Solo Leveling features several powerful heroes, including Jinwoo. However, the series also features some great villains. In fact, there were so many villains in the story that it was difficult to keep track of each one of them. It’s even harder to figure out who the strongest villains in the story are. Well, if you are also in the same thinking boat, we’ve today ranked some of the strongest villains in the Solo Leveling universe.
Spoilers Warning: This post includes spoilers for the Solo Leveling manhwa and anime, so proceed with caution.
10. Kang Taeshik
Kang Taeshik was the B-Rank hunter who secretly worked as a hitman. He was a bloodthirsty and money-driven individual who wouldn’t think twice before killing the innocents. If he was offered a hefty sum of money, he wouldn’t even hesitate to kill his loved ones.
When a client hired him to kill Jinwoo, he agreed immediately. However, after his confrontation with our leveling-up hero, he started thinking that he should have demanded a higher amount to fight someone of his level.
If we talk about the strength, Jinwoo and Kang Taeshik stood on an equal footing. Still, the former managed to defeat Taeshik in a brutal fashion. Despite boasting the qualities of a terrifying villain, we have placed Kang Taeshik in tenth because the list ahead features the mighty Monarchs in Solo Leveling. It would be safe to say that no matter how powerful a human gets, he still won’t be able to match the level of a supernatural entity.
9. Rakan
Rakan was the Monarch of Fangs who contributed heavily to the murder of one of the strongest National Level Hunters, Christopher Reed. Even though he was someone who was able to tackle multiple opponents at once, he was also a coward who would betray his fellow Monarchs and run after encountering a stronger enemy.
Rakan’s powers helped him overwhelm the National Level Hunter named Thomas Andre. Plus, he was the one who almost killed Jinwoo after joining Sillad and Querehsha. Hence, Jinwoo wouldn’t have survived the attack of the Monarchs and been reborn as the Shadow Monarch if Sung Il Hwan hadn’t shown up as his savior.
8. Baran
Eons ago, when Ashborn stood against all the Rulers and Monarchs to protect The Absolute Being, Baran was one of the Monarchs who fought with the strongest rulers until the end and eventually got killed. He was courageous enough to show up against an opponent who he could not match in strength.
After the Rulers and Monarchs started showing up in the real world, Architect made a clone of Baran and made him serve as the final boss of the Demon Castle. When Jinwoo arrived at the top floor of the castle, Baran attacked him with his full potential. However, he got distracted during the fight and eventually died at the hands of Ashborn’s vessel.
7. Legia
Legia aka Monarch of the Beginning served as the boss of an S-Rank gate. Following the brutal murder of The Absolute Being, Legia was captured by the Rulers, who inserted a mysterious stone on the back of the Monarch. The stone made Legia develop a thirst for human blood. Jinwoo came across him during the S-Rank dungeon raid.
Legia was a cunning Monarch who tricked Jinwoo for the sake of his freedom. However, all his attacks were easily dodged by our hero, who eventually killed the Monarch. His insane laugh and sharp mind make him sit on the list of the strongest villains in Solo Leveling.
6. Absolute Being
Absolute Being was the strongest being to have ever existed eons ago. He had enmity with every other god because he was an evil entity who wanted nothing but destruction. He was the one who created the Rulers out of light and the Monarchs out of darkness.
He pretended that the war between the two forces would bring stability, but in reality, he wanted to see them fight to eternity for his entertainment. The Absolute Being was able to create anything out of nothing or with the help of alien sources such as the Cup of Reincarnation.
Even though he was strong enough to stand against anyone, Ashborn revealed that he didn’t boast a power that would always allow him to get the upper hand on the opponents. That’s why Rulers and Monarchs were able to defeat the Absolute Being once and for all.
5. Frost Monarch
Frost Monarch, also called Sillad, appears no different than a normal human being. However, it’s his blue skin and blank white eyes that make his appearance unique. Unlike many other Monarchs, Sillad didn’t like to play with his prey. Instead, he liked to kill them instantly.
In the Monarchs War Arc (see Solo Leveling arcs in order), the Frost Monarch attacks Go Gunhee, but when Jinwoo ambushes him, he doesn’t take much time to make an ice barrier and kill the Chairman of the Korean Hunters Association with an ice spear before escaping.
Throughout the series, Frost Monarch’s powers are seen as potent even though they don’t allow him to match the level of the Shadow Monarch’s abilities.
4. Kargalgan
Kargalgan was the mighty boss of an A-Rank dungeon who had the ability to do whatever he wanted with his magic. For instance, he was able to create magic barriers that even the powerful magic users weren’t able to dispel. He could freeze the enemies in one place for hours only with a single glance.
Besides the magical abilities, what made Kargalgan a horrifying villain was his high intellect. For him, humans appeared as mere insects, so he never missed an opportunity to showcase his powers. However, coming across Jinwoo and discovering his powers, Kargalgan developed a fear inside of him and surrendered.
Following his death, Jinwoo’s shadow army grew with his addition and named him Tusk. He proved his worth for the Shadow Monarch and helped him in every battle, especially the long-ranged ones.
3. Architect
The Architect was a cunning being who looked down on humanity. He was a loyal follower of the Monarchs and treated them as gods. That’s why when the Monarchs looked forward to invading the human world, the Architect approached Ashborn and offered help.
He was the one to find and train Jinwoo through the System. However, he turned against Ashborn after realizing that the Shadow Monarch had sided with the Rulers. Even though he helped Jinwoo to get the transformation, we can’t deny that he also washed his hands with the blood of countless humans in the Double Dungeon.
2. Beru
Beru is the Ant King’s Shadow who might confuse you with his personality outside of battle. During the conflict, he was extremely brutal and didn’t take time to discover the opponents’ weak points. Beru held a fondness for the battle and the bloodshed. Once Beru stepped onto the battlefield, it was nearly impossible for him to give up unless instructed by his master, ie. Jinwoo.
As one of Jinwoo’s strongest shadows, Beru possessed incredible speed and fast reflexes that helped him dodge the attacks of his opponents. Besides that, with his incredible fighting skills and healing abilities, he had everything that a potent villain required.
1. Antares
Antares was the main villain of Solo Leveling so it’s understandable why he sits at the top position. The Monarch of Destruction aka Antares had immense powers that would let him outmatch the mightiest of opponents, such as Shadow Monarch or his successor Jinwoo. He hadn’t had any mercy for the opponents and wouldn’t shy away from making his hands dirty with their blood.
He was one of the strongest Monarchs and killed the Absolute being. However, Sung Jinwoo killed him not once but twice in different timelines.
