Solo Leveling vs. Ragnarok: Reed Dies Twice and Esil Switches Sides

The hook

Christopher Reed dies twice: once in the original Solo Leveling and again in Ragnarok's revised timeline ^[1]. If you are comparing the two stories, his fate is one of the clearest places to see how they relate. Reed is one of five National Level Hunters and one of America's two strongest hunters ^[1].

Solo Leveling is based on Chugong's web novel, which was later adapted into an acclaimed webtoon ^[1]. Ragnarok revisits that world with a revised timeline, and Sung Suho grows stronger in it ^[1][2].

At a glance

In the original story, the System is a video game-like interface that lets protagonist Sung Jin-woo climb the hunter ranks and grow stronger ^[1]. Jin-woo starts as a weak E-Rank hunter struggling to survive ^[1]. The final villain is Antares, the only character who rivaled Sung Jinwoo ^[2].

In Ragnarok, the main villains are the Itarim, who are also the creators of the Solo Leveling universe ^[2]. Sung Jinwoo has spent most of Ragnarok keeping the Itarim at bay while Sung Suho grows stronger ^[2]. In the revised timeline, Cha Hae-In becomes pregnant with Sung Suho ^[2].

Where they differ: Esil and the allies

Esil is a demon noble and the eldest princess of the Radiru Clan ^[1]. Her knights try to kill Jin-woo on the 80th floor of the Demon Castle, and she meets him after that ^[1]. When Jin-woo is about to kill her, she begs for mercy and offers to help him climb the tower ^[1].

In Ragnarok, Esil returns as Suho's ally under the title Monarch of Gluttony ^[1]. She gives Suho the Demon King's Purified Blood, which he needs to craft the Holy Water of Life ^[1].

Cha Hae-In also gets a fight in Ragnarok. She fights and destroys an Apostle of Itarim ^[2].

Where they differ: the hunters who fall

Reed's first death comes during the International Guild Conference Arc, when three Monarchs ambush him inside a dimensional gap ^[1]. He dies soon after, and his mutilated body is later found in the ruins of his mansion ^[1]. In Ragnarok he is brought back in the revised timeline, the Itarim target him, and he dies again ^[1].

Goto Ryuji is introduced as Japan's strongest hunter and the Guild Master of the Draw Sword Guild ^[1]. He had secretly planned to eliminate the Korean S-Rank Hunters and had no intention of helping reclaim Jeju ^[1]. The Ant King ambushes him and quickly beheads him and his allies ^[1].

Sung Il-Hwan left his job as a firefighter and became one of Korea's first S-Rank Hunters ^[1]. He became trapped inside a dungeon for more than a decade during a raid ^[1]. The Rulers rescued him, but he had to become their vessel and accept their mission to kill the soon-to-be-born Shadow Monarch ^[1]. He disintegrates before he can explain why he disappeared or what the Rulers asked him to do ^[1].

Lee Joohee's different path

Lee Joohee is a B-Rank Healer who was a close friend of Jin-woo when he was an E-Rank hunter ^[1]. The horrifying events at the Cartenon Temple, also known as the Double Dungeon, leave her deeply traumatized and terrified of dungeons ^[1]. She eventually retires from hunting ^[1].

The villains compared

Antares is the final villain of the original Solo Leveling ^[2]. Sung Jinwoo beats him by outsmarting him and setting up a scenario where the Rulers take out the Monarch of Destruction ^[2].

In Ragnarok, Thomas Andre becomes the Monarch of Conquests, succeeding Legia as the King of Giants ^[2]. The Itarim are the main villains, and they created the universe itself ^[2].