Solo leveling is a sensational South Korean story written by Chugong and made into an anime in Japan in January 2024. Since Solo leveling continues to grow in popularity and stands as one of the most popular modern anime series right now. While few expected Solo Leveling to be a huge success, anime doubters were proven wrong as it became one of the most watched hits of 2024 and 2025, and today is Crunchyroll's most reviewed anime of all time.
Solo Leveling has always been popular as a Manhwa, but its current scale of success can be attributed to the studios behind the anime — Aniplex and A-1 Pictures, the latter playing a bigger role. On June 30, 2026 Solo leveling A-1 Pictures revealed a massive profit in its latest fiscal year, which means that not only will we be able to get Solo leveling Season 3 soon, but the quality will likely increase significantly.
Solo Leveling Season 3 Gets Big Boost As Studio A-1 Pictures Reports Massive Profit For Fiscal Year 2025-2026
Solo Leveling's debut came as a simple novel from Chugong in 2016, and the story has definitely evolved since then. In 2018, it received a Manhwa adaptation by Redice Studio, bringing the story to a significantly larger audience. The popularity of Solo Leveling reached such heights that the story was eventually adapted by an animation studio in Japan — A-1 Pictures. The Solo Leveling TV anime will further be created in collaboration between Aniplex and A-1 Pictures. The first season premiered in January 2024 and the second just a year later in January 2025. Both Solo Leveling series ended up being incredibly popular, earning the series many awards such as Crunchyroll Anime of the Year 2025 and being the highest-rated anime on the streaming platform, among others.
Of the two studios involved in the production of Solo Leveling, A-1 Pictures is the main one involved. Founded on May 9, 2005, this Japanese studio has since produced several massive hit series other than Solo Leveling, such as Sword Art Online, Black Butler, Fairy Tail, Your Lie in April, and many other well-known series. Despite all that, the studio was not in top form last year. Although A-1 Pictures aired many popular anime series, the studio posted a net loss. In fiscal year 2025, the studio lost 178 million yen, which is about 1.2 million USD. This loss was very concerning for fans of series like Solo Leveling, as a significant loss could mean that the studio would potentially have to drop projects somewhere or cut back on production.
Fortunately, while 2025 was a huge loss for the studio, it's doing much better this year. In this fiscal year ending March 2026, A-1 Pictures reported that it has made huge profits. This year, the studio was able to earn 91.6 million yen, which is approximately 564 thousand USD. This may not seem like an incredible profit, but it is enough to know that the studio is now going in a good direction. Hopefully, we will continue to see steady gains next year and beyond.
Solo Leveling officially announces the new S-Rank Dark Hunter
Solo Leveling introduces a new Dark S-Rank Hunter named Agnes Rivera.
What does the success of A-1 images mean for season 3 solo leveling
A-1 Pictures being financially successful may seem irrelevant to some fans, but it could be a huge factor in deciding the fates of many of our favorite series being developed by the studio. First, A-1 Pictures is the giant behind Sung Jinwoo's story, Solo Leveling. If the studio went bankrupt or showed signs of continued decline without profit, the future of the IP would be in jeopardy, even though Solo Leveling itself is popular and has many views.
Now that A-1 Pictures is showing significant profit margins, we're confident that Solo Leveling's future project is secure. Another project we are looking forward to is Solo leveling Season 3 and with the funding, we are sure that A-1 Pictures will handle the project in a phenomenal way. We already know that Solo Leveling Season 3 is coming, although an official release date has yet to be announced. On June 9, 2026, D&C Media, one of the largest investors in Solo Leveling and the original publisher of the series, released an investment report revealing that they are currently investing in the series, with a target release date of 2027 or 2028.
Of course, A-1 Pictures' newly reported success also bodes well for other IPs the studio is working on. “Too many lost heroines!” It's a new anime series for the studio, and the fiscal gains mean that season 2 will be handled well. The same can be said about Mashle: Magic and Muscles Season 3 and even up-and-coming projects like Bless. We're extremely excited to see an amazing studio bursting with talent like A-1 Pictures, which puts quality above all else, and continues to deliver exciting releases every year.
The success of Season 3's solo leveling will further boost A-1 Pictures' profits
Many fans might be confused as to how A-1 Pictures was in a fiscal loss in 2025, despite the release of one of their most popular anime series to date, Solo Leveling Season 2. Studios' fiscal earnings are much more complicated than simply being based on the popularity of a single anime. That's not to say Solo Leveling Season 2 didn't make good money. It could simply mean that the studio spent more than it earned on various projects.
In 2024, when Solo Leveling first debuted, the studio made money, and at this point, Solo Leveling is the most lucrative IP they have. It is currently extremely popular, with an audience around the world, and the story is unique compared to other big ones that have appeared at the moment. A-1 Pictures and Aniplex definitely plan to capitalize on the popularity of the series. The biggest move studios could make to maximize profits on Solo Leveling would be a third season and a theatrical release. Through a report from the A-1 Pictures 2025 committee, we know that the studio was inspired by the massive box office success of Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle. With a big hit for Solo Leveling, the IP could become a big financial hit for the studio. Solo Leveling Season 3 has become a highly anticipated release in itself, so it should do great numbers both in Japan and around the world, which will also provide a reasonable boost to the studio.
Source: A-1 Pictures Fiscal Report 2026.
