Summary
In theSolo Levelinguniverse, hunters gifted with unique powers protect humanity from the dangerous monsters that emerge from mysterious Gates. Although most of them areranked by an international S-E system, a few surpass the traditional standards and are in a league of their own.
These top-ranked combatants are capable of rivaling a nation’s entire army and are known as the national-level hunters. Based on their achievements, powers, and combat experience, here are the best national-level hunters who have surpassed everyone’s expectations to shape the future of humanity in complex ways.The following contains spoilers for Solo Leveling Season 2: Arise from the Shadow and beyond.
National-level hunters have to satisfy a few conditions, like clearing an S-Rank gate, to officially earn the title. Although the manhwa alludes to there being only five official national-level hunters, this article lists characters on par with or much more powerful than the original five hunters who had defeated the dragon Kamish. While they may not have officially earned the title, they have as much claim to be called a national-level hunter as anyone else on the list.
6Siddharth Bachchan
The National Hunter From India
Siddharth Bachchan is the guild master of the Asura Guild. Although he played a crucial role in defeating the dragon Kamish, his powers and life story are shrouded in mystery. People who know him describe him as an ambitious hunter who dreams of climbing to the top of the world’s hierarchy.
Driven by his strong savior complex, Siddharth has managed to make his mark on history and has shaped the future of humanity by defeating some intimidating rivals.
5Christopher Reed
One Of The Hunters Who Defeated Dragon Kamish
Christopher Reed was an experienced national-level hunterwho was ranked below Liu Zhigang and Thomas Andre. As the third strongest hunter in the world before Sung Jin-Woo’s second awakening, he used to be quite arrogant and had amassed quite a fortune for himself with the help of his frightening powers.
Using Spiritual Body Manifestation, Reed could transform into a one-eyed humanoid monster and was capable of wreaking havoc of epic proportions. The flames that he could ignite in this form were so powerful that it would take several S-Rank hunters to extinguish them. When he was cornered by Tarnak, Rakan, and Queresha, Christopher fought bravely till his last breath despite being outnumbered and outclassed, proving that he was a brave warrior unafraid of death.
4Liu Zhigang
China’s Greatest Hunter
Liu Zhigang is a battle-hardened but humble hunter. Unlike some of his peers, he does not allow his ego to cloud his judgment and accepts the unembellished truth without hesitation. He is also quite frank about his shortcomings and does not feel ashamed to accept when someone surpasses him as a hunter.
Zhigang is a well-trained and skilled swordsman capable of taking down even the strongest rivals with ease. As a national-level hunter and a vessel of the Ruler, he is gifted with the power to use Spiritual Body Manifestationand the Ruler’s Authority. With years of combat experience under his belt, he has countless tricks up his sleeve that can outsmart anyone.
3Thomas Andre
America’s Strongest Hunter
The guild master of the Scavenger Guild,Thomas Andre was regarded as the strongest hunterin existence before Sung Jin-Woo’s second awakening. As a national-level hunter, Andre had international influence and lived a lavish life.
Before he was granted powers by the Rulers, Thomas used to be a brawler. Andre had a rough childhood. He was born to poor European immigrants and faced significant challenges until he became a hunter. He is strong enough to overpower a country’s entire military force and is one of the five hunters who defeated the dragon Kamish.
2Sung Il-Hwan
Sung Jin-Woo’s Father
Many fans would argue thatSung Il-Hwan’s place on this list is controversial, considering he went missing before the ranking system came into existence and remained a rogue even after his sudden appearance in America. However, it would be criminal to ignore the fact that he was a vessel of a Ruler like other national-level hunters.
Don’t you ever set foot in Korea. I’m not saying this for my son’s sake, I’m saying it for yours. You will never rest in peace, even in death.
Although being a vessel of a Ruler is not enough to be on par with national-level hunters—Go Gunhee is a good example of this—Il-Hwan has demonstrated that he can even fight the Monarchs. In the Monarchs War arc, he single-handedly took on Sillad and Rakan and managed to overwhelm the duo briefly. It is noteworthy that Rakan almost killed Thomas Andre and was only saved by Lennart Niermann’s timely intervention.
It is even unclear if Niermann and Andre could have defeated Rakan together, so Il-Hwan’s brave fight against the combined force of two Monarchs just goes to show his superior strength. So, although he is not officially considered a national-level hunter, Sung Il-Hwan is probably stronger than the five hunters who defeated Kamish.
1Sung Jin-Woo
The Shadow Monarch
Sung Jin-Woo, the second Shadow Monarchand Ashborn’s successor, possesses powers that catapulted him to the pinnacle of strength and authority that most Rulers and Monarchs can only dream of. He eventually got so strong that even clearing S-Rank dungeons was not much of a challenge for him. Once considered humanity’s weakest hunter, Jin-Woo ended up becoming the most influential hunter who shaped the world’s destiny.
Even national-level hunters like Thomas Andre, who had played a crucial role in hunting down the dragon Kamish, were no match for him. Sung defeated America’s strongest hunter without sustaining any serious injuries and could have even wiped out the entire Scavenger Guild if he wanted. Considering how one-sided the battle with Andre was, Jin-Woo is undoubtedly the strongest human to have ever lived and deserves to be called a national-level hunter.
