Solo Leveling is one of those rare anime that is stacked with one strong character after another, and that makes the power scaling really interesting. While the monarchs stand above most characters, and when there is a literal god, it makes the scaling skewed as well.
However, what if we only consider the hunters? They are divided into various ranks within the story itself. Let’s rank the hunters in the Solo Leveling anime and manhwa, considering only the strength that is talked about and shown through various feats. Let’s dive in.
| TITLE | Solo Leveling |
| AUTHORS | Chugong (Story), Jang, Sung-rak (Art) |
| RELEASE DATE | Mar 4, 2018 to May 31, 2023 |
| WHERE TO READ | Tapas |
| MAL RATING (as of July 20, 2026) | 8.56 / 10 |
10. Goto Ryuji Is Strong but Arrogant
Goto Ryuji is Japan’s strongest hunter, which makes him a pretty big deal in the story. He was hyped up ever since he was introduced. He is a fighter-class hunter, which means he focuses more on fighting using his hands than on any kind of magic.
However, as strong as he is, he is simply not strong enough. He was killed like it was nothing by the hands of Beru, and we didn’t want to see him do anything more than that. All his strength comes from his position as one of the strongest hunters in Asia. He was also arrogant, as he quickly assumed that Beru was referring to him as “king”, meaning he probably had overconfidence in his strength and title, which led to him being stuck.
9. Cha Hae-In Is a Young Genius
The way Solo Leveling treats its female characters is considered better than Dragon Ball itself, which is perhaps the face of battle fantasy anime. And the perfect example of that is Cha Hae-In, who earns her spot in this ranking through pure talent. She became an S-Rank hunter younger than almost anyone else in Korea, and her sword skills are on a completely different level from most humans in the anime.
She was also able to fight off Igris, one of the strongest soldiers of Sung Jinwoo, and only lost to Beru. She can also sense the mana or powers of other hunters, which is another unique ability of hers. However, she ranks low because her power levels are limited to Korea itself.
8. Lennart Niermann Ranks 12th in the World
Lennart Niermann is the strongest hunter from Germany. However, he also suffers from the same problems as those below him in this ranking. We simply never got to see much about him to ascertain his strength. he did jump into the battle against Rakan, who is one of the strongest Monarchs, but he didn’t fight him because he is smart.
Speaking of smart, he was smart enough to seek Sung Jinwoo’s help, realizing how weak he himself was. He was also present during the final battle arc. He ranks this low in the ranking because he simply doesn’t have any feats, even if he is considered one of the strongest.
7. Go Gunhee Is Held Back by His Old Age
After Gunhee awakened as a hunter, he quickly became one of the strongest in Korea. However, since he is old, his own body cannot handle his strength, and he has retired from actually taking part in fights.
Gunhee was still able to hold off Sillad in a brutal fight to buy time, proving his immense strength. Even though Jinwoo arrived just moments too late to save him, Gunhee went out like a true hero. Since he doesn’t have any more feats than this, he ranks quite low on this ranking. Maybe if he were still young, he would’ve ranked higher.
6. Siddharth Bachchan Is Where the National Ceiling Starts
This is where things get serious. Siddharth Bachchan is India’s strongest hunter and one of the five original National Level Hunters, ranked 4th in the world. He’s genuinely one of the most mysterious characters in the whole story since he barely appears.
However, what we do know is that he’s a fighter-type hunter, since there are no healers among the National Level Hunters, and he played a key role in taking down the dragon Kamish, one of the deadliest S-Rank threats in the story. He might be underexplored, but his placement on this list is where the “casual S-Rank” hunters officially end, and the national-tier hunters begin.
5. Christopher Reed Never Got His Chance to Shine
Christopher Reed is another National Level Hunter, and he ranks third in the entire world. That alone is enough to bump him up in this ranking, as his strength is already dictated by his mana levels.
He is also a vessel of a Ruler. However, what he is actually capable of doing was never shown in the manhwa, and he hasn’t even appeared in the anime yet, which makes it hard to compare him with others. What we do know is that he can use Fire Magic and Ruler’s Authority, which allows him to move things using his mind, and he has his own Spiritual Body Manifestation, which turns him into a one-eyed monster with flames around him.
4. Liu Zhigang, the Strongest Chinese Hunter
Liu Zhigang is China’s National Level Hunter, and he’s consistently portrayed as calm, composed, and ridiculously powerful whenever he actually gets into a fight. He also ranks second in the entire world. During the end of the Jeju Island arc, he was able to wipe out thousands of flying ant monsters with a single strike. He was also fully prepared to assist during the Japan Crisis arc, but the Japanese government’s pride kept him on the sidelines, forcing Jinwoo to handle the giant monsters alone.
He’s shown more in the story than Reed, which helps him rank higher, and he’s respected enough by the other National Level Hunters that his opinion on strength and character actually carries weight in-universe. He’s one of the more level-headed characters on this list, someone who takes his responsibility seriously instead of chasing recognition.
3. Thomas Andre – The Strongest American Hunter
Officially speaking, Thomas Andre is the strongest human on paper, as he is the top-ranked hunter. He is also a vessel for Ruler and has his own spirit body manifestation. Furthermore, he can also increase his size to the point that he can become as large as a giant. And you may have guessed this, but he is a tanker rather than a fighter.
Thomas has an ability that allows him to pull objects towards himself, and according to Jinwoo himself, this attack is so powerful that he would’ve been sucked in if he hadn’t used Ruler’s Authority on himself. However, there are still humans who surpass him in strength.
2. Sung Il-Hwan Survived Two Monarchs
Now, this is an unexpected character that many fans may have ignored. He is also a vessel for a Ruler and is said to be stronger than Andre himself. The reason that people don’t know him is that he wasn’t in the human world for a long time. However, a mortal body can only handle so much divine power. He willingly sacrificed his own life by drawing out the full power of a Ruler to protect Jinwoo while he was frozen in slumber, turning to ash shortly after his son awoke to defeat the monarchs.
As for his abilities, immense strength goes without saying. But he also has immense speed, and he was agile enough to dodge both Sillad and Rakan at the same time. He also has stealth ability, which is one of the best in the verse.
1. Sung Jinwoo Is the Strongest Solo Leveling Character
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Credit: D&C Media -
Credit: D&C Media -
Credit: D&C Media
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Credit: D&C Media -
Credit: D&C Media -
Credit: D&C Media
Well, what did you expect? Sung Jinwoo may be a monarch, but before that, he is a human and a hunter. By himself, his strength is matched by only the strongest of the monarchs coming together, and even then, he came out victorious. Immense strength, speed, durability, combat mastery, immortality, umbrakinesis- he has them all.
And if his own strength isn’t enough, he can literally revive his opponents and turn them into his soldiers to fight for him. In most fights, he doesn’t even move a finger, as his soldiers are enough to do the lifting.
| RANK | HUNTER |
| 10 | Goto Ryuji |
| 9 | Cha Hae-In |
| 8 | Lennart Niermann |
| 7 | Go Gunhee |
| 6 | Siddharth Bachchan |
| 5 | Christopher Reed |
| 4 | Liu Zhigang |
| 3 | Thomas Andre |
| 2 | Sung Il-Hwan |
| 1 | Sung Jinwoo |
Which hunter is your favorite? Let us know in the comments.
Solo Leveling is streaming on Crunchyroll and is available to read on Tapas
