10 Strongest A-Rank Hunters in ‘Solo Leveling,’ Ranked
Solo Leveling is, without a doubt, the most popular anime at the moment, and for a good reason. Some may complain about its shallow story and lack of side character development, but it is overall a famous show because of its action and animation. As a show focused on fights, it has produced more than a few notable characters that are extremely powerful.
While not every character has the proper development to determine their full strength, power scaling is still a fun pastime that sparks much debate, especially in Solo Leveling. This list will rank the ten strongest characters in this show based on known feats, hypothetical feats, abilities, and fan opinion. Only characters who have appeared in the anime as of season two will be eligible for this list.
- Release Date
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January 7, 2024
- Directors
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Shunsuke Nakashige
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Taito Ban
Shun Mizushino (voice)
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Genta Nakamura
Kenta Morobishi (voice)
10
Choi Jong-in
First Appearance: Episode 1
Kicking off this list is a prominent S-Rank Hunter who had a fair amount of buildup in the first season. Choi Jong-in is one of the strongest mages in the series and also the Guild Master of the Hunters Guild, making him a prominent figure in the world. Despite primarily working at a desk now, he still proves his worth by occasionally jumping into the field when the danger is too great.
Jong-in is one of the strongest mages in Solo Leveling, highlighted by his impressive pyrokinetics, which can easily burn hordes of enemies. The anime shows him clearing an entire dungeon by himself, but his most remarkable feat is holding his own in the Jeju Island raid. Despite being a desk jockey, his skills haven’t rusted out, making him much stronger than any A-Rank Hunters in Solo Leveling.
9
Baek Yoonho
First Appearance: Episode 1
Following Choi Jong-in is none other than his rival, Baek Yoonho, the two of which share an intense rivalry and compete with each other over everything. Also, like his friend, Yoonho is a Guild Master, commanding the White Tiger Guild. Unlike Jong-in, Yoonho is a feisty personality who tries to get in on the action as much as possible.
Yoonho’s strength is highlighted by his unique ability to transform into a beast form, reminiscent of a white tiger. This gives him upgraded speed, strength, durability, and reflexes, making him a formidable opponent for anyone. He has defeated multiple strong opponents, including the protagonist, early on, proving he is a significant fighter in this show, even if there are better action anime than Solo Leveling.
8
Cha Hae-in
First Appearance: Episode 1
While there are many strong female A-Rank Hunters, Cha Hae-in is one of the few S-Rankers, and she proves to be one of the most prominent characters in the series based on her screentime buildup. She is the Vice-Guild Master of the Hunters Guild and is known as The Dancer because of her unique fighting style, reminiscent of ballet dancing.
It is disappointing that she wasn’t as powerful as fans thought in the first season, but the show is mainly building up her dynamics, and fans can expect more relationship-building in future seasons. However, Hae-in is still the most powerful female character in Solo Leveling, and as an S-Ranker with a distinct style, she is strong enough to be a spearhead in the Jeju Island mission, even landing the finishing blow on the Ant Queen.
7
Hwang Dongsoo
First Appearance: Episode 7
A Hunter’s job is to protect the world by clearing the dangerous gates which spawn. However, not everyone has noble ambitions. Hwang Dongsoo is a corrupt S-Rank Hunter and a minor villain of Solo Leveling. Despite being Korean, he left for America for the money and only returned after learning someone killed his brother, who he suspects to be the protagonist of the series.
Solo Leveling doesn’t have a bad episode, and the plotline surrounding Dongsoo was an interesting premise that still has some hope despite certain events. Fans don’t actually know how powerful he is, with the only feat being that he lost to someone much stronger. Despite this, his hypothetical strength and hype push him higher on this list.
6
Ant King
First Appearance: Episode 22
Solo Leveling never had a main villain for a season or story arc. Instead it follows the protagonist taking on a new threat to level up. However, the Ant King is the closest to an antagonist the series will get, as the show has set him and the Jeju Island raid since the first season. Birthed by the Queen, the Ant King was the hidden boss of the mission, proving to be one of the strongest characters so far.
While Liu Zhigang only showed one feat of strength, that is enough to say he is stronger than the Ant King since Zhigang has many more hypothetical feats. However, the Ant King proved more than enough to be a top ten character on this list. From quickly killing the strongest Japanese hunter to dispatching three characters on this list, he also had the best fight of the series, making Solo Leveling season two phenomenal.
5
Liu Zhigang
First Appearance: Episode 25
While S-Rank is the highest level fans currently know of, the Manhwa will introduce an even higher ranking, which Liu Zhigang possesses. Fans don’t know much about this mysterious character, as he appears at the very end of the second season. To avoid spoilers, this list won’t share any information about him other than what fans saw in the anime.
Boldly stating he wanted to fight the Ant King, Zhigang follows this by obliterating countless ants with one slash. This is the only feat viewers saw from him, but it is enough to rank him high on this list. Multiple S-Rank Hunters had difficulty dealing with smaller amounts of ants, but Zhigang one-shotting this many proves he is much stronger than most of the Hunters in this show, with fans hoping to learn more about him in Solo Leveling season three.
4
Thomas Andre
First Appearance: Episode 21
Taking place in South Korea, most characters in the series are naturally Korean, with a handful of Japanese Hunters introduced for the Jeju Island mission. However, Thomas Andre is one of the few international characters hailing from America. As the leader of the Scavenger Guild, he views his Hunters as objects but at least wants to protect his “property.”
Andre didn’t showcase any of his powers during the series, meaning he has no known feats to base this ranking off of. However, fans can deduce that he is one of the strongest hunters in the world based on his standing and prominence. America is a renowned country in the series, and the strongest Hunter from there will surely be a menace. Fans hope to actually see how powerful he is in a new season, which will make Solo Leveling one of the best anime of the decade.
3
Sung Jinwoo
First Appearance: Episode 1
The moment fans have been waiting for is Sung Jinwoo’s eventual placement on this list. As the protagonist of Solo Leveling, Jinwoo has the most known feats since fans have been with him every step of the journey. Originally one of the weakest E-Rank Hunters, his bravery earned him the ability to level up, which he has used to benefit himself and become one of the strongest S-Rank Hunters in the world.
Ranking Jinwoo above Andre and Zhigang was tough, but he simply has more known feats in the anime that make him better than those two, even though they may hypothetically be stronger. Solo Leveling was one of the best anime of 2024 because of Jinwoo, mainly because he is the primary focus. The ability to level up has shot him up the ranks with each episode, with his most impressive feat being defeating the Ant King when multiple S-Rankers didn’t stand a chance.
2
Go Gunhee
First Appearance: Episode 1
The Korean Hunters Association looks after the Hunters, Guilds, and Gates of the country, making it a prominent organization that requires powerful members and leaders. Go Gunhee is the Chairman of this organization, and while he may be old and out of his prime, he is still one of the strongest characters.
Jinwoo could be above Gunhee as of the end of season two, but the latter has too many hypothetical and speculative points that raise him up to the number two spot. Fans don’t know exactly how strong he is, but as Chairman and from what other S-Rank Hunters have said, he is a force to be reckoned with and part of the reason why Solo Leveling is so popular.
1
Sung Il-Hwan
First Appearance: Episode 15
For the majority of the anime, fans only knew about Jinwoo’s mother, who was in a coma before he healed her. However, the second season introduced his father, Sung Il-Hwan, the strongest character in the anime so far. Thought to be dead, Il-Hwan was actually trapped inside a dungeon for years, making him strong beyond belief.
While there are better new anime than Solo Leveling, Il Hwan’s introduction could shake up the rankings. Fans haven’t had a full taste of his strength, but he quickly defeated Dongsoo without any damage to himself. This already shoots him far up the list, but his hypothetical strength is even greater, with him possessing unheard-of strength that should be able to match any character in the series.
