The answer to why Jinwoo didn't arise Baran in Solo Leveling Season 2 is actually pretty obvious.
Solo Leveling is a relatively new anime following the journey of Sung Jin-Woo as he evolves from the weakest hunter to an overpowered force. The first season aired in early 2024, with a compilation film, Solo Leveling: ReAwakening, released in late 2024 ahead of the second season.
Season 2, Solo Leveling: Arise from the Shadow, premiered on January 5, and has been consistent, despite an Episode 5 delay for the English dub.
Why Didn't Jinwoo Arise Baran?
In Solo Leveling Season 2, Episode 9 (Episode 22 total), Jinwoo does not attempt to "Arise" Baran, causing some confusion among fans.
This is because of a crucial limitation in his abilities: he cannot extract demons or monarchs.
This restriction was explicitly stated earlier in the series when Jinwoo tried to resurrect demons from the lower floors of the Demon Castle but was met with a system message denying the attempt.
Baran, the so-called Demon Monarch, fell into both categories, making him ineligible for extraction:
While Jinwoo was able to turn Baran's dragon into a shadow soldier, this was only possible because the dragon was not classified as a demon.
Additionally, Baran himself was not even the real Demon Monarch. The actual Baran had been killed by Ashborn, the original Shadow Monarch, long before the events of the series.
The version Jinwoo fought was a recreation generated by the System to serve as a final test within the Demon Castle.
Since Jinwoo's ability to extract shadows is limited to real beings and does not apply to artificial constructs created by the System, he was never capable of turning Baran into a shadow soldier.
Episode 22 of Solo Leveling releases on Crunchyroll on March 9. For more anime news, take a look at our best Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War Part 4 release projections!
