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The following contains spoilers for Solo Leveling.
Fans of Thomas Andre inSolo Levelingare rejoicing after the release of Chapter 357 of the light novel for the sequel seriesRagnarok. During the events of the chapter, Thomas manages to score a win all by himself in the first major way that was shown directly to the audience throughout the series. InSolo Leveling, a persistent theme has emerged: despite being billed as the #1 National Level Hunter, Thomas Andre has been repeatedly embarrassed, humbled, and doesn’t do much throughout the series. This theme follows a similar trend whereany character not named Sung Jinwooor Sung Suho hardly gets any opportunities to shine on screen.
However, with Chapter 357,this has changed for Thomas Andreafter battling with the Russian S-Rank hunter Yuri Orlov. After a fierce exchange between the two, it was the King of Giants and Lord of Conquest, Thomas Andre, who stood tall.
Thomas Andre’s Reputation
Despite Being Hyped, His Character Accumulates Losses
After Jinwoo outscales the Korean S-Rank hunters inSolo Leveling, the next big set of powerful rivals we are supposed to be in awe of are the National Level Hunters. They are thought to be as powerful as an entire nation’s military and are secretly the vessels for powerful beings called the Rulers. Thomas Andre, being ranked as the #1 hunter in the world, was teased as an insurmountable wall Jinwoo would need to climb in his quest for more power. During his introduction in Chapter 83 of the manhwa, even Chairman Go Gunhee was visibly shaken when it was revealedthat Thomas Andre had contacted them.
“I have a headache…” -Chairman Go Gunhee in Chapter 83, after a Jeju island meeting.
Thomas’s large stature and fearsome power are hyped up quite a bit before we finally get to see him fight. However, his first major fight is against Sung Jinwoo, and it goes just how anyone who has watched the series might expect. Despite doing well against his shadow soldiers, Thomas gets absolutely destroyed by Jinwoo himself in combat, resulting in a broken arm that even magic healing couldn’t fix in the immediate aftermath.
Later,Thomas Andre goes up against Rakan, the Monarch of Fangs. Despite Thomas impressing the Monarch with his power output, Rakan easily overcomes Thomas’ vessel transformation and puts him on the ground. Despite being set up as the strongest human hunter in the world, Thomas Andre had only managed to accumulate on-screen losses in the series so far. He may have been victorious in the Kamish Raid, but the audience doesn’t get to see that, and it happens before the series started. Also, because of the Cup of Reincarnation, the original timeline has been reset, causing his only major confirmed series’ win to evaporate along with it.
Turning Over a New Leaf
While Thomas Andre has a reputation as a jobberin the series, he finally got an opportunity to turn it around in Chapter 357 in his battle against the divine-powered S-Rank hunter Yuri Orlov.
“Hahahaha! Look at everyone! I’ll show the whole world! I, Yuri Orlov, overpower Thomas Andre! Now I don’t have to bow down to the apostles anymore!” -Yuri Orlov in Chapter 357 of the Raganorak webnovel.
Despite Yuri’s boasts that he had overcome the apostles and would now overpower Thomas Andre, he was quickly met with the reality of Thomas Andre’s Monarch-level power. While drawing on additional power to strengthen his S-class barriers, Yuri continued taunting Andre until the end. The King of the Giants, Thomas Andre, decided to live up to his name by smashing and stepping on Yuri, shattering his barriers and crushing him into an unrecognizable shape.
“Compared to the King of the Giants, the Lord of Conquest, the body of Yuri Orlov, small as an insect, was trampled underfoot. The ripple effect was enormous. The pressure alone caused the surrounding kilometers to vibrate.” -Narration describing Thomas Andre’s overwhelming victory against Yuri Orlov.
However, in true Thomas Andre fashion, even this win that he managed to secure was not a complete win for the story. While he decisively defeated Yuri Orlov, it’s possible that Itarim’s plan all along was for him to be beaten and act as a sacrificial conduit for their power. His death has now seemingly allowed the apostles to invade the Earth properly, as the chapter ends with the invading Apostles lurking over the sky.
Solo Leveling
Cast
A-1 Pictures' Solo Leveling is an anime based on Chugong’s popular web novel. Set in an unforgiving fantasy world where hunters explore dungeons filled with monsters, the vulnerable Sung Jinwoo gains a significant power boost after he is picked to be a solo player by the System.
