Spoiler warning: This article contains spoilers from the original Solo Leveling manhwa series and the sequel, Solo Leveling: Ragnarok. Following the success of the Solo Leveling franchise, the anime has undoubtedly earned a verifiable spot among defining series. While the show slowly builds up to Solo Leveling's endgame villains, fans who have read the original manhwa fully grasp the depths of the story’s terrifying opposition force —The Monarchs.
As the first creations of the Absolute Being, the Monarchs are the primary antagonists in Solo Leveling and the most powerful entities in the series' universe. Created with the sole purpose of destroying Earth, the Monarchs possess destructive abilities that place them at the summit of Solo Leveling's power hierarchy.
However, despite their established strength, the series is not bereft of equally terrifying and more powerful characters. From beings capable of casually creating and erasing worlds to walking natural disasters in human form, these characters represent the vastness of Solo Leveling’s profound power ecosystem.
8 Kandiaru
The Architect
The creator of the System and the hidden boss of the Double Dungeon, Kandiaru, dubbed The Architect, is an existence whose strength goes under the radar due to the story’s abundance of flashier characters.
Ranked as an S-Rank demonic spectre, Kandiaru is extremely menacing and powerful, particularly within the System, where he virtually has complete control over the abilities and powers granted to the Shadow Monarch’s successor.
By human standards, Kandiaru is beyond the level of regular S-Rank hunters, showcased by how he overwhelms Cha Hae-In and the other hunters who come to rescue Jin Woo in the Double Dungeon arc. Unfortunately, we never see the full extent of his abilities outside that arc, as he is ultimately defeated by Jin Woo.
7 Andre Thomas
Humanity’s Strongest Hunter
Revered as humanity’s strongest hunter, Thomas Andre leads the National Level Hunters, and just looking at his sheer size, it is not difficult to see why. Nicknamed the Goliath, due to his superior physical constitution, Thomas Andre is, by default, the most powerful vessel among the Rulers' vessels.
He establishes his overwhelming might at crucial moments, like his first encounter with the Monarch of Fangs during the Monarchs' War arc — a feat most hunters can't entertain and live to tell the story.
Thomas Andre is also one of the very few characters who kill key members of the monarchs, even though the circumstances were favorable to him on both occasions. He ultimately succeeds the King of Giants in the web novel and becomes a monarch himself, reflecting the monstrosity of his abilities.
6 Beru
Marshal Grade Commander of The Shadow Army
Within the shadow army, Beru is only surpassed by Bellion, the Grand Commander. At the time of his extraction, Beru was already stronger than regular S-Rank hunters, a fact properly established through his sparring session with Cha Hae-In days after becoming a shadow.
By the Monarchs’ War arc in Solo Leveling, Beru is powerful enough to inflict damage on the Monarch of Plagues, and with the help of Andre Thomas, the world’s top-ranked hunter, and Bellion, they collectively kill the Monarch of Iron Body, Tarnak.
What makes Beru truly monstrous is his endless potential for evolution. By the time Jin Woo and his shadow army take on the Monarchs again in an alternate timeline at the end of the manhwa series, Beru's power level soars beyond that of a National Level hunter.
5 Bellion
The Strongest Shadow In Existence
Born from the fruit of the World Tree and having lived as a warrior and lieutenant for eons at Ashborn's, Bellion believes combat ability is a warrior’s most important quality. This conviction translates terrifyingly well to his battles, specifically when he makes light work of Beru, who instantly challenges him when he is first introduced to readers.
At this stage, Bellion is already on par with National Level hunters, and by the end of the original story, he is implied to be much more powerful due to the bottomless power of the Shadow Monarch, Jin Woo.
4 The Titans
Servants of the Itarim
The Titans, first servants of the Itarim, are a race of stone giants that survive by consuming rocks found in worlds that support life. They are introduced towards the end of the original Solo Leveling series. The Titans are some of the most powerful existences in the story, nearly on par with the Rulers.
For context, the Rulers are just a tier beneath the Absolute Being in terms of power, which means the Titans are comparable to the Monarchs. Unfortunately, the Titans come into the picture at a disadvantageous moment; a moment where Jin Woo’s powers have become incomparable to both the Rulers and Monarchs, making their demise just as quick as their introduction.
3 The Rulers
Fragments of Brilliant Light
The first beings created by the Absolute being alongside the Monarchs, the Rulers are an old race of angelic warriors tasked with protecting the Earth against the Monarchs. By their manner of creation, the Rulers are, by default, some of the most powerful beings of the Solo Leveling universe, surpassed only by gods like the Absolute Being and the Itarim.
As beings with mana-based biological systems, the Rulers hold and control immense amounts of mana, making them unable to interfere in the human world without a suitable host, which is a testament to the depth of their powers.
2 The Absolute Being
Creator of The Monarchs And The Rulers
The creator of both the Monarchs and the Rulers and the Earth, the Absolute Being was a god and one of the most powerful entities in the universe, surpassed only by the Outer Gods — the Itarim.
Capable of creating life in both organic and inorganic forms, to simply call him monstrous would be understating his capabilities, even though the full extent of his powers is never fully put on display in the series.
The Absolute Being possessed powers beyond anything that his creations could muster; he is the creator of the time-reversing Cup of Reincarnation utilized by Jin Woo in his battle against the Dragon Monarch. However, despite the immense power he possessed, he was ambushed by the Rulers, who schemed to put an end to his tyrannical reign.
The Outer Gods
Like the Absolute Being, the Itarim are a race of gods responsible for the creation of existence, automatically making them the most powerful beings in the universe. Having existed since the beginning of time, the Itarim are responsible for the creation and destruction of countless worlds due to their endless boredom with the constant cycle of creation.
Beyond their powers of creation, the Itarim possess an observational ability called Dimensional awareness. They can observe all worlds in the universe, and in extreme cases, interfere through their servants, the Apostles. For the Itarim, forgoing any offensive skills or battle-oriented abilities means very little, as the absence of their existence would mean the collapse of the very universe itself.
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