By every metric, A-1 Pictures' Solo Leveling anime was a breakout success. It consistently dominated global streaming charts—particularly on Crunchyroll—and emerged as one of the most-watched anime series of 2024.
Most of its popularity, surprisingly, came overseas. It received espeically strong reception in North Americ and Europe. While still popular in Japan, it's still not quite at the levels of, say, Dragon Ball or One Piece.
Series producer Atsushi Kaneko is hoping to change that with a third season, which has yet to officially be announced.
“While thrilled with the response, I personally don’t feel like the series is known by everyone at this point. Solo Leveling isn’t as universally recognized in Japan yet," Solo Leveling animation producer Atsushi Kaneko told Screen Rant at Anime Expo. "As a Japanese person living in Japan, the anime is not at the level of Dragon Ball, One Piece, or Naruto. But if season three happens, that’s when I want to truly break that boundary.”
This isn't the first time Kaneko has referend Dragon Ball in conjuction with Season 3. Earlier this year, Kaneko and Sota Furuhashi, Producer at Aniplex, participated in a Reddit AMA and were asked about the potential of Season 3 surpassing the quality of the first two seasons. The pair responded with an anology of Goku receiving support ane energy from people worldwide to power his Spirit Bomb for Season 3 to have any chance of being made.
Do you know Dragon Ball's Genki-dama (Spirit Bomb)? We need your energy! If we’re going to make a Season 3, it’s going to take all the support and energy from the fans. I learned that from Akira Toriyama himself! May the great Akira Toriyama Rest in Peace.
Although there's been lots of chatter about a third season of Solo Leveling from all of the companies involved in its production, nothing official has been announced yet. Crunchyroll President Rahul Purini recently expressed hope for a third season, but also conceded that the production staff at A-1 Pictures want to explore other shows as well. Speakign to The Wrap, Furuhashi also admitted that he's "anxiously awaiting" a third season, but admitted that the animators need a bit of a break
In a surprising revelation, it was revealed earlier this month that A-1 Pictures, the animation studio responsible for the incredibly successful Solo Leveling anime series, reported a loss of more than $1.2M USD for the fiscal year ending March 2025. This has led to soome speculation that the anime, despite all of its success, may not have been terribly profitable for the studio, putting any plans for a third season on temporary hiatus.