By
Merlyn De Souza
Published 1 hour ago
Merlyn De Souza is a freelance writer and anime enthusiast based in Goa, India, with a Bachelor's in English Literature. When she isn't writing, she can be found exploring various realms of entertainment, including, but not limited to, K-dramas, novels, and even the occasional manhwa. She also enjoys all things creative, like sewing and makeup.
Sign in to your ScreenRant account Add Us On Summary Generate a summary of this story follow Follow followed Followed Like Like Thread Log in Here is a fact-based summary of the story contents: Try something different: Show me the facts Explain it like I’m 5 Give me a lighthearted recapAlthough Solo Leveling may be a Korean manhwa-turned-anime, the series ticks all the boxes of a typical Japanese battle shonen in the way that its story is structured. As Jinwoo grows stronger, so do his opponents, and the story, as well as Jinwoo's journey, is centered around these various battles.
Naturally, Solo Leveling has a lot of villains that Jinwoo faces off against, be it minor magic beasts like Kasaka and Great Arachnid Buraya or dungeon bosses like Kargalgan and the Ant King. That said, in addition to these natural opponents, Solo Leveling also sees Jinwoo have to confront fellow hunters, making for quite a varied spread of villains.
15 Hwang Dongsuk
Debuted in Chapter #18
Jinwoo crosses paths with Hwang Dongsuk fairly early on in Solo Leveling shortly after reawakening. Dongsuk serves as the main antagonist of the Dungeons and Lizards Arc, which sees Jinwoo enter a C-rank dungeon only to be betrayed by Dongsuk and the rest of the raid party.
The fight against Dongsuk forces Jinwoo to re-examine his morals as he is faced with the dilemma of killing another human being for the first time. In terms of pure strength, as a C-rank hunter and an early villain, Dongsuk is a fairly weak villain in the grand scheme of Solo Leveling's story.
14 Kang Taeshik
Debuted in Chapter #27
Kang Taeshik serves as the main villain of the Dungeons and Prisoners Arc. He is a B-rank Assassin Class hunter whom Jinwoo runs into during a raid with Johee and Song Chi-yul, two of the survivors from the Double Dungeon.
Having already killed Dongsuk at this point and faced with Taeshik's murderous intent, Jinwoo does not hesitate as much when taking down Taeshik. That said, as an Assassin type, his speed and Stealth skill do pose quite a challenge to Jinwoo at this point in the story, with Stealth even becoming an invaluable part of Jinwoo's skill set down the line.
13 Baruka
Debuted in Chapter #52
Dungeon boss baruka ice elf solo leveling season 2
Baruka was an ice elf introduced during the Red Gate Arc, and also served as the boss of the gate in question. Albeit not nearly as strong as the Monarch of Frost, Sillad, Baruka's speed and cunning make him quite a memorable foe.
He also boasted proficiency in using daggers, poison resistance, and stealth, all of which made him a natural enemy of sorts for Jinwoo. In fact, it is unlikely Jinwoo would have been able to defeat Baruka all by himself at the time without the help of Igris and Iron.
12 Blood-Red Commander Igris
Debuted in Chapter #45
Solo-Leveling-Igris-Debut
While Igris may be one of Jinwoo's most loyal shadow soldiers, he was still, at one point, one of Jinwoo's opponents. Igris was a major antagonist during the Job Change Quest, pushing Jinwoo nearly to the brink of death while testing him. Though there's no doubt his true power is far superior, as seen in Chapter 187 of the manhwa, at this point in the story, much of Igris' power was sealed away.
11 Kargalgan
Debuted in Chapter #71
solo leveling season 2 episode 5 kargalgan sitting in his throne
Kargalgan serves as the dungeon boss of the A-rank gate during the Hunters Guild Gate Arc. As its name implies, the arc sees Jinwoo quietly accompany the Hunters Guild on a raid disguised as a member of the mining team while still waiting for the official confirmation of his S-rank status.
As the dungeon boss and a skilled mage, Kargalgan was almost on par with an S-rank hunter, and it is perhaps only because he underestimated Jinwoo that he met such a grizzly end. That said, as Tusk, he goes on to become an important part of Jinwoo's shadow forces, especially with the Orb of Avarice.
10 Hwang Dongsoo
Debuted in Chapter #24
Hwang Dongsoo with one of his eyes glowing red in the Solo Leveling anime adaptation.
Having killed his brother earlier in the story, Jinwoo very quickly makes an enemy out of Hwang Dongsoo, and the fight between them is all but inevitable. As an S-rank hunter who's had his abilities "upgraded" by Norma Selner, you could argue that Dongsoo is a tad stronger than your average S-rank hunter, even if he may not quite be at the same level as a National Level Hunter.
9 The Architect
Debuted in Chapter #6
Jin Woo and the Statue of God in front of the shadows of the monarchs from Solo LevelingCustom Image by Ana Nieves
Though no one could have known at first, Solo Leveling actually revealed one of the main antagonists, the creator of the system at the very start. Kandiaru, or The Architect, is secretly disguised as the Statue of God in the Double Dungeon, though it isn't until Jinwoo returns to the Double Dungeon that fans learn the truth.
That said, despite being his plot relevance, The Architect doesn't have much to show in terms of combat power beyond speed and his control over the other statues, and is dealt with fairly easily by an S-rank Jinwoo.
8 Goto Ryuji
Debuted in Chapter #85
Solo Leveling Season 2 Episode 10 Ryuji Goto
One of the more unexpected twists of the Jeju Island Arc was surely the betrayal by the Japanese S-rank hunters. While Shigeo Matsumoto was the one pulling the strings in the background, it was Goto Ryuji executing the plan, making him just as much of an antagonist.
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Get deeper Solo Leveling coverage: subscribe to the newsletter for in-depth villain profiles, breakdowns of powers and tactics, ranked analyses, and context that clarifies each antagonist's role in the series. Subscribe By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.Goto has been hyped as Japan's strongest hunter throughout the series, and though the series never gives fans a real fight between him and Jinwoo, his standing in the series is still pretty much inferred.
7 Querehsha
Debuted in Chapter #140
While Querehsha has yet to be introduced in the anime, she might just make her debut in Season 3 of Solo Leveling if it adapts the Japan Crisis Arc. Querehsha is yet another one of the Monarchs, specifically the Monarch of Plagues and the Queen of Insects.
As her epithet hints, Querehsha can control all manner of insects and even inflict deadly plagues onto her opponents. That said, as cool as her abilities are, she is fairly weak in comparison to the rest of the Monarchs and is even killed by Sung Il-hwan.
6 Baran
Debuted in Chapter #85
jinwoo baran solo leveling season 2 opening
Jinwoo's fight against Baran was one of the major highlights of Season 2 of Solo Leveling — at least until the Jeju Arc came along. Baran, also known as the Monarch of White Flames and the King of the Demons, served as the ultimate dungeon boss of the Demon Castle, and the battle itself speaks for Baran's strength, speed, and combat sense.
A huge part of Baran's arsenal was, of course, his lightning breath powers and his ability to absorb other demons to boost his own abilities. Moreover, the Baran that Jinwoo encountered in the Demon Castle was likely much weaker, as he was a clone created by the Architect in place of the real Baran, who'd been killed by Ashborn countless millennia ago.
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