The Solo Leveling anime and manhwa series have portrayed many of its characters to showcase their strength rather than their intelligence. With sufficient strength, most difficulties get sorted, but as Sung Jin-Woo proved in his E-rank days, without sufficient strength, intelligence is a necessary tool for survival.

For characters who portray a high level of strength and intelligence, few things can get in their way. Even if they are found in a bad spot, they manage to survive or maneuver their way out of said situation. While many characters don’t have as many feats of intelligence as they do feats of strength, a small subset of characters have proven that they are smarter than the norm, even among the supernatural hunters and beings in Solo Leveling.

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Why is Everyone So Excited About Solo Leveling?

Solo Leveling is one of the most anticipated anime of the year. What is it that has anime fans so excited?

Updated March 21, 2025, by Oluwatokiloba Folami: The second season of Solo Leveling has been on a great run since its debut and continues to deliver, dethroning One Piece to become the highest-rated anime on Crunchyroll. This milestone is a testament to the series’ popularity, engaging action, and compelling characters, many of whom display exceptional intelligence. While raw power is the main attraction of the series, intelligence is a vital attribute that not many characters in the series survive on. It manifests itself in several ways, from strategic and tactical reasoning to sharp business acumen. Regardless of how they apply their intelligence, these characters demonstrate why they excel more than their peers in their chosen fields.

10

Woo Jin Chul

A Master Of Investigation And Instinct Far Above His Peers

Woo Jin Chul might not be the strongest hunter, but when it comes to intelligence, he is ahead of his A-Rank peers and even S-Rank hunters. His intelligence was so respected that he was given the role of Chief Inspector of the Hunter Association’s Surveillance Department and even became the chairman of the entire association following the death of Go Gun Hee, the former chairman.

He also prefers facts to assumptions, as seen when he had to confirm if Jinwoo had a reawakening after the double dungeon incident. However, he believes strongly in his instincts, seeing as he did not give up till he could factually ascertain Jinwoo’s strength. Even after Jinwoo revised the timeline, he believed something was amiss and did not stop searching until he regained his memories.

9

Yoo Jinho

The Weak D-Rank With A Knack For Business

Although he initially appears to be a weak hunter with enough passed-down wealth to purchase expensive armor and weapons, Jinho’s intelligence is not to be underestimated. He took note of the wording used in Jinwoo’s contract and how it only included Essence Crystals. This was another indication that Hwang Donsuk’s team was dubious, aside from Jinwoo’s intuition.

He is also business savvy, as expected of one who was meant to inherit his father’s empire. He knew when to take risks and forego profit for value or goals. Despite being weak compared to Jinwoo, the two were a perfect fit. Jinho covered for Jinwoo’s weakness with his knowledge and expertise, the same way Jinwoo covered for his weakness in strength and manpower in their guild.

8

Igris

The Educated And Tactical Shadow

It takes a certain level of intelligence to be entrusted with the task of selecting the successor of the Shadow Monarch, and Igris was the shadow for the job. He makes excellent use of his intelligence in combat, being as tactical and strategic as the situation demands. He is also the only shadow to openly question the moment he gained true respect for his master.

The same way Igris believes in equality in duels, such that he decided to abandon his sword to match Jinwoo in hand-to-hand combat, is the same way he believes in the importance of education. Igris’ intellect makes him a leader to the other shadows in Jinwoo’s army and even a tutor to Jinwoo himself, as Igris has been shown to help him with math.

7

Go Gun-Hee

The Chairman Of The Korean Hunters Association Kept His Position With Strength And Smarts

For most of the series, Go Gun-Hee didn’t showcase his fighting ability, but his leadership skills. After Sung Jin-Woo gained his newfound abilities, Go Gun-Hee was among the first to truly see through the young man, whether it be his potential, power, or ideals.

In terms of leadership skills, Go Gun-Hee is among the most respected in Korea in the series. Despite being old, he was able to keep his place as Chairman because of his intelligence and skill at seeing through people and drawing the necessary ones over to his side. Although old, Go Gun-Hee is also powerful, as he is the brightest fragment of brilliant light. Unfortunately, the respected Chairman was killed by the Frost Monarch.

6

Choi Jong-In

His High Magical Prowess And Leadership Skills Correspond To More Intelligence Than Most

The chairman of the Hunters Guild is one of Japan’s relatively few S-Rank hunters. As a magic-type hunter, Choi Jong-In is incredibly powerful with incredible firepower. As Sung Jin-Woo has proven, to be an incredible magic combatant, it’s importasnt to hhave a high intelligence stat, and as one of the world’s leading magic type hunters, Choi Jing-in is, without a doubt, incredibly intelligent.

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Solo Leveling: Every Main Character’s Rank, Class, And Guild

With the Solo Leveling anime being a smash hit, here’s a look at each main character’s rank and skills.

Interestingly, most other S-rank hunters are physical fighters, often having immense sword skills or pure destructive power. Apart from his dexterity with magic, Choi Jong-In has proven himself to be an effective leader with an eye for people. Moreover, before Sung Jin-Woo, Choi Jong-In represented Korea at the International Guild Conference, a place where strength and intelligence are both needed.

5

Beru

His Learning Ability Is Instant

• Manhwa Debut: Chapter 124

The Shadow Monarch’s right hand started off as the strongest on Jeju Island. After decimating many of Japan’s S-Rank hunters, and even Goto Ryuji, a man said to be on his way to becoming a nationally-ranked hunter, Beru’s strength was put on display for all to see. However, even with his overbearing strength, Beru still showed incredible intelligence.

Apart from easily learning attacks and countering them, Beru also easily learned the human tongue. He accomplished learning how to speak to humans by watching various shows and by simply killing humans. When Beru kills hunters, he can absorb their abilities and learn from them. Apart from this innate ability, Beru also learned much of the human tongue by watching shows after he became Song Jin-Woo’s shadow soldier. His intelligence allows him to quickly adapt to various situations, easily identifying the most powerful opponent in the room and even clearing dungeons without Sung Jin-Woo being present while protecting other humans.

4

Antares

Although Incredibly Strong, The Monarch Of Destruction Is A Master Tactician

• Manhwa Debut: Chapter 228

The Monarch of Destruction served as the final antagonist of the series. His overwhelming power brought terror to all, even before his ascension on Earth. Before the battle between Antares and humanity’s hunters, many gates appeared all over the world, a move many, including Sung Jin-Woo, thought meant that Antares’ army would appear all over the world.

However, to deceive humanity and catch them at their weakest, those gates were used only as distractions, and Antares descended upon Canada with his full army intact and decimated it. Fooling all of humanity’s hunters and the Shadow Monarch is no small feat. Antares did it by minimizing the number of battles to counter Sung Jin-Woo’s shadow army, which grows the longer the fight lasts.

3

Ashborn

In Terms Of Experience, Few Can Rival Ashborn

• Manhwa Debut: Chapter 217

Sung Jin-Woo’s predecessor achieved many notable feats that showcased his intelligence, cunning, and flexibility. When in battle, Ashborn never had to resort to tricks such as deceiving his enemies or using poison; however, in terms of battle plans and lying low until he was assured of victory, Ashborn was a master at catching his enemies off guard.

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Solo Leveling: Determination of the Weak

Jinwoo wakes up in hospital after the Double Dungeon ordeal, and discovers just how demanding and dangerous his new life as a Player can be.

Despite making plans with the Architect to create a vessel capable of utilizing his power, Ashborn had no plan to inherit said vessel but instead wanted a successor. To fulfill his plans, he locked the Architect out of his system, a feat that remains unexplained to this day, and gave Sung Jin-Woo his black heart. Apart from his dealings with the Architect, Ashborn also demonstrated much of his intelligence during the battle with the Monarchs.

2

The Architect

The Creator Of The System Is Beyond Knowledgeable

After Sung Jin-Woo was re-awakened as a hunter, he became a player who used the system to his advantage. The system was a magical video game-like interface that organized quests for Sung Jin-Woo and gave him an inventory, instant dungeons, and other skills to help him level up and become stronger.

The creator of the system was none other than The Architect. With its many intricacies, the system was incredible. Its ability to offer Sung Jin-Woo passive skills and activate them when needed showed the level of detailing that went into it. As the mind behind it, The Architect is an immensely intelligent individual. Unfortunately for him, he ended up being betrayed by Ashborn.

1

Sung Jin-Woo

The Protagonist Of The Series Has Always Displayed High Intelligence

As the protagonist of the Solo Leveling series, Sung Jin-Woo takes home many awards, and intelligence is one of them. His intuitive ability was showcased to be exceptional right from the double dungeon, and after that, he gained the necessary strength to utilize his intuition. After re-awakening, Sung Jin-Woo invested a lot of points into his intelligence stat.

As a magic user who summons thousands, if not millions, of shadow soldiers, Sung Jin-Woo’s intelligence may even outclass his strength. Moreover, in his battle against Antares, Sung Jin-Woo showcased his ability to make risky but intelligent decisions even with the world at stake, and he did so.