Legendary cartoonist and the man who made Solo Leveling a worldwide phenomenon, Jang-Sung Rak (DUBU) has passed away due to health complications. He was 40 years old.
REDICE Studio, which is a South Korean studio that makes webtoon/manhwa adaptations of web novels, released a statement on their official Twitter account, reporting the death of artist Jang Sung-Rak (DUBU), who was responsible for adapting the Solo Leveling web novel into a manhwa series.
The statement wrote:
On July 23, 2022, artist Jang Sung-Rak, the illustrator of the webtoon “Solo Leveling”, left our side due to a sudden decline in health. In accordance with the wishes of the grieving family, the funeral was held as a family funeral home with only family and acquaintances. The deceased suffered from a chronic disease and died of a cerebral hemorrhage resulting from it. We would like to thank the readers who have given him a lot of love so far, and ask for his prayers that he may go to a better place.
Readers of Solo Leveling manhwa knew DUBU’s declining health condition because he took several breaks from drawing. After the announcement of the Solo Leveling anime adaptation during the Anime Expo, DUBU was excited as to how it will turn out. He shared a message with fans on July 4:
Solo Leveling is finally making its anime debut. It feels like only yesterday that we got the offer for the anime adaptation. I feel so overwhelmed when I think that the anime is really being created right now. This is all thanks to you fans who love and support Solo Leveling. I’m filled with gratitude. Thank you very much. Also, please support the animation production team. If this anime gives new enjoyment to the readers, I’ll be very happy
Solo Leveling webtoon is based on web novels written by Chugong, who started publishing the novel in July 2016 and ended the series in March 2018. A manhwa adaptation was picked up by DUBU, who began publishing the manhwa in March 2018 and completed the series in December 2021.
Source: Official Twitter
