The second season of Solo Leveling has been a huge hit worldwide in 2025, but it hasn’t resonated with audiences in Japan. Even after its initial release last year, the anime struggled to gain popularity there, despite becoming a global phenomenon. While many expected the improved second season to change things, Japanese viewers still haven’t embraced the series, making it clear that its popularity remains much higher in other parts of the world.
Recent results from the Tokyo Anime Award Festival’s Top 100 list show how anime fans in Japan voted for their favorites released between October 2024 and October 2025. Voting took place in November 2025, and unfortunately, the highly-rated second season of Solo Leveling landed at number 61 – missing the top 50. This is surprising given the show’s popularity with Western audiences. Instead, Japanese voters chose Dr. Stone: Science Future as the best anime of 2025.
Crunchyroll’s Sci-Fi Adventure Anime Gets Crowned the Best, While Solo Leveling Fails to Reach the Japanese Audience
It might seem surprising that Dr. Stone: Science Future won the top anime award at this popular fan event, but it makes sense when you consider that other science fiction anime like Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuuX and Milky Subway: The Galactic Limited Express also ranked highly. This shows sci-fi adventure was the most popular genre in Japan this year. Well-established series such as Nintama Rantaro and Mr. Osomatsu also did well, proving Japanese anime fans have different preferences than those in the West. However, this doesn’t mean Solo Leveling won’t be successful in Japan.
The inclusion of Solo Leveling Season 2 on the popularity list is notable because its first season didn’t make the cut, suggesting the anime is slowly gaining traction with Japanese viewers. While the series hasn’t achieved the same level of popularity in Japan as it has elsewhere – a point of discussion often centering on how Japanese characters are depicted – it’s hard to say exactly why. Despite not initially ranking among the top 50 in the Tokyo Anime Award Festival’s Top 100, Solo Leveling is steadily becoming more well-known, and a potential future season could attract even more Japanese fans.
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2025-12-05 19:12