In Solo Leveling, there are certainly a few elements that keep the series surrounded in mystery. Monarchs are a good example of this. In the webtoon, there are many interesting events that involve the Monarchs. In the anime, we can already see different monarchs in action. which raises the question Who are the Monarchs in Solo Leveling?

Many of us fans who are in the initial chapter of the webtoon or anime are curious about what the new class, Sung Jin-woo, has. What does it mean by Shadow monarch? If you are one of those fans and are still unsure about the Monarchs, don’t worry! This blog will clarify everything for you.

We’ll also rank all of the Monarchs from the weakest to the strongest. We will also discuss when exactly they appeared in the series and what role they have in the progression of the plot. But before all that, let’s start from the basics and clearly understand who exactly these Monarchs are, and why they’re so critical to the story of Solo Leveling.

Who Are the Monarchs?

The appearance of the Monarchs completely changed the power dynamics in the Solo-leveling universes. At first, we were following Sung Jin-Woo’s leveling up through gates and dungeons. But once the Monarchs show up, everything escalates to a god-tier fight where an S-rank is just a joke.

The Monarchs are ancient beings born from chaos, each one representing a destructive force like plagues, frost, beasts, shadows, etc. There are a total of 9 monarchs shown in the series. They’re currently in an eternal war with the Rulers. For short, Monarchs are evil beings, and rulers are not evil. And Earth is just a battlefield for their fight.

Unlike regular monsters, the Monarchs have insane strength, their own armies, and bigger plans. At first, they remained hidden, but once Sung Jin-Woo unlocked his Shadow Monarch powers, they started to show interest in him. Now let’s rank all the monarchs with respect to their strength.

All Monarchs Ranked by Strength (Weakest to Strongest)

10 – Yogumunt (Monarch of Transfiguration)

Yogumunt, the Monarch of Transfiguration and King of Demonic Spectres, officially appears in Chapter 111 of Solo Leveling. Out of all the Monarchs, Yogumunt is arguably the most low-profile in terms of combat presence. He is shown as sneaky and manipulative.

Yogumunt’s specialty lies in transfiguration magic. That includes warping and reshaping things, such as bodies, environments, and even the souls of others. We don’t have a lot to talk about Yogumunt, as he had very little screen time. Also, the full extent of his powers isn’t deeply explored in the series. During the final invasion of Earth, he was with Antares and fought with Sung Jin Woo.

Is the 10th Position Justified for Yogumunt?

Yes—easily. Yogumunt might’ve been crafty and loyal, but when it comes to actual combat power, he is just weak. This can be concluded by the fact that Sung Jin Woo easily defeated him without breaking a sweat. His role is more about support and manipulation rather than direct confrontation. And compared to giants like Antares, Ashborn, or even Baran, Yogumunt lags behind a lot in fighting power. So, placing him at #10 is totally fair.

9 – Legia (Monarch of the Beginning)

Legia, known as the Monarch of the Beginning and King of Giants, first appears in Chapter 137 of the Solo Leveling webtoon. In the past, after the death of the Absolute being, Legia was captured by the Rulers. He was then restrained with mana-absorbing chains. An essence stone was implanted in the back of his neck by the Rulers, inducing an intense bloodlust towards humans. Legia was used as a guinea pig to supply the Earth with mana and strengthen the people of Earth.

In the Japan Crisis Arc, the Rulers created an S-Rank Gate in Tokyo, in which Legia was restrained. Sung Jin-Woo confronted him at this gate. Initially, Legia tried to deceive Sung Jin Woo, but Jin Woo found out that he was not on the human’s side, so he killed Legia. With this, he cleared the hidden boss of the Tokyo S-Rank Gate.

Is the 9th Position Justified for Legia?

Considering the hierarchy of Monarchs in Solo Leveling, placing Legia at the 9th position appears appropriate. Although he possessed significant strength, he was captured by the Rulers and used as a pawn. Also, we didn’t see any of his strength in the series. He was just beheaded by Sung Jin Woo without any resistance. Therefore, ranking Legia as the weakest among the Monarchs seems reasonable.

8 – Querehsha (Monarch of Plagues)

Querehsha, the Monarch of Plagues and Queen of Insects, makes her debut in Chapter 144 of Solo Leveling. She was one of the three monarchs who attacked Jin Woo before he got his heart of Asborn. She is referred to as the Monarch of Plagues. As her name suggests, her powers revolve around decay, disease, and death. She is a dangerous monarch in terms of indirect, widespread damage.

Is 8th Position Justified for Querehsha?

Yeah, 8th place makes sense for her. Although she is not as weak as the previous monarchs discussed in the list, she is not strong either compared to the other monarchs. While her powers are horrifying and extremely effective in large-scale conflict, close combat is not her forte. Plus, she was pushed around by one of Sung Jin Woo’s subordinates, Beru. That said, she’s definitely more dangerous than Rakan or Legia because of how wide-reaching her abilities are. So, placing her at #8 feels just right.

7 – Rakan (Monarch of Fangs)

Rakan, the Monarch of Fangs and King of Beasts, officially enters the scene in Chapter 144 of Solo Leveling. Similar to Querehsha, Rakan was part of three three-Monarch assault on Sung Jin Woo. He has a monstrous physique, beast-like traits, and a jungle hunter type design. He is more of a hand-to-hand fighter type guy who uses his brute strength, speed, and pure savagery.

Is the 7th Position Justified for Rakan?

Unlike Querehsha, Rakan was actually able to fight with Sung Jin Woo. He even completely overwhelmed Thomas Andre, who was the strongest human on earth. Then again, he is just about brute force. Rakan is physically stronger than the Monarchs below him, but he doesn’t have any magical attacks. So ranking him at #7 feels spot-on. Stronger than most, but not nearly enough to break into the top-tier threats.

6 – Sillad (Monarch of Frost)

Sillad, the Monarch of Frost and King of Snow Folk, makes his first appearance in Chapter 144 of Solo Leveling. He was one of the three Monarchs who ambushed Sung Jin-Woo before he inherited Ashborn’s heart. As his title suggests, Sillad uses ice and frost magic, allowing him to freeze his surroundings.

He is also responsible for the death of Go Gunhee, the chairman of the Korean Hunters Association and vessel of a Ruler. He tried to eliminate Jin-Woo before the Shadow Monarch fully awakened, but failed miserably and was killed by Sung Jin-Woo soon after.

Is the 6th Position Justified for Sillad?

Yes, 6th place is pretty fair for Sillad. He’s definitely stronger and more impactful than Querehsha or Rakan. He also has a versatile use of magic. But in terms of overall threat, he just doesn’t hit the level of Baran or Antares. Once Jin-Woo awakens, Sillad becomes outclassed almost immediately, and he gets killed without any effort. So, placing him at #6 feels spot-on.

5 – Tarnak (Monarch of the Iron Body)

Tarnak, the Monarch of the Iron Body and King of Monstrous Humanoids, appears in Chapter 166 of Solo Leveling. He is one of the last Monarchs to be introduced in the series and joins the battlefield during the final Monarch invasion of Earth. Tarnak is known for his nearly indestructible body. Unlike the other Monarchs who rely on magic or manipulation, He is more like a brute strength fighter.

He was very inactive in the series and waited for Antares to join the battlefield. He also didn’t participate in the assassination of Christopher Reed or other rulers’ vassals. But when the final battle started, he sided with Antares.

Is the 5th Position Justified for Tarnak?

Yeah, 5th spot feels right for Tarnak. He is definitely stronger than Monarchs like Rakan, Querehsha, or Yogumunt. His sheer durability and combat strength put him in the top half of the list. But even with all that power, Tarnak didn’t do anything significant. He was hyped as a powerhouse but got overwhelmed by Sung Jin Woo’s shadow army. So #5 is a fair place to rank him.

4 – Baran (Monarch of White Flames)

Baran is the Monarch of White Flames and King of Demons. He was first introduced in Chapter 100 during the Demon Castle Arc. During that Arc, he was introduced as the final and 100th floor boss of the Demon Castle dungeon. He was the first Monarch-level threat that Sung Jin-Woo encountered. Even though the Baran with whom Jin-Woo fought was just a replica created by the system, he was very strong. Baran used hellfire and lightning-based attacks while fighting Jin Woo.

He is one of the few Monarchs who fought Ashborn head-on after the Absolute Being’s death and didn’t run away. While Rakan chose to flee, Baran stood his ground. But ultimately, he was killed by Ashborn.

Is the 4th Position Justified for Baran?

Yes, 4th place is well deserved for Baran. He had a commanding army of demons and the courage to face Ashborn directly before his death. Strength-wise, he is certainly a leader material and can be called a top-tier monarch. While we only saw a clone of Baran in action, the fighting power he displayed was grand. So #4 feels like a respectable spot for Baran.

3 – Ashborn (Monarch of Shadows)

Ashborn, the original Shadow Monarch, makes his full appearance in Chapter 128 of Solo Leveling. He is a very important figure in the series as Sung Jin Woo adopts his legacy to become the next Shadow monarch. Known as the King of the Dead, Ashborn was not originally a ruler created by the Absolute Being. But after the rulers killed the Absolute Being, Ashborn opposed the rulers and became a monarch himself.

Just like Sung Jin Woo’s powers, Ashborn’s powers are related to shadows, death, and resurrection. He had accumulated an enormous army of shadow soldiers. He was also the first monarch to start influencing Sung Jin-Woo, watching over him and shaping his growth throughout the story. Eventually, he uses Jin-Woo as a vessel, tests his strength, and passes on all his powers to him. With his efforts, Jin-Woo becomes the new Shadow Monarch.

Is the 3rd Position Justified for Ashborn?

3rd place can be controversial for Ashborn as Antares has similar firepower to him. As the original Shadow Monarch, he’s clearly stronger than most of the other Monarchs, and he has one of the overkill abilities. Antares is stronger in terms of raw destruction, and Jin-Woo surpasses both of them once he inherits Ashborn’s full power. Still, Ashborn is the reason Jin-Woo became who he is—so #3 is justified, at least that’s what I think

2 – Antares (Monarch of Destruction)

Antares, the Monarch of Destruction and King of Dragons, makes his appearance in Chapter 166 of Solo Leveling. He is the strongest of the original Monarchs and the final antagonist of the series. As his title suggests, Antares represents absolute destruction. He is the king of the Dragon Legion, which is considered the strongest among all Monarch armies.

In the final attack on Earth, Antares did not waste any time and went with overwhelming force. He and his remaining monarchs started attacking Earth in multiple places at the same time. He even managed to push Sung Jin-Woo to his absolute limits during their final battle. Clearly, he was the most experienced and strongest original monarch.

Is the 2nd Position Justified for Antares?

Yes, without a doubt. Antares does not need any explanation why he is at No. 2. Every other Monarch, except Ashborn, accepted him as the true leader of the original monarchs. Apart from that, he had the physique of a dragon, multiple magics in his arsenal, and an army of dragons. What else do you need as proof? So yeah, 2nd place is completely justified.

1 – Sung Jin-Woo (as the new Shadow Monarch)

Last but not least, our most powerful monarch is none other than Sung Jin-Woo. The gullible E-Rank hunter everyone once made fun of becomes the new Shadow Monarch. After the original Shadow Monarch reveals himself and passes on all of his power, memories, and title to Jin-Woo, he becomes the strongest. From that moment on, Jin-Woo did not lose any fight.

Being Shadow Monarch, Jin Woo’s main abilities are controlling the undead shadow army and recruiting new shadow soldiers to his army using his shadow extraction skill. Apart from that, he is also very strong, and in most battles with stronger opponents, he fights himself and wins.

Is the 1st Position Justified for Jin-Woo?

Are you kidding me? Of course. He has defeated all the monarchs on the list except Ashborn. So, yes, Sung Jin Woo is the strongest Monarch no cap.

In The End

So there you have it—all the Monarchs in Solo Leveling ranked from weakest to strongest. From Legia’s short-lived return to Antares’ world-ending rampage, every Monarch brought something wild to the table. But at the end of the day, it was Sung Jin-Woo who stood above them all. The most fan-favorite part of Sung Jin Woo is his character development. From the weakest hunter alive to the strongest man representing Earth, he went through many ups and downs. That’s why he deserves to be the strongest.

Let us know if you disagree with any of our suggestions in the comments below