Highlights
- Monarchs in
Solo Leveling
were underestimated; some fell short of potential in face of Sung Jin-Woo’s power. - Tarnak, Yogumunt, Baran, Querehsha, Rakan, and Legia showcase unique traits and powers.
- Sung Jin-Woo’s strategy and strength allow him to defeat each Monarch, understating their true power.
The Solo Leveling series has portrayed many villains who stand against Sung Jin-Woo and his goals. At the helm of these villains sit the Monarchs, who serve as the primary antagonists of the series.
Due to how they were inserted into the story, Sung Jin-Woo and his allies made short work of more than a few of them. As Monarchs possess power far beyond that of any S-rank hunter in Solo Leveling, many fans believe that many of the Monarchs did not live up to their full potential before they were ousted from the story. While this led to many Monarchs being underrated, some were more underrated than the rest.
6 Tarnak, King Of Monstrous Humanoids
Monarch Of Iron Body
Of all the Monarchs, Tarnak looked the most similar to humans; yet his hate and disdain for them ran bone deep. Immediately after Tarnak heard that a human had become the new Shadow Monarch, he was visibly disgusted. However, even with his pride and disdain toward humans, Tarnak knew better than to challenge Ashborn’s successor without Antares.
When Sillard asked the other Monarchs for help in killing Sung Jin-Woo, Tarnak backed out. However, once Antares was available to attack Sung Jin-Woo and the human world, Tarnak took Antares’ side, manifesting on Earth. The combined efforts of Thomas Andre, Beru, and Bellion ultimately killed him.
5 Yogumunt, King Of Demonic Specters
Monarch Of Transfiguration
The Monarch of Transfiguration shared Tarnak’s contempt for humanity and his view of humanity as a lower-class race. Yogumunt, despite his hatred of humanity, stays out of Sillard’s plot to attack Sung Jin-Woo, citing a fear of meeting the same end as Baran, the White Flames Monarch, as his justification.
Even though Yogumunt didn’t see much of the spotlight during the series, he gets the title of “Greatest Sorcerer in the Chaos World” in the Solo Leveling light novel, which reveals how esteemed his magic abilities are. Standing by Antares’ side while he conjured the Dragon army through massive portals was Yogumunt’s demonstration of power. Sung Jin-Woo utilized the Cup of Reincarnation to hunt down each Monarch in turn, eventually killing Yogumut, even though the plot had failed.
4 Baran, King Of Demons
Monarch Of White Flames
Of the Monarchs in the Solo Leveling series, Baran is often called the weakest because Sung Jin-Woo defeated him before he even obtained Ashborn’s powers. In truth, the Baran that Sung Jin-Woo defeated was a copy made by the Architect to serve as the final boss of the demon’s castle. As a copy, that version of Baran was nowhere as powerful as the actual Monarch of White Flames.
In the past, as Antares discovered that Ashborn was becoming stronger and stronger, he had Baran and Rakan go to kill him. While the duo ultimately failed, with this arrangement, Baran is suspected to be at least on the level of Rakan. During the battle against Ashborn, Baran was unable to get away and was brutally killed by Ashborn.
3 Querehsha, Queen Of Insects
Monarch Of Plague
It is thought that all monarchs, including Querehsha, are much stronger than S-rank hunters, demonstrating the power discrepancy between them. Querehsha, Rakan, and Sillard form an alliance to take on Sung Jin-Woo. The hunter orders Beru to stall Querehsha, but the Queen of Insects proved to Beru she deserves her title as queen.
As a very powerful familiar, Beru managed to put up a fight; however, Querehsha easily restrained him with her bare hands. Additionally, as Jinwoo severed her in two, Querehsha immediately rebuilt her body, demonstrating her incredible strength. Also, she had the same ability as Jinwoo—some sort of necromancy—allowing her to manipulate the dead through parasites.
2 Rakan, King Of Beasts
Monarch Of Fangs
Among the other Monarchs depicted in the show, Rakan, who was Monarch of Fangs, stood out for the skills and personality traits he exhibited. Sadly for Rakan, Sung Jin-Woo only showed off most of his powers once he had fully absorbed Ashborn’s strength. As a former Ruler and one of the most powerful Monarchs, Sung Jin-Woo having Ashborn’s abilities led to him beating down Rakan, making many see him as weak.
While Sung Jin-Woo easily disposed of Rakan after obtaining the entirety of Ashborn’s abilities, Rakan was by no means weak. Prior to Sung Jin-Woo’s re-awakening, Rakan almost killed the hunter. Moreover, when S-rank hunter Baek Yoonho came across Rakan, his natural instincts sensed that he was inferior and no match for the Monarch. As a hunter who can transform into a beast, this feeling was an evolutionary one., and his instincts were likeyl correct.
1 Legia, King Of Giants
Monarch Of The Beginning
After the Rulers destroyed the Absolute Being, they captured Legia, offsetting the balance between the Rulers and the Monarchs before Ashborn joined the Monarchs. Interestingly, thousands of years later, the Rulers still imprisoned Legia but finally gave him a chance to regain his freedom. This chance was given to him in the form of an S-rank gate, in which he was the last boss.
Unfortunately for the giant, he came across Sung Jin-Woo, who saw through his plans and killed him. Interestingly, even with his chains, Legia was able to cast spells binding both him and Sung Jin-Woo, preventing either of them from lying. Just from seeing his stature and size, the Monarch of the Beginning is believed to have been extremely gifted, especially in terms of physical abilities. If the King of Giants were unleashed, it is believed that he would easily rank among the top Monarchs.