Who is the current Shadow Monarch in Solo Leveling? Explained

The current Shadow Monarch is one of the most prominent Solo Leveling elements in the series and one that probably defined the conclusion of the story as well. It is something that is shown from the moment when Ashborn, the current Shadow Monarch, makes his debut, thus establishing himself as the absolute top of power in the entire manhwa.

However, the role of the current Shadow Monarch is not just defined by Ashborn and is a power that can be passed from the user to someone else, which is developed throughout the Solo Leveling series. Furthermore, this title has a very significant role in the story when it comes to the battle between the Monarchs and the Rulers, and also ends up highlighting the value of humanity in this particular conflict.

Disclaimer: This article contains spoilers for the series. Any opinion expressed here belongs to the author and not Sportskeeda.

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Explaining who the current Shadow Monarch is in the Solo Leveling series

The current Shadow Monarch, at least when it comes to the anime adaptation by A-1 Pictures, is Ashborn, who was created by the Absolute Being as a way to keep the Rulers and Monarchs at bay if their "game" went out of hand. Ashborn's Shadow Monarch status makes him the strongest among the two sides, which is why these beings never truly trusted him and wanted to keep him outside of the brawl.

It is also worth pointing out that Ashborn, unlike the vast majority of the Monarchs and Rulers, did have a strong belief in humanity and that is why he eventually reached out to them. That is how he met Sung Jinwoo, the protagonist of the series, and agreed to form an alliance to stop the impending conflict that was taking place in the story.

In this way, at the end of the story, Jinwoo becomes the current Shadow Monarch and the most powerful character in the entire franchise, thus cementing his progress throughout the series. It was thanks to his status as the Shadow Monarch that he had the power to end the battle between the Rulers and the Monarchs.

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The conflict between the Rulers and the Monarchs

Some of the most prominent Monarchs in the series (Image via D&C Media).

The role of the current Shadow Monarch is closely connected to the millennia-long discord between the Monarchs and the Rulers, which is the most prominent one throughout the Solo Leveling series. They were initially created by the Absolute Being, the creator of everything, as his source of entertainment but they eventually found out about that revelation and decided to destroy said entity.

It was through these actions that the conflict escalated greatly, with the Rulers sometimes having an upper hand. But it was mostly the Monarchs who were dominating the war. It was also the time period where Ashborn was involved, although he was eventually betrayed by his allies because they feared his powers.

All of this led to the Rulers opening the gates to the human world, thus resulting in the birth of Hunters and Dungeon Raids. That is how Sung Jinwoo became a Hunter and eventually joined the System, effectively becoming an anomaly among humans and turning into the current Shadow Monarch.

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Final thoughts

The current Shadow Monarch in the anime adaptation by A-1 Pictures is Ashborn, but at the end of the manhwa, Sung Jinwoo took that mantle. This role was created by the Absolute Being as a way to keep the Monarchs and Rulers at bay, which is something that is required by the time the former is killed.

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