Sahmmy The Rulers and the Monarchs. The representations of light and darkness in the world of Solo Leveling. We will be discussing the Rulers and answering that question, “Who really are the Rulers?”
The Absolute Being, who is the representation of God in this world, was among the three things that existed since the dawn of time; the others being light and darkness. From the light, the Absolute Being created angelic beings called Rulers, whose main duty was to protect and preserve the world. From the darkness, he created the Monarchs, who sought to destroy all creation. Thus, there was balance and an unending cycle of enmity and war between these Rulers and Monarchs.
During the entire course of the war, the Rulers would eventually rebel against their God. All except one of them, Ashborn, stood loyal to the Absolute Being until his demise. The Rulers finally won the war by defeating the Monarchs and forcing them to flee. But that war came with the birth of the strongest being in the world of Solo Leveling, the Shadow Monarch.
WHO REALLY ARE THE RULERS?
Eight powerful angelic beings created by the Absolute Being to preserve and protect the world. The seven who rebelled against the Absolute Being understood that no matter the side that won the war, the world of humans was bound to be destroyed regardless. Thus, they chose human vessels for themselves to bestow their powers upon. These humans would become the strongest Hunters in the world; some even becoming National Level Hunters, believed to wield power so great as to equal a nation’s military.
These are the Rulers and the human vessels:
RULERS
- Ashborn
- The Brightest Fragment of Brilliant Light
- The Six Unnamed Rulers
1. Ashborn
First known as The Greatest Fragment of Brilliant Light. Eventually, he became reborn as the first Shadow Monarch during the course of the endless war between Rulers and Monarchs. The only Ruler that showed undying and unwavering loyalty to the Absolute Being. Ashborn set the course of events that turns Sung Jin-Woo into the hunter he became – his successor.
2. The Brightest Fragment of Brilliant Light
Not much is known about this Ruler except that at some point in the story, chairman Go Gun Hee becomes his vessel.
3. The Six Unnamed Rulers
Not much is known about these six specifically.
VESSELS
Now, this is the list of their human vessels:
- Sung Jin-Woo
- Liu Zhigang
- Thomas Andre
- Christopher Reed
- Siddharth Bachchan
- Go Gun Hee
- Sung Il-Hwan
- Jonas
1. Sung Jin-Woo
Undoubtedly every Solo leveling’s fan favourite. Sung Jin-Woo is the main character of the series and one of the first vessels of the Rulers that we are introduced to. Being a vessel of Ashborn, Sung Jin-Woo gained the ability to manipulate shadows amongst other incredible ones.
2. Liu Zhigang
The world’s number two hunter and the strongest in China. He is also one of the five National level hunters. Not much is known about Liu Zhigang besides him being battle thirsty and always playing saviour for his nation. It’s certain that every fan wanted a faceoff between Liu Zhigang and Sung Jin-Woo, we almost got it but oh well!
3. Thomas Andre
The world’s number one hunter and a brash one at that. Thomas Andre is a hunter from the USA, who was first introduced to us as an antagonist following his actions towards Sung Jin-Woo. Thomas Andre “actually” eventually shows us the true power of the Rulers’ vessels in his fight against Sung Jin-Woo, and subsequently the Beast Monarch. Thomas Andre is also one of the five National level hunters.
4. Christopher Reed
The world’s number three hunter and another National level hunter. Much like Thomas Andre, Reed is also a hunter from the United States and the most powerful fire user in the series which he demonstrated in his handicapped battle against three Monarchs.
5. Siddharth Bachchan
We never really get the chance to put a face to this name but we believe him to be a powerful hunter and arguably the best healer class hunter in series seeing how he was a National level hunter and also India’s strongest hunter. Siddharth is ranked 4th in the world ranking.
6. Go Gun Hee
The man that was chairman of the Korean Hunters Association and who played somewhat of a father figure to Sung Jin-Woo for a good part of the series. Go Gun Hee was one of the strongest hunters in Korea, arguably second only to Sung Jin-Woo if we cast old age to the side. He was also a man that loved humanity above all else.
7. Sung Il-Hwan
Sung Il-Hwan is a powerful hunter and also father to Sung Jin Woo. Trapped in a dungeon for about a decade following a mission, he was tasked with the mission of eliminating the next Shadow Monarch, and that happened to be his son.
8. Jonas
Sadly, we didn’t get to know about Jonas until his death following the killing spree by the Monarchs. He was, however, stated to be the strongest hunter from Brazil and 6th in the world ranking.