Summary
Within the world ofSolo Leveling, the Shadow Monarch Sung Jin-woo commands one of the most formidable forces in existence—his loyal army of shadows. As Jin-woo rises through the hunter ranks and begins his quest todefeat the monarchs threatening humanity, his shadow soldiers become an indispensable part of his growing strength. Led by elites like Igris and Beru, the shadow army loyally serves their creator, allowing Jin-woo to take on challenges that would be impossible for eventhe top hunters alone. But what exactly are these shadows? Where do they come from, and what abilities do they possess? Let’s delve deeper into these iconic undead beings fromSolo Leveling.
The Origins of Shadows
How the Shadow Monarch Creates His Forces
Shadowsare a unique raceof undead beings that are brought into existence by the Shadow Monarch. When the Shadow Monarch defeats other creatures or humans using his powers, he can perform aprocess called Shadow Extraction. Through this ability, the Shadow Monarch is able to draw out the shadows from the defeated foe.
The memories, skills, and attributes of the original creature or human are retained in their new shadow form. For instance, when Jinwoo defeated Igris, Igris was extracted and reborn as a shadow while still possessing his formidable powers. Contrary to some theories, the shadows do not reside in another dimension. Rather, they are stored within Jinwoo’s own shadow without expending any mana until called upon.
Personality Traits of Shadows
Different Levels of Personality Among the Shadow Ranks
The shadows' personalities differ based on their grade and strength. Normal to Elite-grade shadows have little to no individual personality. Knight and Elite Knight grades can express simple emotions like anxiety or joy. However, General and Marshal grade shadows develop much richer personalities over time. For example, Beru, one of the highest-ranked shadow generals, showed he enjoyed watching Korean period dramas and had developed his own unique speech patterns.
Regardless of their grade level and personal development, all shadows remain fiercely loyalto the Shadow Monarch. This loyalty persists even if a shadow was originally an adversary of the Shadow Monarch in a past life. Their loyalty runs so deep that shadows can override orders on rare occasions if they feel it’s absolutely necessary to protect the Shadow Monarch. Additionally, shadows appear to be able to sense the emotions of the Shadow Monarch. For example, Beru and another shadow were shaken by fear when Jinwoo experienced intense rage on one occasion.
Their loyalty also applies to the Shadow Monarch’s offspring. The shadows, including Igris, Bellion, and Beru, were fond of Sung Suho. Their loyalty seemed to be affected since the son possessed the attributes of his father.
Core Powers and Abilities of Shadows
What Shadow Soldiers Are Capable Of
Shadow soldiers possess a set of basic powers that allow them to effectively serve under the Shadow Monarch. All shadow soldiers have incredible regenerative abilities that make them nearly impossible to kill through normal means. Even taking severe physical damage, like having their bodies torn to shreds, shadow soldiers can completely regenerate their bodies. However,some monarchs have beenshown to be capable of permanently destroying shadow soldiers with their abilities, like how Antares was able to do so with his breath attack.
At higher ranks, like General Grade, shadow soldiers also have the ability to communicate. They are able to talk but can only do so using the monster tongue, which most humans are unable to understand. Another key power is their ability to steadily grow stronger through battle.By killing monsters and gaining experience, shadow soldiers progressively increase in power over time.
The Shadow Monarch is also able to utilize an ability called Shadow Infiltration. At the Monarch’s command, shadow soldiers can hide within the shadows of humans. When doing so, they are effectively anchored to that person and can closely watch and observe everything around them. They also maintain the ability to signal back to the Shadow Monarch even over great distances, allowing them to alert their commander if the host human comes under attack.
Shadow Grades and Ranks
The Hierarchy of the Shadow Army
Shadows are categorized into different grades, which reflect their level of strength and role, and work similarly toclass ranks for hunters. While shadows can level up over time by defeating opponents in battle, they cannot advance to higher grades without approval from the Shadow Monarch. Some powerful shadows may even start at a higher grade right after they are created if they were extracted from an especially formidable being.
Elite Members of the Shadow Forces
Igris
Igris is the shadow knight ofBlood-Red Igris, a powerful knight monster that once loyally served under the former shadow monarch, Ashborn, during his war with the Rulers eons ago. After Ashborn decided to retire and find a human successor, he tasked Igris with testing his successor in battle when the time came. Jinwoo was able to extract Igris using his new Shadow Extraction skill by appealing to Igris' loyal personality. However, he shortened the original name to Igris instead of Blood-Red Commander Igris, which he felt was too long. Though the first major shadow Jinwoo ever extracted, Igris initially played a relatively minor role in the storyline, and his position as Jinwoo’s strongest shadow was eventually surpassed by Beru.
The owner of that throne is long gone, stop guarding an empty seat… how about protecting me, someone who’s standing here before you? Arise.
Beru
Beru is the shadow of the mighty Ant King monster. After Jinwoo killed the Ant King duringthe Jeju Island Arc, he extracted its shadow to add to his army. When Beru displayed the ability to communicate by speaking to Jinwoo and asking for a name, Jinwoo named him Beru and sent him out to wipe out the remains of the ant colony.
Bellion
Bellion isthe strongest shadow in existence, serving as a lieutenant to the powerful Ashborn. He was born eons ago from the fruit of the World Tree, a mystical tree so massive that its branches could blanket the entire sky. Following his birth, Bellion became Ashborn’s right-hand man, a position he has maintained even after Ashborn’s death. Bellion was also the very first shadow soldier to be created from Ashborn’s immense power.
Shortly after the hunter Jinwoo defeated the three monarchs who came after him, Bellion arrived in the human world through a gigantic gate that opened in Seoul. The gate was mistaken by the Korean Hunters Association to be a serious threat requiringall S-Rank huntersto handle. He then proved himself as Ashborn’s Grand Marshal by easily defeating Beru in a sparring match.
Solo Leveling
Cast
A-1 Pictures' Solo Leveling is an anime based on Chugong’s popular web novel. Set in an unforgiving fantasy world where hunters explore dungeons filled with monsters, the vulnerable Sung Jinwoo gains a significant power boost after he is picked to be a solo player by the System.
