Solo Leveling: Which Shadow soldier Sung Jinwoo didn't really need?

Arise is a simple word, but it changed the world of Solo Leveling. This is how Sung Jinwoo summons his shadow army. Each soldier was important at one point, but as the series progressed, the mighty generals like Beru, Igris, and Bellion became almost as famous as Jinwoo himself.

Soon, it was clear that not every shadow was equally important. Many of the early shadow soldiers quickly became irrelevant. So, when fans question which Shadow Soldier Sung Jinwoo did not need, the short answer is most of the normal grade shadows.

To understand how Jinwoo manages to have a large shadow army, we need to revisit how his ability works. After killing an enemy, Jinwoo can attempt to raise its shadow with his Shadow Extraction ability. Depending on the original power level of the enemy and the success rate, the resulting shadow is further classified as Normal, Elite, Knight-grade, Commander-grade, or Marshal-grade.

Normal grade shadows, although high in number, had low intelligence, fragile builds, and weak attack power. They were good only because of their sheer quantity, and their introduction made perfect sense because during that time, Jinwoo was vulnerable. He needed anything he could get, even if it meant having weak minions help keep him alive.

However, as Jinwoo grew stronger in Solo Leveling, the quality of his enemies increased, and so did his standards for soldiers. The biggest turning point was when Jinwoo started gaining Commander-grade and Marshal-grade shadows. Igris evolved into a Knight Commander, Beru became a Marshal-grade, and Tusk, the intelligent mage orc, developed powerful magical support.

Finally, after obtaining Bellion, the right-hand of the previous Shadow Monarch, Jinwoo did not have any use for thousands of low-level, cannon-fodder shadows anymore. In fact, during his last battle, he didn’t even bother summoning his basic troops. Only his elite squad fought.

In addition, maintaining the normal grade shadows was not necessary and was just a heavy strategic disadvantage. Even though Sung Jinwoo in Solo Leveling has almost unlimited mana, every bit of energy counts while fighting against strong enemies.

It was better for him to summon stronger shadows than invest his energy in summoning 1000 weaklings. Even if we see beyond the mana cost, controlling them was a task in itself because of their tactical clumsiness.

When fighting against multiple Monarchs or while protecting the Earth, Jinwoo relied on his own strength and his elite generals. By this point, Basic soldiers were completely redundant. It was because he had transcended to need for quantity to be his support.

Emotional attachment vs practical use of the Shadow Army in Solo Leveling

Jinwoo’s relationship with his shadow soldiers in Solo Leveling reflects a visible difference between attachment and practicality. The higher grade shadows develop unique personalities and loyalty towards Jinwoo, they into more than just summoned creatures. They were more like comrades to him.

On the other hand, basic shadows had no identities. They obeyed mechanically and lacked any meaningful individuality. As Jinwoo grew into his role as Monarch, he naturally formed deeper attachments with fewer but stronger individuals.

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In conclusion, while all basic and normal grade shadows in Solo Leveling served a purpose during his early leveling phase by helping him level up and acquire stronger allies, they became unnecessary once he reached his peak in terms of power level. In the end, Jinwoo's true army wasn't built on numbers, meaning quality triumphed over quantity. Only elite loyalty, legendary generals get to stay by his side.

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