Strongest Tanker Class Hunters, Ranked

Summary

• Tankers are essential but often overshadowed by other popular roles like knights and mages.
• Seven strong tankers in Solo Leveling include the Red Tanker, Kim Chul, and Son Kihoon.
• Notable tankers like Ma Dongwook and Thomas Andre excel at defense and stand out in battle.

As most RPG players know, Tanks (Tankers in Solo Leveling) are one of the most crucial roles in every raid party. Their job is to taunt the enemy and receive their attacks so that the other members of the party can launch a coordinated attack on the enemy. Unfortunately, the ones that often get the spotlight are popular roles like knights, mages, and assassins or rangers.

Watching knights slashing through the beasts or mages blasting fireballs at the giants is often more exciting than seeing fully armored tankers stop a monster’s attack with their oversized shields. That’s why even though every raid team has a tanker, it’s quite hard to find a dedicated tank character in the series. Nevertheless, there are still some very capable tankers who managed to distinguish themselves throughout Solo Leveling’s long and illustrious story. So here they are, the strongest tanker class hunters in Solo Leveling, ranked based on their power.

7

The Red Tanker

A Tanker From The Hunters Guild’s Strike Team B

• Rank: A-Rank
• Affiliations: Hunters Guild
• First Appearance: Season 2, Episode 5

The first tanker on this list is one who is never properly introduced in the story. He is part of the Hunters Guild’s Strike Team B, wearing red full-plate armor from head to toe, magic shield on one hand and an extra-large axe in the other. He is the main tanker alongside the leader of Team B, Son Kihoon.

As a fellow A-Rank hunter, the Red Tanker is just as capable of fulfilling his role as Son Kihoon. During the Hunters Guild Gate Arc, he successfully repels the ferocious attacks of the Dungeon Jackals and even slays quite a few of them. He also manages to defend against some High Orcs, giving his teammates a chance to finish them off.

6

Kim Chul

A Promising Tanker From The White Tiger Guild

• Rank: A-Rank
• Affiliations: White Tiger Guild
• First Appearance: Season 2, Episode 1

Kim Chul is a promising tanker from the White Tiger Guild. He is appointed as the team leader to a group of rookies who recently joined the guild and is tasked with showing them the ropes by conquering a low-ranking dungeon. Unfortunately for him, the supposedly weak dungeon turns out to be the lethal Red Gate.

Kim Chul is arrogant, selfish, prideful, and always looks down on those who rank lower than him. But nasty personality aside, he is actually a good tanker. He effectively taunts the enemies, puts up his massive shield to fend off their attacks, and uses his sword to take them down. Alas, he is no match against the powerful monsters in the Red Gate and lost his life to the Ice Elves. Now, he lives on as Sung Jinwoo’s shadow tanker under the name of Iron.

5

Son Kihoon

The leader Of The Hunters Guild’s Strike Team B

• Rank: A-Rank
• Affiliations: Hunters Guild
• First Appearance: Season 2, Episode 5

As mentioned earlier, Son Kihoon is the leader of the Hunters Guild’s Strike Team B. He may be an A-Rank hunter just like his teammate, the Red Tanker, but his flexibility, decisiveness, and leadership ability put him above the Red Tanker.

As a leader and a tanker, Son Kihoon is the first line of defense for his team. That’s why when the hordes of Dungeon Jackals come rushing down on them, he is the first one who stops those beasts dead on their track, which allows his allies to launch coordinated counterattacks. Kihoon is also a highly capable swordsman, which makes him the perfect vanguard for the team.

4

Park Jongsoo

The Guild Master Of The Knights Guild

• Rank: A-Rank
• Affiliations: Knights Guild
• First Appearance: Season 2, Episode 9

Park Jongsoo is the guild master of the Knights Guild. Although they belong to one of the top five guilds in the country, the Knights Guild is the only guild that doesn’t have an S-Rank in their midst. That being said, Park Jongsoo is easily among the top A-Rank hunters in the country.

As a minor character, Park Jongsoo doesn’t get many chances to shine in the story. However, he certainly shows his worth as a tanker during the Ahjin Guild arc, where his guild works together with Jinwoo’s Ahjin guild to tackle an A-Rank Gate. He creates a large magic shield to single-handedly block a full-power attack from a giant Twin-Headed Ogre. That’s why it’s not an exaggeration to say that he is the strongest A-rank hunter on this list.

3

Go Gunhee

The Chairman Of The Korean Hunters Association

• Rank: S-Rank
• Affiliations: Korean Hunters Association
• First Appearance: Season 1, Episode 1

By the time Go Gunhee enters the story as the Chairman of the Korean Hunter Association, he is already a man in his 80s who has left his hunter days behind him. But that doesn’t change the fact that he is an S-Rank hunter and, at one point, the strongest hunter in Korea.

Solo Leveling never reveals Go Gunhee’s class as a hunter. However, the game Solo Leveling: Arise listed him as a Tanker. Considering his muscular body and towering figure, it’s not hard to imagine him standing tall at the front of a strike team, ready to take on any attacks. Furthermore, the fact that he can still put up a fight against the Monarch of Frost despite his old age and illness is a testament to the Chairman’s power as a tank.

2

Ma Dongwook

The Guild Master Of The Fame Guild

• Rank: S-Rank
• Affiliations: Fame Guild
• First Appearance: Season 2, Episode 9

Ma Dongwook is the guild master of the Fame Guild. He is an easygoing man who also happens to be an extremely capable martial artist. Furthermore, his signature skill allows him to grow several times bigger than his original body. At full power, he is even bigger than an adult Ice Bear.

Generally speaking, the bigger you are, the more effective you are as a tanker. That’s why Ma Dongwook can be considered the best active Tanker in Korea. After all, his massive body allows him to wield an even bigger shield and weapon. This makes him not only able to provide excellent defense but also enables him to stand out in the battle, which is important for a tanker. The Jeju raid is the perfect example of Ma Dongwook doing a stellar job as a tanker.

1

Thomas Andre

America’s Strongest National Level Hunter

• Rank: S-Rank
• Affiliations: Scavenger Guild
• First Appearance: Season 2, Episode 9

Thomas Andre is the leader of the Scavenger Guild and the strongest National Hunter in America. In his regular state, his immense strength is greater than most S-Rank. But, when Thomas Andre activates his Spiritual Body Manifestation, a set of armor will envelop his body. This magical armor greatly enhances his defense and his power as well.

Unlike other tankers on this list, Thomas Andre doesn’t use a shield or any kind of weapon. In his transformed state, he basically turns into an immovable object. Forget beating him; most S-Rank hunters can’t even leave a scratch on his body. In terms of raw strength, a single punch from him can easily demolish a building. The fact that Thomas Andre was among the five elite S-Rank hunters who successfully defeated Kamish, a massive red dragon known as humanity’s greatest calamity, is a testament to how powerful he is.