Solo Leveling Hayato Ukyo, the Older Brother of Masato!
- Category : Anime
- Tags: anime, Solo Leveling
In “Solo Leveling,” why is Hayato Ukyo, the elder of the Ukyo brothers, called “Lizard”? Appearing in the popular Korean manga “Solo Leveling,” Hayato Ukyo is an S-Rank Hunter and the older brother of Masato Ukyo, harboring a deep darkness within him. This article delves into Hayato Ukyo’s character and explores why he is perceived as a traitor and labeled “Lizard.” It will also detail the circumstances surrounding his death.
Hayato Ukyo from Solo Leveling, the Brother of Masato Ukyo
Information about Solo Leveling
In this article, we feature Hayato Ukyo, the brother of S-Rank Hunter Masato Ukyo, who leads a team to conquer C-Rank dungeons. We will explore the reasons behind Hayato Ukyo’s death and his reputation as a traitor and “Lizard,” but first, let’s provide some information about “Solo Leveling.” We’ll start with an overview of the work and then give a brief summary.
Overview of Solo Leveling
“Solo Leveling” was originally a novel and webtoon from South Korea, created by Chugong with artwork by DUBU (REDICE STUDIO). Although there is a Japanese version available, there are differences in the story and characters between the Korean and Japanese versions. In March 2019, the Japanese translation began serialization on “Piccoma,” and in December of the same year, it won first place in the manga category of “Piccoma BEST OF 2019.”
Furthermore, the Japanese version of “Solo Leveling” surpassed 98 million yen in monthly sales in March 2020 and won the Piccoma AWARD 2020 IGNIS Prize in May 2020. In terms of media adaptation, an anime television series was produced and aired from January to March 2024 on TOKYO MX and other channels.
Synopsis of Solo Leveling
The story is set in a world decades after “Gates” that connect the dimensional and the real world appeared. From these Gates, individuals with supernatural powers, known as “Hunters,” emerged and began battling monsters inside dungeons. Hunters can quantitatively measure their magical power, leading to a ranking system from S-Class to E-Class. The Hunters Association recommends optimal dungeon conquest strategies according to each hunter’s abilities.
Profile of Hayato Ukyo
In “Solo Leveling,” Hayato Ukyo serves as the team leader for C-Rank dungeons. At least ten people are required for these dungeons, and more than half of the team must be at least C-Rank. Consequently, E-Rank Mizuno Shun and D-Rank Morohoshi Kenta were recruited primarily to fill numbers.
Additionally, the contract given to Shun stated that “no responsibility would be taken for accidents occurring inside the dungeon.” Also, due to the difficulty in summoning healers for individual attack squads, they decided to challenge the dungeons without a healer. Notably, a healer refers to a team member who treats injured members.
Hayato Ukyo, Older Brother of Masato Ukyo
Hayato Ukyo in “Solo Leveling” is the older brother of S-Rank Hunter Masato Ukyo. Recently, the power dynamics between the Ukyo brothers have not been as pronounced as before. However, especially considering that the original work of “Solo Leveling” is from South Korea, where Confucian culture is strong, the setting where “an older brother is inferior to his younger brother” can be considered problematic.
From what Hayato himself and his colleagues say, it appears that Hayato grew up being compared to his brother. He is very conscious of being the brother of S-Rank Hunter Masato Ukyo. More troublingly, both have awakened as hunters, with Hayato being a mediocre C-Rank, while his younger brother Masato is ranked as a top-tier S-Rank. Even with all of Hayato’s efforts post-awakening, his rank remains unchanged, never reaching close to Masato’s.
The only way Hayato could become stronger is through item enhancement, but the strength of these items also corresponds to the dungeon level. Thus, Hayato’s income, limited to participating only in C-Rank dungeons, is vastly different from Masato’s, who can acquire items from S-Rank dungeons. Essentially, even relying on items as his sole method to enhance his strength, Hayato could not close the gap with his S-Rank brother Masato.
Under these circumstances, Hayato’s personality has become twisted. Despite being the older brother, he often stays hidden in Masato’s shadow, sometimes even being protected or needing to borrow strength from him. No matter how much effort he puts in, the gap remains unbridgeable. Living with this discontent yet having to acknowledge his brother’s strength every day, Hayato has developed a value system that shows no mercy to the weak.
Moreover, Masato Ukyo’s personality is also problematic. He does not humbly acknowledge his brother; instead, he flaunts his S-Rank status, believing he is a special existence who can ignore the rules. Raised in such a family environment, it is difficult to imagine Hayato Ukyo developing a compassionate nature towards others. He seems to use whatever he can and focuses solely on surpassing his brother one day. As a result, it is believed that he has become capable of selfish actions without any hesitation.
Spoiler Alert: The Death of Hayato Ukyo in Solo Leveling
When Did Hayato Ukyo and Mizuno Shun Meet?
This section contains spoilers about the death of Hayato Ukyo. As mentioned earlier, the first meeting between Hayato Ukyo and Mizuno Shun occurred as part of adjusting the number of participants for a C-Rank dungeon raid. This encounter happened after Shun, while recuperating in the hospital, completed daily quests, gained strength, and successfully cleared an instance dungeon.
Driven by the need to earn rent, Shun was searching for a raid team when he encountered Hayato Ukyo’s team. Hayato appeared polite and approachable, but it turns out the team Shun joined was an unlikely match for him.
Was Hayato Ukyo Killed by Shun?
Due to Hayato Ukyo’s scheming, Shun and Kenta found themselves in a perilous situation. However, Shun used his awakened powers to defeat a spider boss. Hayato’s plan was to have the boss attack the two, during which he intended to steal the mana stones from the boss’s room. He entered the boss’s room with his teammates at the right moment, but by then, the boss had already been defeated and both Shun and Kenta were safe.
Witnessing this, Hayato commanded his teammates to attack Shun, who was only an E-Rank, instead of the stronger Kenta. However, this action triggered an “emergency quest” that instantly killed all of Hayato’s teammates. Hayato tried to defend himself with an enhancement skill, but Shun decapitated him, leading to his sudden death.
Reasons Why Sung Jin-Woo from “Solo Leveling” is Called a Lizard and Betrayal
Reasons Sung Jin-Woo is Called a Lizard
In this section, we’ll delve into why Sung Jin-Woo from “Solo Leveling” is referred to as a lizard and the betrayal depicted in the series. In the world of “Solo Leveling,” there are no security cameras in the dungeons where hunters operate. Therefore, it’s impossible to prove what monsters were fought or what events occurred. Controlling criminal activities by hunters within the dungeons is simply not feasible.
While individuals may face danger or engage in squabbles over valuable items, occurrences within the dungeons remain undisclosed to the outside world. In “Solo Leveling,” the term “lizard” refers to those who betray and abandon their comrades when faced with adversity. Sung Jin-Woo’s intuition about betrayal, sensed by Sung Joon-Woo within the dungeon, proved to be accurate. Sung Jin-Woo has been a “lizard,” having committed numerous acts of betrayal in the past.
Sung Jin-Woo was someone who didn’t hesitate to kill weaker or deemed unnecessary individuals for his own gain, displaying a callousness towards betrayal. Despite harboring feelings of inferiority and animosity towards his younger brother, when faced with death by Sung Joon-Woo’s hand, Sung Jin-Woo asked, “Do you know who my brother is?” It’s through such actions that Sung Jin-Woo earns the reputation of being a betrayer akin to a “lizard.”
Reasons Why Sung Jin-Woo Betrayed
Now, why did Sung Jin-Woo from “Solo Leveling” betray his companions? While exploring a C-rank dungeon, Sung Jin-Woo’s party discovers a large quantity of mana stones in the boss room. Mana stones are items obtained by defeating monsters within dungeons and were being closely monitored by the government as a new energy source.
Hunters sustain their livelihoods in the real world by monetizing these mana stones. Additionally, mana stones serve to supply mana necessary for activating hunters’ abilities. For instance, the protagonist, Sung Jin-Woo, requires a certain amount of mana to activate specific abilities. He calculates his remaining mana and efficiently utilizes it in combat.
Before defeating the boss, they must take the mana stones out, or the gate will close. Thus, Sung Jin-Woo and his companions decide to retrieve digging equipment, leaving Sung Jin-Woo and Chor Hui behind in the boss room. However, this turns out to be a trap, as Sung Jin-Woo and his companions become unable to return and seal the exit of the boss room after Sung Jin-Woo and Chor Hui are killed by the boss. They had intended to monopolize the treasure.
Reflecting on Sung Jin-Woo’s betrayal, Sung Joon-Woo remarks, “They really were lizards after all.” Hunters often face accidents in dangerous missions, and incidents within dungeons are commonplace. When lacking strength or abilities, there are comrades who easily abandon others, considering them a hindrance and cutting ties like a lizard’s tail to escape. Sung Jin-Woo and his companions were “lizards” who readily abandoned their comrades.
Voice Actor of Sung Jin-Woo in “Solo Leveling”
Profile of Yasuhiro Mamiya
Here, we introduce Yasuhiro Mamiya, the voice actor who portrayed Sung Jin-Woo in the anime “Solo Leveling.” Yasuhiro Mamiya was born on December 7, 1981, in Chiba Prefecture, and is currently active as a male voice actor affiliated with Kenyu Office.
During his student years, Mamiya disliked studying and enrolled in a vocational school with a voice acting program, somewhat as an escape from further education. However, his attendance and behavior were less than satisfactory, often being late or absent without permission. Nonetheless, he managed to graduate from the Nihon Kogakuin College. After that, he became a NEET (Not in Education, Employment, or Training) and immersed himself in online gaming.
Three years passed, and feeling that he couldn’t continue like this, Mamiya decided to attend the Gurima School, operated by his vocational school mentor. Subsequently, he was introduced to the Visual Techno Academy by his mentor. Following that, he enrolled in the Visual Techno Academy.
After going through auditions, Mamiya joined Kenyu Office and entered their training program, “talk back.” After his voice acting debut, he often portrayed middle-aged to elderly characters, utilizing his versatile voice to also portray younger or comical characters.
Major Works and Characters Voiced by Yasuhiro Mamiya
Next, we’ll list some of the major works and characters voiced by Yasuhiro Mamiya, the voice actor of Sung Jin-Woo in the anime “Solo Leveling”:
- Pokémon (Gengar of Satoshi, Darmanitan of Gou, and others)
- Dr. STONE (Magma)
- Wasimo Wasimo (Teacher Murohashi)
- Fantastic Beasts (Jacob Kowalski)
- Bakugan Battle Brawlers: New Vestroia (Spectra Phantom)
- NIGHT HEAD 2041 (Honda Daisuke)
- Ghost in the Shell: ARISE (Ibachi)
Summary of Sung Jin-Woo in “Solo Leveling”
In this article titled “Sung Jin-Woo from ‘Solo Leveling’ is Sung Il-Hwan’s Brother!”, we’ve discussed topics such as betrayal, the reasons behind him being called a lizard, and his demise.
Sung Jin-Woo devised a plan to utilize the protagonist, Sung Joon-Woo, and Kenta to steal mana stones while the boss attacked them. However, his plan was thwarted when Sung Joon-Woo defeated the boss. Furthermore, Sung Jin-Woo and his comrades were killed by Sung Joon-Woo. Those who betray and abandon their comrades when faced with adversity are referred to as “lizards.” Sung Jin-Woo earned this moniker due to his tendency to exploit and discard weaker or deemed unnecessary individuals for his own gain.
If you’re interested in this work, please check out the original comic here : https://amzn.to/3UfyPSV
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