5 Times Solo Leveling Was Better Than Dragon Ball - MCE Notices | California State Portal

Dragon Ball became popular at a time when anime was in its Western infancy, and it’s an essential stepping stone for the global popularity of anime. Because of classics like Dragon Ball, modern anime like Solo Leveling receive such massive attention from fans worldwide.

Even though Solo Leveling is nowhere near as iconic as Dragon Ball, it still has elements that might be more preferable to a chunk of the audience. From a more complex protagonist to providing more gravity to character deaths, Solo Leveling does have a few arguments in its favor.

Sung Jinwoo’s Personal Stakes Make Solo Leveling More Emotionally Grounded

Image via A1 Pictures

Solo Leveling’s protagonist, Sung Jinwoo, begins from a desperate point. He is weak, supports his family all alone, and his mother is terminally ill. Despite Jinwoo’s initial motivation being survival, he still wants to protect those he loves. His will to protect others remains the same, even with his power progression.

Goku, on the other hand, is motivated by his urge to improve himself. He finds joy in fighting stronger opponents. Protecting the world is equally important to him, but it takes a backseat to his battle frenzy more often than not. Goku’s motivation is far simpler, which is not inherently a disadvantage by itself, but it makes Dragon Ball a story about adventure and excitement and not about personal hardships. Goku’s love for challenges is infectious, but Jinwoo’s personal stakes make Solo Leveling a bit more relatable.

Jinwoo’s Gradual Loss of Morality Makes Him a More Complex Character Than Goku

Jinwoo looking seriously while putting his finger on his lips in a shushing gesture in Solo Leveling season 2

In Solo Leveling, Sung Jinwoo goes through a loss of morality. As Jinwoo grows more powerful, he also becomes colder and more willing to kill others for the sake of the ‘greater good’. He even frames Kim Chul’s death so that his shadow can be used as a soldier in the battle. Jinwoo’s actions prove that he is a layered character.

Dragon Ball’s Goku is always kind-hearted, forgiving, unnecessarily optimistic and easily excited by new challenges. There is rarely ever a change in his character, and he never delves into the dark side. Having a stable character might not be inherently worse, but Jinwoo’s layered character feels more realistic because power does affect him to an extent.

Solo Leveling’s Storytelling Feels More Layered Than Dragon Ball

Sung Jinwoo strikes a killer pose before engaging in a powerful assault in the Season 1 finale of Solo Leveling.

Dragon Ball has a simple yet well-executed plot, which is its ultimate strength. It has a straightforward narrative structure, and after a bit, the audience is already well-versed in how the latest threat might play out. A new villain appears. The heroes initially get defeated, everyone trains harder, Goku achieves a more powerful transformation, and the villain is eventually destroyed. Because fans are already familiar with the structure, there is little mystery about how the story might play out.

Solo Leveling, on the other hand, raises quite a number of questions right from the beginning. Viewers want to know more about the system, why Jinwoo was chosen, who is controlling the monsters, and so on. So, even if Jinwoo getting stronger is an attractive element, the narrative keeps building mysteries, a layer of larger events that are unfolding simultaneously, which gives Solo Leveling a slight advantage over Dragon Ball.

Solo Leveling’s Battles Feel Faster and More Efficient

In Solo Leveling, battles are used to progress the plot, but in Dragon Ball, battles are the entire point. The fights in Solo Leveling maintain a momentum, and they are usually over in the span of an episode or two. In Dragon Ball, however, individual battles can take multiple episodes to reach a conclusion.

In fact, some battles might even play out for entire arcs in Dragon Ball. For some, it builds tension, but for others, the story is slowed down considerably. Solo Leveling’s narrative constantly moves forward, and Jinwoo’s victories are rarely ever dragged out, making it feel sharper and more efficient. While Dragon Ball’s battles are still memorable, a modern audience might find Solo Leveling’s rapid progression more accessible.

Solo Leveling’s Deaths Don’t Lose Finality Like Dragon Ball

Go Gunhee exudes aura while meeting Jinwoo in Solo Leveling.

In early Dragon Ball, death held some gravity because it felt permanent. The scene in which Goku mourns Krillin’s death feels impactful, but this impact is slowly reduced when the characters keep getting revived. Dragon Balls feel like a cheat code to revive people, even as different sets of Dragon Balls are introduced, along with Senzu beans. As a result, the audience can no longer take death seriously.

In Solo Leveling, death is mostly irreversible because the audience keeps assuming they are permanent until Jinwoo resets time. There is always uncertainty about whether a character will return alive from a dungeon raid. Dragon Ball’s villains feel less threatening because those who are killed can just be revived, but the world of Solo Leveling still feels more dangerous.