9 most powerful shadows in Solo Leveling, ranked

Shadows in Solo Leveling are supernatural undead creatures that are created from dead hunters or beasts by the Shadow Monarch. As Sung Jinwoo, the protagonist of Solo Leveling, is the Shadow Monarch in the series, most shadows in the series were extracted by him.

Shadows are creatures that show no emotions and are just suited for battle, but as their ranks increase, they start to exhibit characteristics like sadness, joy, and the related. One thing that all shadows share, irrespective of their ranks, is their respect for their creator Sung Jinwoo, the Shadow Monarch.

Sung Jinwoo extracted a lot of shadows such that he had a whole army of them when the series reached its climax. But which of these are the big players in Jinwoo's army?

Disclaimer: This article contains spoilers from the Solo Leveling series. Only the permanent members of the Shadow Army are included in this list.

Bellion, Igris, and 7 of the most powerful shadows in Solo Leveling

9) Tank (Rank: Knight of Sung Jinwoo's Shadow Army)

Originally an alpha Ice Bear, Tank was included in the Shadow Army during the Red Gate dungeon incident. He was one of the magic beasts that Jinwoo faced inside the dungeon where Tank was slain by Igris.

True to his name, Tank boasts immense raw strength and can ram through hordes of enemies dealing damage and disorienting them. He was very useful during the Tokyo S-rank dungeon break and could easily take down the Giants. Tank was also able to one-shot a naga during Ah Jin Guild's first dungeon raid. Being one of the earliest members of the Shadow Army, he stayed loyally by Jinwoo's side through every battle.

8) Kaisel (Rank: Knight of Sung Jinwoo's Shadow Army)

Kaisel as seen in the manhwa (Image via DUBU/Chugong)

Kaisel is the wyvern of the Demon King Baran and one of the strongest shadows in Solo Leveling. He was extracted by Sung Jinwoo after he defeated Kaisel's master. Kaisel is mostly seen being used for transportation purposes because he was not good in combat.

When Jinah, Sung Jinwo's sister, was attacked by magical beasts in her school, the protagonist rushed toward her on Kaisel. He also possesses regenerative abilities that help him survive during battle.

7) Jima (Rank: Elite Knight of Sung Jinwoo's Shadow Army)

Jima as seen in the Solo Leveling manhwa (Image via DUBU/Chugong)

Jima is the shadow of Boss Naga, a species of monsters in Solo Leveling that are a hybrid of humans and snakes. Jima has exceptional growth abilities, which let him grow to a large size and fight enemies.

Just like Kaisel, Jima's body is also not meant for fighting. Despite this, he became an exceptional fighter after he was extracted as a shadow by Sung Jinwoo. He was the key figure during the fight with Legia's giants.

6) Iron (Rank: Elite Knight of Sung Jinwoo's Shadow Army)

Iron as seen in the Solo Leveling manhwa (Image via DUBU/Chugong)

Iron is the shadow of Kim Chul, an A-rank hunter from Korea whom Sung Jinwoo met during the Red Gate Arc. Kim Chul didn't like Sung Jinwoo from the start of their quest and tried to attack him while they were inside the gate. Igris, Sung Jinwoo's shadow, defended his master by killing Kim Chul before he could attack.

As Sung Jinwoo was being overpowered by Baruka, the ice elf, he extracted Kim Chul's shadow and named him Iron. Iron was a heavyweight shadow from the start as he was a great fighter. "Shout of Provocation" is his key ability that provokes his opponents to attack without any thinking.

5) Greed (Rank: General of Sung Jinwoo's Shadow Army)

Greed as seen in the manhwa (Image via DUBU/Chugong)

Greed is the shadow of Hwang Dongsoo, an S-rank hunter and the younger brother of Hwang Dongsuk, who made Sung Jinwoo his target after the latter killed the former's brother during a quest. Dongsoo tried to catch Sung Jinwoo multiple times but was always interrupted by some emergency.

During the International Guild Conference Arc in Solo Leveling, Dongsoo finally cornered Sung Jinwoo, but the tables turned against him as the latter completely overpowered him. Thomas Andre, a hunter, tried to save Dongsoo but Sung Jinwoo listened to no one and killed Dongsoo.

He later extracted his shadow and named him Greed. Greed was one of the strongest fighter shadows of Sung Jinwoo who was able to break out of Ice Monarch's ice prison by just stretching his muscles.

4) Tusk (Rank: General of Sung Jinwoo's Shadow Army)

Tusk as seen in the manhwa (Image via DUBU/Chugong)

Tusk is the shadow of Kargalgan, the boss of the Hunters Guild Gate, and one of the most terrifying villains in Solo Leveling. As a high orc, he gave Sung Jinwoo a tough competition but was killed ultimately and extracted as a shadow named Tusk.

Being a high orc, he could go toe-to-toe with an S-rank hunter. He is an expert in using spells like "Gravitation Magic" and "Hymm Magic." The former magic lets Tusk control gravity while the latter one is a diverse form of magic. He could be considered one of the strongest shadows in Solo Leveling.

3) Igris (Rank: Marshal of Sung Jinwoo's Shadow Army/Ashborn's strongest shadow soldier)

Igris as seen in the manhwa (Image via DUBU/Chugong)

Igris was the boss of the Job Change Quest Dungeon. He was one of the first enemies that gave Jinwoo a hard time fighting, but eventually, he was able to extract Igris as a shadow. Despite being a shadow, Igris believed in the power of education.

Being a Marshal rank of Jinwoo's Shadow Army, Igris had the expertise not many soldiers had. He was a great fighter and his defining ability includes his prowess in using a sword. He was able to hold one of the Monarchs on his own, which shows how worthy he is of his rank.

2) Beru (Rank: Marshal of Sung Jinwoo's Shadow Army)

Beru as seen in the Solo Leveling manhwa (Image via DUBU/Chugong)

Beru is the shadow of Ant King, who appeared during the Jeju Island Arc of Solo Leveling. After a fierce battle with him on Jeju Island, Jinwoo extracted him as a shadow and ordered him to kill any remaining ants on the island.

Being a Marshal of Jinwoo's army, just like Igris, Beru was overpowered in every way possible. He was able to injure the Monarch of Plague pretty easily and had the ability named "Gluttony," which allowed him to absorb the skills of creatures he consumed.

1) Bellion (Rank: Grand Marshal of Sung Jinwoo's Shadow Army/Lieutenant of Ashborn's Shadow Army)

Bellion as seen in the Solo Leveling manhwa (Image via DUBU/Chugong)

Bellion is the latest addition to Sung Jinwoo's Shadow Army. He was the first soldier Ashborn created using his power as the Shadow Monarch and was left in charge of his army after his death. He made his entry during the last couple of episodes alongside the original Shadow Army of Ashborn.

He is regarded as the strongest shadow in Solo Leveling considering how he effortlessly beat Beru in a one-on-one match. His speed was also demonstrated in this fight with Beru, showing how no other shadow could come near his level.

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Edited by Meenakshi Ajith