Highlights
- S-Rank hunters in Solo Leveling possess superhuman abilities, with the S-Rank being the strongest and most prestigious level in the series.
- Each S-Rank Hunter, like Atsushi and Baek Yoonho, has unique traits and abilities that make them stand out in the world of Solo Leveling.
- The power system in Solo Leveling revolves around the international S-E ranking, with S-Rank hunters like Cha Hae-In demonstrating impressive skills.
Solo Leveling, as a manhwa, stands out for many different reasons. However, the power system woven into the series’s story is memorable. The Hunters emerged from humans who had gone through awakening and, as such, gained superhuman abilities and powers.
The international S-E ranking was created to gauge the level of these awakeners. With the S-Rank being the strongest and the E-Rank being the weakest, the hunter occupation became the world’s most prestigious occupation in the series. In terms of power, the S-Rank far outclasses every other rank, and as such, they are scarce individuals recognized by their nations. So, here is a cursory look at every S-Rank Hunter in the Solo Leveling manhwa.
15 Atsushi Kumamoto
Hunter Class: Fighter
- Manhwa Debut: Chapter 90
- Guild: Draw Sword Guild
- Strongest Ability: Berserker State
A member of the Draw Sword Guild, Atsushi is a Japanese national and one of the eleven S-Rank Hunters who are members of the Japanese guild. Showcased with long and messy hair and an eye patch, Atsushi exudes a demeanor of considerable power.
However, all of that is entirely false as he is shown to be more of a coward who would instead opt to face the weakest of opponents, and while doing so, he is not opposed to underhanded methods. Despite his cowardice, Atsushi is an S-Rank Hunter acknowledged by Goto Ryuji, a feat that is a testament to his abilities. His most notable skill is the Berseker State, which causes his rationality once used.
14 Baek Yoonho
Hunter Class: Fighter
- Manhwa Debut: Chapter 47
- Guild: White Tiger Guild
- Strongest Ability: Transformation
The Guildmaster of the White Tiger Guild, Baek Yoonho, is a Korean S-Rank hunter specializing in transformation magic. Portrayed as stoic and ambitious, Yoonho shows excellent attention to the situations of his guild members, as was highlighted by his encounter with Hwang Dongsoo.
Noted to be perceptive, Yoonho is one of the first characters to grasp the potential limitlessness of Jin-Woo’s powers. While being an S-Rank, Yoonho is noticeably on the weaker side of the S-Rank Hunters regarding power. His most notable abilities include Transformation and Eyes of The Beast.
13 Cha Hae-In
Hunter Class: Fighter
- Manhwa Debut: Chapter 65
- Guild: Hunters Guild
- Strongest Ability: Sword Of Light
In the revised timeline, Cha Hae In, the wife of Jin-Woo, is a Korean S-Rank hunter and vice-guild master of the Hunter’s Guild. Depicted to be socially awkward outside her duties as a Hunter, Cha Hae-In is rather very attentive and caring about the lives of those around her. Except for Jin-Woo and Go Gun-Hee, Hae-In is easily Korea’s strongest hunter, and it is even inferred she and the latter may very well be on the same level of power.
Her most notable contribution to the series comes in the Jeju Island Raid Arc, with the Ant King immediately recognizing her threat level. Hae-In has various skills like mana smell, sword dance, sword of light, and quake of provocation. Her masterful use of her abilities earned the title The Dancer.
12 Lim Tae-Gyu
Hunter Class: Ranger
- Manhwa Debut: Chapter 76
- Guild: Fiend Guild
- Strongest Ability: Arrow Mastery
The guild master of the Fiend Guild, Lim Tae-Gyu, is another of Korea’s S-Rank Hunters and its only ranger-type S-Rank. Specializing in archery magic, Tae-Gyu is depicted as somewhat unconfident in his abilities, but this is not to say he is weak, as that is not the case. As a simple individual, he is happy to do his job when called upon, as was the case on Jeju Island.
However, despite being a wealthy hunter, he is rather tight-fisted with his riches. He prioritizes the safety of his valuable assets over anything else, as he did with Lee Minsung during the Jeju Island Raid.
11 Min Byung-Gyu
Hunter Class: Healer
- Manhwa Debut: Chapter 88
- Guild: N/A
- Strongest Ability: Healing Magic
Min Byung-Gyu was one of the very few hunters who genuinely hated his occupation due to the trauma he suffered over the death of his friend and fellow hunter, Eunseok. Being compassionate and friendly, Byung-Gyu had a severe disdain for violence despite being a hunter.
Following the harrowing death of his friend during one of the Jeju Island expeditions, Byung-Gyu decided to retire early and try other career paths. As an S-Rank healer, Byung-Gyu was one of the series’ most potent healer hunters, but after changing his mind about joining the Jeju Island Raid, Byung-Gyu dies at the hands of the Ant King.
10 Goto Ryuji
Hunter Class: Fighter
- Manhwa Debut: Chapter 85
- Guild: Draw Sword Guild
- Strongest Ability: N/A
Japan’s strongest hunter and the guild master of the Draw Sword Guild, Goto Ryuji, appears at first as calm and reserved. However, beneath his collected exterior lies a cold, arrogant, and overconfident individual who is incapable of accepting there is an individual capable of being stronger than him.
Goto displays a cold disregard for human life as he shows no care or emotion after discovering the corpses of his guild members during the fourth Jeju Island Raid. His arrogance ultimately became his hubris following his face-off against the Ant King, as he did not want to admit that he was outclassed until right at the end, leading to the desecration of his guild.
9 Kanae Tawata
Hunter Class: Fighter
- Manhwa Debut: Chapter 90
- Guild: Draw Sword Guild
- Strongest Ability: N/A
Kanae Tawata is one of Japan’s S-Rank hunters and a Draw Sword Guild member. Presented as having a serious attitude, Kanae cares a lot about the well-being of her teammates and guild members.
She is also quite hot-headed, leading to irrational decisions sometimes, as was shown when she lost her temper against fellow teammate Hoshino, who wouldn’t stop panicking about how doomed they were against the Ant King. Kanae is one of the few members of the Draw Sword Guild who survived the Jeju Island Raid and had to take up the guild’s recovery.
8 Kei
Hunter Class: Mage
- Manhwa Debut: Chapter 90
- Guild: Draw Sword Guild
- Strongest Ability: Mana Smell
One of the eleven S-Rank hunters who are members of the Draw Sword Guild, Kei is a mage hunter specializing in ice magic.
A young man with few words, Kei disliked being around other hunters if he could help it due to his extreme sensitivity to mana through his nose. Always wearing a nose mask, Kei was shy but very competitive. Part of the raid on Jeju Island, Kei teamed up with Ippei, but the pair ended up dying to the Ant King.
7 Kenzo Tanaka
Hunter Class: Fighter
- Manhwa Debut: Chapter 90
- Guild: Drw Sword Guild
- Strongest Ability: Enhanced Strength
Conspicuous due to a huge cross-shaped scar across his face, Kenzo is a Japanese S-Rank hunter and a part of the Draw Sword Guild. Kenzo enjoyed combat and had somewhat of a berserker personality, as he would always go off on his raid during raids and did the same during the Jeju Island Raid.
He, however, had a good relationship with Akari, the guild’s healer who would always heal him whenever he got injured in battle. Asking to be healed again during the Jeju raid, both Akari and Kenzo lose their lives to the Ant King before either can blink.
6 Minoru Hoshino
Hunter Class: Fighter
- Manhwa Debut: Chapter 90
- Guild: Draw Sword Guild
- Strongest Ability: Enhanced Strength
Hoshino, another Japanese S-Rank hunter and a member of the Draw Sword Guild, is a relatively confident hunter. He appeared to be very friendly with his guild teammates and colleagues and cared very much about them; this was displayed by how horrified and distraught he was after discovering the corpses of his fellow guild members.
Having to watch his guild master, Goto, get effortlessly murdered by the Ant King. Hoshino was also one of the few hunters who made it out of Jeju Island in one piece after Jin-Woo defeated the Ant King.
5 Hwang Dongsoo
Hunter Class: Fighter
- Manhwa Debut: Chapter 24
- Guild: Scavenger Guild
- Strongest Ability: Enhanced Strength
The murderous Korean-American S-Rank hunter, Hwang Dongsoo, is the brother of Hwang Dongsuk, whom Jin-Woo killed at the beginning of the story. A member of the Scavenger Guild, Dongsoo is a selfish and bloodthirsty individual who, like his brother, shows an apathetic disregard for human life.
A trait fueled by arrogance and overconfidence in his abilities as an S-Rank hunter, even in the face of hunters he knows to be stronger than him. However, despite his blatant disregard, Dongsoo respects authority and power, as shown by how he relates with his guildmaster, Thomas Andre.
4 Jay Mills
Hunter Class: Tanker
- Manhwa Debut: Chapter 169
- Guild: N/A
- Strongest Ability: N/A
Canada’s strongest hunter and ranked 17th in the world, Jay Mills shared more than a few similarities to Goto Ryuji, in that both are incredibly arrogant and boastful individuals, with the difference between them being that Jay was quite open and expressive in his arrogance.
More than his arrogance, Mills lacked a sense of respect and was a man of poor judgment, a trait which eventually cost him his life. He openly disregarded Jin-Woo’s warning of Antares’s invasion and ultimately ended up dying at the hands of the Monarch of Destruction.
3 Reiji Sugimoto
Hunter Class: N/A
- Manhwa Debut: Chapter 94
- Guild: Draw Sword Guild
- Strongest Ability: N/A
Reiji is a Japanese S-Rank hunter and the current guildmaster of the Draw Sword following the death of Goto Ryuji. Reiji is a proud and confident individual who takes pride in the status of his guild and is a firm believer in the deceased Goto, believing that no one could ever match his boss in strength.
He is one of the few S-Rank hunters who did not participate in the Jeju Island raid, as he assisted his guild from a distance. Being the most rational and capable of the surviving guild members, Reiji took up the recovery and stabilization of the Draw Sword Guild to avoid the guild losing face in Japan.
2 Yuri Orloff
Hunter Class: Mage
- Manhwa Debut: Chapter 123
- Guild: N/A
- Strongest Ability: Barrier Magic
Russia’s most powerful hunter, Yuri Orloff, is an S-Rank mage hunter specializing in support magic, specifically barrier spells. Due to his specialization, Orloff relies much more on defense, so he is not a fighter. However, he is still arrogant and overconfident and believes unusually in his capabilities, giving him quite the ego.
More than his narcissism, Orloff is very manipulative and cunning, as shown through his dealing with the Japanese government when he offered to help them contain the S-Rank gate that appeared in Tokyo on the condition that he be paid ten million dollars daily. However, Orloff is keenly aware of his limitations and readily admits that there are more capable hunters than himself.
1 Lennart Niermann
Hunter Class: Fighter
- Manhwa Debut: Chapter 142
- Guild: Richter Guild
- Strongest Ability: Charge
Lennart Niermann is Germany’s strongest hunter and is ranked 12th in the world rankings. Unlike most powerful hunters, Lennart is patient and polite even to people he doesn’t know. More than being courteous, Lennart possesses good judgment and is also very selfless, as he is ready to risk his life to save Thomas Andre from the Beast Monarch.
Being the only hunter who took Jin-Woo’s warning of the monarchs, Lennart quickly deduced that only Jin-Woo could be of any real help if his warning came to pass and was quick to seek him out by going to Korea. However, Lennart’s most notable contribution to the series is his aid of Thomas Andre in the battle against Rakan, the Beast Monarch.