Was Ashborn a Monarch or Ruler in Solo Leveling? Explained

Modified Mar 23, 2024 00:30 GMT

Was Ashborn a Monarch or Ruler in Solo Leveling? Explained — Ashborn as seen in the Solo Leveling webcomic (Image via Kakao)

While Solo Leveling anime is on a great run, fans might be confused about how Sung Jin-Woo has received his powers. The anime does explain that the powers come from the System. However, where do they originate from? The power's origin is from the King of the Dead, Ashborn.

Ashborn was a warrior who got fed up with the war between Rulers and Monarchs. Hence, he went to the human world to find a suitable human vessel with the help of the Architect. However, what was the true nature of Ashborn? Was he a Monarch or a Ruler? That said, what are Monarchs and Rulers?

Disclaimer: This article contains spoilers from the Solo Leveling webcomic.

Solo Leveling: Who was Ashborn aligned with, the Monarchs or Rulers?

Ashborn as seen in the webcomic (Image via Kakao)

Ashborn was a Shadow Monarch, also known as the strongest Ruler. He sought peace and was looking for a suitable human vessel that could stop the war between the Monarchs and the Rulers.

The Monarchs in Solo Leveling are an ancient race of monsters who seek to wipe out the entire human race. Meanwhile, the Rulers are an ancient race of angelic humanoids who oppose the Monarchs, leading to a never-ending battle between the two.

However, Ashborn was an exception. While initially he was a Ruler, after being on the brink of death, he turned into a Shadow Monarch. Thus, while his true nature was that of an angelic humanoid, he later turned into a shadow warrior.

How did Ashborn turn into a Shadow Monarch in Solo Leveling?

Eons ago, as explained above, Ashborn was a Ruler who fought against the Monarchs at the behest of their god, the Absolute Being. However, later, when his brethren rebelled against the Absolute Being for using them as pawns, Ashborn tried defending the god. Unfortunately, he was defeated and left dead.

As Ashborn believed that it was the end for him, he realized that the Absolute Being had hidden a monstrous power inside him. That power, when activated, transformed Ashborn into a Shadow Monarch.

Sung Jin-Woo as seen in the anime (Image via A-1 Pictures)

Ashborn was prepared to get back into the battle, only to find out that it was too late as the Absolute Being had long perished. After that, Ashborn tried his best to stabilize the power balance between the two races to keep the war going. However, he could no longer control the power struggle and wanted to put an end to it.

Thus, centuries later, when the Monarchs launched an assault on the human world, Ashborn also followed them, albeit out of his own interests. He wished to find a suitable human vessel that could put an end to the world of chaos. Thus, he began his search for a human being with the Architect. Fortunately, he came across a human named Sung Jin-Woo and chose him as his vessel.