Japan already has the new 2025 anime better than solo leveling

Solo leveling has completely taken over the world, especially the international market, largely due to its incredible action and fast-paced storytelling. The series is considered one of the best in the world. Anime that explodes in Japan and those that are popular overseas usually overlap, but that's not always the case. Solo levelingalthough it's huge abroad, it hasn't really caught on in Japan, and that's something that has definitely confused fans. While in the West, Solo Leveling won the Anime of the Year 2025 titlein Japan, the top rated anime is actually Black Butler: Emerald Witch Arc.

Black Butler used to be popular abroad a few years ago, but it has definitely been overshadowed by other big series in recent years. Japan also seems to be obsessed with the likes of The Apothecary Diaries and Uma Musume, as evidenced by the Filmmarks voting results for the first half of 2025.

Solo leveling is big overseas, but the top-rated Japanese anime of the first half of 2025 is Black Butler

Black Butler_ Emerald Witch Arc episode 2 sleglinde

Solo leveling never took off in Japan
Black Butler proved more popular

Film brands not a small review service. It's actually the biggest in Japan and the charts they post are reliable and usually a good indicator of what shows are big in Japan. The results for the first half of 2025 are out, and many fans were shocked to see that Solo Leveling, the biggest western anime at the moment, is actually nowhere in the top 10.

Instead, what took the top spot is actually Black Butlerspecifically Black Butler: Emerald Witch Arc. This surprised some as this new season of Black Butler was not a big hit overseas. Black Butler used to be a major franchise with a dedicated fan base a few years ago, but many fans abroad have lost interest. However, the hype is still very much alive in Japan.

“While I'm thrilled with the response, I personally don't feel like everyone knows the series at this point. Solo Leveling isn't that widely recognized in Japan yet. As a Japanese person living in Japan, it's not an anime on the level of Dragon Ball, One Piece, or Naruto. But if season three happens, that's when I really want to break that line.” – Atsushi Kaneko

Japan's next big hit for 2025

The Apothecary Diaries is one of the most popular anime

Black Butler isn't the only series to blow Solo Leveling out of the water in Japan. Ranking for top 10 is out and Solo Leveling failed. In fact, most overseas fans aren't even familiar with some of the series that were big in Japan in early 2025, except for The Apothecary Diaries.

The Pharmacy Diaries, which returned in 2025 for its second season, proved to be a domestic and international success. The series has taken off all over the world and fans can certainly see why. The storytelling, romance, mystery and excitement have captivated fans. While it's the only one the fifth highest rated series on Filmmarks for the first halfit's actually the one with the most overall reviews, which says a lot about how it went mainstream.

Filmmarks Top Anime Ratings for Japan in the first half of 2025:

Black Butler: Emerald Witch Arc — 4.46 stars / 948 reviews
Uma Musume Cinderella Gray — 4.38 stars / 1,024 reviews
Lycoris Recoil: Friends Are Thieves of Time — 4.33 stars / 1,755 reviews
Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man — 4.32 stars / 1,472 reviews
The Apothecary Diaries Season 2 — 4.27 stars / 6,623 reviews
Medalist — 4.26 stars / 7,269 reviews
Shoshimin: How to Become Ordinary Season 2 — 4.24 stars / 1,590 reviews
Apocalypse Hotel — 4.21 stars / 1,568 reviews
Fire Force Season 3 — 4.21 stars / 1,074 reviews
Re:Zero Season 3 — 4.20 stars / 3,190 reviews

Solo Leveling has two seasons right now, one with 12 episodes and the other with 13, for a total of 25 episodes to watch right now. The series can be streamed on Crunchyroll for fans to enjoy while waiting for more news regarding the third season. For fans who can't wait for season 3, checking out the manhwa might be a great option.