solo leveling It tells the story of Seong Jin-woo, the main character of the series, who constantly levels up to become the world's strongest hunter from the weakest hunter in the world. solo leveling The web novel and manga were already incredibly popular, but the popularity of this series has skyrocketed thanks to the TV animation adaptation. Looking back on the series, Aniplex and A-1 Pictures' TV animation successfully transformed the series from an ordinary story into a global phenomenon.
However, some fans wondered why Solo Leveling was made into a Japanese anime in the first place. After all, it's a Korean story, and there were plenty of Japanese comics that could have been adapted instead. May 18, 2026 In a recent interview with FirstPost, Solo Leveling producer Atsushi Kaneko revealed why he and the studio took on the anime project.
In a new interview, Atsushi Kaneko revealed that Sota Furuhashi was the reason Solo Leveling became an anime.
Recently, Crunchyroll held a large event in Mumbai, India at Comic Con, held from May 9-10, 2026. This event saw some big highlights, especially from the Solo Leveling series. Sung Jin-woo's Japanese voice actor Ban Daito and A-1 Pictures' producer Atsushi Kaneko attended the scene that day. With the presence of these icons of the Solo Leveling franchise, it was only a matter of time before key details about the making of the story were revealed.
May 18, 2026, First Post An interview with Solo Leveling producer Atsushi Kaneko revealed some details, and some of the questions were answered with interesting answers. In particular, Kaneko was asked how the solo leveling anime first came about. Regarding this, he explained that the idea first came from within Aniplex, specifically from the studio's producer Sota Furuhashi.
Atsushi Kaneko elaborated that he approved this decision not for complicated reasons, but simply because he felt it would be successful and spark an interesting movement. Kaneko went blindly into this project and his faith in the series has definitely paid off.
“There was a kind of fixer involved in getting the project off the ground, and that was Sota Furuhashi from Aniplex. He was the one who brought the idea to me, and the reason I agreed was… I think he got the impression that there would be an opportunity to make an interesting move.” — Atsushi Kaneko, Comic Con
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Kaneko's efforts resulted in solo leveling on the global radar.
solo leveling Today's success is undeniable. The series debuted with episode 12 on January 7, 2024. The second season came out shortly after, on January 4, 2025, with a total of 13 episodes. The series became an instant hit, as evidenced by the Crunchyroll platform. Solo Leveling became one of the most-watched anime of 2024 and 2025, and currently remains Crunchyroll's top and rated series, approaching 1 million views.
Its success may make sense today, but it was still a surprise to many, even those who worked on it. when First Post When we asked Atsushi Kaneko if he expected the series to become a global success, Kaneko answered honestly and said that he had no idea it would become this big. This is not the first time he has mentioned this.
“Honestly, no. I didn’t know it was that big.” — Atsushi Kaneko
Who is that character?
Check out the silhouette before time runs out.
start
Check out the silhouette before time runs out.
Easy (7.5 seconds) Medium (5.0 seconds) Hard (2.5 seconds) Eternal Death (2.5 seconds)
The future of Solo Leveling Season 3 and the participation of Atsushi Kaneko
solo leveling Although it's currently very popular, the series has a lot more potential that hasn't been exploited yet. In Japan, solo leveling still can't compete with larger anime. one piece, narutoor dragon ball. This was previously mentioned by Atsushi Kaneko himself in an interview with ScreenRant at Anime Expo.
“Solo leveling is not yet universally recognized in Japan. As a Japanese living in Japan, anime is not on the level of Dragon Ball, One Piece, or Naruto. But if there is a season 3, then I would like to truly break the boundary.” — Atsushi Kaneko
However, just because the series hasn't reached that level yet doesn't mean it will never reach higher levels. Solo leveling is growing rapidly, and its popularity shows no signs of slowing down. The franchise's next big popularity milestone will likely come with an upcoming animated project. No at the moment solo leveling The project is confirmed, but we're hoping season 3 will be announced soon.
Solo Leveling season 3 would be surprising, but a theatrical film seems more likely, according to a leaked A-1 Pictures Board report in 2025. As fans of Solo Leveling, we may see the release of the next anime project in 2027, which is incredibly exciting, especially after such a long wait. Having previously seen the success of Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle, the new film could take the series to new heights both in Japan and globally.
You can watch all 25 episodes of the Solo Leveling anime series on Crunchyroll.
