The Villain Who Knew Jin-Woo’s True Power Before Anyone Else

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This article contains spoilers from the Solo Leveling anime and manhwa.

Summary

  • A Solo Leveling villain sensed Jin-Woo’s unstoppable power early on in the anime.
  • This Solo Leveling ​​​​​​villain recognized a dangerous darkness within Jin-Woo, fearing his true strength.
  • Despite his limited role, this villain played a significant part in Jin-Woo’s rise to power.

There’s no denying that the character Sung Jin-Woo from the series Solo Leveling is among the most powerful in anime. He boasts an impressive shadow army, not to mention his extraordinary physical might and skills. However, instead of being an ally, a villain seems to predict his immense power ahead of time. Who is this antagonist and how did he discern Jin-Woo’s hidden potential before others could?

In the current stage of the anime, Jin-Woo has successfully taken down numerous minor and significant antagonists. As Solo Leveling moves forward into Season 3, it’s anticipated that he will encounter even more formidable and cunning adversaries, particularly as the powerful Monarchs initiate their schemes. To make matters worse, malevolent hunters may try to hinder Jin-Woo’s objectives, since not everyone approves of his recent actions.

The One Villain Who Predicted Jin-Woo’s Strength Before Anyone Else

He Sensed Jin-Woo Would Be Unstoppable

In the initial season of Solo Leveling, Jin-Woo confronts corrupt hunters such as Hwang Dong-Suk and Kang Tae-Shik, who misuse their powers for personal gain, exploiting and oppressing the vulnerable and weak. Despite their higher rankings, they showed no mercy to lower-level hunters, inflicting cruelty, betrayal, and disrespect upon them. However, their tyranny in both the anime and comic series was swiftly ended when they encountered a lowly E-ranked hunter.

Most hunters, including Hwang Dong-Suk and Kang Tae-Shik, tended to overlook Jin-Woo due to his E-rank status, assuming him as the weakest among them. However, they failed to anticipate that an E-ranked hunter like Jin-Woo could overpower them in a one-on-one battle. It was Tae-Shik who immediately picked up on something extraordinary about Jin-Woo. From their first encounter, Tae-Shik instinctively understood, through the strength of Jin-Woo’s presence and aura, that he wasn’t your average E-rank hunter.

“In order to live, you must kill your opponent , no matter who that may be”—Kang Tae-Shik

Indeed, it’s clear now that Kang Tae-Shik’s intuition proved correct, as Jin-Woo successfully thwarted his surprise attacks not just once but thrice during the operation with the rehabilitators and some of the survivors from the Double Dungeon incident. Given that he was only an E-rank hunter, it’s unlikely he could have countered Kang Tae-Shik’s attacks, let alone react and survive. However, if this raid had taken place a few months earlier, Kang Tae-Shik would have effortlessly taken the life of Jin-Woo.

At that moment, Kang Tae-Shik started to ponder if Jin-Woo might be another individual with awakening abilities or a fake ranked one. He further believed that Jin-Woo would likely fall into the B-rank or A-rank category of assassin hunters due to their combat styles being alike. Both of them engage their opponents directly, and they both employ daggers as weapons. He was filled with numerous questions, yet he was convinced that there was a deep, hidden darkness within Jin-Woo’s shadow – a danger lurking that was far too ordinary and unsettling.

How Kang Tae-Shik Predicted Jin-Woo’s True Power

Sung Jin-Woo’s Blinding Darkness

During Solo Leveling season 1, Kang Tae-Shik foresaw that Jin-Woo would eventually surpass all S-rank and nation-level hunters. This was evident from his encounters with Jin-Woo, where he personally felt the immense power that Jin-Woo possessed, a power so great it made him tremble with fear for the first time. Interestingly, at this point in time, Jin-Woo’s Bloodlust skill was only at level 1, yet the darkness within him was so palpable that it sent shivers down Tae-Shik’s spine.

In an instant, Kang Tae-Shik was overwhelmed and defeated, his body riddled with numerous wounds. Standing opposite him was Jin-Woo, showing no emotion or regret. The defeat was already harsh, but it grew even more unbearable as poison and paralysis took effect within him, inflicting excruciating pain. However, the most chilling moment wasn’t due to the pain, but rather when Jin-Woo inquired of Kang Tae-Shik how much stronger he believed he would become in the near future.

Your strength will grow as deep as the darkest night, just like how your shadow blends with the darkness.”

This version preserves the original message but is written in simpler language and is easier to understand. It also maintains the metaphorical imagery of the original by using “darkness” and “strength” to convey a sense of power and depth, while also emphasizing that this growth will be as deep as the darkest night.

Kang Tae-Shik responded grimly, indicating that Jin-Woo would eventually merge with the darkness. He further explained that one day, Jin-Woo’s inner depths would mirror the profound, disorienting darkness he possessed. After speaking his last words, he passed away. Unlike many villains who find it hard to accept defeat and hold onto their pride, he accepted the result of the battle, as he truly believed that the strong will always prevail over the weak, and this is just the inherent course of events.

Reflecting on the captivating narrative of “Solo Leveling,” I can’t help but acknowledge the profound impact Kang Tae-Shik had on Jin-Woo’s journey. Although his screen time was relatively modest, his influence was undeniably significant in propelling Jin-Woo towards supremacy. He wasn’t the most formidable adversary Jin-Woo vanquished nor the one with the flashiest abilities, but he saw something others overlooked—the potential of a king within Jin-Woo. Regrettably, his character remains an unfulfilled promise to this day, as his story could have been so much richer if he had somehow managed to survive.

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2025-05-28 19:46