Solo Leveling Power Levels (2025) — Anime-First Tier List
Solo Leveling Power Levels (2025) — Anime-First Tier List
Who actually sits at the top of the Solo Leveling food chain? This is a long-form tier list that ranks hunters, shadows, and monarchs using an anime-first lens. Deeper manhwa/novel feats are tucked inside spoiler toggles so new viewers can read safely.
Method in one minute: We tier by repeatable on-screen results, not hype. First we place by sustained performance against S-rank raid threats; then we nudge for kit depth (mobility, win-conditions, crowd control), team value, and consistency. Anime material is the baseline; authority/monarch lore that the anime hasn’t fully explored yet lives behind spoilers.
Power System 101 (Why “levels” mislead)
Solo Leveling talks about “levels,” ranks, and stats, but the ceiling is broken by unique classes, residual authority, and gear. A character’s place on the board is shaped as much by what they can do as by raw numbers. This guide weights:
Ground Rules
- Anime first. If it’s not animated yet, it doesn’t set the main tier. We’ll mention it in spoilers.
- Win-condition > damage chart. Poison, cages, fear, or resurrection can trump higher DPS.
- Shadows are ranked both as units and as a force multiplier under Jin-Woo’s command.
- No “what if” gear. Items must be repeatable or part of a character’s stable kit.
- We update after major arcs or official clarifications.
Endgame entities that redefine the board. Everyone else orbits their pressure.
Antares — Dragon Monarch
Even limited anime foreshadowing frames Antares as the final measuring stick. He bends the field through sheer authority and massed forces.
Spoilers (manhwa/novel)
World-ending presence with army command, pushing everyone below into counterplay. Humans without counters become collateral.
Sung Jin-Woo — vessel, late-series
At stabilized heights he isn’t a raid member—he’s a raid with a raid inside. The gap comes from command and recursion.
Spoilers
Authority-tier clashes, time-pressure mitigation, and decisive army management push him into SSS once the vessel ceiling is realized.
Pieces that can collapse national raids or force Jin-Woo to play perfect.
Frost Monarch
Lockdown, terrain control, and punishing trades define the archetype.
Spoilers
When fully depicted, his control tools force specific counters and can break human lines by themselves.
Beast Monarch
Explosive melee and pursuit make disengaging a losing proposition.
Spoilers
His best showings create kill-boxes that erase most human raid stacks.
Beru — Shadow Ant King
Hard-counters human kits through mobility and target isolation. A walking check on sloppy positioning.
Scaling notes
As command improves, Beru’s gap-closing and dismember pressure decide human matchups even above his raw stats.
Bellion — Commander (shadow)
An anchor piece that stabilizes the legion and punishes mid-range.
Spoilers
Arrival marks a pivot in army efficiency; his kit multiplies the legion’s formation control.
Humans who can headline national raids and shadows that solo most S-rank bosses.
Thomas Andre
A tank-bruiser with “I win the trade” windows who refuses to fall over. Forces straight fights to be honest.
Scaling notes
Anime-first keeps him S; deeper feats flirt with SS depending on the read.
Liu Zhigang
Plays both duelist and team carry. Great at deleting mid-bosses before they snowball.
Cha Hae-In
Clean mechanical play and a kit that scales with decision-making. She makes fewer mistakes than the boss does.
Igris — Knight Commander (shadow)
A reliable duel stopper. Not the flashiest finisher, but the fight looks different with him on the ground.
Tusk — High Ogre (shadow)
Area denial and stun chains that turn messy raids into solvable puzzles.
Iron — Gate Paladin (shadow)
Keeps ranged cores alive. Not a boss killer—he’s the reason boss killers get to do their job.
Carry pieces in most countries; they lose to SS because of win-condition gaps, not skill.
Choi Jong-In
Destroys adds and stabilizes rush waves. A raid looks easier with him in the party.
Baek Yoon-Ho
Great at picking priority targets and sticking to them. Struggles into heavy control.
Hwang Dong-Su
Plays the villain but proves a point: raw aggression still works until it doesn’t.
Seo Ji-Woo (ranged specialist)
Not the flashiest, but consistent damage from safe positions wins raids.
Valuable pieces that don’t flip the board alone but make winning easy when properly slotted.
Shield specialists
They turn “unhealable” into “manageable.” B-Tier by power, S-Tier by usefulness.
Healers / buffers
Don’t top highlight reels; do top clear-rate charts.
Why Jin-Woo’s Army Isn’t “Just Stats”
Shadows aren’t pets; they’re a system. Resurrection creates tempo spikes, Command smooths mistakes, and specific shadows (Igris anchor, Beru finisher, Tusk control, Iron peel) let Jin-Woo script fights. That’s why he scales faster than peers with similar base numbers—he plays more pieces and loses fewer to mistakes.
FAQ
How often will this ranking change?
We revisit after major anime arcs or official stat/authority clarifications. If an episode materially raises a ceiling, we update within the week.
Are items counted?
Yes, if they’re part of the stable kit. One-time plot coupons don’t move tiers.
Why is my favorite not higher?
Send episode+timestamp and the feat you think we undervalued. We weight repeatability and opponent quality most.
Your turn: Who’s the most underrated—Cha Hae-In, Beru, or Choi Jong-In? Drop receipts in the comments and we’ll feature top takes in the next update.