National Level Hunters (국가권력급 헌터)[1] are hunters who rival a nation's entire military in strength.
Overview
In the aftermath of the death of the dragon Kamish, the five S-Rank Hunters who killed him were each given the authority equal to that of an entire nation's as a reward for their achievement. From there, the title of "National Level Hunter" was born.[2]
These hunters are regarded as beyond S-Rank due to being far more powerful than typical S-Rank Hunters and possessing extraordinary capabilities unique to themselves. Each of them has cleared at least one S-Rank gate and as noted by Goto Ryuji, achieving this much is the minimum requirement for anyone who wishes to join their ranks. As a result, they are considered to be the strongest hunters in the world, live like royalty, and operate with near-absolute freedom, answering to no one but themselves.[3]
It is later revealed that the reason why the top four National Level Hunters are so much stronger than typical S-Rank Hunters is because they were granted power by the Rulers over the past decade, just like how Jinwoo was with Ashborn.[4]
In the revised timeline created by the Cup of Reincarnation, the title was eventually reintroduced by Liu Zhigang after he witnessed Sung Suho unleash an extraordinary amount of power during a dungeon break in India. However, it wasn't officially recognized by world leaders until Thomas Andre became a Monarch and single-handedly defeated the Apostle of Conquest in battle, leading them to acknowledge that he held a rank beyond that of a standard S-Rank Hunter.[5].
Also, unlike in the original timeline, the Rulers did not choose any human hosts to share their powers with. As a result, while the four hunters who were originally chosen by the Rulers still ranked as the strongest hunters in the world in the revised timeline, they were not as strong as they were in the original timeline.
Known National Level Hunters
By Hunter Points:[6]
| National Level Hunters | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thomas Andre | Liu Zhigang | Christopher Reed | Siddharth Bachchan | |
Gallery
Trivia
- Had he not disappeared before the ranking system was established and the Kamish Raid happened, Jinwoo's father, Sung Il-Hwan, may have became a National Level Hunter.
- Despite the fact that Jinwoo had both the strength and the accomplishments to become a National Level Hunter, he wasn't able to successfully join their ranks. This can be partially attributed to the fact that the second war between the Rulers and the Monarchs had already begun by the time the world was starting to consider him worthy of becoming the next National Level Hunter.
- In the revised timeline, Sung Suho is the world's first National Level Hunter.
References
- ↑ Subject to different translations like Special Power Authority, Highest Class Hunters but the literal translation would be National Level Hunters.
- ↑ Solo Leveling Webtoon: Chapter 115
- ↑ Solo Leveling Webtoon: Chapter 78
- ↑ Solo Leveling Webtoon: Chapter 143
- ↑ Ragnarok Novel: Chapter 342
- ↑ Solo Leveling Webtoon: Chapter 149