InSolo Leveling, gates are the backbone of the hunter world, and they connect the earth to dangerous dungeons filled with monsters. These portals appear randomly, which forces humanity to adapt by forming hunter guilds to combat the threats within. Each gate that has opened in the anime so far has introduced new challenges, forcing hunters like Jin-Woo to confront the unknown while becoming stronger in the series.
In theSolo Levelingseries, some gates seem straightforward, while others, like the red gates, defy expectations. As the anime progresses, each gate that opens brings new dangers and opportunities, shaping the destiny of the hunters in it. Hence, this article will cover the gates that permeate the series from the first episode of the first season to the second episode of the second season. .
5The D-Rank Gate
The Double Dungeon
The first gate in the series is a standard D-rank dungeon. At this point,Jin-Woo is known as the weakest hunter for raids, so he always works on easy dungeon raids. This dungeon sets the stage for Jin-Woo’s struggles. He gets injured by a mere goblin, which shows he cannot even vanquish the small beasts in any dungeon. During their raid inthe D-rank gate, the dungeon suddenly reveals a hidden entrance leading to an ancient temple filled with grotesque stone statues. This is where the series introduces the terrifying Cartenon Temple and the godlike figure that demands worship.
It was too late before Jin-Woo and his party realized it was not an ordinary dungeon, and most hunters died during the raid. He ultimately sacrifices himself, allowing others to escape. But instead of dying, he is chosen by the mysterious System, which gives him another chance at life.
4C-Rank Gate With Hwang Dongsuk’s Party
The Spider Cave
At this point in the story, Jin-Woo has already awakened as a player and has been leveling up after his near-death encounter inthe Double Dungeon. Though he was still officially an E-rank, his strength had surpassed higher-ranked hunters. Jin-Woo joined Hwang Dongsuk and his group during the raid, and a chaebol, Yoo Jinho, was a wealthy but inexperienced D-rank hunter who was looking to complete raids to qualify as a guild master.
Dongsuk saw Jinho and Jin-Woo as easy prey. His team usually uses low rank to clear out dungeons, then kill them to keep all the rewards for themselves. The team encountered various monsters inside the gate until they entered the cave with the boss. Dongsuk sealed Jin-Wo and Jinhoo inside the cave with the boss and left them to die. The boss is a massive spider, and Jin-Woo quickly eliminates it. Once the dungeon was nearly cleared, Dongsuk planned to kill Jinho and Jin-Woo to cover up his crime.Jin-Woo killed Dongsuk and his group, and this was his first human kill using the System.
3The C-Rank Gate With Prisoners
Jin-Woo Vs Kang Taeshik
Another gate that opened in the anime is for a special kind of raid where someone from The Hunter Association would have to guard prisoners while in the gate. These prisoners were former hunters who had committed heinous crimes. Instead of being killed outright, they are thrown into a dungeon, left to either die inside or miraculously survive and return to society. Jin-Woo joined the raids with some hunters with whom he had survived the double dungeon. The hunter in charge of the prisoners wasKang Taeshik, and his philosophy was simple: all criminals deserved to die, and there were no exceptions. Hence, at this gate, he had no intention of letting the prisoners leave alive.
As the group progressed through the dungeon, Taeshik killed the three prisoners and killed two other hunters who witnessed the crime. Afterward, the hunters left are just Jin-Woo, Lee Joohee, and Song Chi-Yul, and Taeshik proceeds to kill them too. Jin-Woo intervened and had to fight Taeshik. Since Jin-Woo had witnessed first-hand how corrupt the hunter system could be, he knew he had to go for the kill.Jin-Woo killed Taeshik at the gateand left with the two survivors.
2The Red Gate
The Region Of The Elves
The most terrifying gate so far isthe Red Gate portal. Unlike normal gates, which allow hunters to leave once the boss is defeated, red gates trap their victims inside without escaping until the dungeon is cleared. Jin-Woo and a group of hunters are thrown into what should have been an easy raid but turned into a hunter’s nightmare.
The icy region of this red gate has ice bears and elves. Even though Jin-Woo was able to kill all the ice bears, the most unexpected aspect of the red gate is the presence of an intelligent race of elves. They havea king, Barca, who is a formidable opponent for even high-ranked hunters. Jin-Woo had to use his shadow warriors to fight the elves while he faced Barca alone. The fight later ended with Jin-Woo being the victor.
1Jin-Woo’s Gate Raids With Jinho
The Forming Of A Guild
Jinho, despite his background as the son of a chaebol (Korean conglomerate) executive, lacks the talent to become a powerful hunter on his own. However, he recognized Jin-Woo’s strength during the raid with Dongsuk and offered a mutually beneficial deal.While Jin-Woo carries the team to victory inside the gates, Jinho provides financial backing and paperwork. This partnership allows Jin-Woo to hunt freely without interference, and at the same time, Jinho gets a path to forming his own guild. Hence, Jin-Woo’s hidden strength ensures their victories, while Jinho gains experience. While most parts of these gate raids were not given many scenes in the series, these gate raids set the foundation for Jin-Woo’s growth in the series.
Special Mention:
Jin-Woo’s First Gate Trial With The System
The power of the System requires Jin-Woo to finish certain tasks and quests to level up and become stronger. The first gate he entered through the System was a place that housed the deadly serpent, Kasaka. Before his awakening, the idea of a mere E-rank hunter attempting a gate solo was suicide. Jin-Woo entered the gate alone, and every encounter with enemies forced him to adapt, dodge, and strike with precision.Jin-Woo fought with lycans, goblins, and stone trollsat this gate before he finally faced the gate boss. Upon coming face to face with the boss of the gate, Jin-Woo was able to eliminate it through great skill and endurance. Jin-Woo defeated the serpent, proving that he had truly outgrown his former self. Upon slaying the serpent, Jin-Woo obtained Kasaka’s Venom Fang and received his first major weapon drop. It was a weapon infused with the poisonous essence of the boss itself as a reward for his progress.
The Hellish Gate To The Demon Castle
The first thing that separates this gate from the rest is that it isn’t a typical dungeon. It did not appear in the outside world as a ranked gate needing to be cleared by hunters. Instead, it was part of a hidden feature of the System, accessible only to Jinwoo. Jin-Woo had fought many beasts in other dungeons, butthe beast guarding the demon castle’s hellish gatewas unlike any foe he had ever met. The fight against Cerberus, the guardian of the demon castle, was on another level. Cerberus’s three heads acted independently, forcing Jinwoo to use every ounce of his agility and skill. This battle tested Jinwoo’s adaptability, instincts, and ability to break through all odds against him. Hence, he had no place in the power structure he was climbing toward if he couldn’t overcome the fight against Cerberus.
