It is a sorrowful day for fans and readers of the epically popular webtoon, Solo Leveling, as their artist and CEO has sadly passed away after battling health complications.

REDICE Studios posted an official statement regarding Jang Sung-Rak’s passing on their Twitter earlier today.

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— REDICE+ (?????) (@REDICE_STUDIO) July 25, 2022

In their statement, it was mentioned that Jang Sung-Rak, also known as Dubu in the Solo Leveling community, passed away on 23rd July from a brain haemorrhage while suffering from a chronic illness.

Redice disclosed that Dubu’s funeral was held privately according to the grieving family’s wishes.

The official statement also relayed their heartfelt thanks to the readers and the community who cherished Dubu’s work on Solo Leveling.

It might be considered to many that Solo Leveling helped leverage the webtoon and Korean manhwa genres to the world in recent years, competing to the levels of Japanese mangas.

Solo Leveling’s story takes place in present-day South Korea with MMORPG elements. ‘Hunters’ are humans who possess magical powers and take on the job to enter gates to another dimension to slay monsters and demons, and earn rewards. Sung Jin-woo, our protagonist, was known as the weakest hunter. However, in a turn of events during a dungeon party raid, he now has a chance to change his reputation and be the strongest of them all while helping his mother pay the hospital bills.

Before Solo Leveling, Dubu was involved in several titles including Space Dandy, The Island of Giant Insects, and Beautiful Legends, where he is notable as both illustrator and author. Solo Leveling is projected to have an anime adaption by A-1 Pictures slated to air in 2023, which will also be available for streaming on Crunchyroll.

It is unfortunate that Dubu will not be able to witness his art coming to life but his great work will be immortalised for old and new fans to cherish.

We wish our condolences to Jang’s family. Rest in Peace, great hunter and artist. Let us know your thoughts in the comments or head on over to our socials to share your reaction to the news.