Warning: This article contains spoilers for Solo Leveling: Ragnarok!!

Few protagonists in modern fantasy anime or webnovels can match Sung Jinwoo’s sheer dominance in Solo Leveling. By the end of Solo Leveling, he’s more than a hero, he’s practically a god, commanding an army of undead shadow soldiers, besting Monarchs, and altering the course of cosmic-level battles. He does not just grow stronger, he becomes strength itself. So when Solo Leveling: Ragnarok dropped a new villain that even Jinwoo might not be able to defeat, it sent shockwaves through the fandom.

Enter the Itarim. Introduced in Solo Leveling: Ragnarok, these Outer Gods are unlike any enemy Jinwoo has ever faced. While he’s fought Monarchs, Rulers, and even death itself, the Itarim are built differently. They are cosmic horrors that created the universe, and their power is not just enormous, it is unknowable. Chapter 355’s depiction of the Itarim raises a chilling possibility that Jinwoo may have finally met his match.

The Outer Gods Have No Equal, Not Even Jinwoo

Why Jinwoo’s Power Might Not Matter This Time

Sung Jinwoo’s defining trait has always been his ability to evolve beyond his limits. From lowly E-rank hunter to the Shadow Monarch, he has overcome every obstacle with terrifying efficiency, including the Monarchs, the Rulers, and even Gods. But the Itarim do not play by the same rules. These beings existed before time, forged countless universes for fun, and now seek to amuse themselves by destroying their own creations.

They are not just powerful; they are foundational. Their ability to create entire worlds means that even the strongest of Jinwoo’s past enemies pale in comparison. Fighting the Itarim is like challenging the laws of reality itself. It is not a test of brute strength, it is a confrontation with the architects of existence.

Even more disturbing is how little emotion the Itarim show toward one another. When one of their own dies, they do not grieve, they plot. Their lack of loyalty and empathy proves just how alien they are. Jinwoo, despite his immense power, is still human at heart. He fights to protect, to lead, to love. The Itarim only fight to be entertained.

Why the Itarim Are Basically Unstoppable

Even Jinwoo Needs Help, and That Should Scare Fans

The Itarim do not just win by strength, they overwhelm through numbers and strategy. Rather than descending upon the multiverse themselves, they send waves of Apostles, who are brutal, godlike warriors capable of decimating entire armies. No matter how many Apostles the Rulers and Jinwoo destroy, more arrive. It’s a war of attrition on a divine scale.

Even with the Rulers and Shadow Army at his side, Jinwoo acknowledges that defending the multiverse against the Itarim is too great a burden for one being, even one as absurdly powerful as himself. The threat posed by the Outer Gods is so vast that he must plan for his own potential failure, a first for the indomitable Shadow Monarch.

Why Jinwoo’s Humanity May Be His Downfall

Jinwoo Fights for Meaning, They Fight for Fun

What truly separates the Itarim from Jinwoo is their philosophical divergence. The Itarim represent cosmic apathy, causing them to destroy because they are bored. Jinwoo, however, has always fought with purpose. Whether avenging his family, protecting humanity, or guiding his son, his power is rooted in connection. This makes him strong—but it also makes him vulnerable.

Jinwoo's leadership thrives on bonds and loyalty, but the Itarim exist in a world without either.

The Itarim cannot be reasoned with or emotionally manipulated. They do not fear death, nor do they value life. This makes them impossible to outwit through empathy or intimidation. Jinwoo's leadership thrives on bonds and loyalty, but the Itarim exist in a world without either. They do not just oppose Jinwoo’s strength, they contradict his very identity.

And this is perhaps the greatest reason Jinwoo may never truly defeat them. The Itarim challenge more than his might, they challenge his morality, his humanity, and his core reason for fighting. In a war where the enemy is the concept of apathy incarnate, even the strongest man may find himself powerless.

The First True Test Jinwoo Might Not Survive

Why This War Could Change Solo Leveling Forever

Solo Leveling has never shied away from existential threats, but the Itarim take things to a new level. Their introduction is not just about raising the stakes, it is about expanding the scale of the story. What started as a dungeon-crawling adventure has become a battle for the soul of the universe itself.

By making the Itarim Jinwoo’s possible undoing, Solo Leveling: Ragnarok asks a deeper question about what happens when power is not enough. Jinwoo’s fans love him for his unstoppable rise, but the Outer Gods force fans to consider what even he might not be able to overcome. It is not just about fighting harder, it is about realizing that some enemies do not operate on the same spectrum of strength and weakness.

And maybe that is what makes the Itarim the most terrifying villains yet, not that they can beat Jinwoo in combat, but that they represent a force that Jinwoo may never be able to understand, let alone conquer in Solo Leveling.