside the dungeon. 

These swarms of knights are anything but easy to deal with as they are not decreasing in numbers. Not only that, but the entire altercation is taking a heavy toll on Jinwoo’s psychology, and he starts to hallucinate others condemning him. He even conjures a past version of himself who constantly berates him and tells him to give up because he has done enough.

This back-and-forth gives us a very interesting insight into his mind, where we can see how Jinwoo is losing control of himself. He is desperately trying to leave his weak self and level up, even at the cost of his own humanity. And though Jinwoo was sure he would die a second time in this dungeon, oddly enough, he was saved by the penalty that he tried to avoid all this time.

But outside of whatever Jinwoo is experiencing, there is another thing going on regarding the Jeju island mission. What we know from this episode is that there have been already three missions on the hellish Jeju island, and all three of them were pretty much unsuccessful. The 4th one presented some very horrifying reports that will definitely be the base of the 2nd season.

Also Read: Solo Leveling Season 2 Reviews

Back with Jinwoo, we see how marvellously he achieves a new position that will change his whole life. At first, he is sceptical about this new power, but only later does he understand how he has become equivalent to a king who can make anyone do his bidding. With this development, we are sure to get another banger of a second season, which, thankfully, will be confirmed soon. 

Verdict 

Not just this episode, but the entire anime has been an elite experience for me. Winter 2024, in particular, had very few good shows, and we really needed something like Solo Leveling to close this season with a bang.

From the animation to the background music to exceptionally choreographed fights, this show keeps you hooked. Hence, if you are someone who is a binge-watcher and has been waiting for the last episode to come out to start this, now is your chance to witness one of the best action anime of 2024.

Also Read: All of Our Solo Leveing Reviews