Crunchyroll has enjoyed quite a few incredible hits over the past few years, but few have managed to achieve success on the same scale as Solo leveling. After starting his journey with his first season in 2024, Solo leveling has established itself as the most reviewed anime on the top-rated platform. It also won Crunchyroll's Anime of the Year 2025 thanks to a stellar first season.
Unfortunately, Solo Leveling is currently on hiatus, with no confirmation of a return date. In the meantime, several exciting anime have joined to fill the void, but none as well equipped as the next big hit heading to Crunchyroll in April 2027 – Kagurabachi, based on the incredible manga by Takeru Hokazono.
Kagurabachi Coming to Crunchyroll in 2027 Amid Uncertainty Surrounding Solo Leveling
Kagurabachi quickly established itself as one of the biggest modern manga series after it began serialization in Shueisha's Weekly Shonen Jump and was made available to read by fans around the world on Manga Plus. The premise of this series is a story of revenge, where the protagonist Chihiro embarks on a quest against the mysterious organization responsible for the death of his father, a world-renowned swordsman who created the best and most powerful blades.
As Kagurabachi's story continued in the manga, it continued to attract more fans. His popularity reached such a level that according to Oricon, it currently has over 4 million copies in circulation already, without an anime adaptation. With the manga chapters rolling in, an adaptation for Kagurabachi was just around the corner, and on April 27th at the Jump Press Livestream, the anime was officially announced. Now it has also been announced The Kagurabachi anime will head to Crunchyroll in April 2027making it one of the most anticipated releases on the streaming platform. At a time when the future of Solo Leveling remains uncertain, Kagurabachi will be the perfect successor for the time being, delivering high quality with a huge a CyPic adaptation, headed by Tetsuya Takeuchi.
Why Kagurabachi is the perfect anime to succeed in solo leveling
There aren't many anime series that have a similar atmosphere Solo levelingbut Kagurabachi it definitely excels in that department. At its core, Solo Leveling is a fairly simple story with huge fights that increase popularity. Kagurabachi is a bit similar. The action in this story is absolutely sensational and under the direction of Tetsuya Takeuchi, who has previously worked on some of the most famous anime fights like Rock Lee vs Gaara, the fights in this series will be next level. Kagurabachi is the spiritual successor to Solo Leveling in the combat department, but there are more similarities between the two series than just that.
“You know the Rock Lee vs Gaara fight in Naruto? Of course the manga version is great, but isn't the anime version incredibly cool? Well, the real person who brought that scene to life is our director!” — Takeru Hokazono, Apr 27, 2026
Who is that character?
Identify the silhouettes before time runs out.
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Identify the silhouettes before time runs out.
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Breaking down the main similarities between the two anime series
Sung Jinwoo and Chihiro share quite a lot of similarities. Both are known to be extremely calm and composed protagonists who exude a commanding aura at all times. Chihiro is driven by nothing but revenge, while Sung Jinwoo's motivations can change, from wanting to save his mother to discovering the truth about the System powers he was blessed with. In both cases, both series are driven by a cool and calm hero, which is rare to see in shonen anime. So fans of Solo Leveling will easily adapt to Kagurabachi.
The pacing of the two series is also very similar. Both series are incredibly fast. Solo Leveling has action in almost every episode, and Takeru Hokazono's masterpiece is similar in this regard, featuring a lot of fast-paced action, with the plot jumping from one battle to another. What's more, the plot is intricately woven into this action by a brilliant mangaka.
“I'd like you to not only watch the action scenes heat up even more, but also see where Jinwoo's growth takes him through meetings, farewells, and battles with powerful enemies that await him. — Atsushi Kaneko, Director of Solo Leveling
All things considered, Solo Leveling has the perfect successor for 2027 in Kagurabachi, regardless of whether he returns or not. What's more, Kagurabachi's plot is more convoluted and exciting, adding a unique level of depth that can often be missing from Solo Leveling. In that sense, this anime is sure to be incredible when it officially releases on Crunchyroll next year.
The Kagurabachi anime will stream on Crunchyroll upon release. You can officially read the manga on Manga Plus.
