REVIEW: ‘Solo Leveling’ Episode 11 – “A Knight Who Defends An Empty Throne”

Sung Jinwoo’s (Taito Ban) quest to gain power and save his mother continues in Solo Leveling (Ore dake Level Up na Ken) Episode 11, “A Knight Who Defends an Empty Throne.” Jinwoo has come a long way since the series began, but now his journey takes on a whole new challenge.

The main focus of Solo Leveling Episode 11 is Jinwoo’s new job quest. His video game-like powers have given him a quest that seems like it will unlock new powers. This quest takes him into a new dungeon where he faces off against challenging knights. These well-armored enemies pose a much bigger threat than the monsters in previous episodes did.

Even just the opening fight scenes are full of excellent animation. A-1 Pictures and Production I.G. have done a great job of translating the original manhwa action into video form. The knights appear imposing from the moment Jinwoo encounters them. But they aren’t the only ones.

Jinwoo’s physical transformation over the course of the season is on full display in Solo Leveling Episode 11. Flashback scenes at the start show how drastically different he looks now. He used to be weak, timid, and childlike. Now, he is slimmer, a bit taller, and his features are more defined. It is a great way to show how different he is, thanks to his new abilities.

His quest through the dungeon ultimately takes him to a throne room with an empty throne. Guarding the throne is Knight Commander Igris the Bloodred. Igris is hands down the best-looking enemy Jinwoo has ever faced. His sleek red armor pops out of the screen from the start. He immediately looks like he is going to be a challenge for Jinwoo.

And boy is he. Igris is faster and stronger than Jinwoo. It is a gut check for the hero who has worked so hard to get stronger. Jinwoo is confident and cocky, believing that nothing is too hard for him, but Igris shakes him to his core. The fight scene between the two in the throne room is by far the most electric in the series.

The fight forces Jinwoo to rely on his brains instead of his brawn. Nothing he does is enough to break Igris’ defense. Jinwoo ends up dropping his weapon and Igris shockingly does the same. It’s an almost chivalrous move and shows that Igris is more than your typical enemy. But even then when it seems like Jinwoo is on to something, Igris hits him with devastating moves that are so enjoyable to watch.

While all of this is going on, Solo Leveling Episode 11 cuts into multiple side stories at once. The first is Yoo Jinho (Genta Nakamura) and his family. He is at dinner with his father and brother and it is clear he is the least important person in the room. Jinho’s brother looks down on him and sees him as an obstacle. He even says as much and their dad does nothing. Jinho knows neither of them know about Jinwoo and he keeps that secret to himself. He is so desperate to prove himself but he won’t betray his friend to do so.

The other two side stories touched on are the elite hunter group heading to Jeju Island and a glimpse at Jinwoo’s sister and mother. The Jeju Island story is still shrouded in mystery but it looks like things are about to explode on that front in the next episode. It will be interesting to see what this elite group is up to.

The brief glimpse at Jinwoo’s family is the most interesting, though. His journey to level up has brought him away from his sister. The scene where she leaves food and a note for him points to how distant they are becoming. The quick look at his mother also reminds viewers of the stakes at play for Jinwoo.

The issue with these side stories is none of them are given enough time to breathe. They are important to Jinwoo’s quest, but they are just cut into at random points in the episode. These cuts are jarring and often out of place. Telling multiple stories in one episode is great, but when it is this disjointed it can be more distracting than anything, especially when the side stories are so interesting. They deserve to be more than an afterthought in between the action moments with Jinwoo.

Solo Leveling Episode 11 delivers one of the best action moments of the season but is slightly hampered by some awkward transitions. There are so many moving parts that it can be hard to give them all the time they deserve. Hopefully the pacing is adjusted in the future to help alleviate this issue.

Solo Leveling Season 1 is streaming on Crunchyroll, and new episodes of Season 2 air every Friday.