In the world of Solo Leveling, the balance of power comes down to an eternal war between two god-like factions: the Rulers and the Monarchs. They were all created by the Absolute Being practically as a form of entertainment, and they killed the Absolute Being as well.
The monarchs are the ultimate villains of the anime and manhwa, and they were strong enough to lead massive armies of monsters and kill most National Level Hunters, who are considered the strongest Hunters in the world of Solo Leveling. Let’s rank the strongest Monarchs based on their strengths and feats.
| 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 22, 2026) | 8.56 / 10 |
10. Legia – The Monarch of the Beginning
Starting from the bottom of the ranking, we have Legia, who is the king of the Giants and the Monarch of the Beginning. Even as the strongest giant in history, he remains the weakest monarch compared to the real monsters. During ancient times, he was captured by the Rulers, which is something that happened only to him, which solidifies his bottom rank. He was also very easily killed by Sung Jinwoo.
However, that doesn’t mean he is weak. One of his primary powers is Pledge of Trust, which allows him to make sure no one lies. He can also create massive gates and is strong enough to have a spiritual body manifestation.
9. Rakan – Monarch of Fangs
Rakan, the King of Beasts, is a wild and aggressive fighter, but his cowardly mindset seriously holds him back. He commands an army of beast-like monsters and uses his monstrous strength to completely overwhelm others. In fact, he easily dealt with Thomas Andre, who is one of the strongest human Hunters on the planet.
Rakan can also transform into a massive, mythological wolf, using spiritual body manifestation. He also has telekinesis like Sung Jinwoo to throw opponents around. However, Rakan’s biggest flaw is that the moment he senses an opponent is stronger than him, he wouldn’t even fight. And actually, there are many characters stronger than him, as we’ll see.
8. Baran – Monarch of White Flames
Baran is the King of Demons and the master of the Hell’s Army, and he’s actually the first monarch that Sung Jinwoo fought. He is a massive, imposing figure who wields a flaming sword and rides a terrifying wyvern named Kaisellin. Baran can use lightning magic, something that even Sung Jinwoo had to suffer a lot against when leveling up.
However, the reason Baran ranks here is mostly because of his history. Back in the ancient war, he confidently tried to betray and attack Ashborn alongside Rakan. That was a huge mistake. Ashborn destroyed Baran’s army and brutally killed him. He also lost to a version of Sung Jinwoo who hadn’t leveled up that much, making him rank this low.
7. Querehsha – Monarch of Plagues
Querehsha, the Queen of Insects, is not a standard fighter like others. She doesn’t rely on swords or blades; instead, she uses deadly venom, mind-controlling parasites, and massive swarms of bugs. She can manipulate the dead by planting parasites in corpses, creating her own twisted version of a zombie army to fight for her, which is a bit like Sung Jinwoo’s Arise.
Querehsha can spit highly toxic poison and dissolve enemies on contact, making her a long-range caster rather than a fighter. She is also incredibly fast and agile, capable of overwhelming powerful shadows like the fan favorite Beru. However, she cannot fight that well on her own, and she is not sturdy enough to take a proper punch, which makes her rank this low.
6. Sillad – Monarch of Frost
Sillad is the King of Snow Folk, resembling an ancient ice elf. He is actually one of the most dangerous villains in the middle tiers of the Monarchs. He can freeze his enemies solid in an instant, create massive ice golems to fight for him, and even cast powerful sleep magic to knock out opponents before they can react (though whether it would work or not depends a lot on the opponent).
Sillad proved his strength by effortlessly fighting Go Gunhee, the Chairman of the Korean Hunters Association. He also put up a genuinely difficult fight against Sung Jinwoo before Jinwoo fully awakened his true powers. He outranks Querehsha and Rakan purely because of his versatility and his lethal area-of-effect ice magic.
5. Tarnak – The Iron Body Monarch
Tarnak is a powerhouse of pure defense and physical durability. As his title suggests, Tarnak’s body is essentially nearly unbreakable. He possesses insane physical strength and a level of durability that makes it nearly impossible for conventional attacks to even scratch him, that is, as long as they are not landed by one of the monarchs.
While he can tackle even the likes of Andre, he still has his own set of limitations. Tarnak doesn’t really have any complex magic that others have, which makes him rank not any higher than this.
4. Yogumunt – The Monarch of Transfiguration
Yogumunt, the King of Demonic Spectres, is a bit of a mystery, but his position in the hierarchy is undeniable. Unlike the other monsters on this list, Yogumunt is a supreme magic caster. And primarily, his magic is being able to make insanely big gates out of nowhere.
The main reason he ranks so high is his status and respect within the Monarch army. Even among his peers, Yogumunt is deeply feared. However, because he strictly refused to fight Sung Jinwoo unless Antares was present, we know he is smart enough to recognize his own limits against the top three.
3. Ashborn – The Monarch of Shadows
This is where the real monsters of this ranking appear. Ashborn is an absolute legend in the Solo Leveling universe. The thing is, he wasn’t born a Monarch. He originally started as the Greatest Fragment of Brilliant Light, meaning, among the rulers, he was the strongest. However, he transformed into the Monarch of Shadows, gaining powers over death itself.
Ashborn has the ability of Shadow Extraction, which enables him to endlessly resurrect his defeated enemies as immortal shadow soldiers. This means he has an infinite army that never gets tired. On top of that, his personal combat stats are off the charts. He soloed multiple Monarchs who tried to betray him and survived without a scratch.
2. Antares – The Monarch of Destruction
Antares is the physical embodiment of destruction, and his power is so ridiculous that even the other Monarchs are absolutely terrified of him. His name itself comes from the brightest star in the Scorpius constellation. The smarter monarchs were constantly waiting for him to arrive before even getting in the proximity of Sung Jinwoo. Antares can transform into a massive red dragon, granting him physical strength that dwarfs anything else in the universe.
His signature move, the Breath of Destruction, can even remove the shadow soldiers from existence. It ignores all defenses, making it a guaranteed one-shot kill if it lands. Antares also possesses Dragon’s Fear, a roar that can paralyze entire armies and shatter the minds of weaker beings. In a pure, one-on-one fight without any outside interference, Antares was completely unstoppable.
1. Sung Jinwoo – The Strongest Monarch in Solo Leveling
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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
Taking the number one spot is Sung Jinwoo, who is the true successor of Ashborn and the absolute strongest being in the Solo Leveling universe. While one can say that he was only able to defeat Antares with the help of Rulers, he actually went back in time and then soloed him. What sets him apart from other strong characters is that he wasn’t always strong, which means he has the instinct and battle intelligence that others don’t have.
Once Jinwoo fully absorbs Ashborn’s Black Heart, he loses all his human limits. He gains total control over a massive army of millions of immortal shadow soldiers. He has insane speed, stealth abilities, and can teleport instantly through the shadows.
| RANK | MONARCH |
| 10 | Legia |
| 9 | Rakan |
| 8 | Baran |
| 7 | Querehsha |
| 6 | Sillad |
| 5 | Tarnak |
| 4 | Yogumunt |
| 3 | Ashborn |
| 2 | Antares |
| 1 | Sung Jinwoo |
So, which monarch’s battle with Sung Jinwoo is your favorite? Let us know in the comments.
Solo Leveling is streaming on Crunchyroll and is available to read on Tapas
