Since its premiere,Solo Levelinghas been more popular internationally than in Japan due to the fact that it’s based on a manhwa, which means it originated in South Korea. This is proved bySolo Leveling’s abysmally low salesfollowing its first season. While the anime was intentionally marketed internationally,Solo LevelingSeason 2 is increasingly gaining recognition, proving its potential to reach the audience in Japan.
Solo Levelinghas everything to have fans hooked with an intriguing premise, epic battles, and intense story developments elevated by its incredible animation quality. However, givenSolo Leveling’s controversial representation of Japan, it is only natural that the series will cater to global fans. Yet, now that two months have passed since the Winter 2025 season began, and most of the Japanese viewers have seemingly set on what to keep watching,Solo Levelingis continuing to establish itself as one of the most popular animes, standing out among other fan-favorite series.
Solo Leveling Season 2 is Becoming the Top Anime of Winter 2025
Solo Leveling Surpassed Popular Animes Like The Apothecary Diaries and Re: Zero
Solo LevelingSeason 2 has recently topped Japan’s largest anime streaming platform following the release of episode 6, which covers the fight between Sung Jinwoo and Kargalgan and is considered one of the best episodes of the series so far. This way and after thelong-awaited fight against Baran,Solo LevelingSeason 2 took first place in viewership two weeks in a row on Docomo’s dAnime Store, which is a streaming service with Japan’s largest selection of anime.
Solo Leveling Season 2—Arise from the Shadow—
6th place:
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The Apothecary Diaries Season 2
7th place:
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Re:ZERO -Starting Life in Another World - Season 3
8th place:
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9th place:
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10th place:
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Solo LevelingSeason 2 has beaten fan-favorite series likeThe Apothecary DiariesSeason 2 andRe: ZeroSeason 3, which is a great feat given they are both notable series whose source material has placed several times among Japan’s best-selling light novels. Additionally, the anime has consecutively placed among the top 10 anime on Amazon Prime Japan. This engagement of the viewers is thanks toSolo Leveling’s high-quality animation, incredible fight choreography as well as Jinwoo’s character and power evolution that would appeal to any action anime fan.
The Jeju Island Could Become One of the Best Anime Arcs
Despite not being so popular in Japan originally,Solo Levelinghas an exceptional global trajectoryas the anime is currently mimicking the manhwa’s success, breaking several records and even surpassing a massive hit series likeJujutsu Kaisenon Crunchyroll. Additionally,Solo Levelingwas the most-watched anime of 2024.
Nonetheless, this popularity could skyrocket asSolo Leveling’s Season 2 final episode approaches, as the Jeju Island Arc is considered one of the best arcs of the series. The Jeju raid is not only one of the pivotal moments in Jinwoo’s journey, but also one of the coolest fights in the series that fans have been anticipating sinceSolo Leveling’s anime was announced. Because of this, withthe Jeju Island Arcstarting shortly,Solo Levelingcould continue this streak for the rest of the season and be a strong contender for Anime of the Year.
