So, you thought the Monarchs were the final bosses? Honestly, most of us did. When Sung Jinwoo finished his decade-long war in the dimensional rift and basically reset the world, it felt like the end. But Solo Leveling: Ragnarok completely shifts the goalposts. It introduces the Itarim, and let’s be real, they make the Absolute Being look like he was just playing in a sandbox.
The Itarim are essentially the reason why the universe in Solo Leveling is currently a chaotic mess. If you're trying to keep up with the manhwa or the light novel, understanding these "Outer Gods" is the only way to make sense of why Sung Suho is suddenly fighting for his life against things that shouldn't even exist.
Who Are the Itarim and Why Do They Care About Earth?
Think of the Itarim as a collective of supreme deities from other universes. While the Absolute Being—the guy the Rulers killed in the original series—was a god, he was just one of them. He was essentially an Itarim who got bored and decided to make his own little world.
The problem? Once the Absolute Being died, his "territory" (which includes Earth and the surrounding cosmos) became a vacuum. In the eyes of the other Itarim, it’s basically free real estate.
They aren't just "stronger" monsters. They are creators of their own multiverses. They’ve grown bored of their own creations and now they’re looking to swallow up Jinwoo’s world because it’s a masterless land filled with ripe mana. It’s sorta like a group of hungry sharks noticing a drop of blood in a pool; once the Absolute Being was gone, the Itarim started circling.
The Power of "Laws"
What makes an Itarim truly scary isn't just a big sword or a lot of mana. It’s their ability to dictate reality. In the Ragnarok lore, they use something called Laws.
- Reality Warping: They can literally rewrite the rules of a universe they create.
- Memory Erasure: They can eat away at a person's memories and replace them with a fake reality.
- Power Nullification: They can establish a law that says "mana does not exist here," instantly turning a world-class hunter into a regular guy.
We saw this when one Itarim trapped Sung Suho in a "Paradise" world where he was just a normal college student. It wasn't just an illusion; the Itarim had literally rewritten the laws of that space to strip him of his shadow powers. If it weren't for external variables like Beru, Suho might have never woken up.
The Apostles: The Itarim’s Boots on the Ground
You might be wondering: "If the Itarim are so powerful, why don't they just step onto Earth and end everything?"
Basically, it's a matter of volume. An Itarim is so massive, so dense with power, that their mere presence would likely shatter the dimensions they're trying to conquer. Instead, they send Apostles.
These aren't your typical gate bosses. Each Itarim has hundreds, maybe thousands of Apostles. To put this in perspective, the Absolute Being divided his power into just 16 pieces (8 Rulers and 8 Monarchs). Other Itarim are more cautious. They split their power into thousands of smaller fragments—Apostles—so that none of their creations can ever grow strong enough to pull a "Brilliant Light" and assassinate them.
In Solo Leveling: Ragnarok, Suho has to deal with Apostles like Paradise, Evolution, and Nightmare. They are cosmic horrors that represent the will of their masters. While they're technically "fragments," they are still strong enough to threaten the entire Shadow Army if they aren't handled carefully.
Sung Jinwoo vs. The Outer Gods
While Suho is down on Earth dealing with the fallout, Sung Jinwoo is currently at the front lines of the "Great War" in the dimensional rift. He’s been out there for years, acting as a one-man shield for the universe.
The power scale here is just absurd.
Jinwoo is essentially a "fragment" of the Absolute Being’s power that grew into something much more. Because he's a human soul that merged with the Shadow Monarch's heart, he has a level of growth potential the Itarim didn't account for. He's actually been winning in some sectors, killing some of these Outer Gods and—wait for it—turning them into shadows.
Imagine that for a second. Jinwoo is out there turning the creators of entire universes into his personal soldiers. This is why the Itarim are so desperate to bypass him and get to Earth. They know they can't beat him in a straight-up fight without taking massive losses, so they’re trying to go around him.
What Most People Get Wrong About Ragnarok
A lot of fans think Ragnarok is just a rehash of the original series with Suho as a weaker Jinwoo. That's a mistake. The stakes are actually much higher because we're no longer talking about a local war between light and dark. We're talking about an inter-universal invasion.
Also, don't assume Suho will ever "surpass" his father. In the novel, even Beru and Antares admit that Jinwoo is a freak of nature. He is a "non-standard" existence. Suho’s path is different. He isn't just collecting shadow soldiers; he's gathering the literal heirs of the former Monarchs. He's building a coalition of the very powers that once tried to destroy Earth to fight back against the Itarim.
It’s a different kind of strength. It’s messy, it’s political, and it’s way more complex than just "leveling up."
How to Prepare for the Itarim Invasion
If you're following the story, there are a few things you should keep an eye on to stay ahead of the curve. The lore gets dense, but these three points are the keys to the kingdom.
1. Watch the World Tree (Yggdrasil)
The Itarim use specific structures to "root" themselves into our universe. The World Tree mentioned in the lore isn't just a pretty plant; it's a non-existent structure planted by the Absolute Being that functions as a beacon. The Itarim are trying to use similar cosmic anchors to stabilize their presence.
2. Focus on the Vessel Concept
The series keeps bringing up "vessels." Why? Because the human body can't naturally hold Itarim-level mana. This is why Cha Hae-in's power boost is so important—she had to strengthen her "vessel" just to survive giving birth to Suho. If the Itarim find a way to create perfect vessels on Earth, the war is basically over.
3. Keep an eye on the "New Monarchs"
Suho isn't just a necromancer. He’s becoming a bridge between the old world and the new. By befriending the descendants of the Monarchs (like Esil of the Demon Clan), he's creating a force that the Itarim's "Laws" might not be able to easily predict.
The best way to stay updated is to follow the weekly manhwa releases, but if you want the deep lore, you've gotta dive into the Ragnarok light novel. It explains the mechanics of the "Sea of the Afterlife" and why Jinwoo's very existence is a status effect of "death" to anyone nearby.
Don't expect a happy, easy ending. The Itarim are numerous, and they are patient. We're just getting started.
Next Steps for Readers:
- Start reading the Solo Leveling: Ragnarok manhwa to see the visual designs of the Apostles.
- Look into the history of the Absolute Being to understand why his death triggered this entire cosmic vacuum.
- Track the growth of Sung Suho's Shadow Library—it's the key to how he'll eventually counter the Itarim's reality-warping Laws.