Japan already has a new 2025 anime that is better than Solo Leveling.

solo leveling Thanks to its incredible action and fast-paced storytelling, it has completely taken over the world, especially the international market. The series is considered one of the best worldwide. Animation that is a hit in Japan and animation that is popular overseas often overlap, but this is not always the case. solo levelingAlthough it was hugely popular overseas, it wasn't very popular in Japan, which definitely perplexed fans. While in the West, Solo Leveling was selected as the Animation of the Year 2025.In Japan The highest rated anime is actually Black Butler: Emerald Witch..

Overseas, Black Butler was popular a few years ago, but has been clearly overshadowed by other larger series in recent years. Japan also appears to be obsessed with works like The Apothecary Diaries and Uma Musume, as evidenced by Filmmarks poll results for the first half of 2025.

Solo leveling is a trend overseas, but the highest-rated anime in Japan in the first half of 2025 is Black Butler

Black Butler_ Emerald Witch Episode 2 Slerind

Solo leveling never exploded in Japan
Black Butler has proven to be more popular

film mark This is not a small review service. It's actually the biggest in Japan, and the rankings they put out are reliable and generally a good indicator of which series are doing well in Japan. The results for the first half of 2025 are out, and many fans are shocked to see that Solo Leveling, currently the biggest anime in the West, actually has no place in the top ten.

Instead, In fact, it was Black Butler that took first placespecifically Black Butler: Emerald Witch. This surprised some people, as the new season of Black Butler wasn't very popular overseas. Black Butler was a major series with a passionate fan base a few years ago, but many overseas fans have lost interest. But the hype is still going strong in Japan.

“I'm very happy with the response, but I personally don't think the series is known to everyone at the moment. Solo leveling isn't universally recognized in Japan yet. As a Japanese living in Japan, anime isn't on the level of Dragonball, One Piece, or Naruto. But if Season 3 happens, that's when I'd like to truly break the boundaries.” – Kaneko Atsushi

Another big hit 2025 series in Japan

Apothecary Diaries is one of the most popular anime.

Black Butler isn't the only series that blows solo leveling out of the water in Japan.. The top 10 rankings came out, and solo leveling didn't make the cut. In fact, most international fans won't even recognize some of the series that were huge hits in Japan in early 2025, with the exception of The Apothecary Diaries.

Returns for a second season in 2025 <아포세카리 다이어리>Is Success at home and abroad. The series has become a hit around the world, and fans can definitely see why. Storytelling, romance, mystery, and thrills captivated fans. Just for a while 5th highest rated series on Filmarks in the first half of the yearIt's actually the product with the most reviews overall, which says a lot about how mainstream it's become.

Japan Filmarks' top animation ratings for the first half of 2025:

Black Butler: Emerald Witch — 4.46 stars / 948 reviews
Uma Musume Cinderella Gray — 4.38 stars / 1,024 reviews
Lycoris Recoil: Friends Are Time Thieves — 4.33 stars / 1,755 reviews
Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man — 4.32 stars / 1,472 reviews
Apothecary Diaries Season 2 — 4.27 stars / 6,623 reviews
Medalist — 4.26 stars / 7,269 reviews
Show Citizen: How to Be Ordinary Season 2 — 4.24 stars / 1,590 reviews
Apocalypse Hotel — 4.21 stars / 1,568 reviews
Fire Force Season 3 — 4.21 stars / 1,074 reviews
Re:Zero Season 3 — 4.20 stars / 3,190 reviews

Solo Leveling currently has two seasons available. One has 12 episodes and the other has 13 episodes, for a total of 25 episodes currently available. The series is available to stream on Crunchyroll for fans to enjoy while they wait for further news regarding the third season. For fans waiting for season 3, watching the cartoon could be a good option.