Solo Leveling: 6 Top Candidates to Become Jinwoo’s Shadow Soldiers

Sung Jinwoo is often cited as one of the most powerful anime characters of all time. Once he became a Player, Jinwoo gained a suite of new abilities, with shadow necromancy standing out as his signature. By using it, any person or creature that dies in front of him can be awakened as one of his Shadow Soldiers.

Since getting the power, Jinwoo has relied on it repeatedly, steadily expanding the size and strength of his Shadow Army. Still, it isn’t a guaranteed mechanic—there’s no perfect success rate. Even with those unreliable odds, he’s built a roster full of exceptional fighters. And because his story isn’t finished yet, there’s room for other characters to potentially join his army in future arcs.

In short, Sung Jinwoo is arguably the strongest Solo Leveling character and South Korea’s most dominant S-Rank hunter—but he isn’t the only top-tier threat or powerhouse in that world.

6 Go Gunhee Was the First S-Rank Korean Hunter

Go Gunhee serves as the chairman of the Korean Hunters Association. He holds the distinction of being the first Korean hunter to reach S-Rank, placing him among the series’ most dangerous combatants. Unfortunately, the current timeline has not been kind to him—he’s far beyond his prime, which limits how freely he can operate in fights.

Even with his age working against him, Go Gunhee still sits above most hunters. The reason is that he isn’t just an ordinary fighter; he’s the vessel of a Ruler, a status that gives him a massive boost in raw power. While time has reduced his mobility and flexibility, there’s still an intriguing possibility: if he ever enlisted in Jinwoo’s forces, things could get quite interesting. As a vessel, he would lose that role’s direct benefits, but he wouldn’t be locked in place—his strength could still grow over time, since Jinwoo’s shadows are able to level up.

5 Thomas Andre Was The Strongest National Level Hunter

Thomas Andre is one of five National Level Hunters in the story. He fought alongside multiple allies to stop Kamish, a magical beast that many believe is the strongest of its kind. After they secured victory, the group earned worldwide recognition and respect.

Among the five, Thomas Andre became the most widely known, eventually establishing himself as the strongest hunter across the planet. The Solo Leveling universe is unforgiving, so it’s not hard to imagine Thomas meeting an eventual end in later seasons—and, if that happens, joining Jinwoo’s Shadow Army. Adding him specifically would likely push the protagonist’s forces even higher than before.

Solo Leveling season 3 is set to bring in characters whose power levels go well beyond even Sung Jinwoo’s overall might.

4 Goto Ryuji Stood Above Every Japanese Hunter

Goto Ryuji was the strongest Japanese Hunter, and he played a key role during the Jeju Island arc. He traveled to Korea with the intention of building a plan to deal with the ants threatening Jeju Island. Confident in his abilities, he believed the mission would be straightforward for a hunter with his skills.

But Jeju Island had other plans. Goto Ryuji managed to wipe out the regular ants without too much difficulty, yet he couldn’t do anything against the Ant King. In an instant, the Ant King eliminated the Japanese hunter. Although Sung Jinwoo didn’t turn Goto Ryuji into a shadow soldier, it’s hard not to wonder how valuable he could have been to the Shadow Army.

3 Yuri Orloff Had the Best Barrier Powers

Yuri Orloff was Russia’s strongest S-Rank hunter. The Japanese Hunter Association approached him with an unusually generous offer. With most of Japan’s S-Rank hunters eliminated during the Jeju Island Raid, the government needed outside help to handle the gate on the verge of opening inside the country.

Orloff viewed himself as a specialist in barriers, and he was certain he could hold off the gate without any trouble. That confidence collapsed the moment he witnessed a giant emerge from the opening. Tragically, Orloff was killed by those giants, leaving the fate of the country to Jinwoo. Jinwoo did manage to save everything, but he never got the chance to awaken Yuri Orloff as a soldier.

Identify the silhouettes before time runs out.

2 Kamish Was Considered Humankind’s Biggest Enemy

Kamish’s arrival on Earth ranks among the darkest disasters the planet faced. The vicious magical beast unleashed its power and cut down S-Rank hunters one after another. The situation looked hopeless until Thomas Andre and his companions took control. After a long, exhausting duel, Kamish was finally defeated.

Even though this event happened many years before Jinwoo’s rise, the hero still had an opportunity to meet the deadly beast. He even managed to awaken Kamish—though only temporarily. It’s likely the author didn’t want Jinwoo to become too overpowered by giving him Kamish in a permanent, fully consistent way.

1 The Architect Made the System

The Architect, also known as Kandiaru, is a major antagonist in Solo Leveling, and he’s the one who created the System that granted Sung Jinwoo his powers. After Jinwoo reached level 100, the Architect invited him to Cartenon Temple to verify whether he had reached the required threshold.

The villain sent out different statues to fight Jinwoo. Once the hero crushed them, the Architect chose to step into the conflict personally.

Jinwoo’s battle against Kandiaru was extremely difficult, pushing him to his limits. Still, he forced his way through using sheer determination and willpower. In the end, Jinwoo defeated the Architect—but he didn’t activate his necromancy on him.