Every Monarch in Solo Leveling, Ranked by Power

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Ever wondered what happens when primordial darkness gets split into living nightmares? In Solo Leveling, it births the Monarchs. They are godlike deities created by the Absolute Being to wage eternal war against the Rulers. Armed with reality-warping Spiritual Body Manifestations, they’re capable of slaughtering even the strongest National-Level or S-Rank Hunters like ants. 

While the anime merely hints at their terrifying presence, the manhwa dives into a chaotic web of betrayals and catastrophic clashes. Our article analyzes these primordial kings through cold, canonical evidence, and the exact physical laws governing their strength. 

Let’s rank the ultimate forces of destruction.

Title	Solo Leveling
Creator	Chugong
Manhwa/Webtoon Release Date	Mar 2018 — Dec 2021 (Manhwa)
Anime Release Date	Jan 7, 2024 — present
Production Studio	A-1 Pictures
IMDb Rating (as of May 29, 2026)	8.5/10
Streaming Platform	Crunchyroll

10 Legia (Monarch of the Beginning / King of Giants)

Arc: Japan Crisis Arc / Monarchy War Arc

Legia anchors the absolute bottom of our power scale. Trapped for eons in mana-absorbing chains, he was used by the Rulers to reinforce Earth with mana through a Tokyo S-Rank Gate. When confronted, Legia attempted a clever deception, weaving a truth-telling spell to fake an alliance while noting he lacked an organic body to become a shadow soldier.

However, Jinwoo spotted a hidden essence stone in Legia’s neck that triggered a human-hating bloodlust. Exposed, Legia’s frantic attack was easily dodged, and Jinwoo decapitated him in a single, fatal strike.

9 Rakan (Monarch of Fangs / King of Beasts)

Arc: Monarchs War Arc

Rakan values self-preservation over warrior honor, acting as a tactical opportunist. He is one of the most intelligent beings in the series. His massive werewolf form grants immense physical strength and high-speed regeneration, letting him survive non-lethal wounds effortlessly. He famously overpowers National-Level Hunter Thomas Andre (with the help of Sillad) using brutal melee force.

However, his cowardice is his ultimate undoing. When facing a fully awakened Sung Jinwoo, Rakan completely panics and tries to flee the battlefield. Jinwoo tracks the coward down, shatters his pride, and slices him to ribbons with Kamish’s daggers alongside his massive Shadow Monarch power, proving raw beastly instinct cannot match true shadow authority.

8 Baran (Monarch of White Flames / King of Demons)

Arc: Demon Castle Arc / Ancient War Backstory

Baran commands terrifying lightning-based magic and a colossal army of hellish fiends. However, his placement remains incredibly low due to historically embarrassing defeats. During the ancient war against the Rulers, Baran joined a failed, foolish rebellion against the Ashborn after being manipulated by Antares.

He was subsequently killed by Ashborn, leaving the demon throne entirely vacant. The Baran that Jinwoo fights on the 100th floor of the Demon Castle was actually just a magical system clone generated from Ashborn’s memories. The real, historical Baran was dead long before Chapter 1.

7 Querehsha (Monarch of Plagues / Queen of Insects)

Arc: Monarchs War Arc

Querehsha rules a repulsive, endless swarm of venomous insects and thrives on psychological dread. She possesses high-speed cell regeneration and uses zombie-like parasitic necromancy to turn human corpses into extensions of her hive mind. During her assault on Seoul, she coordinates with Sillad and Rakan to ambush Jinwoo.

However, her horrific abilities are entirely neutralized by Jinwoo’s abnormal resistance to poison and system-status effects. He shrugs off her toxic fluids like water and uses a series of high-impact mutilation skills to completely dismantle her entire hive and execute her.

6 Sillad (Monarch of Frost / King of Snow Folk)

Arc: Monarchs War Arc

Sillad is a cold, highly calculative strategist specializing in high-tier ice manipulation. Unlike his more impulsive peers, he can freeze entire cities and create immense ice golems to pressure his enemies. He plays a key role in orchestrating the deadly ambush that successfully pushes Jinwoo to the brink of death.

Despite his magical prowess, Sillad struggles heavily in close-quarters combat against top-tier opponents. Once Jinwoo fully assimilates Ashborn’s true power, Sillad’s ice barriers shatter like fragile glass. He is utterly crushed by the overwhelming physical might of the true Shadow Monarch.

5 Tarnak (The Iron Body Monarch)

Arc: Final Battle Arc

Tarnak commands monstrous humanoids and utilizes an advanced Iron Body Reinforcement technique, turning his physical frame into a nearly indestructible defensive golem. He possesses incredible close-quarters speed and lethal claw strikes. Despite his absolute confidence, Tarnak lacks tactical versatility.

During the final war arc, Jinwoo deploys ninety percent of his shadow army (nearly 130,000 soldiers) to neutralize him. Trapped in a battle of pure attrition, Tarnak is completely overwhelmed, dogwalked, and shattered by the combined might of Shadow Marshals Bellion and Beru.

4 Yogumunt (Monarch of Transfiguration / King of Demonic Spectres)

Arc: Final Battle Arc

Yogumunt is a master of spatial distortions and reality-altering illusions. Following Baran’s ancient death, Yogumunt became extremely paranoid about his own safety. When Sillad begged him and others for help with the assassination of Jinwoo, Yogumunt refused immediately, as he didn’t want to die as Baran.

He avoids direct skirmishes, preferring to warp space to manipulate the battlefield from the shadows. Yogumunt poses a massive macro-level threat throughout the final war, cementing his position as the most dangerous and capable magic-caster among the secondary Monarchs.

3 Ashborn (Monarch of Shadows / King of the Dead)

Arc: Monarchs War Arc (True Form Reveal)

Ashborn is a legendary powerhouse. Originally, the strongest Ruler created by the Absolute Being, he transformed into the Shadow Monarch after being betrayed by his peers. He wields an enormous, unyielding army of millions of shadow soldiers. Ashborn single-handedly turned the tide of the primordial war, easily slaying Baran and scattering the remaining forces.

His power is so immense that no human host could contain it without a specialized system to gradually prepare their body. He voluntarily steps down only to pass his absolute, reality-breaking mantle to Sung Jinwoo.

2 Antares (Monarch of Destruction / King of Dragons)

Arc: Final Battle Arc

The ultimate calamity and the oldest Monarch born from the cosmic darkness. Antares transforms into a colossal red dragon whose very breath, the Breath of Destruction, disintegrates all matter and erases souls completely. His passive ability, Dragon’s Fear, inflicts psychological paralysis on entire armies.

He possesses unmatched raw physical power, forcing Jinwoo into a losing battle of attrition in their first timeline clash. While immensely powerful, his arrogance allows him to be outmaneuvered, and he is ultimately slain permanently by Jinwoo inside the isolated Dimensional Rift during their 27-year war.

1 Sung Jinwoo (The Shadow Monarch / King of the Dead)

Arc: Eternal Rest Arc / Final Battle Arc

Sung Jinwoo is the undisputed god of Solo Leveling. By completely assimilating Ashborn’s vast cosmic powers (the “System” leveling disappears after that), Jinwoo far surpasses the limits of the original deities. He commands a colossal immortal shadow army, including ancient dragons and elite marshals.

After failing to save Earth in the initial timeline, Jinwoo uses the Cup of Reincarnation. He spends nearly three decades inside the dimensional rift, single-handedly hunting, out-fighting, and erasing the allied Monarch forces, which culminates in his definitive, solo victory over the Dragon King, Antares.

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Solo Leveling (all seasons) is currently streaming on Crunchyroll.