The true nature of the ranking system in solo leveling

Summary

• The ranking system measures the potential of hunters based on mana, which affects dungeon selection and income.

• Moving up is difficult due to mana limits, making it rare for hunters to level up.

• S-Rank hunters have different mana levels, highlighting Sung Jinwoo's unique limit-breaking ability.

One of the most memorable moments in Solo leveling is when Sung Jinwoo finally decides to take the test to reassess his position as a hunter. This is the time when the entire public of South Korea will find out that there is a new S-Rank Hunter in their country.

While it's certainly fun to see the whole thing play out, this retrial and all the buzz surrounding it actually revealed something that hasn't been explained in the series thus far. At least not in any deep or meaningful way. And that is the Hunter Ranking system. So let's take this opportunity to discuss the rating system in solo alignment, how it affects the hunters themselves and why Hunter Sung Jinwoo's meteoric rise up the ranks is so unique and special.

Rating system

A measure of potential

Before we talk about Sung Jinwoo, let's briefly discuss the rating system. The Ranking System is a convenient way to measure a hunter's true potential. Before the ranking system, it's hard to gauge how strong a hunter really is, especially compared to other hunters. Thanks to the rating system, we now know that position B is stronger than position C, but not as strong as position A. As you can see, this is a convenient measurement.

Mana rate

When someone awakens as a hunter, their body will produce magical energy called Mana. Everything from performing a sword skill to casting a healing spell requires mana, meaning the larger your mana pool, the more complex and powerful the skills or spells you can perform. Since different people are blessed with different amounts of mana, measuring their mana pool is tantamount to knowing their potential as hunters. This is why the Hunter Association decided to use mana as the basis of their ranking system.

Moving up the ladder

Once a hunter is rated, they receive a rank that reflects their mana level and can begin raiding dungeons as a hunter. So what next?

Rank Determines the hunter's income

If a hunter's rank reflects their mana level and their potential as a hunter, a dungeon's rank reflects the difficulty level of the monsters within it. Therefore, a hunter can only enter a dungeon that is lower than their rank or at least the same rank as them. However, the rank for both dungeons and hunters also determines how much money they can get after clearing a dungeon. Needless to say, the lower the level, the lower the pay.

Is it possible to increase your rank?

So if a hunter wants to earn a better salary, all he has to do is move up the ranks, right? While the answer is technically yes, in reality it's much more complicated than that. You know, hunter mana poll is like their body, it's very hard to change it.

You can train as hard as you can, but it's nearly impossible for ordinary people to punch as hard as Mike Tyson or run as fast as Usain Bolt in his prime. The same goes for mana.

Yes, lower ranks can level up to higher ranks. However, the higher your rank, the more difficult it will be to level up. Therefore, it is more than possible for an E-rank to climb to a D-rank, but it is basically impossible for an A-rank to become an S-rank. In fact, it's actually normal for people to stay in the same rank until they retire. It's so hard to level up.

There is a huge gap between S-Rank

S-ranks are not the same

Before moving on to Jinwoo, let's briefly talk about a hidden fact that few people realize about S-Rank. You see, there is actually a huge gap in mana and abilities in the S-ranks. This is true not only in Korea, but also in other countries around the world.

For example, while it is true that both Sung Jinwoo and Baek Yoonho (the leader of the White Tiger Guild) are S-Rank hunters, their fighting skills are like night and day. If the measurements truly reflect their actual mana and abilities, Baek Yoonho will be S-Rank while Sung Jinwoo will be SSS-Rank.

So why doesn't the Hunter Association give Jinwoo a rank that truly reflects his mana and abilities? Well, the answer is simply because there is no reason to. There are only a handful of S-ranks in the country, and there is nothing to be gained by dividing them even more. So, just like in real life, once someone exceeds certain criteria, they are considered top of their class. It doesn't matter if they exceed it by an inch or a mile, they are still considered the pinnacle of their profession.

“If the meter was able to measure the full range, your results would be displayed as 'SS-Rank' or 'SSS-Rank.'

What makes Sung Jinwoo so special?

A hunter who can constantly evolve

As mentioned earlier, it is extremely difficult for C-rank to get to B-rank, and it is absolutely impossible for A-rank to get to S-rank. The same goes for S-rank. There is no way that someone who reached the pinnacle of power as an S-rank hunter would advance any further. No matter what they do, no matter how many years they fight on the front lines, once they reach their peak, they will stay there forever.

The same cannot be said for Sung Jinwoo. With help from the System, Sung Jinwoo becomes an entity that is similar to a “player” in an RPG game. This means that as long as he collects the necessary amount of experience points (EXP), he will continue to level up. Of course, the higher his levels, the more EXP required to level-up, but that doesn't change the fact that he can still go higher. This is what makes Sung Jinwoo so special. He is someone who can continually rise to the point where he transcends humanity and largely attains Divinity. No other Hunter can do that.

Anyway, Sung Jinwoo's extraordinary circumstances aside, the ranking system developed and standardized by the Hunter Association may seem simple at first glance, but it actually reflects the Hunter's true potential quite accurately. It's just a shame that most people stay on the same ladder with little or no chance of moving up for the rest of their lives.

Solo leveling is available to stream on Crunchyroll.Crunchyroll.