Summary
Solo Leveling, A-1 Pictures’ award-winning adaptation of the popular web manhwa of the same name,has become one of the best and most popular action anime of the current generation. And this is only the beginning, seeing as the anime has adapted less than half of the original manhwa’s storyline so far.
This series may focus mainly on its powerful protagonist, Sung Jinwoo, but it still features plenty of other interesting characters, most of which still haven’t appeared in the anime yet. Whether it’s because of their designs, personalities, abilities, or roles in the story, the followingSolo Levelingcharacters will undoubtedly become extremely popular once they finally arrive in the anime in the near future.
1Christopher Reed
One Of America’s Strongest S-Rank Hunters
One of the most interesting parts of the story that still hasn’t been fully adapted into the anime is the concept of international hunters from other countries outside of South Korea. Anime-only fans have already met the United States’ most infamous hunter, Thomas Andre, but that country hasanother very powerful S-Rank Hunter that has yet to make his animated debut, and his name isChristopher Reed.
Reed’s presence in the story may have been cut short, but he still had a significant impact on most readers, due to his cool-looking design, prestigious reputation and conceited personality, not to mention that he was one of the few hunters in the series that wielded the powers of the Rulers, since he was one of their vessels. A-1 Pictures should attempt to make new, anime-only scenes that properly showcase Reed’s immense strength, similarly to what it did to other characters in the previous seasons.
2Lennart Niermann
Germany’s Strongest Hunter Proved He Was Worthy Of His Title
Unfortunately, not many international hunters inSolo Levelinggot enough screen time to properly showcase their powers and personalities, with the only notable exceptions being Thomas Andre and Liu Zhigang, both of whom have already appeared briefly in the anime. However, there’s also another interesting hunter from another country who’ll make his debut soon:Lennart Niermann, Germany’s #1 S-Ranker.
For starters, Niermann is one of the best-looking male characters in the series, and his patient and polite attitude makes him stand out more from the other, more arrogant, S-Rank hunters. The best part about this character, however, is that he puts his money where his mouth is, and the audience gets to see him put up a great fight against the Monarchs. Additionally, his ability to create magical gauntlets that can shoot powerful blasts is unique, and it’s going to look even better in the anime.
3Norma Selner
A Friendly Upgrader Who Saw Something Ominous
Needless to say, not every singleSolo Levelingcharacter actually has to be an efficient fighter, as many key figures in this series have more of a support role. One of the most noteworthy examples of this phenomenon isNorma Selner, who will most likely make her anime debut in the very first episode of Season 3.
Selner has quite an interesting role in the world ofSolo Leveling, seeing that she’s an American upgrader:a person who uses her magical powers to permanently enhance the strength of other hunters by 20% or 30%. Her debut marks a significant point in the story, as she tries to upgrade Jinwoo’s strength, only to discover that she can’t upgrade him because there’s a dark and mysterious secret inside his soul. Leaving that aside, Selner is a very friendly, smart, and level-headed ally to many of the world’s most powerful hunters, so anime-only fans will definitely enjoy her presence in the show.
4Querehsha
The Monarch Of Plagues (And The Queen Of All Insects)
Three of the Monarchs were already introduced in the anime (Baran, Raikan, and Sillad), meaning that the other six will make their animated debut very soon, in upcoming seasons. However, some of them are much more memorable, interesting, and likable than others,with one of the most remarkable ones beingQuerehsha, the Monarch of Plagues.
Like all the other Monarchs, she’s just supposed to be a boss-like enemy and a major obstacle on Jinwoo’s journey, meaning that her character is not really that deep or complex. But none of this matters, considering how incredibly menacing she actually is. Querehsha’s striking design and her ability to manipulate insects and bug-like monsters make her a force to be reckoned with, and her fight against Jinwoo and his shadows (especially Beru, whom she tries to control) is one of the best ones in the entire manhwa. When compared to the other Monarchs, there’s no doubt that Querehsha is the one who’s going to accumulate the biggest following once she makes her anime debut.
5Bellion
The Strongest Shadow In Sung Jinwoo’s Army
After meeting Ashborn and accepting his fate as the new Monarch of Shadows, Sung Jinwoo was able to reunite with his predecessor’s shadow army,which was led by Grand MarshalBellion. Curiously enough, he’s the first being who had his shadow extracted and, thus, he’s repeatedly described as the strongest shadow in existence. It should be no surprise to learn that he was the right-hand man of the previous Shadow Monarch.
With his slick armor, majestic four wings, and deadly whip-sword, there’s no denying that Bellion has one of the best character designs in the entire series. And while he may not have a close relationship with Jinwoo like the other shadows, he quickly proved to be loyal and powerful enough to be worthy of the title of Grand Marshal, especially during the final battle against Antares. On top of that, his brief rivalry with Beru is quite funny. There’s no doubt that anime-only fans who have been enjoying the shadows are going to be blown away by Bellion’s introduction in future seasons ofSolo Leveling.
6Antares
The Final Villain Of The Series
At one point in the story, many characters (especially the Monarchs) start mentioningAntares, the infamous Monarch of Destruction and the King of Dragons. After so much build-up and speculation, he finally made his on-screen debut in the Final Battle Arc, and he definitely lived up to the hype, especially considering that he’s technically the final antagonist of the entire series.
Antares is not only incredibly powerful on his own, seeing as he’s on the same level as Sung Jinwoo at the end of the series, but he can also control an almost endless army of dragons who can spread death and destruction everywhere they go. He’s an extremely imposing and intimidating villain, and his final fight against Jinwoo may end up becoming one of the most incredible animated battles ever made, as long as A-1 Pictures gives its talented animators enough time and resources to adapt it as faithfully as possible.
7Ashborn
The Original Monarch Of Shadows Holds The Secret To Jinwoo’s Powers
Most ofSolo Leveling’s story is centered on the mystery of the system, as both Jinwoo and the audience are constantly wondering what exactly it is, who created it, and why it was given to him. To make things even worse, defeating the Architect who designed said program left Jinwoo with more questions than answers. Fortunately, the main character finally got to meet the being responsible for everything,Ashborn, after he was temporarily killed by the Monarchs.
Ashborn gives Jinwoo (and the audience) a long-awaited and much-needed explanation about the portals, the monsters, the hunters, and the Monarchs: it turns out he’s the original Monarch of Shadows, and he specifically chose him as both his vessel and successor. His backstory is incredibly interesting and tragic, and his extensive flashback sequence is one of the best moments in the entire narrative. Despite his intimidating and stylish appearance, Ashborn is an honorable and benevolent warrior whose upcoming introduction in the anime will change everything about the story and its main character.
8Sung Suho
The Son Of The Shadow Monarch
After fighting for so many years of his young life, Sung Jinwoo was eventually able to reset the entire universe with the Cup of Reincarnation. In this new timeline, he met once again with Cha Hae-in and lived a long and peaceful life with her.They even had a son namedSung Suho, and his mere existence is enough proof that Jinwoo succeeded in his goal and managed to use his immense powers for good.
In the final chapters of theSolo Levelingmanhwa, readers get to see Suho’s adorable interactions with the shadows that helped raise him, and his close relationship with Beru is particularly touching. Of course, he eventually unlocks magic abilities of his own, which sadly forces Jinwoo to suppress his son’s powers and makes him forget about the shadows so he can grow up as a normal human.
Nevertheless, Suho was eventually able to reawaken his powers when the time was right, which ties into the plot of the sequel series,Solo Leveling: Ragnarok. If everything goes well, A-1 Pictures won’t hesitate to adapt the final chapters of the Epilogue Arc that revolve around Sung Suho to set the stage for a potential anime adaptation ofRagnarok.
