‘Igris or Beru?’ Fans Attempt to Settle Rivalry Between Popular Jinwoo Shadows

Summary

Fans favor Jinwoo’s shadow puppets over human characters due to their aura-filled moments.

Igris is a more popular choice among fans for his cool portrayal and longer history with Jinwoo.

Beru stands out with unique traits, humor, and loyalty, despite being less favored than Igris.

The following contains minor spoilers for Solo Leveling

Fans of Solo Leveling often seem more attached and invested in Jinwoo’s shadow puppets than the actual human characters of the show. One reason this might be the case is that the amount of aura they generate while on screen sometimes even rivals Sung Jinwoo. Because there are so many shadows to choose from, fans often have trouble picking their favorite. In a recent Reddit thread, fans of Solo Leveling attempted to determine who was the most liked among Jinwoo’s shadows, framing it as a contest between the Ant King Beru and the Knight Commander Igris the Bloodred.

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Igris Seems To Be The ‘Cool’ Choice

Arguments for the Knight Commander

Fans of Igris sounded off in the thread, with some liking both, but the difference maker being how consistently cooler Igris is portrayed than Beru.
“Personality-wise, I like both equally, but Igris has better drip imo.” -Reddit user AspO7 giving his input on the thread’s question.
While also possessing some aura-generating moments, Beru’s tendency to be played as comic relief diminishes his rule of cool somewhat in the minds of some viewers.
“Their personalities are so different. Igris has the cool and collected drip. Beru is more dramatic. His period piece K Drama attitude is beyond hysterical.” -Reddit User Sea_Machine_7469 explaining the differences between the two shadows.
The majority of the top comments seem to extoll the virtues of Igris over Beru, feeling like the Knight Commander’s seniority over the Ant King gives him an edge in popularity. Igris holds a special place as Jinwoo’s first elite shadow and unlocks more of his original power as the series progresses. Although not necessarily the strongest shadow, Igris always seems to come in clutch when Jinwoo is facing a difficult situation. Igris’ history as a shadow soldier goes even further back than Jinwoo, which will be revealed to fans of the anime when Season 3 eventually comes around to follow up on the main story.

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Beru Seems Like a Less Popular Choice

His Uniqueness Makes Him Stand Out, Though

As one of Jinwoo’s strongest shadows in Solo Leveling that doesn’t have an ancient history to him, Beru is a relative newcomer to the army of the Shadow Monarch. In life, Beru the Ant King was extremely powerful. He easily overwhelmed groups of the strongest S-Rank hunters on his own, and possessed a broken ability to copy the powers of anyone he consumed. Having the title of a King was fitting for him, as he seemed to stand over every other creature around him until he encountered Jinwoo.
“I have read the novel and hands down Beru. His antics are unparalleled and funny to the core. Igris is very serious and his own aura but funny/drama >>>> serious.” -Reddit user Lopsided_Gas_717 making the case for Beru over Igris.
“Berus loyalty knows no bounds. He is the best shadow in my eyes. He even makes sure to warn jinwoo about peoples names he may have forgotten etc. absolutely the goat.” -Reddit user Itsalltokay laying out Beru’s credentials.
Once he became a shadow, Beru stood out from the bunch for his ability to provide comic relief that usually lands well compared to Jinwoo’s human sidekick characters. His ultra-serious devotion to Jinwoo sometimes makes him mess up by trying to take the Shadow Monarch’s orders too far. His lack of tact in hiding his lust for murder and battle is the setup for some great series moments. Overall, while Igris may be seen as the cooler shadow with more aura, Beru’s character traits and personality make him more memorable in the minds of his fans. Fans of Beru like this extra personality that can be a lot for even the reserved Sung Jinwoo to handle at times.
Hard to Choose

Some Fans Had Difficulty Deciding

While the overwhelming consensus among fans in the thread was to choose Igris over Beru, some expressed difficulty over making the decision or wanted to mention other shadows like Tusk, Bellion, or even Iron in the discussion.
“I can’t choose, man.” -Reddit user Messageman12 facing a difficult choice.
Each of these choices has something different to offer: from Iron’s emotional human side to Bellion’s cool design and powerful presence. It’s interesting how fans of the show celebrate the shadow soldiers more than the proper human side characters in the show. Many of Korea’s S-Rank hunters have just as much screen time as many of the shadow soldiers, but they still cannot compete in popularity, it seems. Solo Leveling can be streamed on Crunchyroll and Amazon.

Solo Leveling

Release Date

January 7, 2024

Directors

Shunsuke Nakashige

Taito Ban

Shun Mizushino (voice)

Genta Nakamura

Kenta Morobishi (voice)