Solo Leveling: 10 strongest character, ranked

❘ Published: 2024-02-03T09:00:00

Crunchyroll

The universe of Solo Leveling is full of numerous powerful characters, but these are surely the strongest ones.

Solo Leveling anime had a bang-on premiere in January 2024. The dark fantasy series introduced us to the weakest protagonist, so fans are obviously intrigued to learn who is the strongest.

The new anime series follows Sung Jin-Woo, who is considered the weakest hunter of humanity. That’s because the boy gets overwhelmed even by the lowest-ranked monsters.

The fascinating story has several twists and turns that will keep you hooked throughout. In the coming episodes, the television series will not only feature Sung Jin-Woo battling ferocious beasts but also introduce several powerful characters. In this article, we have shed some light on 10 such characters.

10. Legia

Legia is a powerful monarch who was captured by the rulers after the Absolute Being’s death. He doesn’t have a physical body, but despite that, he is a formidable being who is sent to the human world to kill Jin-Woo.

However, he wasn’t a match for our beloved protagonist, who was powerful enough to take him down in one strike. Regardless, Legia was a spiritual being who could cast a truth spell between himself and another individual, a strategy that he used against Jin-Woo. Since Legia was a Monarch, he boasted immense strength. Also, the fact that he couldn’t be turned into a Shadow (because he lacked a physical body) made Legia even a bigger threat.

9. Tarnak

Tarnak, or The Monarch of Iron Body, was one of the most merciless characters in Solo Leveling. He believed that Jin-Woo wasn’t worthy to carry forward Ashborn’s legacy. Even though he wasn’t as strong as most Monarchs on the list, we can’t deny that Tarnak had some unique skills that made him sit among the series’ strongest characters. For instance, his physical powers helped him kill the national-level hunter Christopher Reed.

However, in his arrogance, Tarnak sometimes couldn’t stop himself from taking the wrong steps. In the Final Battle Arc, he tries to confront Andre but gets captured and killed by Jin-Woo’s army and other hunters, including Bellion, Beru, and Andre.

8. Baran

Baran is also called the Monarch of White Flames, and he is an arrogant and fearless enemy of Ashborn. During the fight between Rulers and Ashborn, Baran, alongside Rakan, was given the responsibility of taking down the Shadow Monarch. When Rakan backed out from the battle after realizing that they weren’t going to win, Baran still fought until his last breath.

Years after his death, Baran was reimagined by the Architect and got an opportunity to take down Ashborn’s human vessel. However, just before he was about to kill Jin-Woo, Esil Radiru interrupted and helped the hero win the fight.

7. Bellion

Bellion is the most loyal shadow of the Shadow Monarch or Ashborn. When Ashborn was alive, Bellion served as his right hand without any hesitation. Later, when Ashborn chose Jin-Woo as his successor, Bellion was the boy’s most powerful weapon. He possessed a potent sword that could also turn into a whip.

Bellion’s true potential was seen in his conflict with Beru, in which he not only injured the enemy with powerful attacks, but also dodged numerous attacks with ease. It’s worth noting that Beru could not be beaten easily, but Bellion effortlessly forced the humanoid shadow onto his knees.

6. Beast Monarch

Beast Monarch, also known as Rakan, is the most selfish character in the series. He would never think twice before withdrawing cowardly from a battle, leaving his fellow monarchs behind. Rakan believed Jin-Woo to be a weaker opponent, so he joined forces with the Frost Monarch to take down the human vessel. However, realizing the true potential of Ashborn’s vessel, Rakan quickly ran away from the battlefield.

Despite his loser attitude, there is no denying that the beast also boasted some spectacular powers. So, it’s no wonder that with the help of Monarch of Plagues and Tarnak, Rakan killed Christopher Reed, one of the most brilliant and powerful National Level Hunters.

5. Frost Monarch

Known as the King of Snow, The Frost Monarch comes with the ice manipulating ability. He can attack his enemies by crafting ice weapons and ice beasts. He can even create ice storms to buy time and plan his next move. The Frost Monarch was the one who helped The Beast Monarch to ambuscade Jin-Woo and stab him from behind.

His immense speed often helped him survive the heavy attack from the opponents. For instance, in the battle with Gunhee, he was able to dodge several attacks with his flash-like speed. Another thing that made the Frost Monarch one of Jin-Woo’s most potent enemies was his physical powers that pushed the young man beyond his limits.

4. Sung II Hwan

Surprisingly, Sung II Hwan is the father of our lead hero, Sung Jin-Woo. He worked as a firefighter until he learned about the rising of the magic beasts. The news became a turning point for Hwan, and he left his job as a firefighter to become an S-Rank hunter.

Even though Hwan possessed amazing powers, he never used them to feed his ego. Instead, he always stepped in front to help the needful. When Hwang Dongsoo tried to kill his son, Sung II Hwan beat him to the point that Dongsoo wasn’t able to heal for several days.

3. Shadow Monarch

Here comes one of the strongest and most formidable characters of Solo Leveling – Ashborn. He is someone who fought the entire army of the Rulers on behalf of The Absolute Being. Ashborn was feared even by the toughest and oldest Monarch, Antares (the Monarch of Destruction). The Shadow Monarch has a unique ability that allows him to turn his dead enemies into shadows and recruit them for his army.

The Shadow Monarch, aka Ashborn, boasted an incredible physical strength that made him one of the strongest monarchs ever. In fact, it was Ashbron’s supernatural powers that unlocked Jin-Woo’s true potential. Honestly, there won’t be a Sung Jin-Woo without Ashborn.

2. Monarch of Destruction

As evident by the name, the Monarch of Destruction – or Antares – wanted nothing more than chaos and calamity for humanity. Also known as the King of Dragons, Antares serves as the main villain in the storyline.

Being the oldest Monarch, his powers and abilities are to such an extent that he is able to give Sung Jin-Woo a hard time in their final fight. With his Dragon Fear ability, he can create a panic situation for the weaker opponents. Antares’ Breath of Destruction can also eradicate the existence of everyone standing against him.

1. Sung Jin-Woo

Initially, Sung Jin-Woo is introduced as someone who barely qualified as an E-Rank hunter. He almost lost his life fighting the weakest goblins in the dungeons. However, things take a U-turn when the architect grants him the opportunity to level up through the ‘System.’

With the help of the RPG-like interface, Sung Jin-Woo powers up to such an extent that he becomes the strongest character in Solo Leveling. After completely leveling up, Jin-Woo brings several fearsome monarchs to their knees, including the Monarch of Destruction. He also overwhelms one of the mightiest hunters, Thomas Andre, and brings him to the verge of death while still holding back.