Japan's New Animation of the Year beat Solo Leveling.

This article contains spoilers for the Solo Leveling series.

After a glorious debut, Solo leveling It was a huge success internationally. The first season of Solo Leveling was of incredible quality and won many awards over the course of the year. Crunchyroll AwardsIt is known as the largest animation award outside of Japan. Solo leveling So big that it beat out many large animated series for the event's most prestigious award. Animation of the Year 2025. Even months after the series ended, solo leveling is still going strong, and the series' popularity continues to grow.

Naturally, fans believe that the second season will achieve the same success at the Crunchyroll Awards next year. The Solo Leveling anime has most definitely proven to be the biggest series internationally this year, but it still has some catching up to do in Japan, where it failed to win the Animation of the Year title. Instead, we have the following series: ‘Make In: Too Many Lost Heroines!’ took the title.Solo leveling ranked only 4th.

‘Make In: So Many Lost Heroines!’ Wins Japan Animation of the Year Award

Solo leveling won in the West, but lost in Japan
Solo leveling ended in 4th place

crunchy roll This isn't the only animation award, but it's definitely the biggest one overseas. But in Japan, it's winning its own awards. Japan Newtype Animation Awards It's one of them. This year they have already “'Animation of the Year' fails to win Solo Leveling category. Instead, most people outside of Japan have probably never heard of it. 'MAKEINE: There are too many lost heroines!', I took the award home. The anime has proven to be an absolute hit in Japan, but has yet to become mainstream worldwide.

Seong Jin-Woo looking at the Ant King - Solo leveling

Some fans expected Solo Leveling to pull through and win the award, but the reality was very different. Solo leveling didn't even make it into the top 3. The series ended in 4th placeBut that's not a bad thing either, and may be a sign that anime is growing in Japan.

Solo leveling is a global phenomenon, but it still needs to grow in Japan.

The likes of Makeine and The Apothecary Diaries are much more popular.

Seong Jin-Woo Solo Leveling Poster Easter Egg – Solo Leveling Episode 12

Solo Leveling is a series based on a Korean manga, which is very different from the typical anime adaptations of Japanese manga or light novels. Solo Leveling has become Korea's biggest animated story, clearly surpassing works like Tower of God. However, there is still a long way to go before it can become as large in Japan as it is overseas.

“One thing I regret is that if I had known that my novel would be this popular in Japan, I should have written Ryuji Goto stronger and cooler, even if I couldn’t change him into the main character.”

Solo leveling is good, but it's not considered weird in Japan, and people who have already worked on it have mentioned it. Chugong, the creator of Solo Leveling, regrets not including a larger role for Japanese characters. Especially in the situation you are facing. anti-Japanese suspicion. One of the directors said he hopes one day more people will become aware of solo leveling. Popularity rises with season 3.

“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

The Solo Leveling author has confirmed Jinwoo's latest god power-up.

Currently, the series is as popular in Japan as other iconic series such as One Piece and Naruto, as well as newer series such as Apothecary Diaries and May Kane.

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. If you are a fan waiting for season 3 to come out, watching the cartoon could be a good option.

Source: X (formerly Twitter)