A big part of what makes Solo Leveling iconic is Sung Jinwoo’s Shadow Army. The distinct personalities of each soldier keep the readers invested, and it’s what no other rip-off has been able to get right.
But even among the shadows, none have been able to garner the love that Beru, the Ant King has been able to. While he is overwhelmingly powerful, his strength might not be the reason that makes him the fan favorite.
Beru is special
Solo Leveling’s Jeju Island Raid Arc gave fans several epic moments, such as Sung Jinwoo’s fight against the Ant King, him reaching Level 100, and him saving the entire team of Korean hunters from certain death.
But one moment that tops these all is when Jinwoo extracts the shadow of the Ant King.
Beru, as he was named by Jinwoo, was truly a special shadow. Being the ultimate protector of the ant colony, Beru was very strong, being able to go toe-to-toe with some of Solo Leveling’s strongest hunters. His strength only increased after his death.
Beru was Jinwoo’s first General-class Shadow and the only one who could speak.
Pretty soon after being extracted, Beru made quite the impression by being able to blitz past enemies with his speed and destroy them using his monstrous strength. While this strength made him memorable, his developing personality would make him a favorite.
Beru is too relatable and human
Fans were very much familiar with Beru’s strength and needed no introduction to it. But they were truly surprised when they started to notice that Beru was surprisingly human when compared to the other shadows.
While the other shadows were mostly serious and preferred to be quiet even when given the ability to speak, Beru was much more vocal and expressive. Whenever Jinwoo would take down a strong monster, Beru would clap and cheer for him and express how proud he was of his “liege” for being so strong.
He would go as far as stating that he was truly honored to serve Jinwoo. This caused fans joy and they felt as if Beru was representing their own thoughts.
His personality would only continue to get more interesting when he started to watch historical dramas while guarding Jinwoo’s house, leading to him developing an interesting manner of speech.
The dramas had such an influence on him that he would start inculcating historical terms into his words, and this amused fans greatly.
Another trait that made Solo Leveling fans fall in love with Beru is that he would actively hype up Jinwoo and stop him from dealing with weaker enemies saying that “they simply were not worth the time for his liege”.
His ability to go from “all-killing machine” to “Pookie” gave him a tone of personality and is what made fans adore him, and this post by Reddit user “Substantial-End-8994” perfectly describes the ant’s personality and why fans love him:
I love Beru
byu/Substantial-End-8994 insololeveling
It is usually the norm for a powerful character to be particularly known for their strength, but Beru from Solo Leveling defies this norm by becoming a favorite due to his humanity, which not only reflects his fun character but also the amazing writing of the series.
Solo Leveling is available to stream on Crunchyroll.
Beru’s strength becomes even more striking when placed against the scale of the full Monarch roster — here is where Beru and the Shadow Army fit within Solo Leveling’s full Monarch power hierarchy.
Frequently asked questions
Why do Solo Leveling fans love Beru more for his personality than his strength?
Although Beru is one of Sung Jinwoo’s most overwhelmingly powerful shadows, the article argues fans adore him for his expressive, relatable humanity. Unlike the other quiet, serious Shadow Soldiers, Beru is vocal, claps and cheers whenever Jinwoo defeats a strong monster, calls him his "liege," and openly expresses how honored he is to serve, giving him a warmth that stands out across the Shadow Army.
How did Sung Jinwoo obtain Beru in Solo Leveling?
Beru was originally the Ant King, the powerful ultimate protector of the ant colony fought during the Jeju Island Raid Arc. After defeating the Ant King, Jinwoo extracted his shadow and named him Beru. The article notes Beru became Jinwoo’s first General-class shadow and the only one able to speak.
Why does Beru talk in such an unusual, old-fashioned way?
According to the article, Beru began watching historical dramas while guarding Jinwoo’s house, and they influenced him so much that he started working historical and archaic terms into his speech. That quirk, paired with his devotion to his "liege," is part of what made fans find him so endearing.
