Bob’s Quest to Watch Solo Leveling on Netflix with English subtitles.

Bob, a 22-year-old Norwegian with sandy hair and a cute smile that could charm anyone, has a passion that burns brighter than the midnight sun: anime. Specifically, he’s hooked on Solo Leveling, a South Korean series that’s taken the world by storm. With its gripping story and jaw-dropping animation, Bob can’t get enough of it. But like any true addict, his obsession has hit a snag—Netflix, his go-to streaming platform, only has the first season available in his region, and season 2 is still months away. For Bob, this is a crisis of epic proportions.

Solo Leveling follows the journey of Sung Jinwoo, a lowly “E-rank” hunter in a world where portals to monster-filled dungeons have opened up across the globe. Hunters, armed with special abilities, risk their lives to clear these dungeons and protect humanity. Jinwoo starts as the weakest of the weak, barely scraping by, until a mysterious twist of fate grants him the power to level up like a character in a video game. What follows is an adrenaline-pumping tale of transformation, as Jinwoo rises from the bottom to become a force to be reckoned with, unraveling secrets about the dungeons and his own potential along the way. Bob loves the mix of underdog grit, slick action, and the tantalizing mystery that keeps him guessing episode after episode.

Eager to rewatch season 1 with English subtitles and desperate for any hint of season 2, Bob fired up Netflix on his laptop one chilly April evening in 2025. To his dismay, only season 1 was there, just as he’d feared. The second season, which had started airing elsewhere, was still slated to hit Netflix Norway in a few months. For a diehard fan like Bob, waiting wasn’t an option—he needed his Solo Leveling fix now. Frustrated, he slumped back on his couch, scrolling through Reddit threads and X posts for a solution.

Bob is unable to find Solo Leveling on Netflix, with or without English subtitles.

That’s when he stumbled across a game-changer: NordVPN. Bob learned that by using a VPN, he could trick Netflix into thinking he was browsing from another country, unlocking a treasure trove of regional content. With a bit of research (and some excited Googling), he discovered that Netflix Singapore had season 1 of Solo Leveling available with English subtitles—perfect for his rewatch cravings. Meanwhile, Netflix Japan had it too, but only with Japanese subtitles, which wouldn’t do since Bob’s Japanese was limited to “konnichiwa” and “arigatou.” Singapore it was.

Bob’s eyes lit up. NordVPN promised access not just to Singapore, but to Netflix libraries in the United States, Japan, South Korea, Argentina, and beyond. The possibilities were endless! Better yet, NordVPN offered a 30-day money-back guarantee. If it didn’t work out, he could cancel and get a refund, no strings attached. Feeling like Jinwoo himself unlocking a new skill, Bob signed up for a subscription, downloaded the app, and connected to a Singapore server.

Within minutes, he was back on Netflix, and there it was: Solo Leveling season 1, complete with English subtitles. Bob grinned, his cute smile stretching ear to ear as the familiar opening theme kicked in. He sank into his couch, a bowl of popcorn in hand, losing himself in Jinwoo’s battles once more. Sure, season 2 wasn’t there yet, but he figured it was only a matter of time—Singapore might get it early too, and with NordVPN, he’d be ready.

For now, Bob was content. His VPN had turned a Netflix dead end into a victory, and he could rewatch season 1 to his heart’s content. As the episodes rolled on, he couldn’t help but hope that season 2 would drop very, very soon. After all, a true Solo Leveling addict like Bob wasn’t about to let a little thing like geography stand in his way.