Characters4 min read

Igris Explained: The Blood-Red Commander and Ashborn’s Loyal Knight

Last updated: September 27, 2026 · Verified against the licensed manhwa and official sources

Igris is the Blood-Red Commander — the knight Jinwoo defeats in the Job Change Quest and the first major shadow he extracts. He originally served Ashborn, who tasked him with testing his successor.

He starts as an Elite Knight, is overtaken by Tusk and Beru, then jumps two grades to Marshal when Jinwoo fully becomes the Shadow Monarch.

DetailAnswer
Full nameBlood-Red Commander Igris
Anime nameIgris the Bloodred
Joined the armyJob Change Quest
GradeMarshal
Face revealNone in the manhwa

Who Is Igris?

Igris is the red-armoured knight Jinwoo defeats in the Job Change Quest — and the first major shadow he ever extracts. In the anime he is introduced as Igris the Bloodred; the manhwa calls him the Blood-Red Commander Igris.

Jinwoo shortened the name to “Igris” because he found the full title too long. It stuck.

Why He Was Waiting in That Dungeon

Igris was not a random dungeon boss. He served Ashborn, the original Shadow Monarch, during the ancient war against the Rulers. When Ashborn decided to find a human successor, he gave Igris a task: test that successor in battle when the time came.

That is why the Job Change chamber contains an army standing in formation around an empty throne. Igris was not guarding treasure. He was guarding a seat for whoever could prove worthy of it.

Our read

Igris is the first hint that the shadow army was inherited, not built. Every later reveal about Ashborn — and about why Jinwoo was chosen — is already implied by a loyal knight waiting eons to test a successor he had never met.

How Jinwoo Extracted Him

The first extraction attempt fails. Stronger targets can resist, and Igris is the series’ first demonstration of that rule. Jinwoo succeeds by appealing to what defines Igris: loyalty. A knight who served one Shadow Monarch accepts the next.

Overtaken — Then Promoted

For a long stretch of the story, Igris is not the army’s strongest soldier. Tusk overtakes him, and then Beru overtakes everyone.

That changes when Jinwoo fully inherits the Shadow Monarch’s authority. Igris recovers his true power and jumps two grades at once — from Elite Knight straight to Marshal, the same grade as Beru. Only Bellion sits above them.

IgrisBeru
GradeMarshalMarshal
JoinedJob Change QuestJeju Island
StrengthPure swordsmanshipRaw power, healing, flight
Best atOne-on-one duelsAlmost everything else

Powers and Abilities

  • Swordsmanship — the finest pure swordsman in the shadow army
  • Telekinesis — he can call his sword back to his hand without touching it, an ability he had even as a dungeon boss
  • Regeneration — like every shadow, he reforms as long as Jinwoo has mana
  • Loyalty — not a power, but the trait every scene with him is built around

Does Igris Ever Show His Face?

Not clearly. His helmet covers his face throughout the series, with only glowing eyes visible through its opening. There is no definitive face reveal in the manhwa — anything you see presented as “Igris unmasked” is fan art.

Igris Outside the Story

He is one of the franchise’s most popular characters. His metallic red chase Funko Pop depicts him as the red knight before extraction, and he remains a central figure alongside Beru and Bellion in the sequel.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who is Igris in Solo Leveling?

The red-armoured knight Jinwoo defeats in the Job Change Quest and the first major shadow he extracts. He originally served Ashborn, the previous Shadow Monarch.

Why was Igris in the Job Change dungeon?

Ashborn tasked him with testing his human successor in battle. He waited beside an empty throne for that successor to arrive.

Is Igris stronger than Beru?

They are both Marshal-grade shadows. Igris is the better duellist; Beru is stronger overall because of healing, flight, and raw power.

What grade is Igris?

Marshal. He jumped two grades, from Elite Knight to Marshal, when Jinwoo fully became the Shadow Monarch.

Does Igris ever show his face?

Not clearly. There is no definitive face reveal in the manhwa. Images of an unmasked Igris are fan art.

Why is he called Igris the Bloodred?

That is his anime name. In the manhwa he is the Blood-Red Commander Igris, which Jinwoo shortened to Igris.

Written and fact-checked by the SoloHunterHub Editorial Team.

Character details verified against the licensed manhwa. Where fan material circulates as canon — such as face reveals — we say so.

Spotted an error? Email info@solohunterhub.com — corrections applied within 24 hours. Read our editorial standards.

Sources

  1. Solo Leveling, licensed English manhwa release
  2. Solo Leveling anime, Season 1

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