Monarchs That Could Appear In Solo Leveling: Arise From The Shadow

Summary

• Solo Leveling
  Season 2 features new Monarchs like Jinwoo, Baran, Rakan, Sillad.
• Baran, the Monarch of White Flames, will challenge Jinwoo in the Demon Castle.
• Sillad, Monarch of Frost, is cunning with ice powers and tricks up his sleeve.

The second season of Solo Leveling, titled Solo Leveling: Arise from the Shadow, is scheduled to premiere in January 2025. There will be a lot of interesting things to see in the new season, but the one thing that most fans are eager to know is, of course, the Monarchs. Will there be any Monarchs in Solo Leveling Season 2? The answer is yes, but it’s unclear how many of them will make an appearance.

The first season adapts the first 45 chapters of the webtoon into 12 episodes of anime. If the new season also adapts the same number of chapters, then we’ll likely only see two Monarchs. However, if we get 26 episodes for the second season, which means adapting the story until the Japan Crisis Arc, then we’ll see 7 out of 10 known Monarchs. Since there’s no official announcement regarding how many episodes will be released in Season 2, let’s take an optimistic approach and talk about the 7 Monarchs that could appear in Solo Leveling: Arise from the Shadow, in the order of their appearance.

7 Sung Jinwoo

The Current Monarch Of Shadows

• Alias: Korea’s 10th S-Rank Hunter
• First Appearance: Episode 1
• Story Arc: D-Rank Dungeon Arc

The first and the most obvious Monarch is Sung Jinwoo, the current Monarch of Shadows. When Jinwoo is selected by the system, he simply treats it as a neat and convenient way to level up his combat ability, which in turn increases his hunter ranking as well. But everything changed when he obtained the title “Monarch of Shadows” at the end of the Job Exchange arc, which is the last episode of the first season.

As the ruler of shadows, Jinwoo acquires the ability to resurrect dead enemies/allies as shadow soldiers. As time goes on, this unique skill will get more powerful, which allows him to add more shadow soldiers into his repertoire and his chance to awaken strong subjects is getting higher and higher as well. However, the moment he interacts with another Monarch, which will happen in Season 2, Jinwoo quickly realizes that the title Monarch of Shadows comes with a lot of responsibility.

6 Baran

Monarch Of White Flames

• Alias: King of Demons
• First Appearance: Chapter 85
• Story Arc: Return to Demon Castle Arc

Baran is the first Monarch that Jinwoo will meet in Season 2. If the new season ends up being only 12 episodes long, then Baran will be the only Monarch that Jinwoo. As part of his endeavor to gain more strength to protect his loved ones, Jinwoo challenges an S-Rank dungeon called the Demon Castle.

As the name suggests, this is a multi-level hellscape dungeon with countless powerful demons ready to claw Jinwoo’s heart out on every level. The boss of this brutal fiery dungeon is none other than the Monarch of the White Flames, Baran. Needless to say, it will be Jinwoo’s hardest battle yet. However, the rewards for defeating the King of Demons will be extremely valuable as well.

5 Rakan

Monarch Of Fangs

• Alias: King of Beasts
• First Appearance: Chapter 107
• Story Arc: Jeju Island Arc

The Monarchs from this point forward will only appear if Season 2 has 26 episodes. Otherwise, we’ll have to wait for them to appear in Season 3. Rakan is one of the first Monarchs to openly attack humanity. Without revealing the whole story, just know that Rakan and Sillad will have a one-sided fight with an S-Rank hunter from the West.

As the Monarch of Fangs, Rakan is the personification of a ferocious beast. With his long unkempt hair, muscular body, bones around his neck, and animal pelts covering his body, Rakan looks like a caveman who is ready to attack anybody in his vicinity. As if that’s not intimidating enough, Rakan can tear a monster apart without breaking a sweat. In fact, he doesn’t even need to use his unique ability to do so. He just uses pure muscle power.

4 Sillad

Monarch Of Frost

• Alias: King of Snow Folk
• First Appearance: Chapter 107
• Story Arc: Jeju Island Arc

Sillad is another Monarch who will appear alongside Rakan near the end of the Jeju Island arc. Appearance-wise, Sillad looks like a pale old elf, the utter opposite of Rakan. He has a slim build, long white hair, and a sleek and elegant white robe. This appearance is deceiving, because Sillad is one of the trickiest Monarchs to fight.

Two things make Sillad such a troublesome fighter. First is his cunning personality. He will use anything that can give him an advantage in a fight; no tactic is too dirty for him. The second is his ice power. Sillad can freely generate and manipulate ice and snow. He can use this ability to lower the temperature of his surroundings, cover an entire city block in ice, or create all kinds of weapons to use in a fight.

3 Yogumunt

Monarch Of Transfiguration

• Alias: King of Demonic Spectres
• First Appearance: Chapter 111
• Story Arc: Ahjin Guild Arc

Yogumunt is by far one of the most mysterious Monarchs in Solo Leveling, not because he deliberately chooses to hide his power and identity or anything of the sort. The reason is simply because he doesn’t get much visibility in the original webtoon. Furthermore, he rarely appears in the story by himself. Whenever readers see him, he is usually in the middle of a conversation with the other Monarchs.

What is known about him, though, is his nasty personality. Even more so than the other Monarchs, Yogumunt looks down on humanity. To him, humans are creatures lower than insects. As a Monarch, he certainly has the power to back up that disturbing view. He doesn’t have the chance to go all out or even show his unique abilities in the webtoon, but it’s known that his raw strength is greater than an S-Rank Hunter.

2 Ashborn

The First Monarch Of Shadows

• Alias: King of the Dead
• First Appearance: Chapter 128
• Story Arc: Double Dungeon Arc

Ashborn is the name of the original Monarch of Shadows. Without discussing Ashborn’s true origin, because it is a major spoiler for an important part of the story, it’s worth noting that, although he bears the title of Monarch, he is fundamentally different than the other Monarchs. That’s why he rarely, if ever, sees eye-to-eye with them. It’s not even an exaggeration to say that they despise each other.

Just like Jinwoo, the current Monarch of Shadows, Ashborn can also awaken dead allies/enemies to become his shadow soldiers. The main difference between the two is their fighting style. Ashborn is akin to a knight who proudly fights with his long sword, while Jinwoo is more like an assassin who prefers stealth killing and always fights with a dagger in both hands.

1 Legia

Monarch Of The Beginning

• Alias: King of Giants
• First Appearance: Chapter 137
• Story Arc: Japan Crisis Arc

Compared to the other Monarch, who are usually quite straightforward, Legia is a walking contradiction. Appearance-wise, he is easily one of the most intimidating Monarchs on this list, with his long hair, thick beard, blood-red eyes, and the towering muscular body of a giant. In a way, he is a scarier version of Rakan.

However, he is also one of the most talkative and shrewd Monarchs on this list. In fact, the first time he meets Jinwoo, the first thing Legia does is lie and try to manipulate him, much like a more despicable version of Sillad. Legia also wields tremendous muscle strength befitting the King of Giants. However, much like Yogumunt, he doesn’t get the chance to showcase his full strength due to his limited appearances in the webtoon.

These are the seven Monarchs that could appear in Solo Leveling: Arise from the Shadow. There are three other Monarchs that will appear after the Japan Crisis arc, so depending on how long the second season runs for, we might see those three in the third or fourth season of Solo Leveling.