Sung Jin-woo , A character who is powering up in the world of Solo Leveling. Now, although Jin Woo has many skills, the most OP skill he has is Shadow Extraction. What happens with Shadow Extraction? Well, before I explain that, let me give you a big spoiler alert. Because, this blog is full of spoilers.
Introduction to Shadow Extraction
Okay, so with Shadow Extraction, basically, Jin Woo can raise any dead beast or high-level hunter and then include them in his shadow army. They become Shadow Soldiers, and these Shadow Soldiers are completely loyal to Jin Woo and fight on his behalf. Now, it may be that the beast or hunter Jin Woo killed to extract its shadow was against him when it was alive. However, once it becomes a Shadow Soldier, it has no other option but to listen to Jin Woo and remain loyal to him. As I mentioned, to extract shadows, Jin Woo uses a very famous term always associated with Solo Leveling: “ARISE.” There are many rules and exceptions for shadow extraction, which will be discussed in another blog. In that blog, where we will learn about Jin Woo’s different skills, we will also cover Shadow Extraction in detail. But today’s blog will focus on Jin Woo’s shadow army. We will explore their history and their powers in depth. It’s going to be fun. Let’s start the blog.
Temporary Shadows: Min Byung-Gyu, Ant Queen, and Kamish
Min Byung-Gyu: First, let’s talk about the three shadows briefly shown in the manhwa. The thing is, when Jin Woo extracted those shadows, he terminated them immediately, or they self-terminated. The first of these is Min Byung-Gyu. He used to be a S-rank healer in Korea. He participated in the fourth jeju island raid and was successful in killing the Ant Queen with his raid party. But then the Ant King jumped into the fight and was very powerful. Although Byung-Gyu was disguised and kind of invisible, healing others, the Ant King found and killed him.
After the fight, Jin Woo jumped in and defeated the Ant King. Without Jin Woo, they couldn’t have defeated him. During the battle, S-Rank hunter Cha Hae-In was severely injured and wouldn’t have survived without healing. In this critical situation, Jin Woo commanded Byung-Gyu to “ARISE,” extracting his shadow and reviving him I mean his shadow. The shadow then healed Cha Hae-In. After the healing, Jin Woo terminated the shadow extraction out of respect for Byung-Gyu’s will, as he didn’t like to fight. By doing so, Jin Woo allowed Byung-Gyu’s soul to be liberated. Although Byung-Gyu was temporarily Jin Woo’s shadow, it was used only once and then terminated. This is why I’m saying these shadows I’m telling you about are temporary.
Ant Queen: The second temporary one was the Ant Queen. Yes, after the fourth Jeju Island raid, Jin Woo extracted the Ant Queen’s shadow as well. Although the Ant Queen was very strong, Beru explained that her main role was reproduction. She could produce thousands of ants for defense, but in terms of attack, there was nothing special about her. That’s why Jin Woo terminated the Ant Queen’s shadow. Now, you might be wondering who Beru is, the one giving all these suggestions to Jin Woo. Beru is my favorite shadow among all the shadows. Stay tuned to the blog, as I will be sharing more about him in this blog
Kamish: So, our last temporary shadow was Kamish, who was very strong. Do you know who Kamish originally was? Well, he used to be the servant of the King of Dragons, Antares. And for those who don’t remember, the King of Dragons, Antares was one of the strongest monarchs. There was a long battle going on between Rulers and Monarchs, and if you want to know more about it, refer to my blog. So yes, during that battle, Kamish was captured by the rulers.
And then put Essence Stone into Kamish’s body. Once, in the United States, a gate opened. The boss inside that gate was Kamish, and several S-rank hunters fought against him. It is said that Kamish alone killed hundreds of S-Rank hunters in that fight. The situation was such that only five S-rank hunters were left in America at that time. Somehow, they finally managed to defeat Kamish. The US preserved Kamish’s body there and built an entire structure around it, including their office. Eight years after that incident, the Federal Bureau of Hunters (FBH) of America gave the chance to meet with Jin Woo.
Jinwoo saw that Kamish was very strong. Jinwoo tried to bring him into his shadow army by saying, “ARISE.” Although Kamish’s shadow was extracted, it didn’t work properly because Kamish had been almost dead for 8 years, causing his shadow to degrade. We can say that Kamish terminated on his own. If Kamish had become a part of Jinwoo’s shadow army, in my opinion, he would have been the second strongest, because there is someone even stronger, which I will tell you about in this blog. So yes, these were the three shadows that we have seen temporarily in the manhwa, but now there are 10 more shadows that are permanent in Jin Woo’s army.
“As the Grand Marshal, I lead the shadow army with an unbreakable bond to our king.”
– Bellion
Permanent Shadows: The Backbone of Jin-Woo’s Army
But before telling you about them, let me give you some very generic details about Jin Woo’s shadows. So, shadow soldiers are obviously very tough in fighting, and when they were alive, they had abilities that kind of remain when they become part of the shadow army. Besides that, in shadow form, they can regenerate, meaning you can cut them up, kill them, but still, using their owner’s mana, they will fully regenerate. However, there is an exception that if they face a very strong enemy like Antares or our Rakan, yes, those people can permanently destroy the shadows. These shadows talk to their master, not all, but most of them as I have seen like Beru, Bellion, they all talk and then follow orders. Also Over time, their level increases. They literally have a ranking system based on power which increases with experience. They can also hide in the shadows of other people and keep an eye on them. Jin Woo often hides his shadow soldiers in the shadows of his close ones to keep an eye on them. If any trouble comes to them, these soldiers can come out and fight. In fact, these shadows are so smart that they can send signals to Jin Woo from afar, telling him what is happening there. He can also switch places with them instantly, though there is a cool-down period after doing so. There’s much more, but we will not go into that now. As I mentioned, there is a ranking within them that starts from Basic Grade, then Normal. Knight, Elite Knight, Commander, Marshal, and finally Grand Marshal. Each rank is more powerful than the previous one, meaning Basic is the least powerful and Grand Marshal is the most powerful. There can be only one Grand Marshal who commands the entire shadow army. Okay, so that’s enough knowledge about the abilities of the shadow army. I hope you are enjoying it. If you are enjoying the blog, then complete share it. Also, follow us on Instagram, Discord, and all other platforms, including Twitter. Now, let’s move on to the ten permanent shadows of Jin Woo, which are not temporary.
The Shadow Giants of Tokyo
First, let’s talk about the shadow giants who were found in an S-rank gate in Tokyo. After killing them, Jin Woo used Shadow Extraction on them. He didn’t give them any specific names because there were 28 giants, so he numbered them 1 to 28. These shadow giants are very strong, so much so that a single shadow giant can almost defeat an average S-Rank hunter of that level.
Igris: From Guardian to Marshal
The next one is Igris. He was already part of the Shadow Monarch Ashborn’s army, but he was testing Jinwoo by fighting him.Those who have read the manhwa would remember the empty throne that Igris used to guard. Igris, after being defeated by Jin Woo, became a part of Jin Woo’s army. Initially, Igris was at the rank of Knight or Elite Knight. If I am wrong, please tell me in the comments. But in the end when Jin Woo came back as a shadow monarch, Igris reached the rank of Marshal. Besides normal shadow power, Igris also has telekinesis, meaning he can move things from a distance, and maybe it was with this ability that Jin Woo got the Dominator’s Touch skill.
Tank: The Ice Bear with Elite Strength
hen, the next one is Tank. Tank was basically a dangerous ice bear that Jin Woo encountered during the red gate incident. After defeating that ice bear and extracting its shadow, Jin Woo named it Tank. Yes, whenever he extracts a shadow, he has the option to name it. Initially, it was at the Elite rank, but towards the end, it reached the Knight rank by leveling up. And In Jin Woo’s final form, they all reach their full rank.
Iron: The Taunting Knight
The next important one is Iron, whose story is quite interesting. When Jin Woo was trapped inside the Red Gate, there was an A-Rank hunter named Kim Chul. He was overconfident in his abilities .In fact, while showing his abilities, he got caught and kind of went to kill Jinwoo. But of course, Jinwoo was too powerful and killed Kim Chul. After that, Jinwoo extracted Kim Chul’s shadow and named it Iron. So, look, when Kim Chul was alive, he was against Jinwoo, but after becoming a shadow, he became loyal to Jinwoo. Now, Iron’s special ability is that he can taunt his opponent, causing the opponent to attack him recklessly, and Iron takes advantage of this to kill them. However, his taunt doesn’t work on those who are more powerful than him.
Tusk: Master of Gravity and Flames
Now, the next one is Tusk. Once, Jinwoo, along with some high-level hunters, entered an A-rank dungeon where they were attacked by high orcs. Their boss was Kargalgan, whom Jinwoo killed and extracted his shadow, naming it Tusk. Tusk’s rank started as an Elite Knight and eventually in the end reached Commander rank. Tusk can easily defeat an S-Rank hunter and possesses incredible powers, such as manipulating gravity to either increase or decrease it drastically. He can also create protective shields and launch various attacks using flame and fire. Overall, Tusk is very strong.
Kaisel: The Flying Shadow
The next shadow is Kaisel. When Jinwoo defeated the Demon King Baran, he had a mount called Kaisel. Jinwoo extracted Kaisel’s shadow and named him Kaisel. Initially, the name was Kaisellin, but he later changed it to Kaisel. Kaisel is mainly used for flying around and not much for combat, but his flying abilities are impressive.
Jima: The Elite Knight
Next is Jima. He was a very big boss of an A-rank gate. Jinwoo defeated him and extracted his shadow. There isn’t much special about Jima, but he was an Elite Knight in rank.
Beru: The Loyal Commander
Now, The next shadow, and my personal favorite, is Beru. As I mentioned at the start of the blog, during the fourth Jeju Island raid, Jinwoo defeated the Ant King. After extracting his shadow, Jin-woo named it Beru. Beru was so powerful that in his living form, he could easily defeat S-rank hunters. In fact, he even killed Japan’s top-rank hunter, Goto Ryuji. However, he was ultimately defeated by Jinwoo, because Jinwoo is an overpowered character.
Beru became extremely loyal to Jinwoo, calling him “Your Majesty” or “My King.” Beru has numerous powers, including the ability to fly, manipulate his size, heal others, and even cause paralysis. Beru is so powerful that no S-rank hunter can stand against him. Even Jinwoo’s love interest, Cha Hae-In, who is an S-rank hunter, was easily overpowered by Beru. Initially, Beru was at the Commander level, and by the end, he reached the Marshal level.
Greed: The Fallen S-Rank Hunter
Moving on to the next shadow, which is named Greed. Once, Jinwoo went to the C-Rank dungeon with some hunters who tried to kill him to avoid sharing the loot. Jinwoo overpowered them and killed their leader. The leader’s brother , Hwang Dongsoo, an S-rank hunter living in America, came after Jinwoo for revenge. When Jinwoo went to the US, he fought and defeated Dongsoo and extracted his shadow, naming it Greed. Greed is very strong, starting at the Commander level. However, when the Force of Rebirth was used, Greed disappeared because he was originally a human who was alive ten years ago, so his shadow vanished.
“From guarding an empty throne to fighting by your side, my blade now cuts through the darkness for you.”
– Igris
Bellion: The Grand Marshal
Finally, we come to the last and strongest shadow, Bellion. Bellion was not extracted by Jinwoo; he was part of the original Shadow Monarch Ashborn’s army. When Jinwoo became the new Shadow Monarch, Bellion automatically became part of his shadow army. Before the final fight, Bellion appeared with his entire army. Instantly, he became the strongest shadow of Jinwoo. Bellion is now loyal to Jinwoo because he has always been loyal to the Shadow Monarch, whether it was Ashborn or now Jinwoo. Here, Beru challenges Bellion, but Bellion easily defeats Beru instantly. He has many powers, including commanding the entire shadow army as the Grand Marshal. Bellion is crucial in battles, and his strength is unmatched among Jinwoo’s shadows.
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