Reiji Sugimoto

**Reiji Sugimoto** (스기모토 레이지) is a Japanese S-Rank Hunter and the Guild Master of the Draw Sword Guild. He is also a webtoon-exclusive character and does not exist in the novel.

## Appearance

Reiji is a handsome young man with light green eyes and brown hair reaching the sides of his neck.

In his first appearance, he was dressed in common business attire, consisting of a gray jacket, a white collared shirt, and a black tie. During the Japan Crisis Arc, he wore his guild's black battle uniform and had his hair in a ponytail.

## Personality

Reiji is a confident individual who takes deep pride in his guild's power and name, as displayed by how he firmly believed that no hunter in Korea could ever match his boss, Goto Ryuji, in strength.

## History

### Jeju Island Arc

Four days before the Jeju Island Raid was scheduled to launch, Goto called Reiji to talk about what he'd seen so far in Korea. When Goto pondered the possibility out loud that Jinwoo was stronger than him, Reiji immediately dismissed it with a laugh and told him that Jinwoo wasn't even listed as a member of the Korean raid party.

Reiji was the only S-Rank in Draw Sword to not directly participate in the raid. Instead, he was onboard one of the many battleships stationed off the coast of the island. Although the raid initially progressed without any major issues, the Ant Queen's death cry prompted the ants to suddenly start flying back to their queen, prompting Reiji to warn Goto of this. Shortly afterwards, Reiji heard Goto's coms cut off when he was killed in one strike by the Ant King.

While Jinwoo was fighting the Ant King, Reiji assisted his three surviving guildmates Hoshino, Kanae, and Kumamoto in evacuating the island. After he got them to safety, he learned from Hoshino as to what happened with Goto and the Ant King. When Hoshino began to ramble about how they were doomed, Reiji ordered him to quit babbling and told him that he had just gotten word from the Korean Hunters Association that a Korean hunter had killed the Ant King and that the raid was a success, albeit with major casualties. Remembering his phone call with Goto several days back, Reiji correctly deduced that Jinwoo must have been the one who took down the Ant King.

### Japan Crisis Arc

With Goto dead, Reiji took over his spot as Guild Master of the Draw Sword Guild. When a S-Rank Gate suddenly spawned in the heart of Tokyo several months later, Reiji turned to Russian S-Rank hunter Yuri Orloff for help and agreed to his ridiculously overpriced fee of 10 million USD a day. When Orloff's barrier failed to hold back the giants that emerged from the gate, Reiji was last seen ordering his guildmates to attack the giants and buy more time for the civilians remaining in the city to evacuate.

## Etymology

* The name **Reiji** means "zero" (零) (**rei**) and "samurai, warrior, gentleman" (士) (**shi**/**ji**).
* Reiji's surname **Sugimoto** means "cedar" (杉) (**sugi**) and "base, root, origin, source" (本) (**moto**).

## References

1. ↑ Solo Leveling Webtoon: Chapter 94
2. ↑ Solo Leveling Webtoon: Chapter 101
3. ↑ Solo Leveling Webtoon: Chapter 105
4. ↑ Solo Leveling Webtoon: Chapter 124
5. ↑ Solo Leveling Webtoon: Chapter 132