Solo Leveling: Strongest Korean Hunters, Ranked

Summary

• Min Byung-Gyu, a healer S-rank hunter, showcases incredible powers despite his pacifist stance.
• Ma Dongwook, a tanker, can grow twice his size and has survived dangerous raids.
• Cha Hae-In, a vice guild master, showcases exceptional combat abilities and compassion towards weaker hunters.

In the Solo Leveling universe, dangerous portals teeming with monsters can spring into existence out of nowhere, and only awakened beings known as hunters can stand against their chaos. Because of the threat they pose, hunters have grown significantly in power and stature both nationally and internationally, being celebrated as humanity’s saviors.

In Korea, five major guilds essentially run the show, and they all have experienced S-rankers who are capable of single-handedly fighting dungeon bosses. But since the difference in power between S-rank hunters is quite significant, it can be confusing for some fans to tell who is stronger. Based on their powers, achievements, and reputation, here are the strongest Korean hunters.

8

Min Byung-Gyu

The Pacifist S-rank Hunter

• Anime Debut: Episode 1
• Webnovel Debut: Chapter 109
• Abilities/Skills: Healing Magic, Disguise
• Guild/Affiliation: Unaffiliated

Min Byung-Gyu is an S-rank healer with the combat capability of an A-rank hunter. Despite awakening such incredible powers, he retired early as he struggled to reconcile his pacifist worldview with the violent nature of a hunter’s life.

I may not look like it, but I am not fit for a job where you must kill or be killed.

Byung-Gyu is one of the few hunters who has the rare experience of raiding Jeju Island twice and fighting the dangerous beasts that live there. His healing powers have proven to be extremely critical in those missions, as the S-ranker has the ability to heal even life-threatening injuries. If it weren’t for him, the casualties during the fourth raid would have been significantly higher. Unfortunately, his aversion to violence meant that he never got to fully utilize his potential as a hunter.

7

Ma Dongwook

Fame Guild’s Guild Master

• Webnovel Debut: Chapter 112
• Abilities/Skills: Gigantification and Enhanced Strength
• Guild/Affiliation: Fame Guild

Ma Dongwook’s amicable and laid-back nature might fool one into thinking that he is some feeble pushover. But the S-rank tanker is extremely dangerous and possesses the ability to grow his physical size twice that of his normal body. Ma Dongwook is also an exceptionally resilient and experienced hunter who has survived the dangerous Jeju Island raid on more than one occasion.

6

Baek Yoonho

Guild Master of the White Tiger Guild

• Anime Debut: Episode 1
• Webnovel Debut: Chapter 44
• Abilities/Skills: Enhanced Strength and Transformation Magic
• Guild/Affiliation: White Tiger Guild

Baek Yoonho is one of the strongest S-rank hunters in Korea. Although he first started his career at the Fiend Guild, he went on to establish the White Tiger Guild, which eventually became one of the country’s top five guilds.

Baek is a muscular and well-trained hunter who transforms into a frightening beast when he is pushed to his limits. With a wealth of experience, Yoonho has raided many dangerous dungeons in his career and has proved himself to be a reliable combatant, perhaps even one of the best in Korea.

5

Choi Jong-In

Guild Master of the Hunters Guild

• Anime Debut: Episode 1
• Webnovel Debut: Chapter 66
• Abilities/Skills: Incredible Speed, Flame Manipulation
• Guild/Affiliation: Hunters Guild

Choi Jong-In is a mage-type hunter who leads the Hunters Guild with Cha Hae-In as his lieutenant. Although he is not on par with the top S-rank hunters globally, he is still a revered figure in Korea. Choi is an expert in fire manipulation and is rumored to have the power to burn down an entire building with a single spell.

4

Cha Hae-In

Hunters Guild’s Vice Guild Master

• Anime Debut: Episode 1
• Webnovel Debut: Chapter 81
• Abilities/Skills: Quake of Provocation, Sword Dance, High-level Perception, and Enhanced Speed
• Guild/Affiliation: Hunters Guild

Once a popular athlete, Cha Hae-In became a hunter following an injury and rose to prominence in just two years. She has participated in several high-stakes missions in her brief career and has demonstrated that she was arguably Korea’s best active hunter before Sung Jin-Woo’s rise.

How I could ever tell him, I want you by my side until I draw my last breath?

Despite having an illustrious career and a huge fan following in the country, Cha has remained grounded and always showed compassion even to hunters significantly weaker than her. Although she works under Choi, Hae-In is a significantly stronger hunter than him.

3

Go Gun-Hee

Korean Hunters Association’s Chairman

• Anime Debut: Episode 1
• Webnovel Debut: Chapter 78
• Abilities/Skills: Spiritual Body Manifestation, Immense Strength, and Ruler’s Authority
• Guild/Affiliation: Korea’s Hunters Association

Go Gun-Hee’s age might have caught up to him, and he can no longer fight, but he is still one of the most decorated hunters from Korea. In his heyday, he could have potentially challenged any hunter around the world and even defeated most of them.

Like Sung Il-Hwan, he is also a vessel of a Ruler and possesses abilities that surpass those of many S-rank hunters in Korea. Unfortunately, his body is not strong enough anymore to handle the powers that he possesses.

2

Sung Il-Hwan

Sung Jin-Woo’s Father

• Anime Debut: Episode 15
• Webnovel Debut: Chapter 68
• Abilities/Skills: Spiritual Body Manifestation, Ruler’s Authority, Immense Strength, Stealth, Incredible Durability, and Blinding Speed
• Guild/Affiliation: Unaffiliated

Sung Il-Hwan is Sung Jin-Woo’s father, who went missing many years before his son’s awakening. After getting trapped in an S-rank dungeon for about a decade, he transformed into a seemingly invincible hunter who took down S-rank hunter Hwang Dongsoo without breaking a sweat. Surviving in an S-rank dungeon is no child’s play, but being stuck there for many years and coming out stronger is a testament to his unparalleled strength.

Don’t you ever set foot in Korea. I’m not saying this for my son’s sake, I’m saying it for yours. You will never rest in peace, even in death.

Although Hwan’s official rankings before his disappearance are unclear, his fights following his return demonstrate that he is a dangerous fighter. In fact, one could even make the case that he is perhaps the strongest hunter in the world after his son, as he is the vessel of a Ruler.

1

Sung Jin-Woo

The Shadow Monarch

• Anime Debut: Episode 1
• Webnovel Debut: Chapter 1
• Abilities/Skills: Shadow Extraction, Longevity, Immunity, Stealth, Incredible Strength, Immense Speed, Astralization, etc.
• Guild/Affiliation: Ahjin Guild

Once considered humanity’s weakest hunter, Sung Jin-Woo’s life took a dramatic turn after his second awakening. Pushed by the System to constantly fight strong adversaries, he went on to evolve into a formidable force rivaling top hunters in the world. Along the way, Jin-Woo gained powerful abilities such as shadow extraction, mutilation, Ruler’s Authority, and dagger rush, among many others, to increase his global influence and make a name for himself.

Sung may have started off as a feeble E-ranker, but his consistent evolution and insatiable obsession with power allowed him to transform himself into humanity’s most powerful hunter.