solo leveling is a popular Korean work written by Chu Gong, and was produced as an animation in Japan in January 2024. solo leveling It has continued to grow in terms of popularity and now stands as one of the most popular modern anime series. Few could have predicted that Solo Leveling would become a massive success, but doubters were proven wrong as the anime became one of the most-watched hits of 2024 and 2025 and today stands as Crunchyroll's most-reviewed anime of all time.
Solo Leveling has always been popular as a cartoon, but its current scale of success can be attributed to the studios behind the animation, Aniplex and A-1 Pictures, the latter of which plays a larger role. June 30, 2026, solo leveling Studio A-1 Pictures made a huge profit last fiscal year. solo leveling Season 3 is coming out soon, but there's a good chance the quality will improve significantly.
Solo Leveling season 3 gets a big boost as Studio A-1 Pictures reports huge profits for fiscal 2025-2026.
Solo Leveling's story has certainly evolved since it debuted as a simple novel by Chu Gong in 2016. In 2018, Redice Studio adapted the manga to appeal to a much wider audience. Solo Leveling was so popular that the story was eventually adapted by Japanese animation studio A-1 Pictures. The Solo Leveling TV animation continues to be produced as a collaboration between Aniplex and A-1 Pictures. The first season premiered in January 2024, and the second season premiered in January 2025. Both seasons of Solo Leveling were incredibly popular, earning many accolades such as Crunchyroll Anime of the Year 2025 and becoming the highest-rated anime on the streaming platform.
Of the two studios involved in the production of Solo Leveling, A-1 Pictures is the primary production company. This Japanese studio was founded on May 9, 2005, and has since produced many popular series in addition to Solo Leveling, including Sword Art Online, Black Butler, Fairy Tail, and Your Lie in April. Despite all this, the studio wasn't in the best shape last year. A-1 Pictures aired many popular animated series, but the studio reported a net loss. In fiscal 2025, the studio lost 178 million yen, or about $1.2 million. This loss was very worrying for fans of series like Solo Leveling. Because a significant loss could mean the studio would potentially have to halt the project or halt the production process somewhere down the line.
Luckily, while 2025 was a huge loss for the studio, this year is much better. For this fiscal year, which ended in March 2026, A-1 Pictures reported that it made a huge profit. This year, the studio was able to earn a net profit of 91.6 million yen (approximately US$564,000). This may not be a huge return, but it's enough to know that the studio is moving in a good direction at the moment. We hope to continue making consistent profits next year.
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The impact of A-1 Pictures' success on Solo Leveling Season 3
A-1 Pictures' financial success may seem insignificant to some fans, but it could be a huge factor in determining the fate of many of our favorite series handled by the studio. First of all, A-1 Pictures is a huge company that created Sung Jin-woo's 'Solo Leveling' story. If the studio goes bankrupt or continues to show signs of decline without making a profit, the future of the IP will be in jeopardy, even if solo leveling itself becomes popular and has high views.
Now that A-1 Pictures has demonstrated a significant profit margin, we are confident that future solo leveling projects are safe. The next project we are looking forward to is solo leveling With Season 3 and funding behind us, we are confident that A-1 Pictures will handle the project in an amazing way. An official release date hasn't been revealed yet, but we already know that Solo Leveling Season 3 is coming. On June 9, 2026, D&C Media, one of Solo Leveling's largest investors and the series' original publisher, released an investment report revealing that they were currently investing in the series, with a target release date of 2027 or 2028.
Of course, the newly reported success of A-1 Pictures is a good sign for other IPs the studio is handling as well. 'There are too many lost heroines!' It is a new animated series for the studio and its financial benefits will ensure that season 2 will be given a high quality treatment. The same goes for newly released projects like Mashle: Magic and Muscles Season 3 and Bless. We're thrilled to see an amazing, talented studio like A-1 Pictures, which puts quality above all else, continue to put out exciting releases every year.
The success of Solo Leveling Season 3 will further increase A-1 Pictures' profits.
Many fans may be confused as to how A-1 Pictures suffered a financial loss in 2025 despite releasing Season 2 of Solo Leveling, one of the most popular anime series. A studio's financial earnings are much more complex than simply based on the popularity of one anime. That's not to say that Solo Leveling Season 2 didn't make good money. This may simply mean that the studio spent more money than it earned on other projects.
The studio was profitable when Solo Leveling first launched in 2024, and it is currently the most profitable IP they own. It is currently enjoying great popularity around the world, and its story is unique compared to other famous movies currently being released. A-1 Pictures and Aniplex are definitely planning to cash in on the popularity of this series. The biggest move the studio could make to maximize Solo Leveling's profits would be a third season and a theatrical release. From the A-1 Pictures 2025 Commission Report, we know that the studio was inspired by the massive box office success of Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle. With a big blockbuster movie set for Solo Leveling, the IP could be a huge financial hit for the studio. Solo Leveling Season 3 itself has been a highly anticipated release, so it's sure to do well both in Japan and globally and give the studio a reasonable boost as well.
Source: A-1 Pictures 2026 accounting report.
