Solo LevelingSeason 2 was a massive success, becoming the biggest title of the winter 2025 season, adapting the installment in the most bombastically gorgeous way possible that left viewers craving more. This way,the reasons behindSolo Leveling’s impactare worth being studied, not only to see if the series deserves all its hype, but also because it could influence a positive change in the anime industry.
The anime industry recently had an unprecedented boost in viewership thanks to the immediate availability on streaming services of new series. However, this has brought significant changes but has also highlighted the biggest problems of the medium, with too many generic and lackluster series premiering every season that aren’t profitable and end up affecting the animation studios. Yet,Solo Levelingshone a light on where the anime industry should reinforce its priorities going forward.
Top-Notch Animation Plays a Bigger Role Than Fans Want To Admit
BelittlingSolo Levelingby stating that it only became popular thanks to its animation would be a mistake, as the series had already been hyped long before its announcement due to the recognition of the original manhwa which, even long after its end, recently won the top prize at the World Webtoon Awards. However,Solo Leveling’s impact differing from other series has emphasized how great animation serves to attract viewers’ attention.
This can be appreciated when comparing the adaptations ofSolo LevelingandThe Beginning After the End: despite both being considered top manhwa series, they havea contrasting reception due to the difference in animation quality. In this generation, social media have become the best marketing tool, andSolo Leveling’s studio approach of not only making impactful fighting sequences but also sharing them for free on social media and Crunchyroll’s YouTube account right after the episode releases only brings more audiences, as people continue to spread the word and recommend the series.
3Animation Cannot Sustain the Popularity of an Anime for Long
A Simple and Easily Relatable Story Made Solo Leveling Such a Huge Hit
A high-quality animation might be a major factor in popularity, but it isn’t enoughon its own to guarantee a long-term successful anime. Since beautiful animated series have failed to become major successes, likeThe God of High School,Guilty CrownorTakt Op Destiny, either due to bad storytelling or rushed adaptations. InSolo Leveling’s case, another key to its success is its story, as audiences are always drawn to a classic underdog anime protagonist.
Examples of this are popular anime franchises likeNaruto,Demon Slayer,Black Clover, or evenBlue Lock,where the main character starts weak but continues to strive to gain power, rising to every challenge ahead, which is uplifting to viewers, and it’s easy for them to relate to the character’s struggles. Moreover,Solo Levelinghas a simple story of Jinwoo’s leveling up but introduces mysteries and has a consistent world-buildingthat keeps viewers interested, unlike other animes whose boring characters and lack of a cohesive story stopped them from being memorable beyond their animation.
Furthermore, one of the aspects that has madeSolo Levelingstand out from other animes has been, ironically, Jinwoo’s limitless ascendance to power, as viewers want to see how far he can go and what lies ahead for him. Additionally,grounded power fantasies wothout sudden power-ups appeal to any action anime fan. This is accompanied by the intriguing mystery of the system as well as eye-catching designs and incredible fight choreography.
2What the Anime Industry Needs to Learn From Solo Leveling
Globalization is the Future of Anime
Solo Leveling is based on a manhwa, which means it originated in South Korea, so it is only natural that the series will cater to global fans. Yet,Solo Levelinghas mimicked its manhwa’s success with an exceptional global trajectory,breaking record-after-record and surpassing popular series likeOne PieceandJujutsu Kaisenon Crunchyroll. This is proof that a series' popularity no longer depends solely on its performance in Japan. However, with the easy and quick online availability of official dubs on platforms such as Crunchyroll or Prime Video, a series no longer has to go through the long process of analyzing Blu-ray sales in Japan before releasing it to international audiences, which is a drawn-out process to reach fans all over the world.
Globalization has revolutionized the accessibility of anime, andSolo Leveling’s success comes mainly due to the huge buzz it created on social media, with users sharing the fights after every episode, commenting on the cliffhangers, and sparking debate on online discussion platforms. It’s something that anime committees are taking notice of, proven by the fact thatmore manhwas will get adaptedin the upcoming months, according to Webtoon. Promoting and allowing studios to adapt different types of series than those that use the generic formula that has worked in Japan so far might cause more animes to become global successes.
1Solo Leveling’s Popularity Shouldn’t Fade Away Any Time Soon
Solo Leveling Season 3 Will Be the Turning Point for the Anime
Even thoughsome viewers affirm thatonce the hype passes,Solo Leveling’spopularity might die down, which increases with the lack of confirmation of a new season or due to the claim that the story’speak is the Jeju Island arcgoing downhill after that, there’s still a long road ahead for the series. Not only isSolo Leveling’s anime adapted only until the first season of the manhwa, but it’s from this point onward that the real plot of the series starts to take shape, answering the biggest questions that viewers have so far.
This way,asSolo Levelingis about to settle its narrative, this is the turning point where viewers can truly tell whether its popularity is unfoundedor not, but with bigger and more relevant conflicts in the future, it could also skyrocket the series' appeal once season 3 is released. If it maintains the quality that it has shown so far,Solo Leveling Season 3could continue this streak for the rest of its adaptation and even beyond with its sequel,Solo Leveling: Ragnarok, which has improved the original story.
Nevertheless,A-1 Pictures' masterful work has shapedSolo Levelinginto the global phenomenon that it is, and the fact that it might inspire other upcoming series to prioritize quality with great upcoming productions likeGachiakutaandOmniscient Reader’s Viewpointis a sort of turnaround that would be great to see for anime fans. Especially with all the great stories available in the manga and manhwa medium which could become bigger hits with a proper adaptation. Either way,Solo Levelinghas already influence many series andmight be the perfect vehicle for change in the anime industry.
