Solo Leveling introduced us to Sung Jinwoo, the weakest protagonist in history. Jinwoo then enters the double dungeon where his fate changes forever. He comes close to dying but makes a great sacrifice and is eventually chosen by The System as the next Shadow Monarch. He begins to clear more dungeons and levels up, just like a game, thanks to the Architect who chose him as the Ashborn’s human host.
While he eventually becomes the most powerful hunter in the world, let’s not forget about Sung II Hwan, the strongest hunter to exist before him. But what’s more interesting is that Sung II Hwan is Jinwoo’s father. So it’s unsurprising that fans want to know who is stronger – Sung II Hwan or Sung Jinwoo. Father or son?
Is Sung Jinwoo Stronger than Sung II Hwan?
While Jinwoo is a weakling at the start, we all know how he becomes the strongest hunter in the world by the end of the story. He levels up and he does so solo. Hence the name of the show I guess. Be it the Rulers or the Monarchs, no one can surpass his powers and abilities by the show’s end. So yes, he is indeed stronger than Sung II Hwan by the end of Solo Leveling.
Throughout the series, we didn’t get a chance to see the father-son duo engage in a duel with each other. It would be fair to say that Sung II Hwan would have given him tough competition considering a few facts.
Sung II Hwan was considered the strongest hunter to exist. But then he went missing inside a red gate, and a Ruler chose him as their human vessel and blessed him with immense powers. But he was trapped inside the dungeon for 10 years. Everybody presumed him dead. He got rough and looked almost like a dungeon beast himself when he finally escaped.
Spoilers Ahead
But all of this wasn’t enough to make him stronger than Jinwoo, who eventually became Monarch of Shadow. Also, let’s not forget that in the end, Sung II Hwan was still a human, but Jinwoo became an immortal being who could also transcend time and space. Sung II Hwan was strong as a human, probably the strongest hunter yet, but Jin-Woo was basically a God by the end of Solo Leveling. So, it doesn’t even feel correct to compare
Sung II Hwan was surely stronger than Jinwoo before the boy received the full powers of Ashborn. At the time when Jinwoo was using The System, Sung II Hwan was already holding the powers of a Ruler inside of him. During that time, Sung II Hwan was stronger than his son, and he would have won if they actually fought.
Sung II Hwan was rescued by the Rulers and spent several years in captivity. He was offered his freedom in exchange for the Shadow Monarch’s human vessel’s life. He heads towards Japan to accomplish the task. However, before he could kill Ashborn’s vessel, he learned the truth and stepped back. In Monarchs War Arc, when Rakan and Querehsha killed Jinwoo, it was Sung II Hwan who bought time so his son could resurrect as the true form of Shadow Monarch. So, if II Hwan wasn’t there, Jinwoo could have ultimately died at the hands of the Monarchs, who were all set to unleash their final blow on our protagonist.
What Made Sung II Hwan a Strong Character in Solo Leveling
One of the Rulers picked Sung II Hwan when the gates started spawning in Korea. Before joining the guild of the hunters, II Hwan worked as a firefighter and lived with his loving wife, Park Kyung-Hye, son Jinwoo, and daughter Jinah. With his fighting abilities and physical strength, he took little time to rise to a powerful position. However, at that time, the rank system didn’t exist, so no one knew he was an S Rank.
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After escaping the captivity, Sung II Hwan encountered a group of A-Rank Hunters inside the American Soil Dungeon. But he successfully knocked out each of them without breaking a sweat. Later, Hwang Dongsoo, an S Rank hunter himself, was called by the Federal Bureau of Hunters to interrogate Sung II Hwan. However, Sung II Hwan quickly overpowered him. The anime shows how the fight ended within seconds and how Dongsoo was admitted to a hospital post the fight. That just shows that even after staying in captivity for several years, Sung II Hwan had strength and power that none of the S-Rank hunters had achieved. Jinwoo could surpass that level only when Ashborn chose him as his successor in the Monarch War Arc.
Like most hunters, Sung II Hwan possessed Ruler’s Authority, immense strength, and speed. But what made him stand out was his ability to camouflage with the surroundings like squirrels and trick the opponents.
