Despite the world success: “Solo Leveling” there is little attention in Japan

Although the anime adaptation of the South Korean novel and WebToon hits “Solo Leveling” developed into a global phenomenon, the title in Japan, according to anime producer Attsushi Kaneko hardly emerged from the crowd. We summarize.

Strong contrast

In the past few weeks, “Solo Leveling” has confirmed its international dominance with impressive success. For example, the title became Crunchyroll at the most frequently respected anime series of all times and also received several prestigious awards from the Anime Awards 2025.

However, according to producer Attsushi Kaneko, this is completely contrasting, as the anime was accepted in his home country of Japan. There, the response to “Solo Leveling” was at most average:

»The reaction to› Solo Leveling ‹in Japan was comparable to many other anime productions. It was all the more surprising for us when we learned that the series came across such great and extraordinary interest worldwide. «

Perhaps the poor performance in Japan is also the reason that fans have so far have to wait for the announcement of a third season.