The massive publishing company confirmed the show’s immense global popularity.
Kakao Entertainment is one of the most popular media houses and publishing companies in South Korea. Chugong’s original Solo Leveling web novel and its consequent webtoon adaptation by Dubu are both licensed by Kakao Entertainment. Tapas, one of the company’s subsidiaries, publishes the series in English. On the other hand, their sister company Kakao Piccoma is one of the co-producers of the anime. This publishing and media giant recently revealed that Solo Leveling is the most popular anime of the first quarter of 2025 on Crunchyroll.
Solo Leveling’s popularity has been growing globally
Kakao Entertainment put out a congratulatory article about Solo Leveling Season 1 sweeping the 2025 Crunchyroll Anime Awards. They confirmed that Season 2 has only increased in popularity as it’s now the top ranked series on Crunchyroll for the first quarter of 2025. The statement reads:
“Season 2, premiered in January this year, also reigned atop the charts across all Crunchyroll regions – including the English-speaking countries, Europe, the Middle East and North Africa – emerging as the most popular series of the first quarter.”
Solo Leveling Season 1 was nominated in 13 categories at the Crunchyroll Anime Awards 2025, and secured nine wins. It won Anime of the Year, beating five other heavyweight contenders. Solo Leveling’s other awards include: Best New Series, Best Anime Ending Sequence, Best Action Anime, Best Main Character, Best Anime Score, Best Anime Voice Artist Performance (English), Best Anime Voice Artist Performance (Brazilian Portuguese), and Best Anime Voice Artist Performance (Castilian Spanish).
The Solo Leveling web novel came out back in 2016, followed by its webtoon adaptation in 2018. Both the novel and the manhwa gained immense popularity amongst fans for its straightforward storytelling and amazing designs. The first season of the anime came out in January 2024 and topped the global charts. The second season followed in January 2025 and took its popularity even further. The series now also has a mobile game called Solo Leveling: ARISE. A Korean live-action drama adaptation is also in the works right now. It seems that when it comes to Solo Leveling’s popularity, the sky’s the limit.
