Japan has gained worldwide attention for its captivating manga and anime creations. However, a strong competitor is looming right next door in South Korea. South Korean novels and Manhwa series continue to grow in popularity every year, and this has only been accelerated by hits like Solo leveling. Solo leveling is the biggest Manhwa series of all time, and its success is clearly visible not only in South Korea, but also in the rest of the world, including Japan.
Despite the strong local Japanese market for manga Solo leveling she was able to sign up for it and compete with the best in sales. According to the latest report released by Oricon on July 1, 2026, Solo Leveling Volume 25, which finally ends the story in manga form, has generated high sales in Japan and is currently the second best-selling manga of the week in the country.
Solo Leveling Final Volume 25 Finishes #2 in July 2026 Sales Chart in Japan
Solo leveling it only started on July 25, 2016. Back then, it was a simple novel by a man named Chugong. The series ended on March 13, 2018, but due to its immense popularity, it was far from the end of the IP itself. Immediately after, Redice Studio was announced to adapt the Manhwa for Solo Leveling, which ran from March 4, 2018 to December 29, 2021. The eventual success was huge, with the story becoming one of the most popular across the country. In 2024, the anime was finally released by Aniplex and A-1 Pictures — two Japanese animation studios.
Although the anime is very popular, this was not the first time that Solo Leveling entered the Japanese market. Previously, on December 23, 2019, Solo Leveling received its manga adaptation from Kadokawa. In Japan, the series would be known as 'Ore dake Reberu Appu na Ken' and instead of Sung Jinwoo, the main character is called Shun Mizushino for localization purposes. This serialization Solo leveling the manga ended very recently with the release of the final volume 25, which according to Kadokawa officially came out on June 23, 2026.
Since this was the final installment of the series, we all had high expectations. Final volumes usually sell very well, and this release of Solo Leveling is certainly no exception. According to an Oricon report published on July 1, 2026, Solo Leveling Volume 25 sold 52,236 copies between June 22 and June 28, 2026, making it the second best-selling series of the week, after Katainaka no Ossan, Kensei ni Naru Volume 9. The best series between the two is about to sell out.2 Thanks to its extremely impressive sales, Solo Leveling proves that while not in the same leagues as the stories One piece or Jujutsu Kaisenis still incredibly popular and has managed to rule the charts in Japan with his volume releases.
Solo Leveling Season 3 is getting a big boost in the new A-1 Image Update
Solo Leveling Season 3 is getting a promising update with a new A-1 pic message.
Solo Leveling Volume 25 Could Become Franchise's Best-Selling, Helping IP Pass 4 Million Sales Milestone
Solo leveling Volume 25 was a highly anticipated release in Japan as it continued to cap Sung Jinwoo's journey to the top as the strongest character. In Japan, Solo Leveling has more releases than other countries, such as South Korea, which only has 15 volumes. This is due to the difference in volume sizes due to Japan adapting the story to their own publishing pattern. It's still the same story from Redice Studio and just as exciting. But splitting the story into multiple volumes definitely helps sales.
At the moment, the latest total sales of the Solo Leveling manga in Japan is 3.8 million copies sold. This number was revealed to us in May 2026 and has undoubtedly continued to grow since then. Most interestingly, Solo Leveling Volume 25 will most likely push it past 4 million total sales. At a minimum, Volume 25 is projected to sell over 150,000 copies during its run, as the current average for this story is about 160,000 sales per volume based on a figure of 3.8 million and 24 volumes published.
We are confident that the final volume of Solo Leveling will break previous records. The latest installment of Solo Leveling is the most exciting, featuring the final battle of the story as well as a prologue exploring Jinwoo's next fate. We could see that volume has exceeded 200,000 sales and is pushing Solo leveling to a new record of 4 million copies sold in Japan, something that fans have been waiting for for a long time.
Solo leveling continues to grow in Japan with new 2026 and 2027 releases on the way
Each Solo leveling the fan is extremely excited to see the franchise succeed and win big in Japan. Although the origin Solo leveling don't watch Japan, its popularity in the land of anime and manga is extremely important to the future of the series. The biggest project for Solo Leveling is not his novel or Manhwa, but his TV anime, which is currently being handled by Japan's Aniplex and A-1 Pictures. The main target group of these studies are primarily Japanese consumers. If Solo Leveling doesn't see any success in Japan, then investing in the series and adapting the series wouldn't be very lucrative for the studio.
Fortunately, however Solo leveling It has proven to be very popular there, although it has not yet reached the peak of popularity of larger series such as One Piece, Dragon Ball or Naruto. Increasing the popularity of Solo Leveling in Japan is a big goal for the studios, as previously stated by the producer himself.
“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, solo leveling producer during Anime Expo 2025
The more popular Solo leveling is in Japan, the more projects we can expect from him in the future. At this point, we already know that Solo Leveling Season 3 is an ongoing project. This was confirmed via a report by D&C Media, which revealed a target date for the new installment sometime between 2027 and 2028.
To reach new heights, however, Solo Leveling may have to take a page from Demon Slayer's book and attempt a theatrical release. A successful Solo Leveling movie could skyrocket the popularity of this sensational franchise, and luckily, based on new leaks from July 3rd, 2026, it looks like the movie is gearing up for a 2027 release. As expected, all the upcoming projects will support the manga, which will see a massive backlog whenever a new season is released or hopefully a movie is released. Solo leveling could soon become a giant in Japan and compete with the very best.
Source: Oricon
