Since the time of writing this post, a Solo Leveling anime was confirmed at Crunchyroll's Anime Expo 2022 panel!
Four of my most wanted anime adaptations, Chainsaw Man, Hell's Paradise: Jigokuraku, Blue Lock, and Spy x Family have been announced with Blue Lock and Spy x Family coming out in 2022. But one still remains to be revealed... Solo Leveling.
Before I get into why I think a Solo Leveling anime is possible, I want to first talk about the series' background.
Solo Leveling Background
What is Solo Leveling about?
Solo Leveling follows the weakest hunter Jinwoo Sung, who despite this fact, continues to head out on raids because he needs to find a way to pay for his family's growing debt. His party stumbles into trouble one day when they come face-to-face with a being whose power outranks anything he’s ever seen. While fighting for his life, the System offers him an unexpected chance to become a "Player," which opens him up to a whole new world of possibilities.
Jinwoo is one of the most overpowered characters in all of anime and manga, so there's a lot to look forward to in this story!
Where to Read Solo Leveling
Solo Leveling originally released as a novel by Chu-Gong in 2014. It was later serialized as a webtoon in 2018 with illustrations by Gi So-Ryeong and Jang Sung-Rak. Yen Press licensed it for print release with English translation beginning in 2021 and three volumes have since been released. They also released novels of the series as well with English traslation.
If you are looking to pick up the Solo Leveling manga or novels, I highly recommend checking out our favorite manga sites and book stores! One of the best ways to support a series and to get your favorite manga or manhwa adapted into anime is to pick up their print releases. You can also pick up the series via the Barnes & Noble exclusive Solo Leveling manga box set. Want to read Solo Leveling online? Check out my favorite manhwa sites.
Now let's get into why I think a Solo Leveling anime is possible!
Why a Solo Leveling Anime Is Possible
A lot of people will tell you why a Solo Leveling anime might not be possible, but I want to do something different because I think it's totally plausible. In fact, based on the following reasons I think it's not a question of if, but when a Solo Leveling anime will be announced.
Solo Leveling got a print release and it's a best seller
Yen Press recently began printing the series with English translation with the first volume of Solo Leveling releasing on March, 2, 2021. Since then, it has consistently been listed as a best or top seller on major manga sites and bookstores, like Barnes and Noble and Right Stuf. More recently, Solo Leveling Volume 3 made the New York Times Best Sellers list for manga and graphic novels. You can also read Solo Leveling online on Tappytoon and Tapas.
To give you an idea, manga like Jujutsu Kaisen, Chainsaw Man, and My Hero Academia have topped the list as well and all of them have anime adaptions or an upcoming anime adaptation in Chainsaw Man's case.
Solo Leveling is popular and people want to see it animated
Popularity is something that is taken into account when anime adaptations are being considered. Solo Leveling is extremely popular right now and not just in select regions, but worldwide, and it is up there toe to toe with another popular webtoon, Tower of God, which was adapted into an anime by Crunchyroll.
Also often times, if we ask for it enough, it will happen. A Solo Leveling anime is one I commonly see requested by fans, so I'm extremely hopeful that someone will listen and make our dreams a reality.
Solo Leveling has enough content to be adapted
Another thing that is taken into account is material. Is there enough content in the source material to make a Solo Leveling anime? In Solo Leveling's case, there definitely is. So far, about 161 chapters of Solo Leveling have been released with Season 1 of the manhwa ending around chapter 110. Season 2 of the manhwa is ongoing with the most recent to release being 161.
Manhwa as a whole is becoming more and more popular
Manhwa as a whole is becoming more and more popular and has seen a huge boom especially within the past couple of years. Not only that, but we have seen more and more manhwa receive anime adaptations, including Tower of God, The God of High School, and Noblesse. All of which were released by Crunchyroll.
Netflix even recently released an live action adaptation of The Hellbound, a manhwa by Yeon Sang-ho and Choi Gyu-seok on their platform, so they are being picked up by more and more by large streaming services.
If Solo Leveling were to get an anime adaptation, I really don't want Crunchyroll or Netflix to be at the helm though. As far as what studio I'd like to see animate Solo Leveling, Ufotable (Demon Slayer, Fate/Zero) would be an incredible choice or A-1 Pictures. I think both have the experience needed to really pull a Solo Leveling anime off.
Solo Leveling is one that is going to be more difficult to animate, so it really needs the correct team behind it for it to be as successful as I know it can be. That being said, for these reasons and more, a Solo Leveling anime is possible!
