Following its debut in 2024 as an anime series produced by A1 Pictures and Aniplex, Solo Leveling has exploded in terms of popularity. Right now, it has two hugely successful seasons under its belt, and it stands as one of the most popular anime series in the modern era. At Anime Expo 2026, on July 3, Solo Leveling’s next project was officially confirmed to be a new movie release, which we are all incredibly excited about.
As has already been established in the series, Sung Jinwoo’s evolution will continue in the Solo Leveling world, and new power-ups are awaiting him. Solo Leveling Season 2 already set up massive upgrades for our Shadow Monarch, and we absolutely cannot wait to see him bring out these abilities, just as he did in the Manhwa and the web novel years ago. Under the careful supervision of a brilliant studio filled with people who love the Solo Leveling project, Sung Jinwoo’s next 2 power-ups are going to be a joy for all the fans to watch in the next few years.
Solo Leveling’s Double Dungeon Arc Lines Up The Black Heart For Jinwoo
Following the conclusion of the Jeju Island Arc in 2025, Solo Leveling is now looking to adapt two exciting arcs, one of which is a setup arc, with the other being one of the most lore-heavy arcs in the entire series. In the next Solo Leveling project, we already have a confirmation of the Ahjin Guild arc being adapted. This story arc ran from Chapter 111 to 122 in the manhwa. While short, it still fleshes out Jinwoo’s character and provides some much-needed respite before intense action kicks in once again. However, it is the Double Dungeon Arc that all fans of the manhwa and the web novel are truly excited to see being adapted into the movie.
Solo Leveling: Beyond The System, which is set for a 2027 release, is primarily going to be focused on the Double Dungeon Arc. As such, it is going to animate a major Sung Jinwoo power-up, which we have all been waiting to see being brought to life in the anime ever since experiencing the brilliant manhwa, illustrated by DUBU. The next Solo Leveling release is set to focus on Sung Jinwoo’s System and reveal the deepest and darkest secrets about it. Given that the previous season already introduced some of the powerful Monarchs to us, Solo Leveling is now headed in an exciting direction where characters that are significantly stronger than even the current version of Jinwoo are going to make an appearance one after another.
To that end, we will finally get to meet the Architect of the System, just as we did in the manhwa and the web novel. Jinwoo’s battle against the Architect will take place in the Double Dungeon, where he first awakened his System powers. It is in this battle that Jinwoo gets access to the Black Heart and, with it, an incredible buff to his mana reserves. While Jinwoo was already incredibly overpowered prior to attaining this ability, this new form of his sees him surpass the likes of Kandiaru and all his Statues, drastically eclipsing them in terms of might. Jinwoo also gains enough power to rival some of their Monarchs and surpass them in combat, as well as surpass all the National-level Hunters, such as Thomas Andre, who were previously introduced to us in Solo Leveling Season 2. Naturally, this is a transformation that we absolutely cannot wait to see more of.
Sung Jinwoo Will Gain His Full Shadow Monarch Form In The Monarchs War Arc
While we are eagerly waiting to see Jinwoo’s Black Heart being granted to him in Beyond the System, the ultimate transformation that he gains will come much later down the line, provided that the anime adaptation of Solo Leveling is faithful to the manhwa and the web novel. To see Jinwoo’s ultimate transformation, we will have to wait for a bit longer because it won’t come until the Monarchs War arc begins in the anime. To put that into context, the Monarchs War arc begins in Chapter 150 of the Solo Leveling manhwa and concludes at Chapter 166.
This exciting run of chapters might not look that far away, but it most certainly won’t be covered in the upcoming movie. As such, the next season to follow after the release of Beyond the System is going to cover the Monarchs War Arc and give us an exciting new look at Sung Jinwoo’s ultimate transformation.
In this form, Jinwoo will make full use of his powers as the Shadow Monarch, and the Black Heart that Ashborn gave to him will show its true colors. This form of Sung Jinwoo will allow him to eclipse the vast majority of the Monarchs seen in the world of Solo Leveling and push him to the same level as the likes of the ultimate antagonist of Chugong’s world — Antares. To that end, we are eagerly waiting to see Jinwoo’s two ultimate transformations being brought to life by A-1 Pictures under the guidance of skilled individuals such as Atsushi Kaneko and Sota Furuhashi.
Why Jinwoo Continues To Evolve Beyond Chugong’s Solo Leveling
Sung Jinwoo’s evolution is set to continue even after unlocking the full power of the Black Heart and gaining his Astral form. This is because, technically, Jinwoo has no limits and will continue to level up the more he fights. As we know, Jinwoo has grown significantly stronger by fighting the Itarim, and if Solo Leveling: Ragnarok is to be taken into consideration, then he has far eclipsed even the likes of Antares in terms of power. Of course, Chugong does not particularly consider this part of the story canon since he did not write it himself. That said, the creator of the original web novel did mention briefly that he would like to write a sequel by himself, especially given how popular Solo Leveling has gotten as of late.
“Ragnarok was a spin-off created for fan service. I was curious to see how another author would write Solo Leveling. This story is part of the Solo Leveling universe, but it isn’t a direct continuation of the main plot. It’s more like one of many possible scenarios — similar to Marvel’s parallel universes. And of course, I’m also considering the possibility of writing a sequel myself.” — Chugong expresses the idea of a Solo Leveling continuation
A return of Solo Leveling would allow Sung Jinwoo to grow even further, but this time canonically and directly under the supervision of the primary author, Chugong, which is something that we would all love to see. For now, there are a lot of upgrades that Sung Jinwoo will receive in the upcoming Solo Leveling anime releases that we are eagerly waiting to see, and with Anime Expo 2026, quite a few of them have been teased to us already. We can’t wait to see the new direction of this exciting franchise in 2027 and the years to follow.
Solo Leveling: Beyond the System is set for a release across theatres in 2027.
