Jeju Island. Just hearing those two words makes most Solo Leveling fans feel a little bit uneasy. It was the moment the series stopped being a power fantasy about a guy grinding in dungeons and became a genuine horror story. The source of that shift? The Ant King.
He wasn't just another monster for Sung Jinwoo to stomp. He was a catastrophe. Honestly, if you look at the power scaling at that point in the story, the Ant King (later known as Beru) shouldn't have been that strong. But he was. He was a biological weapon designed to end humanity.
The Monster That Broke the S-Rank Wall
For years, S-Rank hunters were the gold standard. They were the celebrities, the gods of the modern world. Then the Ant King showed up and started treating them like snacks. Literally.
You've probably seen the panels or the anime episodes where Goto Ryuji—Japan’s strongest hunter—gets his head taken off in a split second. It wasn't even a fight. It was a Darwinian correction. The Ant King didn't care about rank; he cared about who was "King."
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Why He Was So Broken
The scary part wasn't just his speed. It was his ability, Gluttony. Every time the ant king solo leveling fans talk about his peak power, they mention this. By eating the heads (specifically the brains) of his victims, he didn't just get full. He absorbed their memories, their speech, and most importantly, their skills.
- Min Byung-Gu’s Healing: This was the biggest game-changer. Imagine a monster that can move faster than you can see, hit like a truck, and then heal any wound instantly because he ate your team's healer.
- Speech and Intellect: Most monsters in the series are mindless drones. The Ant King was different. He could talk. He could mock. He could strategize.
- Flight: Unlike the earlier generations of ants on Jeju, he had wings. There was no escaping him by going vertical.
The Moment Everything Changed
When Sung Jinwoo finally arrived on the island, the vibe shifted. It's one of those "I'm not locked in here with you" moments that defines the genre. But even for Jinwoo, the Ant King was a massive wall.
Remember, Jinwoo had just finished the Demon Castle arc. He was strong, sure. But the Ant King was a mutation that the System hadn't fully accounted for yet. The fight was brutal. It was the first time we saw Jinwoo's speed truly matched. The Ant King was a blur of black and white, a nightmare of chitin and claws.
What really sticks with me is how the Ant King reacted when he realized he wasn't the strongest anymore. That transition from arrogant predator to desperate animal was chilling. He tried to evolve mid-fight. He tried to find a way, any way, to survive. But Jinwoo's "Arise" was already waiting.
From Ant King to Beru: A Bizarre Transformation
After Jinwoo extracts his shadow, the Ant King becomes Beru. And that’s where things get weird.
In most stories, the terrifying villain becomes a boring, loyal minion once they join the good guys. Not here. Beru kept his terrifying power but added a layer of... fanatical devotion? It’s almost funny if it weren't so creepy.
The Personality Shift
Beru didn't just become a soldier; he became Jinwoo's biggest fanboy.
He’s dramatic. He cries when Jinwoo praises him. He gets into petty rivalries with Igris (the Knight Commander) over who gets to stand closer to their master.
The funniest detail? Beru’s speech. Because he absorbed the memories of various humans and started watching Korean historical dramas on TV, he speaks like a medieval courtier. He refers to Jinwoo as "My Liege" or "His Majesty" with enough passion to make a theater actor blush. It’s a total 180 from the silent killer we saw on Jeju Island.
Is He Actually the Strongest Shadow?
This is the debate that never ends. Is it Beru or Igris?
If we're talking about raw, chaotic power, Beru usually takes the win. He’s a General-grade shadow for a reason. His ability to lead the other ant shadows makes him a literal army commander.
However, Igris has the edge in technique and discipline. While Beru is a berserker who tears things apart, Igris is a surgeon with a sword. Later in the series (and especially in the Solo Leveling: Ragnarok sequel), we see Beru’s power grow even further, but he always retains that "wild card" energy.
Why Fans Still Obsess Over Him
- The Design: He looks like a mix between a Xenomorph and a samurai.
- The Loyalty: There’s something strangely moving about a creature designed for pure destruction finding a "purpose" in serving Jinwoo.
- The Power Gap: He represents the moment the series moved from "National Level" threats to "Planetary Level" threats.
Actionable Insights for Fans
If you're looking to dive deeper into the Ant King's lore or see him in action again, here’s the best way to do it:
- Read the Manhwa Chapters 90-110: This is the peak Jeju Island arc. The art by the late DUBU is hauntingly beautiful here.
- Play Solo Leveling: Arise: The game features a massive boss fight against the Ant King. To beat him, focus on Wind-element attacks and characters like Choi Jong-In or Cha Hae-In to break his defense bar quickly.
- Check out Solo Leveling: Ragnarok: If you want to see what happens to Beru after the main story ends, the sequel novel (and upcoming webtoon) focuses heavily on him acting as a mentor/guardian to Jinwoo’s son.
The Ant King started as a symbol of humanity's extinction. He ended as a goofy, overpowered shadow who likes historical dramas. That’s the kind of character development you just don't see every day.
Next Steps for Your Solo Leveling Journey
- Analyze the Shadow Hierarchy: Compare Beru's "General" rank stats with Bellion's "Grand Marshal" status to see how much room for growth the Ant King still has.
- Study the Gluttony Skill: Look into the specific hunters Beru consumed to understand why he has such a diverse kit of healing and physical buffs.
- Explore the Anime Adaptation: Re-watch the Jeju Island teaser frames in Season 2 to see how the studio is handling his terrifying speed-blur effects.