Who is Goto Ryuji in Solo Leveling? Explained
Solo Leveling season 2 introduced new characters into the story, especially for the build-up leading to the Jeju Island Arc. Considering that previous missions weren't successful, this time around, no stone was left unturned. Coupled with the Korean Hunters were Hunters from Japan who agreed to lend a hand to clear out Jeju Island of the Ant infestation.
Considerably powerful individuals flew in from the Land of the Rising Sun, but standing among them was someone special—Goto Ryuji, the strongest Hunter in Japan and Master of the Draw Sword Guild. Accompanied by members of his Guild, Goto and the Korean Hunters launched the 4th raid on Jeju, with countless Japanese and Korean folk watching with rapt attention.
Goto Ryuji's role in Solo Leveling's original timeline
Goto Ryuji played more of a supporting role in the Solo Leveling franchise. In the original timeline, he was the strongest Hunter in Japan and stood as the Draw Sword Guild's Master. He was introduced during the Jeju Island Arc, when Japan aided Korea's efforts to reclaim Jeju Island from the Ants. This began nearly four years after the emergence of the Jeju Island S-Rank Gate.
The ant attacks spread to a number of cities in Southern Japan, leading to the death of many Japanese. Goto realized the potential of this situation to escalate beyond what would be controllable and flew out to Korea. There, he met with Go Gunhee and proposed to participate in a final raid on the island. With mostly all their cards played, Gunhee accepted, and thus the 4th Jeju Island Raid began.
Moving forward, a few days before the raid, Goto rendezvoused with the rest of the raid party at Korea Hunters' Gym. He ended up challenging Jinwoo to a 1v1, and the match had to be stopped as he lost his cool and was about to let loose. Nonetheless, the raid proceeded a few days later, with the Japanese Hunters' true intentions of participating in the raid revealed.
Two of Goto's teams and several Korean Hunters had perished. The Japanese wanted to leverage the whole situation to annihilate Korea's S-Ranks. But before he could leave the island, the Ant King ambushed him. Believing he could fight, Goto stood his ground but the Ant King was leagues above him, swiftly decapitating him.
Goto Ryuji's powers and abilities, explained
Goto Ryuji was put forth as the strongest Hunter in all of Japan. He was also one of the most powerful Asian Hunters in Solo Leveling. This positioned him as significantly stronger than the Korean S-Rank Hunters who participated in the Jeju Island Raid. Even Jinwoo noted that he was miles ahead of the members of his guild. But despite these titles, Goto couldn't keep up with Jinwoo during their spar.
Initially, he tried to attack the dark-haired man but failed. Realizing that he wouldn't be able to get a hit in, he approached with the intent to kill but was blocked. This caused him to get angrier and attack with full force but was soon stopped by those present. It was even stated by a Chinese Navy Captain that in front of Liu Zhigang, Goto Ryuji would be completely outclassed, having seen them both fight before.
Nonetheless, Goto's status wasn't for nothing. He possessed a high degree of physical strength and overall physicality. Even the smallest of his attacks had damaging power, as seen when he cut through the skin on Jinwoo's cheek with his bare hands. This came even when he wasn't really on the latter's level of power, thus showcasing his strength.
With that, the Japanese Hunter also boasted immense speed. Again, this was on display when his attacks were sharp and quite quick against Jinwoo, using his hand as a blade. An instance of this was also seen on Jeju Island when he reacted in time to evade the Ant King's initial attack. Despite being ambushed from behind, Goto's reactions and speed allowed him to get out of the way in time.
Related links:
- Solo Leveling: Goto Ryuji can never be as good a Hunter as Sung Jinwoo (& It's not only because of power)
- Is Goto dead in Solo Leveling? Explained
- 10 strongest hunters in Solo Leveling, ranked