Solo Leveling: Is Thomas Andre Evil?

Solo Leveling is no stranger to strong anime characters who fight for either the good or the bad side. While Sung Jin-Woo seemingly fights for good, the shady characters revealed in the second season’s final episode appear to be on the side of evil. That said, where does America’s strongest hunter, Thomas Andre, stand? Is he good or bad? What are his true intentions?

For most of Solo Leveling, the story explores Korean hunters, particularly the S-rank ones. However, there exist national-level hunters who are at a higher level than regular S-rankers. One of them is Thomas Andre, renowned for his monstrous strength, unrivaled abilities, and reputation as the world’s number one hunter.

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Exploring the Role of Thomas Andre

The World’s Number One Hunter

• First Anime Appearance: Episode 21
• First Webtoon Appearance: Chapter 83
• Hunter Rank: National-level hunter
• Hunter Guild: Scavenger Guild

America is home to Thomas Andre, the world’s strongest hunter, who holds monstrous powers and abilities far greater than the rest of the national-level hunters. He is also the leader of the Scavenger Guild, which oversees S-rank hunter Hwang Dong-Soo, who harbors a deep-seated grudge against Yoo Jin-Ho and Sung Jin-Woo. At first glance, Thomas looks like a typical musclehead who only cares about power and strength, but there’s much more to him than meets the eye.

In the past, before Thomas became famous, he struggled to make ends meet with his immigrant family. To survive, Thomas had to confront a lot of bad people who believed they were strong enough to antagonize him. But Thomas was a natural brawler, with the raw strength to defeat his opponents through sheer violence. His success did not end there, as the appearance of gates, as well as the magical beasts, paved the way for him to live like a king and become one of the strongest hunters in Solo Leveling.

Is Thomas Andre Evil?

Is The Goliath Good or Bad?

Despite Thomas Andre’s menacing looks, he is not an evil person who’s capable of killing innocent people. He is vastly different from Japan’s Goto Ryuji, who had a dishonest scheme of driving the Korean S-rank hunters to their deaths during the Jeju Island arc. While Thomas refused to help in the raid, he would have gladly cleared the S-rank gate should the mutated ants become a threat to America. After all, Thomas is the type of guy who would not do anything unless he is affected or someone pays his fee.

Thomas Andre may not look like it, but he has a strong sense of camaraderie and responsibility, especially when it comes to the safety of his people. Even if Hwang Dong-Soo means harm to Jin-Woo and Jin-Ho, he still has his back as the Scavenger Guild’s leader. And most surprisingly, he can be considerate to other people, like when he flew to Korea to meet Go Gun-Hee and discuss Hwang’s true motives behind his request to join the Jeju Island raid.

However, it’s no secret that Thomas believes in violence as a solution to solving a particular problem. Hwang Dong-Soo is completely aware of this side of Thomas, as he often warns him about the consequences of his actions should he decide to pursue Jin-Woo. Even so, Thomas hates it the most when one of his possessions gets lost or damaged, including Hwang Dong Soo.

Thomas Andre’s Intentions

Throughout the Solo Leveling manhwa, Thomas Andre never had any bad intentions toward other people, except for those foolish individuals who tried to bring him down. He uses his strength wisely and responsibly, fighting on behalf of the American citizens much like a superhero. In fact, Thomas is always present during huge-scale crises, like the appearance of the first-ever S-rank gate and the Maryland S-rank gate.

If not for his pride and arrogance as a national-level hunter, Thomas Andre could be the ideal hunter, always ready to serve the people. Naturally, it’s hard to picture a humble and down-to-earth Thomas due to the power he holds, the number of strong hunters under his jurisdiction, and his rough upbringing.

Is Thomas a Friend or a Foe to Jin-Woo?

Of all the hunters in the world, Sung Jin-Woo is the person Thomas desires to personally meet the most, especially after his impressive feat on Jeju Island. He initially sought contact, likely to recruit Jin-Woo into his guild or talk about Hwang Dong-Soo. He has no ill intent towards him and only has curiosity about his powers. A hunter of Jin-Woo’s caliber would be a perfect addition to the Scavenger Guild, after all.

However, Thomas will definitely have a hard time dealing with Jin-Woo because of Hwang Dong-Soo. His plans to maintain a cordial relationship with Jin-Woo will most likely fail because Hwang Dong-Soo is a ticking time bomb. Still, Thomas is not the real enemy in Solo Leveling that Jin-Woo must defeat at all costs. In the first place, Thomas has no bad blood with Jin-Woo. He is just a guild leader who looks out for his members to the best of his abilities.

Solo Leveling

Release Date

January 7, 2024

Directors

Shunsuke Nakashige

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  Taito Ban

  Shun Mizushino (voice)

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  Genta Nakamura

  Kenta Morobishi (voice)