Underrated Shadows In Solo Leveling Who Deserve More Recognition

Summary

Solo Leveling’s shadow army features several underrated members, like Tusk’s guards and Tank, with unique abilities and strengths.

Greed, a shadow of a former strong enemy, is a noteworthy addition to Sung Jinwoo’s shadow army.

The regular Shadow Soldiers, loyal and practical, played a crucial role in Sung Jinwoo’s journey, and aided him until the very end.

Sung Jinwoo’s Shadow Extraction ability—which allows him to turn any enemy he defeats into shadows that will follow his orders—is one of the many things that make Solo Leveling stand out from other similar action manhwa/anime. With this power, he has been able to create some of the most powerful and recognizable members of his massive shadow army, like Igris, Iron, Tusk, and Beru.

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Sometimes, the real heroes are in the background. Meet the A-Rank Hunters whose stories are worth a second look in Solo Leveling.

However, as Jinwoo’s forces grow bigger and bigger throughout the story, some of his shadows have flown under the radars of most fans, despite their immense strength, unique abilities, and importance to the overall story. There are many shadows in Solo Leveling who deserve more recognition from fans, and the following six are the most noteworthy examples.
6

Tusk’s Guards

Shadows Of Kargalgan’s Guards

Debut: Chapter 73 (Manhwa), Episode 18 (Anime)

The conclusion of the Hunters Guild Gate arc was a crucial moment in the story, which most fans remember for the fight between Sung Jinwoo and the high orc shaman Kargalgan, who later became one of the most powerful members of his shadow army: Tusk. However, not many fans remember that three out of four of Kargalgan’s guards were also turned into shadows, and they were surprisingly strong as well. For starters, Tusk’s guards are also high orcs, meaning that their physical strength and durability are almost as reliable as their original master’s. On top of that, they’re the stars of one of the funniest comedic scenes in the entire series: when Jinwoo realizes he forgot to extract the shadow of one of the guards because he had impaled his body to the ceiling. It’s also important to point out that Jinwoo was able to protect Jinah when the orcs attacked her school because he had hidden one of Tusk’s guards in her shadow.
5

Jima

Shadow Of The Boss Naga

Debut: Chapter 122 (Manhwa)

At one point, Sung Jinwoo’s shadow army became so big and so powerful that it was getting harder and harder for fans to keep up with every single one of its members, let alone those who were added in the second half of the story. However, one of his many raids allowed him to extract the shadow of a particularly strong monster that became yet another crucial member of his army.

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Whether due to their strength levels, personalities, or other aspects, these characters were not fit to serve as hunters.

The Boss Naga was the leader of a species of serpentine monsters that were terrorizing an open-field dungeon in India, so Jinwoo inevitably defeated them and turned their leader into a new shadow monster he named Jima. This creature not only has a really striking design, but it also becomes yet another powerful general in his army, with its colossal size and immense strength becoming decisive factors in the battle against the giants in the Japan Crisis arc.
4

Greed

Shadow Of Hwang Dongsoo

Debut: Chapter 147 (Manhwa)

Sung Jinwoo doesn’t usually extract the shadows of his human enemies, but there have been a few exceptions, like Iron (Kim Chul’s shadow) and Greed, the shadow of one of his strongest enemies, Hwang Dongsoo. After their long and intense encounter, Jinwoo’s victory against this dangerous and resentful hunter was immensely satisfying, but the birth of his shadow counterpart was still quite shocking. Greed has a really intricate skeletal design with human features, and, just like his original persona, he is extremely strong, which made him very useful in the final battle against the Monarchs. Since he’s aware of his previous crimes as a human, his personality and relationship with Jinwoo are quite interesting and funny. Still, as one of the last additions to the shadow army right before the story’s conclusion, Greed sadly didn’t get enough on-screen time to fully shine (which may explain why so many fans don’t recognize his efforts).
3

Tank

Shadow Of An Alpha Ice Bear

Debut: Chapter 50 (Manwha), Episode 15 (Anime)

When it comes to the earlier members of Sung Jinwoo’s shadow army, most fans fondly remember the likes of Igris, Iron, Tusk, and even Beru, while Tank is often forgotten for some odd reason. This is quite unfair, because the shadow of this alpha ice bear was one of the very first non-Shadow Soldier members of his army, and played a critical role in both the Red Gate Incident and the quest in the Demon Castle. Needless to say, Tank is absolutely massive, so his bulk and strength, combined with his fangs and claws, make him a killing machine that’s almost impossible to take down (which explains his name). On top of that, he is also an efficient transportation method for Jinwoo, since he can ride on his back while the shadow monster annihilates everything in their path. Lastly, Tank is surprisingly adorable when compared to other shadows, and the dynamic it has with its colleagues (especially Iron) makes it even more memorable.
2

Kaisel

Shadow Of Kaisellin

Debut: Chapter 88 (Manhwa), Episode 20 (Anime)

The fact that Sung Jinwoo controls a massive shadow wyvern that is often ignored by Solo Leveling fans is enough proof of how absolutely memorable his entire shadow army is. Nevertheless, Kaisel is still a standout shadow that deserves more recognition because of its design, power, and utility.

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After his long and challenging battle against the Demon King Baran, Jinwoo was not able to extract his shadow, so obtaining the shadow of his dragon mount instead was the best consolation prize he could ever ask for. Since he can fly at extreme speeds, Kaisel obviously became Jinwoo’s personal mount, and it allowed him to quickly reach places whenever he couldn’t use his Shadow Exchange. On top of that, this shadow dragon looks incredibly cool, and it’s very strong, which was immediately evident when Jinwoo summoned it during the Jeju Island raid.
1

Regular Shadow Soldiers

Shadows Of Blood-Red Commander Igris’ Soldiers

Debut: Chapter 45 (Manhwa), Episode 12 (Anime)

Of course, Sung Jinwoo’s army eventually became very powerful and very crowded, comprising strong soldiers of diverse origins and races, like humans, ice bears, dragons, high orcs, and more. However, it’s always important to remember that he wouldn’t have been able to get so far if it weren’t for the regular Shadow Soldiers he recruited when he first changed his class to Necromancer. These are a bunch of regular soldiers who repeatedly assisted him in battle from that moment throughout the rest of the series. They may not be as strong as some of the other shadows (like the generals and the marshals), but they’re loyal, resilient, stronger than most humans, and can work efficiently as a team. On top of that, the Shadow Soldiers also proved to be surprisingly practical, since Jinwoo could hide them in the shadows of other people and use Shadow Exchange to trade places with them, which is how he was able to get to Jeju Island so quickly.

Solo Leveling

Release Date

January 7, 2024

Directors

Shunsuke Nakashige

Writers

Noboru Kimura

Taito Ban

Shun Mizushino (voice)

Genta Nakamura

Kenta Morobishi (voice)