The action-fantasy series Solo Leveling has a diverse cast of characters, each with their own set of abilities and ranks. These include hunters, monarchs, and rulers. Two of these three, i.e., rulers and monarchs, are in separate leagues, but that does not mean the other is powerless. Some hunters, for example, compete with kings and rulers in this manner.
Hunters are people with magical abilities who use them to fight and kill monsters. They initially appeared around the time humans became aware of the presence of magic. Since hunters were the only ones who could kill magical monsters and seal gates, a global billion-dollar business sprung up around them. Ahead of the upcoming anime's premiere in Winter 2024, this article will list ten iconic hunters in Solo Leveling who are hailed as the strongest within the series.
Disclaimer: This article reflects the author's opinions and contains major spoilers from the Solo Leveling manga.
Cha Hae-In, Christopher Reed, and 8 other strongest hunters in Solo Leveling
10) Yuri Orloff
Yuri Orloff ranks tenth among the strongest hunters from Solo Leveling and is an S-rank hunter from Russia. He is a hunter with a focus on barriers and other forms of support magic. He played a part when an S-rank gate appeared in Tokyo and was among the first international hunters to provide assistance when the Japanese government requested it.
Orloff's abilities were shown when he erected a magical barrier that fully immobilized both Kanae and Hoshino, who were both S-rank hunters. He was also able to block off an S-Rank Gate, although this required over 100,000 metric tons of mana crystals. However, it was discovered that he was not powerful enough to stand up to the gate of Tokyo.
9) Goto Ryuji
Goto Ryuji is the strongest hunter in Japan and the Guild Master of the Draw Sword Guild. As one of the most powerful foreign hunters in the series, Goto can use his attacks to produce deadly bursts of wind pressure and block attacks. For instance, when Ant King immediately approached him from behind, he was able to swiftly shift and use his palm as a weapon to block the initial blow.
However, despite his reputation as the best hunter in Japan, Goto was no match for Jinwoo and Liu Zhiganag. Before going to Jeju Island to fight the ant monsters, Goto and Jinwoo engaged in combat, but as the battle ended, Goto felt his own death. Liu, the strongest hunter in China, is said to have completely outclassed Goto in terms of raw might.
8) Cha Hae-In
Cha Hae-In is a Korean S-Rank Hunter who serves as the Hunters Guild's Vice-Guild Master in Solo Leveling. Behind Go Gunhee and Jinwoo, she is the third-best hunter in Korea. At first, Jinwoo thought she and Gunhee could possess comparable levels of strength.
In addition to Jinwoo, Goto thought she was capable of competing with the top hunters in his guild. Even the Ant King thought she was the most deadly of the Korean hunters in the Jeju Island Raid Party, so he immediately dispatched her.
Hae-In is sensitive to the scent of mana, which makes hunters and monsters smell bad to her. She is also skilled with a sword. Aside from that, she handily defeated Igris in their bout, demonstrating her superior strength. Hae-In can also move at extraordinary speeds and wield the Sword of Dance and the Sword of Light.
7) Lennart Niermann
Lennart Niermann is Germany's strongest hunter and ranks 12th in the Solo Leveling world. His first appearance was in the International Guild Conference arc, where he intended to welcome Jinwoo but refrained from doing so as he felt the protagonist's sizable shadow army concealed within his own shadow.
Following that, Lennart appeared in the Monarch War arc, where he traveled to South Korea to contact Jinwoo and subsequently went up to confront the Beast Monarch.
As the strongest German hunter, Lennart is expected to outperform every other foreign hunter except the National Level Hunters. He even managed to strike Beast Monarch in the face. Lennart uses a distinctive method called charge against the monsters.
6) Siddharth Bachchan
Siddharth Bachchan is the strongest hunter in India and one of the National Level Hunters, ranking fourth in the Solo Leveling world. Despite not being introduced in the series yet, Siddharth is the vessel of a ruler and a national-level hunter, making him one of the world's strongest hunters.
The Indian hunter has the ability to employ the Ruler's Authority and use telekinesis to manipulate and move objects. Moreover, he has access to spiritual body manifestations.
5) Christopher Reed
Another National Level Hunter in Solo Leveling, Christopher Reed was one of the best hunters in America and ranks third in the world. He was one of the world's most powerful hunters as he was revealed to be the vessel of a ruler when the monarchs came to end his life. Before he could demonstrate his abilities, he was assassinated by three monarchs.
During the battles, Christopher would turn into a one-eyed giant with flaming light orange hair. It was later revealed that when he was assassinated, hunters were dispatched to his residence to extinguish the flames he produced with his power. The fire was so powerful that it took 14 of the highest-ranking mage hunters and 1,800 firemen to put it out.
4) Liu Zhigang
Liu Zhigang is China's most powerful hunter and one of the National Level Hunters, ranking second in the world in Solo Leveling. During the Jeju Island arc, he demonstrated his ability to slay hundreds of ants with one blow. Moreover, when a giant from the Tokyo S-Rank Gate escaped and was crossing the seas to China, Liu was able to take it down.
Liu, being the vessel of a Ruler like Reed and Gunhee, is one of the world's most powerful hunters. He was also Asia's best hunter until Jinwoo overtook him in strength and was widely regarded as significantly superior to Goto Ryuji. Liu has Ruler's Authority and can manipulate and move items through telekinesis.
3) Thomas Andre
National Level Hunter Thomas Andre is ranked first in the world in Solo Leveling. He is the Scavenger Guild's guild master and the strongest hunter in America. Andre is also a Ruler's vessel with incredible strength and durability. This was demonstrated during the International Guild arc when he was capable of sending Jinwoo flying with a single punch, as well as during the Monarch War arc when he was able to combat the Beast Monarch briefly.
Andre wields the power of reinforcement, which significantly increases both his defensive and attacking strengths by encasing him in golden armor with black horns and giving his hair a brilliant flame-like look. He can also use the capture technique, where he telekinetically drags items towards himself. He could also use other skills such as Power Smash, Collapse, etc.
2) Sung II-Hwan
Sung Il-Hwan, a Korean hunter, is Jinwoo's father in Solo Leveling. Although he is the most powerful hunter after Jinwoo, Il-Hwan becomes imprisoned inside a dungeon during a raid some 10 years before the main plot's events, leading his family to believe he died. Before he could pass away, though, he was discovered by the Rulers, who made him one of their seven vessels and assigned him a task.
Il-Hwan has tremendous physical strength. He was powerful enough to easily defeat Hwang Dongsoo in battle and knock the Beast Monarch out with a single strike. Moreover, during the Solo Leveling Monarch War storyline, he was quick enough to evade and counter both the Frost and Beast Monarchs' strikes. II-Hwan also has the ruler authority, but he does not have any official hunter ranking.
1) Sung Jin-Woo
In Solo Leveling, Sung Jin-woo is the protagonist and the most powerful hunter. His skills and talents are superior to those of all other hunters, including the monarchs, even though he isn't acknowledged as the strongest hunter. Jinwoo is so powerful that he was able to pierce a sizable hole in the Statue of God's face and fatally wound one of the National Level Hunters Thomas Andre, even though he was holding back.
Jinwoo's strength increased when he was revived by Ashborn and received all of the latter's power, enabling him to easily fend off blows from the Frost Monarch with one hand, slay the Beast Monarch with four hits, and compete on an equal footing with Antares, the most potent of the nine monarchs.
Besides having great physical strength, Jinwoo also has amazing speed, regenerative healing, Quicksilver, Mutilation, Dagger Rush, Shadow Extraction, Shadow Exchange, Ruler Authority, and many other abilities. He did not sit idle with his newfound powers and regularly raided dungeons to up his skills.
Stay tuned for more news on Solo Leveling and other anime and manga updates as 2023 progresses.