sweeping the recent Crunchyroll Anime Awards. The anime's recent success has been near unparalleled, and it doesn't seem set to slow down any time soon.

However, the series itself has been finished for quite some time. Solo Leveling first appeared as a web novel in 2016, and was later adapted into manhwa format in 2018. The latter found extreme success before eventually coming to a conclusion in 2021, around the time A-1 Pictures began production on the first season of the Solo Leveling anime. Even with the anime's meteoric rise in popularity, there are those that swear by the manhwa's version of events, and though it's undeniably great, the anime has largely outshined its source material.

Solo Leveling's Action is a Better Fit On-Screen

A-1 Pictures' Adaptation of Solo Leveling Has Come With Jaw-Dropping Visuals

While the Solo Leveling manhwa is itself an adaptation of the web novel, the anime is more closely based on the version of events drawn by the late artist Dubu. The illustrations featured in the manhwa are incredibly impressive, with intense detail given to every confrontation and backdrop, and action that's both lightning-fast and packs immense weight. It can become difficult not to get lost in iration of the art on display while reading through the series.

However, it isn't much of a stretch to say that Solo Leveling is better suited for anime. What A-1 Pictures has been able to do with the series is awe-inspiring, and its visual quality is often what draws in viewers well before they're introduced to any of the anime's secrets. Season one's climactic showdown between Jinwoo and Igris helped to put Solo Leveling on the map, while season two's final fight with Beru captured the speed and intensity of the battle in a way that a still image just isn't capable of doing.

The anime's art style is comparable enough to that of the manhwa, but setting that art in motion has seemingly given the series what it needed to reach the next level of success. Solo Leveling took home the Anime of the Year Award at Crunchyroll's 2025 Anime Awards just this past May, and though certain sections of the anime community have voiced their displeasure with the result, it's difficult to label the series as anything other than deserving. Solo Leveling has flourished in the anime format for a number of reasons.

The Anime Has Given Extra Attention to Solo Leveling's World and Characters

Solo Leveling's Anime Takes a Bit More Time to Explore a Cast That Was Largely Wasted

Anime deviating from its source material in any way is a bit of a contentious subject. Some fans believe even slight changes are sacrilege, while others enjoy when changes help to build upon the world of a series. In the case of Solo Leveling, any writing choices original to the anime largely fall into the latter description. Where the manhwa took the 'solo' in Solo Leveling to the extreme, largely foregoing any meaningful interactions with other cast unless they were vitally important to an event, the anime will use its downtime to focus on others.

Sung Jinwoo's sister, Sung Jin-Ah, has arguably already had more screen time in the anime than she ever had involvement in the manhwa, with the series occasionally turning its focus onto her or even throwing her into scenes taking place at their home. The anime also made the choice to introduce Cha Hae-in to the audience a bit earlier than she was originally supposed to enter the story, allowing the audience to become acquainted with her character before she takes on her eventual role as the series' love interest.

These writing choices, though they may seem small and insignificant, help to expand Solo Leveling's world, rather than if the series chose to keep nearly all its focus on Jinwoo as the manhwa did. Its characters might not be the most complex that fans will ever come across, but they aren't badly written characters either. By giving them even a bit more shine, the anime can feel a bit fuller than its source material ever did.

The Solo Leveling Anime Is Missing One Thing the Manhwa Did Well

The Manhwa Had Comedic Elements That Have Seemingly Been Cut

While Solo Leveling's anime adaptation has quite a bit to like better than its source material, there is one element missing from the series. The manhwa, on top of all its action and style, contained quite a bit of comedy as well. While Sung Jinwoo is an all-powerful being who only continues getting stronger as Solo Leveling progresses, he originally had a bit of a goofy side to him as well.

Any time the Hunter wasn't being serious in battle, he had a cartoonish sort of obliviousness to the world around him that made for some genuinely funny moments. Any art of Jinwoo during these moments would lose its finer details and display him in this comedic light that the anime has all but abandoned, instead choosing to portray him as the Stoic action hero at nearly all times. Whenever the series returns, Beru's involvement will prove whether the anime moves on from comedy entirely, though with Jinwoo, it seems he's all serious all the time.

Other than comedy, however, the Solo Leveling anime seems to have a leg up on its source material in just about every way. Unfortunately, it might be a while before Jinwoo and his shadow army return to screens, as rumors have hinted that the series may not return any earlier than 2028. Nevertheless, the anime's popularity has skyrocketed with the success of season two, and fans can expect its quality to continue rising as long as they continue showing their .