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Does Sung Il-Hwan die in Solo Leveling? Explore the fate of Sung Jin-Woo’s father in the original and revised timeline of the series.
Anime-only fans of Solo Leveling were introduced to Sung Jin-Woo’s long-lost father, Sung Il-Hwan, in the third episode of the anime’s ongoing second season. This was undoubtedly one of the most plot-shattering developments in the entirety of the series, especially since Il-Hwan was long assumed to be dead. Furthermore, his first appearance in the anime left many fans questioning his motives – especially if he was a friend or a foe.
Apart from that, there were also those who questioned if the character would live till the end of the series. To answer the question – it’s both a yes and a no. To be specific, Solo Leveling has two timelines – the original timeline and a revised timeline, which the Rulers created after Jin-Woo’s first battle against Antares.
In the original timeline, Sung Il-Hwan ended up dying after a hard-fought battle against two powerful Monarchs. However, in the revised timeline, he got a much happier ending, as he was able to live a normal life with his family.
Who Is Sung Il-Hwan in Solo Leveling?
Sung Il-Hwan is the father of Sung Jin-Woo and Sung Jinah. He was also one of South Korea’s first and most powerful S-Rank Hunters. Ten years prior to the events of Solo Leveling‘s original timeline, Il-Hwan disappeared inside a dungeon during a raid. This left his family to presume him dead, resulting in his wife raising Jin-Woo and Jinah on her own.
As for Il-Hwan, he was trapped inside a dungeon all by himself, with no means of returning to the human world. However, before he could die of starvation or dehydration, he was saved by the Rulers – an ancient race of angelic warriors.
The Rulers gave Il-Hwan a second chance at life by giving him a portion of their powers. They also entrusted him with the mission of eliminating the Second Shadow Monarch, who they said would be chosen soon. With no other options left, Il-Hwan had to accept the Ruler’s mission, unaware that it would ultimately pit him against his own son.
Sung Il-Hwan’s Fate in the Original Timeline
After returning to his world, Sung Il-Hwang made a shocking discovery – his mission was to kill his own son, Sung Jin-Woo, who was the Second Shadow Monarch. Fortunately for him, the Rulers had a change of heart and gave him a new mission – to protect his son from the rest of the Monarchs – which he was more than happy to accept.
In Solo Leveling‘s Monarchs War arc, Sung Jin-Woo faced off against three Monarchs – Rakan, Sillad, and Querehsha. Despite being at a 3-on-1 disadvantage, Jin-Woo managed to defeat and kill Querehsha before ultimately dying at the hands of Rakan. As the two Monarchs tried to finish off Jin-Woo for good, Il-Hwan intercepted their attack and engaged them in battle to protect his son’s life.
Initially, Il-Hwan was able to get the upper hand in the fight. However, he eventually lost to Sillad, who sliced Il-Hwan’s arm off with a powerful attack. Fortunately, Jin-Woo returned from the dead just in time to resume his fight. Realizing that his son could handle the rest on his own, Il-Hwan retreated to find shelter. However, he soon realized that his body was slowly crumbling away as a result of using too much of the Rulers’ power in the previous fight.
Moments before Il-Hwang’s death, Jin-Woo managed to locate and confront his father. With what little time he had left, Il-Hwan expressed deep regret for not being there for his family and apologized to his son for not being a better father to him. As the father and son shared their last embrace, Il-Hwan slowly crumbled away into shards of light, leaving his son filled with rage and sorrow.
Sung Il-Hwan’s Fate in the Revised Timeline
Although Sung Il-Hwan met a heartbreaking end in the original timeline of Solo Leveling, the revised timeline gave him a much happier ending. After Sung Jin-Woo defeated and killed Antares – the Monarch of Destruction – he requested the Rulers to turn back time using the Cup of Reincarnation. Having lost his father and several other people close to him in the war against the Monarchs, Jin-Woo wanted to reduce the casualties by facing his enemies once again – this time, all by himself.
Therefore, the Rulers created a new timeline, one where humanity had yet to encounter the existence of Dungeons and monsters. In this timeline, Sung Il-Hwan never became a Hunter. As such, he never disappeared inside a Dungeon either and continued working as a firefighter to support his family. However, he eventually recovered his memories from the original timeline. Instead of holding on to them, he requested the Rulers to erase them entirely so that he could continue living a normal life with his family.
Sung Il-Hwan’s Importance in Solo Leveling
In terms of importance, Sung Il-Hwan is one of, if not the most important character in Solo Leveling. Despite his limited appearances in the series, both his absence and presence had a profound impact on the narrative.
For instance, Sung Il-Hwan’s absence drove his son, Sung Jin-Woo, to become a Hunter to support his family. If he hadn’t disappeared a decade prior to the events of the series, Jin-Woo would have never become a Hunter in the first place.
As such, it’s safe to conclude that the events of Solo Leveling only took place because of Sung Il-Hwan’s initial absence from the narrative. Moreover, had it not been for his interference in the Monarchs War arc, Jin-Woo likely wouldn’t have unlocked the full extent of his powers and would have likely perished for good in his first battle against the Monarchs.
Conclusion
In conclusion, if you want to determine Sung Il-Hwan’s fate in Solo Leveling, you would need to take the two timelines into account. While he did end up passing away in the original timeline, he was able to survive and live a much better life in the revised timeline, which is currently the canonical timeline of the series.
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