Solo leveling was defeated by Japan's new anime of the year

This article contains spoilers from the Solo Leveling series.

Since its famous debut, Solo leveling was incredibly successful internationally. The first season of Solo Leveling delivered tremendous quality and secured many awards during this year's edition. Crunchyroll Awardsknown as the biggest anime award outside of Japan. Solo leveling was so big that it beat many big anime series in the event's most prestigious award, Anime of 2025. The series continues to grow in popularity, as even months after its conclusion, Solo Leveling is still going strong.

Naturally, fans believe it could have the same success next year at the Crunchyroll Awards with its second season. The Solo Leveling anime has certainly proven to be the biggest series internationally this year, but it still has some catching up to do in Japan as it failed to win Anime of the Year. Instead, the series known as 'MAKEINE: Too Many Losing Heroines!' got the degreeand Solo Leveling only managed to get 4th place.

'MAKEINE: Too Many Losing Heroines!' won the title of anime of the year in Japan

Solo Leveling won in the West but was defeated in Japan
Solo leveling ends in 4th place

Crunchyroll is not the only anime award, but it is definitely the biggest abroad. In Japan, however, they have their own awards, and Japanese Newtype Anime Awards is one of them. This year they have already chosen their “Anime of the Year” and Solo Leveling did not win. Instead, she called a series that most people outside of Japan probably haven't heard of 'MAKEINE: Too many lost heroines!, took home the award. This anime proved to be absolutely huge in Japan, but has yet to become mainstream worldwide.

Sung Jinwoo stares at Ant King - Solo Leveling

While some fans expected Solo Leveling to come out on top and win the award, the reality was quite different. Solo Leveling didn't even make the Top 3. The series ended in 4th positionbut anyway, it's not bad either, and it might be a sign that anime is growing in Japan.

Solo leveling is a global phenomenon, but it still needs to grow in Japan

The Likes of Makeine and The Apothecary Diaries are much more popular

Sung Jinwoo Solo Leveling Easter Egg Poster – Solo Leveling Episode 12

Solo Leveling is a series based on a Korean manhwa that is very different from the usual anime that adapts Japanese manga or light novels. Solo Leveling has definitely become the biggest Korean anime story, surpassing even the likes of Tower of God. However, it still has a long way to go in Japan to become as massive as it is abroad.

“One thing I regret is that if I had known that my novel would be so popular in Japan, even if I couldn't make Goto Ryuji the main character, I should have written him as stronger and colder.

Solo leveling is good, but it's not treated as something out of the ordinary in Japan, and the people working on it have dealt with it before. Chugong, the creator of Solo Leveling, regrets not including a bigger role for the Japanese character, especially when he himself faced anti-Japanese accusations. One of the directors said that one day he hopes more people will learn about Solo Leveling, and he hopes so Season 3 to increase his popularity.

“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 Author Confirms Jinwoo's Latest God Power

Currently, the series is surpassed by many in Japan, such as other iconic series such as One Piece or Naruto, and even more recent series such as The Apothecary Diaries or Makeine.

Solo Leveling now has two seasons, one with 12 episodes and the other with 13, for a total of 25 episodes currently available to watch. 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 to come out, checking out the manhwa might be a great option.

Source: X (formerly Twitter)