Finally reaching the last act of its debut season, Solo Leveling anime promises even more action-packed episodes ahead. The series has released its second last episode of the first season recently, and now fans await the final episode of the first season to see where will the anime begin the story for the second season.
Despite the fact that the series has only released eleven episodes thus far, one of the earlier ones has sparked excitement among anime enthusiasts due to its adoration of and tribute to another renowned anime and manga franchise written by the late Akira Toriyama, who tragically passed away at the age of 68 from an acute subdural hematoma.
Episode 9 of Solo Leveling, titled “You’ve Been Hiding Your Skills,” launched on March 9 and paid respect to him with a touching scenario that brought about emotions from fans. The tribute involved the two main characters of Dragon Ball and Solo Leveling, Goku and Sung Jinwoo, who are a lot similar in terms of character development.
Solo Leveling Pays Tribute to Akira Toriyama
Solo Leveling, like many other great anime, is heavily influenced by Dragon Ball. The popularity of Dragon Ball Z in Japan and around the world has contributed significantly to the current audience for the anime industry in general. The author of Solo Leveling decided to pay homage to the legendary Dragon Ball creator Akira Toriyama in an incredibly grand manner in episode 9.
The episode dealt with a violent and intriguing confrontation between Sung Jinwoo and legendary hitman Kang Taeshik. However, what piqued the viewers’ interest was a momentary mention of Son Goku. In Solo Leveling Episode 9, Sung Jinwoo began bouncing on his feet before attacking his opponent.
Fans quickly recognized that this small hop-along on the spot was an obvious reference to Son Goku, the main character of Dragon Ball, who typically warms up similarly before a big battle. This tribute to the classic series struck a chord with fans, especially in light of the Dragon Ball creator’s tragic death.
The Iconic Warn Up of Goku Before Battle
To add to the gravitas of the fight, Goku warmed up in a famous pose before facing Broly in Dragon Ball Super: Broly, which turned into a very memorable battle. Anime fans all over the world have a particular place in their hearts for this bouncing action, which is closely associated with Son Goku.
It represents expectation and preparedness for a fierce conflict and is a distinctive look that is only connected to the adored protagonist of Dragon Ball, Son Goku. There isn’t another anime character with such a distinct and wildly successful style. Sung Jinwoo using the same style before the warm-up had fans emotional because of the ode it gave to the creator.
Toriyama’s passing has surely left a huge impact on the anime industry and the world in general. The creator was one of the main reasons why the anime industry has flourished to such levels and will continue to grow even more. Solo Leveling’s tribute to Dragon Ball and Toriyama will surely be penned down as one of the most respected moments in history.
You can watch Solo Leveling on Crunchyroll.
