Facebook
Reddit
Email
Who is Iron in Solo Leveling? Explore the story, abilities, and overall capabilities of Sung Jin-Woo’s loyal shadow soldier.
Solo Leveling certainly has a wide roster of characters, who, unfortunately yet unsurprisingly play secondary roles to Sung Jin-Woo. With the exception of a few, most of the Solo Leveling cast are given even lesser attention that Jin-Woo’s shadow army. In fact, most fans of the series are perhaps more familiar with Jin-Woo’s shadow soldiers than any of the actual human characters.
Iron is one such shadow soldier who fans especially love to see. He is one of the newest additions to Sung Jin-Woo’s ever-expanding shadow army in the ongoing anime adaptation of the series. With that in mind, let us further explore Iron’s character in Solo Leveling, his powers and abilities, and his overall importance in the narrative.
Who Is Iron in Solo Leveling?
In Solo Leveling, Iron is the shadow of Kim Chul, a former A-Rank Hunter under the White Tiger Guild. Kim Chul was killed by Sung Jin-Woo in the Red Gate arc, and was subsequently turned into a shadow soldier under the latter’s command. Prior to his demise and transformation into a shadow soldier, Chul was an excessively arrogant and brash individual, who took an unnecessary and unwarranted amount of pride in his skills and rank.
From the very beginning, Kim Chul was extremely unlikeable and difficult to deal with. His hot-headed and reckless nature, coupled with his poor leadership skills resulted in the deaths of several Hunters under his command. Even after getting his allies killed, Chul couldn’t own up to his mistakes, and ultimately became deranged and attempted to take Jin-Woo’s life while the latter was fighting Baruka.
However, Chul ended up getting killed by Igris instead, following which Jin-Woo quickly turned him into a shadow soldier and named him Iron. As a shadow soldier, Iron was fiercely loyal to Jin-Woo and aided him in countless battles. He also became much more likable as a shadow soldier than when he was a human. That said, being dimwitted and a complete loose cannon are the only traits he managed to retain after becoming a shadow soldier.
Iron’s Powers and Abilities in Solo Leveling
Although he was the second major shadow soldier Jin-Woo recruited, Iron never quite got close to being one of his master’s most powerful soldiers. In fact, he was mostly treated as comic relief throughout the story. Regardless, Iron was a solid shadow soldier, who mostly relied on his brute strength in battle.
Iron is basically a tank – he’s built to take hits, with his massive size making him the ideal meat shield. He’s the kind of soldier you would want to throw first at your enemy, to soak up the brunt of the damage while the other soldiers prepare to counterattack. Additionally, his raw strength allows him to smash through the enemy’s front lines with relative ease. He also has the unique ability to taunt his enemies, which prompts them to attack first without even thinking.
Shortly after the Double Dungeon arc, Iron ranked up to become an Elite Knight Grade shadow soldier. For the sake of comparison, he became as powerful as a S-Rank Hunter, which was undoubtedly a significant upgrade from his initial power level.
How Powerful Is Iron in Solo Leveling?
As mentioned earlier, Iron was the second major shadow soldier Sung Jin-Woo recruited. While he certainly is strong, he’s nowhere near the top of Jin-Woo’s shadow army. Even as a Elite Knight Grade shadow soldier, Iron was nowhere near as powerful as Igris or Beru. That’s not to say he was weak – after all, his overall strength was on par with a S-Rank Hunter.
Unfortunately though, he ranks pretty low in terms of strength when we take the entire shadow army into account. In fact, if we ranked Jin-Woo’s strongest shadow soldiers, Iron wouldn’t even make it to top five.
Compared to the likes of Igris, Beru, and Bellion, Iron is basically a glorified bodyguard. He was certainly a formidable ally in the beginning, who got the job done well in battle. However, as the story progressed, Iron got overshadowed by shadows who were miles stronger than him.
Iron’s Importance in Solo Leveling
Let’s be honest here – Iron’s role in the narrative only got smaller as the story progressed. However, he isn’t completely irrelevant. For starters, he’s one of Sung Jin-Woo’s earliest high-ranking shadows. Before the shadow army expanded with absolute monsters like Beru and Bellion, Iron was undoubtedly a key player. While he wasn’t exactly a MVP back then either, he did help Jin-Woo win some crucial battles.
Iron also provides some much-needed comic relief, which is something Solo Leveling often lacks. His goofy and dimwitted nature often adds humor to tense situations. Lastly, he also serves as a direct representation of how far Sung Jin-Woo has come over the course of the story.
For context, Iron initially used to be an A-Rank Hunter when he was still human. At that point in the story, A-Rank Hunters were a pretty big deal. But now, he basically serves as a mid-tier minion in Jin-Woo’s vast shadow army, which highlights Jin-Woo’s unbelievable growth.
Conclusion
Iron may not be the strongest, smartest, or even the most important shadow soldier under Sung Jin-Woo’s command. That said, he’s certainly the most entertaining one. Removing him from the story may not have much of an impact on the overarching narrative. Regardless, he’s still a character you just cannot remove from the story – simply because of how entertaining and endearing he is.
Looking For More?
Thank you for reading the article. We provide the latest news and create guides for Baldur’s Gate 3, Starfield, ARK Survival Ascended, and more. Also, watch Deltia play games on Twitch or visit his YouTube channel!
- The First Descendant Guides
- Baldur’s Gate 3 Guides
- Destiny 2 Guides
- Dragon Age: The Veilguard Guides