Introduction
Sung Jin-woo, the protagonist in Solo Leveling, possesses a formidable skill known as Shadow Extraction, which plays a pivotal role in shaping the narrative. This article delves into the intricacies of this ability and explores the various shadows that make up Jin-woo's army.
Shadow Extraction:
Despite Jin-woo's number of skills, Shadow Extraction is her most powerful one. What happens with Shadow Extraction now? Jin-woo simply uses Shadow Extraction to bring back any dead hunter or beast, simply using the phrase "Arise," after which he adds them to his Shadow Army. They turn into Shadow Soldiers, and these Shadow Soldiers battle for Jin-woo and are always loyal to him. It's probable that the beast or hunter that Jin-woo killed and extracted his shadow from might have battled Jin-woo at some point in the past.
However, now that he's turned into a Shadow Soldier, he can only follow Jin-woo's orders and show him loyalty. As I previously mentioned, Jin-woo extracts his shadow by using an established term that is always associated with Solo Leveling. And what's the name of the term? "Arise". We will discuss the different rules and restrictions about Shadow Extraction in another article. Now, let's discuss the three Shadows, which were only skimmed over in Manhwa. In other words, when Jin-woo extracted the Shadows, he either terminated them right away or the Shadows terminated themselves.
The Spoiler Alert
Before delving into the mechanics of Shadow Extraction, a warning: this article contains spoilers for Solo Leveling. Proceed with caution as we unravel the details of Jin-woo's shadow manipulation.
Exploring Temporary Shadows
To understand the evolution of Jin-woo's Shadow Army, let's examine three temporary shadows briefly introduced in the Manhwa.
1. Min Byung-gyu:
Min Byung-gyu was once an S-rank healer in Korea. And the first temporary member of Jinwoo shadow army. During the 4th Jeju Island Raid, Byung-gyu and his raid team were able to defeat the Ant Queen. However, Ant King entered the battle after that and was quite strong. Now, despite Byung-gyu's disguise and his near-invisibility while curing the others, Ant King discovered him and killed him. Jin-woo then entered the battle and succeeded in defeating Ant King. Jin-woo plays a role in their victory against him. However, Cha Hye-in, an S-rank Hunter, was seriously injured and needed healing in order to survive. Jin-woo then commands Byung-gyu to get up; in doing so, he was able to free his Shadow and, naturally, revive himself. So, Jin-woo tells Byung-gyu to Arise; that is how he extracted his shadow, and of course, he came back to life.
His resurrection represented the return of Byung-gyu's shadow, which was what gave Cha Hye-in healing. Jin-woo now stopped Byung-gyu's shadow extraction after he healed, since Byung-gyu did not like fighting, so he did this in an attempt to honour his wishes. In a sense, the shadow's soul was released upon his termination.
As you can see, Byung-gyu's shadow was retrieved, but it was only utilised once before being cut off. That's why I'm saying that these three shadows were temporary.
2. Ant Queen:
The Shadow of the Ant Queen was also extracted by Jin-woo following the fourth Jeju Island Raid. Why? Of course, the Ant Queen is quite powerful. However, despite the Ant Queen's might, Beru informs Jin-woo that the majority of her mana—her power—is utilised for reproduction. Sure, you could create a thousand ants from Ant Queen and train them to defend, but there wouldn't be anything particularly interesting about attacking. So what role will she play in the Jinwoo Shadow Army? That's why Jin-woo also terminated the Shadow of the Ant Queen.
3. Kamish:
The last of our temporary shadows from jinwoo shadow army was Kamish, a powerful individual. Are you aware of Kamish's past identity? He was, after all, Antares, the King of the Dragons' servant. I'll remind those who forget that Antares, the King of Dragons, was once the most powerful ruler. So, read our post on the lengthy war that raged between rulers and monarchs at the time to learn more about this. Yes, the kings did manage to capture Kamish during the war. And Kamish received the Essence Stones throughout that battle. Additionally, there existed an S-Rank gate in America, controlled by Kamish. Kamish was fought by numerous S-Rank hunters in that combat.It's also believed that Kamish beat hundreds of S-Rank hunters by himself in the fight. The problem was that, out of the five remaining S-Rank hunters in America, they managed to overcome Kamish. Eight years after the US preserved Kamish's body there and built a structure around it, Jinwoo is given permission by the Federal Bureau of Hunters, or FBH of America, to view Kamish. When Jinwoo realises how powerful Kamish is, he forces Jinwoo to Arise, and Kamish's shadow comes out. However, because Kamish was almost dead for eight years, the entire Arise scene ends in failure. When Kamish's shadow was not properly removed, his body disintegrated. Thus, Kamish's shadow was terminated. By the way, I believe Kamish would have been the second-strongest if he had joined Jinwoo's shadow army. I will tell you in this article about the fact that one shadow is more powerful than even Kamish.
The Permanence of Power: 10 Permanent Shadows
Beyond the temporary shadows, Jin-woo commands a roster of 10 permanent shadows, each with unique abilities and histories.
1. Shadow Giants:
Now, let's explore the shadow giants that were discovered at a Tokyo S-rank gate. Following their deaths, Jinwoo carried out shadow extraction. Since there were 28 giants, he numbered them from 1 to 28 but did not give them names. These shadow giants are incredibly powerful; in fact, one shadow giant is nearly stronger than the typical S-level hunter.
2. Igris:
Igris was already employed by the Ash-born army, the Shadow Monarch, but in the present situation, Igris's responsibility was to test Jinwoo and eventually he also became the part of Jinwoo shadow army. If you've read Manwa, you probably know the dungeon with the empty throne guarded by Igris. Indeed, Igris has been defeated by Jinwooo, and Igris then joins Jinwooo's army. Igris had attained the Martial level when Jinwoo returned as a true Shadow Monarch. In addition to his natural shadow power, Igris also possesses telekinesis, which allows him to manipulate objects at a distance.
3. Tank:
Tank is the name of the next member shadow army of Jinwoo we will discuss. So basically, Tank was the dangerous ice bear that Jinwooo encountered during the Red Gate Incident. Thus, Jinwoo gave him the name Tank after he defeated the ice bear and extracted his shadow. Yes, he has the ability to give a shadow a name every time he extracts it. Tank started out as an elite, but at the conclusion, he had advanced to knighthood. How? Through increasing their level. And every member of JINWOO attains their full rank in their final form.
4. Iron:
Iron is the next significant figure in the Shadow Army, and his backstory is interesting. So there was an A-rank hunter named Kimchul who believed Jinwooo was extremely capable when he was locked in the Red Gate. In fact, he became stuck while showing his powers and made an attempt to kill Jinwoo. Of course, Jinwooo is too strong and ends up killing Kimchul. Kimchul's shadow is extracted by Jinwoo, and he calls it Iron. Thus, Kimchul opposed Jinwoo during his lifetime.
However, as soon as the shadow was extracred, he became loyal to him. Iron's unique skill is his ability to taunt his opponent. and his opponent will wage mindless battle against him, and by taking advantage of this, Iron understands them. But his taunt doesn't work on people who are more powerful than him. Iron also started as a knight, but later he became an elite knight.
5. Tusk:
Tusk is the next member of shadow army from Solo Leveling. Jinwooo and several of the hunters when they enter an A-rank dungeon. Their king, Kargalgan, was killed by Jinwoo, and the beast's shadow was taken out, named Tusk. Tusk began as an elite knight and attained the rank of commander by the end. Tusk has incredible powers and can defeat a hunter of this S-rank. He can move along with gravity, fluctuate in strength, create a shield to protect himself, and throw flame- and fire-based attacks, among other abilities. Tusk is quite powerful throughout.
6. Kaisel:
Kaisel is the next shadow to show up in the Solo Leveling. There used to be a riding of Baaran after Jinwoo defeated the demon king Baron. His mount, also known as his ride, was a wyvern that we can refer to as Kaiselin. Kaisel was the name Jinwoo gave him after he extracted his shadow. He realised that he had originally given him the name Kaisel, even though it was Kaiselin. Jinwoo now travels around using Kaisel for flying. It flies well, but there's nothing amazing about combat.
7. Jima:
Jima is Jinwoo's next shadow at this point. Jima was once the head of an A-rank gate; however, Jinwoo defeated him, and his shadow was removed. Furthermore, Jima is not especially interesting. Now that I've given you the name, let's continue to our list of Jinwoo shadow army. Because there's a really amazing thing ahead. Although Jima's rank was Elite Knight.
8. Beru:
This shadow of Jinwoo is now very strong and a particularly my favorite. And his name is Beru, of course. Recall that I said at the beginning of the film that Jinwoo defeated the Ant King in the fourth Jeju Island raid. It is Ant King who, after the shadow extraction, turns into Beru. Beru was so powerful that, in his living form, he was beating up S-rank hunters easily. In fact, Beru also killed Goto Ryuiji, the highest-ranking hunter in Japan. Naturally, though, he was defeated by Jinwooo because of Jinwooo's superior strength. Beru calls JINWOO, Your Majesty, My King, and he enjoys watching History Channel. Beru is a powerful and incredibly loyal person.
He has the ability to fly, change size, and heal people. You have an S-rank healer, literally. Not only can he cure, but he can also poison. I mean poison-induced paralysis. Beru is incredible. No S-rank hunter could possibly stand a chance against Beru. By the way, Beru was a commander when he arrived. And he had advanced to the Martial level by the end.
9. Greed:
Let's now proceed to the next shadow from Solo Leveling, called greed. Its story is also excellent. Jinwoo once joined some hunters in a C-rank dungeon. But these were not good hunters. They planned to kill Jinwooo because they didn't want to share the loot. Naturally, though, JINWOO outperformed everyone. The hunters who were killed by their dead leader, Jinwooo, now have an S-level hunter for a brother. He goes by Huang Dongsu and resides in the United States. And now that Jinwoo killed his brother, he is chasing after Jinwoo. Dongsu will therefore kill Jinwoo.
Dongsu plans and participates in combat with Jinwoo during his visit to the US. However, Dongsu is facing Jinwoo; he does not have a chance against him. Thus, Jinwoo extracted Dongsu's shadow and gave it the name Greed after killing him. Greed is very powerful. Actually, it began at the commander level. By the way, I can tell you that this shadow is gone after using the Chalice of Rebirth. since it was a man at first and was alive ten years ago. Thus, it revived once more. Thus, the shadow disappeared as well.
10. Bellion:
Here is the last and strongest shadow we have encountered; it is called Bellion. Although Jinwoo hasn't yet extracted Bellion, it was a member of Ashborn's army under the original Shadow Monarch. Before the last battle, when our JINWOO emerges as the new Shadow Monarch, Bellion arrives with his whole army, proving he is the strongest instantly. Bellion will always be devoted to the Shadow Monarch, whether he is Jinwooo or Ashborn. For this reason, he is now loyal to Jinwoo. Here, Beru challenges Bellion as well, but Bellion wins easily over Beru in a sparring battle. As of right now, Bellion holds the position of Grand Marshal, meaning that he is in charge of the whole Shadow Army of Jinwoo. Thus, you can understand how overpowered he is. Literally, Bellion is the strongest shadow.
Understanding the Shadows' Abilities
Generic Shadow Abilities
Let me explain a few of Jinwoo's shadows' overall abilities. Thus, it is obvious that shadow soldiers are excellent fighters, and their skills from their previous lives sort of carry over into their new roles within the shadow army. In addition, they have the ability to regenerate in shadow form, meaning that even if you kill them or entirely cut them down, they will still need their owner's mana to fully recover. However, there is one exception: yes, these shadows can end forever if they are defeated by a powerful monarch like Rakan or Antares.
Communication and Growth
Some of these shadows, like Bellion and Beru, can talk to Jinwoo, but not all of them can. They also develop with time; that is, they reach a higher degree. They actually have a power-based ranking system that gets better with experience.
Strategic Utility
These shadows have the ability to watch someone else by hiding in their shadows. In order to keep an eye on his near ones, Jinwoo frequently hides his shadow soldiers in their shadows. They can get involved in combat if there is any problem.
Rank Hierarchy
As mentioned earlier, these shadows have a ranking system, starting with the basic grade. Then comes normal: elite, knight, elite knight, commander, marshal, and grand marshal in that order. Every rank has increased in power from its previous rank; for example, the grand marshal is the most powerful rank, while the basic rank is the least powerful. In the same way, there can only be one shadow that leads the entire army of shadows: the Grand Marshal.
Conclusion
Sung Jin-woo's command over an impressive force and his ability to deal with Shadow Extraction in the Solo Leveling realm are proof of his unmatched power. The story becomes deeper and more complicated with every new member of his army, from short-term shadows to steadfast, loyal allies.
The powerful web of relationships and skills that describes Jin-woo's Shadow Army is something we can't help but admire, especially as we eagerly await more discoveries in the Solo Leveling series. Once simply remaining from the past, the shadows are now commanded by the Shadow Monarch and form an unstoppable force.
