12 Solo Leveling Strongest Characters (Ranked)

Solo Leveling initially introduced us to a weak protagonist, Sung Jinwoo, who eventually becomes the strongest after getting powers from a so-called System. The ones who have read the manhwa already know about every character of the universe, but the anime-only fans who are familiar with Sung Jinwoo becoming the strongest over time might want to know about other strong characters from the Solo Leveling universe. Well, here, I have discussed the 12 strongest characters from the series.

Spoiler Warning: This article contains spoilers for characters from the Solo Leveling manhwa, so read the source material to avoid ruining the intended experience.

12. Legia

Legia is a powerful monarch who doesn’t need a physical body to showcase his full potential. He is also known as Monarch of the Beginning. After the death of the Absolute Being, Legia was ceased by the Rulers, who, after several years, sent the potent being to the human world to kill Sung Jinwoo.

Overconfident about his powers, Legia believed that he could easily overwhelm Sung Jinwoo in the duel as the latter wouldn’t be able to turn him into a shadow soldier. He also had complete faith in his abilities, but when the conflict between him and the Shadow Monarch began, the latter easily beheaded him in a single blow.

11. Goto Ryuji

Goto Ryuji was not only considered the strongest hunter in the Solo Leveling universe, but he was also one of the foreign hunters who matched the level of the Nation Level Hunters in terms of combating skills. Although he portrayed a calm and humble persona on the outside, in reality, he was an overconfident and selfish hunter who would not care about the members of his guild unless his position was at stake.

Apart from his other skill sets, what made him a potent fighter was his extraordinary speed, which helped him tackle the Ant King when the beast attacked Ryuji from behind. However, despite being an eligible hunter, he wasn’t any match for our protagonist, Jinwoo.

10. Liu Zhigang

Liu Zhigang is a strong hunter from China who is also a National Level Hunter. His powers allowed him to outclass Goto Ryuji without breaking a sweat. Zhigang’s strength was seen when he crushed hundreds of ants in the Chinese Coast East Area.

Zhigang was the host to one of the rulers, so obviously, we see him surpassing not only the robust hunters but also the monsters that became a huge threat to humankind. Zhigang was considered the strongest hunter who ever existed in Asia until he crossed paths with Sung Jinwoo.

9. Monarch Of Plagues

Querehsha, aka Monarch of Plagues, killed the National Level American Hunter Christopher Reed alongside Tarnak and Rakan. She also agreed to kill Jinwoo when the Frost Monarch told his kind about the Shadow Monarch’s vessel.

Before being sliced off by Sung Jinwoo in the conflict, Querensha made the opponent bleed with a single punch. She also boasted an incredible regenerative ability that helped her revive within seconds of being slaughtered by the Shadow Monarch.

8. Beru

Beru made his first appearance as a humanoid shadow of the Ant King. However, after Jinwoo defeats him in combat and makes him join his shadow army, Beru starts fighting for good and not out of his thirst for human blood. Being a Marshal Grade shadow, Beru was an immensely powerful individual who could wipe out opponents with a single strike.

Beru’s most incredible abilities were showcased when he helped Jinwoo attack the beast that was guarding the Tokyo S-Rank Gate in the Japan Crisis Arc. He not only got inside the opponent’s body but also weakened and killed it from its insides.

Besides his fighting skills, Beru also possessed exceptional healing abilities, which was one reason why Jinwoo ordered him to restore Jinho’s health when he was severely injured in combat with Hwang Dongsoo.

7. Monarch of White Flames

Monarch of White Flames, aka Baran, was an overconfident and cruel individual who didn’t think twice before challenging the Shadow Monarch despite knowing that the opponent was way stronger than him.

Baran was considered one of the strongest Monarchs in Solo Leveling, and that’s why Antares took his help alongside Rakan to take Ashborn out during their battle against the Rulers.

Years later, when Jin-Woo reached the Demon Castle in search of the final boss, he was confronted by Baran. The Monarch’s clone was so powerful that he would have killed Ashborn’s human host if the demon girl Esil hadn’t distracted him.

6. Tarnak

Tarnak, also known as the Monarch of Iron Body, had a similar persona to Baran. His abilities should not be questioned as he was the one among the three Monarchs who murdered Christopher Reed, the America-based National Level Hunter. However, when he accompanies Antares to attack Jin-Woo, his ego doesn’t let him see the trap set by Thomas Andre and Jinwoo.

Enraged by his hatred for humans, he tried to attack Bellion, Beru, and Thomas Andre without Antares. That’s when he was ambushed by the trio and defeated in the battle.

5. Thomas Andre

Thomas Andre belonged to a family surrounded by numerous enemies, so he became a rebel who wouldn’t leave a chance to dominate the ones who opposed him. Years later, with the arrival of the magic beasts, Andre showcased his potential in the fight against Kamish, following which he gained the position of a National Level Hunter.

His fighting abilities were also tested in the fight against Shadow Monarch’s human vessel, Jinwoo, whom he sent flying across several buildings with just one punch.

4. Sung II Hwan

Sung II Hwan is none other than our protagonist’s long-lost father. He was the first S-Rank hunter who sacrificed his personal life for the sake of humanity.

In his initial days, he worked as a firefighter. However, the arrival of the first magic beast became the reason for him to leave his job and family to embark on a new yet dangerous journey.

A decade before the main storyline, Sung II Hwan was stuck in a dungeon, and years later, when the Rulers learned about the Shadow Monarchs’ host, they chose Sung II Hwan to kill him. When he was attacked by the A-Rank hunters while he was looking for Jinwoo, Hwan stunned each one of them with his physical strength.

3. Shadow Monarch

Shadow Monarch, aka Ashborn, was once a powerful ruler who fought against the Monarchs to fulfill the wish of their god, The Absolute Being. However, when the Rulers turned against the Absolute Being, he was the only one who showed courage to fight against them. The moment he believed that it was his end, he learned about the powers granted to him by the Absolute Being.

As the Shadow Monarch, Ashborn had a physical strength that wasn’t possessed by any other being in history. His combating abilities were seen when he brutally killed Baran by crushing his skull like a piece of fruit, that too with his bare hands.

2. Sung Jinwoo

Once humanity’s weakest hunter, Sung Jinwoo became the strongest hunter after The Absolute Being. Ashborn chose him to carry his legacy forward. Despite being seen as a weakling in the beginning, something in him helped him cheat death several times.

After receiving the powers from the System, he became someone who could compete with even the strongest hunter of all, i.e. Thomas Andre, in a fierce battle.

His incredible speed allowed him to stop the opponents from tracking his movements, and his exceptional durability helped him to stay unharmed even after getting punched or kicked by the enemies.

1. The Absolute Being

The universe of Solo Leveling wouldn’t exist without The Absolute Being, as he was the one who created Rulers and Monarchs out of the light and darkness. As a god, it’s evident that no one possessed as much power as he did. He had the ability to use every being in existence as a puppet.

The Absolute Being was the one who gifted Ashborn god-like powers that could help him continue the war between the Rulers and the Monarchs.