Interview: Aleks Le and Caitlin Glass Talk All Things Solo Leveling, the Series' Massive Impact, & Their Hunter Ranks (2024)

Solo Leveling has taken the anime industry by storm this season. Adapting the web novel and manhwa written by Chugong, the series takes place in a world where Hunters, individuals that possess magic abilities akin to RPG-classes, who fight deadly otherworldy monsters to make money and survive. The story primarily follows the journey of Sung Jinwoo, a remarkably weak Hunter who struggles to survive.

Airing exclusively on Crunchyroll, Solo Leveling has rapidly gained a massive following worldwide – with fans praising the series for its beautiful visuals, intense music, and well-written characters.

To celebrate Solo Leveling's English dub and discuss the series' massive impact on the anime industry, we spoke with the English voice of Sung Jinwoo, Aleks Le, and the series' ADR Director, Caitlin Glass about what makes Solo Leveling so unique when compared to its contemporaries, and where they think they would rank in Solo Leveling's cutthroat ranking system for Hunters.

Aleks Le and Caitlin Glass On Solo Leveling's Impact On the Anime Industry

So, what do you both think are key reasons why Solo Leveling has resonated so well with anime fans?

Caitlin Glass: Hmm.

Aleks Le: This is kind of a baseline answer for anybody who hasn't seen it. It's got everything somebody who's both a fan of anime or new to anime would enjoy. It's got great animation – it's animated by a powerhouse of a team at A-1 Pictures, and they really do not tone any of the violence or gore down. That's always lovely to see in an animated medium.

And, we got the legendary composer Hiroyuki Sawano, making incredible music. It's a visual spectacle, but the story is also really engaging because we get to dive very deep into the psyche of one specific character, and see their journey through this particularly unfair and harsh world. I feel like it's got a hero's journey, a relatability factor, and it also [has] great, great presentation as well.

Caitlin Glass: Not too much that I can add to that answer, really. You know, there are a lot of anime out there that build on the theme of some individual character who has a particular thing to fight for, and because of that, he will be getting stronger and "leveling up", as it were. You see that a lot – and the power fantasy, of course – an ultimate character who's unbeatable is appealing to many.

I think the added bonus with Solo Leveling is [that] it isn't just like, do you know the specific reasons behind it all, but the fact that he's imperfect, it just has a bit of a twist that makes it honestly a little more realistic to me. He's a more believable character, in spite of the fantastical circ*mstances of the story.

To build off both of your answers about the series being a spectacle, as it were – even though the series is considered an isekai, or an "isekai-lite" by fans, Solo Leveling feels so fundamentally different and so unique from other anime in that genre. Why do you think it stands out so much compared to other isekai series?

Aleks Le: Well, to be a little blunt and honest, I personally don't really enjoy isekai all that much, so I was glad that once I got to dive into the contents of Solo Leveling that it never felt like one to me. It’s not a groundbreaking concept of bringing game systems or the "isekai" world into ours, but the way they managed to explain it, and the way they managed to use it for the characters in the story made it very, very engaging for me. It felt super grounded. It felt like, you know, dungeon crawling and hunting wasn't just like, "Oh, it's our duty as heroes. It's what we need to do." It was more like, this is what some people do to pay rent.

This is what some people do to get money to buy a nice fancy car, you know, like [a] Ferrari, whatever. Blah blah blah! There's this bit of ... I don't know, this feeling of greed that you see within some of the characters that really makes it interesting, because when you're used to the typical dungeon settings, it's like, "Let's collect gold and loot – this and that." But here, they're like, "Let's sell that stuff for money, so we can buy things and survive." And I [thought] that was interesting, because I was imagining how, to pay rent, you have to risk your life every month. That's an interesting concept. I really do like that. There's consequences, there's stakes, and I find that really fun.

Aleks Le: I know I'm rambling a lot, but I [have to] bring this up before we move on from this topic. Caitlin and I were just talking about this in episode 3. My favorite scene in the entire episode is when a dungeon appears in the middle of a road and a civilian walks by. They're closing it down to make sure that nobody runs into it, and a civilian walks by, and he goes, "Of course, just in the middle of the damn road." I was like – that is so real. That is hilarious. I love that. That's why I love the series.

Caitlin Glass: Yeah, I think Aleks is right. It isn't just one person, or a group of people being spirited away to another place. It's almost like the circ*mstances of a whole other place [are] being brought into our world. It's multi-layered.

Suddenly there are these gates, a percentage of the population with [special] abilities, and monsters that can kill you if they get out. So, the necessity for the Hunters is very apparent. And then, on top of that, Jinwoo has his own experience with the system that he knows has to function on top of the way society works. The complexity of it, I think, is what sets it apart from other shows within the genre.

Aleks Le On Finding Common Ground With Jinwoo's Journey & Overcoming Recording Challenges

Aleks, what are – if any – characteristics that you've seen, or kind of picked up on with Jinwoo that you relate to? Do you think that there's anything about him that's kind of helped contribute to your performance as the character?

Aleks Le: Oh, absolutely I feel that. I resonated a lot with this character because I've been there. I haven't been killed, but I have been there, you know. Every time I get to play a character that has two different sides to them, I always like to think [about] that. It's the best type of character to approach. And now, I'm very fortunate to be where I am. My life is amazing. I have a lot of things that I'm super grateful for, and have worked hard for. But at the same time, I know what it was like before that, and that's why this character really resonated with me.

I remember the rage, the bitterness, and the frustration at the world that existed within me before I had any of this stuff, and I knew what it was like to have to fight for everything. I knew what it was like to complain about the things that I didn't have, and the things that everybody else got to have. I really connect with that sense of self-preservation, and with everybody, there comes a side of selfishness that we don't often like to talk about. A lot of my performance really came from the life experiences that I've had. The last thing I ever thought I would say is that, oh, I found this in an isekai anime. It was very real for me.

To add on to talking about the performances and realness of them, have there been any challenges that either of you have faced working on the show so far? If so, working through those things, do you think that it's elevated the quality of what you have accomplished with the English Dub?

Caitlin Glass: Sure. Jinwoo and Aleks, by proxy, have some really powerful, vocally taxing scenes. I'm always letting [Aleks] know, because I see the episodes before he does, "Alright, man, here's what we're in for." We don't live in the same place. We've been fortunate enough to have Aleks in the studio with us sometimes, but other times, we record remotely. So [there are] some challenges that I truly feel have mainly been technical. In my mind, Aleks can do anything. Seriously. So when I look at a scene I'm like, Oh, man, this can be hard. But I'm never worried that we're not going to get it.

If anything, I'm so excited to hear how it's going to turn out as we overcome the technical difficulties. We just [have] patience. One time, Aleks couldn't see the video. It wasn't coming across at the right time for him. I just shot one on my phone and texted it to him, and he goes, oh.

Aleks Le: Oh, okay, yeah. And then, next take, we got it. So I was like, just play the audio. I'll feel this out. But that's a very rare case. Super, super rare.

Aleks Le and Caitlin Glass On Where They Would Fit Into Solo Leveling's World

So, I do want to ask you guys a fun question. If the two of you were Hunters in the world of Solo Leveling, what type of Hunter would you be, and what rank do you think you would be in the world?

Aleks Le: We don't get to choose our ranks, do we? It might depend on when you unlock your hunting ability, like, maybe if I unlocked mine now, I would maybe be like a D or C-ranked Hunter. Yeah, D-ranked. Ideally, I would love to be a healer, so I can heal my own injuries. That sounds like an epic power to have.

I know for a fact that every time you see somebody do an incredible feat, you're like, I can do that. If I had a knife, and I was in there fighting goblins. I probably wouldn't be able to do that at all. So I'll say a healer, for now.

Caitlin Glass: In any sort of media that I watch that has a party of heroes, or even just a group of friends, I'm always attracted to, or drawn to, rather, the loud ones. I just like them the best. I'm not really like that in real life, but that's always my favorite type of character. Just the loud, will do anything, kick down a door [type]. So I want to be a tank.

To finish this off – is there anything you can share that fans should be on the lookout for as the new English dub episodes release?

Caitlin Glass: Hmm.

Aleks Le: More crazy epic Solo Leveling scenes coming soon! Without [going into] spoiler territory. [Laughs]

Caitlin Glass: I don't think it's a spoiler, I mean, I guess if you haven't read the manhwa, it's [more of] a plot point. Jinwoo changes and grows. He levels up. That's the point of the story, and I think the next iteration of him and his growth is coming very soon. I can't wait for everyone to hear it. When it happens you'll know, and I can't wait.

Thanks to Aleks Le and Caitlin Glass for taking the time to speak with us. Be sure to watch new episodes of Solo Leveling on Crunchyroll.

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Solo Leveling

Based on a webtoon series, Solo Leveling is an action-adventure fantasy anime originally created by Chugong. When Sung Jinwoo is slain in the depths of a high-level dungeon, he is reborn - but this time with a plan. Utilizing a unique program that only he can, Jinwoo levels up remarkably fast - and he intends to use his newfound strength to reach the heart of the dungeon and uncover its secrets.