solo leveling It has one of the strongest animations since its inception in 2024. In 2024 solo leveling It has its first season of animation, and it will return stronger than ever with Season 2 in 2025. With that in mind, it's been a year since Solo Leveling's second season came out, and the awards season has begun for the animated series. The results of the 2026 Korea Animation Awards have been revealed.Fans were definitely shocked by the results.
The best episode of solo leveling has finally been dethroned
Solo Leveling season 2 was a huge hit, but the iconic shonen series had its best episode toppled.
In Jinwoo's home country of Korea, he lost quite a few times to other characters in the race for the title of Best Male Character of 2025.. The final winner of this title was Bakugo.The secondary protagonist of My Hero Academia. Not only that Jinwoo also lost to Deku and Akaza.This is truly amazing for any fan of the series.
Seong Jin-Woo lost to Bakugou in his homeland.
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Bakugo took first place as the male character at the Korea Announcement 2025 Awards.
South Korea has revealed its biggest animation award for every animated series airing in 2025. Among these awards, fans got to discover who Koreans consider to be the best male character of the year, and to fans' surprise, it wasn't Sung Jin-woo from the hit Korean series Solo Leveling.
Instead of Sung Jin-woo, the actual number one is Bakugo.. As fans know, Bakugo is the highlight of the My Hero Academia series.And he shined quite brightly in the final season of My Hero Academia. Bakugo once again showed incredible resilience and strength against All For One, and fans fell even more in love with his character.
Seong Jin-woo did not even make it to the top three.
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The most popular male characters in Korea in 2025 are Bakugo, Deku, and Akaza.
Seong Jin-Woo's defeat does not stop with Bakugo. For the 2025 Anything Awards, Jinwoo did not even enter third place. As fans know, first place was Bakugo. However, Jinwoo was not seen in second or third place. Instead, Jinwoo was beaten again by another My Hero character, and this time it was none other than Deku.The main character of My Hero Academia. Deku had an incredible moment in Season 8 of My Hero Academia as fans watched him take on Shigaraki and save the world.
Jinwoo was also beaten by the Demon Slayer character. Akaza, the main villain of the movie 'Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle', stood out in third place.. Akaza was an amazing villain and his battles with Tanjiro and Giyu were incredibly memorable, so this stance is completely justified.
I am the record of your struggle, the evidence of your resistance, and the reward of your suffering. I am death, eternal rest, and fear. – From Ashborne to Seong Jin-woo, solo leveling comics
Fans were certainly surprised to see Sung Jin-Woo lose to three other male characters in his home country, especially after his incredible performance in Solo Leveling Season 2.
The losses of solo leveling do not end here. Even in the Best Animation of 2025 category, Solo Leveling won by a landslide and did not make it into the top three. That said, Solo Leveling still has a chance to shine with a second season during the Crunchyroll Awards. There, Seong Jin-Woo had the opportunity to become the first protagonist to win the title of Best Protagonist two times in a row, and his animation Solo Leveling was also able to become the first animation to win the title of Best Animation two times in a row.
Jinwoo was defeated by the main characters of MHA, and solo leveling was the same.
MHA is Korea's Animation of the Year 2025
While Jinwoo lost to quite a few characters, Solo Leveling lost in other categories at the 2025 Korea Honesting Awards. The TOP 3 best animation series were also revealed, and as expected, solo leveling was not seen once in the TOP 3..
For animated series, the winners are: My Hero Academia. so, Not only did Jinwoo lose to Bakugo and Deku, but My Hero Academia also beat Jinwoo's solo leveling in his home country.. The anime series in second and third place also beat Solo Leveling. Second place went to Reze Arc Movie's Chainsaw Man, and finally third place went to Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle.
Sung Jin-woo still has a chance to shine at Crunchyroll's 2026 awards ceremony
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Sung Jin-woo could win the Best Leading Actor award for the second consecutive time
Although Jinwoo and Solo Love Ring suffered a crushing defeat at domestic awards ceremonies, they still have a chance to shine overseas. The 2026 Crunchyroll Awards are coming soon, and fans well remember Solo Leveling's huge win at the 2025 awards last year. there, Solo Leveling was selected as the animation of the year, and Seong Jin-woo was selected as the best animation protagonist..
In that respect, Fans were able to see Sung Jin-woo win the title of Best Animated Protagonist for the second time in a row, and Solo Leveling was also able to see Solo Leveling win back-to-back Animation of the Year awards for the first time in a series..
Solo Leveling is set to take the Animation of the Year crown in 2026.
Solo Leveling may have been a huge hit in 2025, but the hit series may lose its Animation of the Year crown in 2026.
However, My Hero Academia is expected to sweep all the awards in the solo leveling category at the Crunchyroll Awards. In the end, My Hero Academia Season 8 received high praise and marked the end of an era.
“Even if all the hunters in the world turn against me, I will protect my family.” — Seong Jin-woo
Even excluding My Hero Academia Season 8, Solo Leveling faces stiff competition from other series. The Apothecary Diaries Season 2, Takopi's Original Sin, Gachiakuta, etc. will all be nominated and it won't be easy to win. Additionally, Solo Leveling doesn't have the advantage of the new season airing around the same time as the 2025 awards ceremony. The competition is set to be fierce in 2026, and fans will definitely want to keep an eye out for these awards shows as they are just around the corner.
Solo Leveling's new movie could allow the series to dominate the line later on.
2026 doesn't seem to be the year of solo leveling, but fans are well aware that things could change in the second half of the year. Solo leveling may lead to new movies. This new film is still a big mystery for now, but it could help the series gain newfound fame. The Solo Leveling movie is expected to be released sometime in late 2026. This could allow Solo Leveling to win awards in Korea next year.
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 to come out, checking out the manga could be a good option.
