Solo Leveling episode 9 honored the late Akira Toriyama with a small gesture.
Solo Leveling is one of the hottest animes of Winter 2024, and it seems like the action is only heating up. The story follows Sung Jinwoo as he becomes the strongest hunter in a futuristic South Korea overrun by beasts escaping from another dimension!
The anime is based off a South Korean manhwa and has captured the hearts of many for it’s gripping story and interesting characters. In the latest episode, episode 9, the animators of A-1 pictures intentionally added a small homage to none other than Akira Toriyama.
Manhwa refers to South Korean comics and print cartoons, akin to Japanese manga. Characterized by their colorful artwork and diverse genres, manhwa can be read from left to right, mirroring the Western reading direction. The digital age has popularized webtoons, which are digital manhwa optimized for reading on devices.
Solo Leveling Animators Honor Akira Toriyama
On March 10, 2024, Solo Leveling episode 9 released. In the episode, Sung Jinwoo had to fight B-Class hunter Kang Taeshik, an assassin. During this fight, there is a short scene which many Dragon Ball fans might recognize.
As Jinwoo is getting ready to fight Taeshik he hops on one foot to another, which was intentionally added after the reveal that Dragon Ball creator Akira Toriyama passed away earlier in March. These tiny jumps resemble the well-known “Goku Hops” and were added to the fight in Toriyama’s honor by the A-1 Pictures animators.
On March 8, 2024, it was revealed that Toriyama had passed away on March 1, due to a subdural hematoma. The world was shocked by the announcement, with Toriyama only being 68. Toriyama was a key influence on artists all over the world, so his loss has been felt and mourned internationally throughout the weekend.
This small homage to Dragon Ball by the Solo Leveling animators didn’t go unnoticed, with fans on Crunchyroll pointing it out right away as the Goku warm up.
The next Solo Leveling episode is going to release on March 17, 2024. Viewers are excited about the upcoming episodes, especially since the anime is closing in on the monumental reveal of Igris, one of the key characters from the manhwa.