Greatest Anime Like Solo Leveling

Tales of underdogs are abundant in popular culture, and their origins will be traced again to historic folklore and myths. Characters from deprived backgrounds who battle towards all odds for his or her formidable objectives ring a bell with folks and infrequently find yourself leaving an enduring impression. A-1 Footage’ Solo Leveling is one such story that follows the thrilling journey of a younger grownup named Sung Jinwoo who jumps on the alternative to show his destiny round and rewrite his future.

The anime explores recurring themes of ambition, redemption, id, and goal to weave an intriguing story. Solo Leveling, with its action-packed battle sequences, offers viewers an adrenaline rush that they’ll additionally expertise within the anime listed under. Let’s spotlight the greatest anime like Solo Leveling.

Up to date January 10, 2026 by Mark Sammut: Winter 2026 has simply gotten going, and I am sorry to say that Solo Leveling season 3 just isn’t a part of the lineup. Actually, Sung’s animated future continues to be unknown, and it’s not clear if a sequel TV sequence will even materialize. So, simply to assist ease the wait, we have added a bit devoted to Winter 2026 suggestions. If you’d like nice motion and highly effective MCs, these anime ought to hit the mark. This part is discovered on the finish of the article.

Chainsaw Man

The Story Of An Impoverished Teenager Who Turns into A Satan-human

Few anime are as recognizable as Solo Leveling, however Chainsaw Man is an exception. Constructing on the success of Tatsuki Fujimoto’s shonen manga, the anime has one season and a film below its belt, though it’s protected to imagine that extra content material will finally be launched. Though having a reasonably totally different tone than Solo Leveling, Chainsaw Man shares a few similarities. Each anime are action-heavy epics that don’t maintain again the violence and gore; the truth is, Chainsaw Man goes even additional than Solo Leveling, with sure scenes venturing into horror territory. Like Sung, Denji begins as somebody who lives on the backside of the totem pole, and he meets a grotesque finish… Additionally, like Sung, Denji will get a second probability at life by hanging a take care of a supernatural entity, one that offers him ridiculous energy however comes at the price of (a few of) his humanity.

Chainsaw Man primarily revolves around Devil Hunters who’re making an attempt to battle off, nicely, Devils. Now, the latter are wildly totally different from the monsters who present up in Solo Leveling, and they’re arguably extra fascinating since they stem from humanity’s deepest and darkest fears. Denji is highly effective, however he’s nowhere close to as overpowered as Sung, and he goes up towards threats that may match him in lots of areas. Significantly, watch Chainsaw Man.

Is It Improper To Strive To Choose Up Women In A Dungeon? (AKA, DanMachi)

An Anime With Dungeons, An MC Who Will get Steadily Stronger, And A Focus On Familias (Which Are Like Guilds)

Ah, DanMachi, the anime with maybe the dumbest title ever, which is saying one thing. Ignore the complete title’s silliness, as this sequence is fairly darn unbelievable, notably seasons 4 and 5. Simply to be clear, the primary three seasons are additionally good, however they’re considerably inconsistent in comparison with their successors. Set in a fantasy metropolis outlined by familias that revolve round a deity and have adventurers who enterprise into a large dungeon, DanMachi follows Bell Cranel, a seemingly weak man who’s the one member of Hestia’s guild. As he receives a lift in energy that steadily permits him to enhance, Bell begins to discover the dungeon extra totally, whereas additionally getting concerned within the metropolis’s unusual political local weather and making allies.

Though not each arc is superb, DanMachi blends a captivating world with good motion, largely likable characters, and a protagonist who is continually evolving. Much like Sung, Bell grows stronger with every new battle, though he typically goes up towards enemies who’re stronger or simply straight-up unbeatable.

My Reward Lvl 9999 Limitless Gacha: Backstabbed in a Backwater Dungeon, I am Out for Revenge!

An OP MC Who Is Left For Demise And Then Turns into, Primarily, A Summoner

Fall 2025 is currently underway, and the lineup has fairly a number of energy fantasies that would fill the void left by Solo Leveling. That stated, most of them don’t share any main similarities outdoors of getting very highly effective protagonists, so I might solely suggest one thing like A Wild Final Boss Appeared in case you are particularly craving an OP MC. The one main exception is My Reward Lvl 9999 Limitless Gacha: Backstabbed in a Backwater Dungeon, I am Out for Revenge, which has a gap episode that’s so “Solo Leveling” that Sung ought to make a visitor look.

Now, the present’s setting is sort of totally different, as My Reward Lvl 9999 Limitless Gacha takes place in a fantasy world with many, many species, and people are usually thought of to be the weakest and least developed. They’re principally discriminated towards, and Mild has it worse than most since his potential, Limitless Gacha, appears to solely pull nugatory objects.

So, right here come the similarities. Mild joins a strong group and goes together with them to a particularly harmful dungeon, the place he’s betrayed and left to die. Crushed and going through a menace that’s certain to destroy him, Mild desperately makes use of his gacha and summons a Stage 9999 warrior named Mei, and she or he won’t be his solely robust soldier. Now, Mild seeks revenge and is the grasp of a military of robust summons.

OK, I ought to say that My Reward Lvl 9999 Limitless Gacha has not been all that nice thus far, and the battle sequences/animation are positively not on the identical stage as Solo Leveling. Nonetheless, in case you are searching for an anime a couple of weakling who, on the verge of loss of life, unlocks an unimaginable energy, that is it.

Gachiakuta

Slowly Studying To Grasp Unimaginable Energy (Additionally, Nice Motion)

OK, Gachiakuta is a Summer 2025 anime, so it solely has a few episodes by this level; nonetheless, I’ve seen sufficient to suggest it to just about any motion fan, and that naturally contains Solo Leveling. The exhibits share some similarities past their style, too. So, what’s the primary story? Nicely, Rudo lives within the slums that neighbor the upper-class city, with the latter treating the previous as soiled criminals who haven’t any rights. Additionally, they dwell within the sky. Someday, Rudo is framed for homicide, and he’s sentenced to be flung into the dump under, which ought to spell loss of life. Nonetheless, he survives, learns that folks dwell on this space, and that he has particular powers that make him a cleaner.

Gachiakuta has quite a lot going for it. The world-building has been fascinating thus far, as we regularly study extra about this world alongside Rudo. Talking of the MC, Rudo is simply superior. Sure, his default state is anger, however that is sensible contemplating his state of affairs. He needs revenge, however he’s prepared to study from different cleaners and contribute to the society he finds himself in. He additionally has an influence that he doesn’t perceive, and, much like Sung, he should grasp it if he hopes to outlive.

Overlord

An OP Evil MC Summoner

Solo Leveling just isn’t isekai, however it truthfully shares fairly a number of tropes with the style. Overlord shouldn’t want a lot of an introduction for anybody remotely accustomed to isekai, however if in case you have by no means tried the sequence however are searching for one thing much like Solo Leveling, you must give it a go.

Simply to set expectations, they’re hardly copies of one another, however they each comply with highly effective MCs who use magic and summons to win most encounters. Moreover, they’re each pushed by a need to guard their very own, they usually attempt to hold a low profile to keep away from attracting an excessive amount of consideration. Nonetheless, they finally should make their presence felt. Additionally, Overlord‘s protagonist will get caught as his online game avatar in a darkish fantasy world, and he regularly begins to lose his humanity as he turns into an increasing number of just like the evil mage he created. The arc just isn’t similar to Sung’s journey in Solo Leveling, however they aren’t that far eliminated both.

To Be Hero X

From Zero To Hero

Solo Leveling was possible lots of people’s introduction to manhwa, despite the fact that the difference was dealt with by a Japanese firm. The anime’s success would possibly spark a rise in initiatives primarily based on Korean tales, or it’d encourage followers to take a look at comparable manhwa. Whereas not fairly as mainstream, Chinese language donghua are beginning to acquire a foothold as nicely, and To Be Hero X is a superb entry level into this world. Sure, it’s technically the third season below the To Be Hero model, however the sequence tells anthology tales that may be loved as standalone items. Extra importantly, To Be Hero X shares a stunning variety of issues with Solo Leveling.

Each tales revolve round weak/extraordinary protagonists who’re handed overwhelming energy after coming face-to-face with loss of life. Within the case of To Be Hero X‘s Lin Ling, he’s pressured to take the place of a superhero named Good, and he beneficial properties his talents as a result of the general public believes in him. Like Sung, Lin goes from a no one to anyone particular instantly, though he’s not fairly as OP as Solo Leveling‘s MC. Extra importantly, this donghua has jaw-dropping animation and motion sequences, comfortably among the many better of the yr. Whereas the artwork fashion is totally totally different from Solo Leveling, To Be Hero X appears to be like gorgeous, notably the environments. Almost each episode encompasses a huge battle that sees Lin going up towards a distinct villain, they usually play out comparatively in another way. The present even has a superhero rating system that’s not too far faraway from Solo Leveling‘s Hunters classification.

Wistoria: Wand And Sword

High-Notch Motion And A Nice Underdog Protagonist (Who Is Nonetheless Considerably OP)

From the identical writer behind Danmachi, Wistoria: Wand and Sword has a reasonably by-the-numbers setting, not less than going by fantasy requirements. In a world dominated by magic, mages reign supreme, with warriors being very a lot handled as second-class residents. Regardless of missing magical potential, Will continues to be decided to make it via Rigarden Magical Academy and grow to be a Magia Vander, an honor bestowed solely on probably the most succesful mages. Appeared down upon by his friends, Will spends his time preventing in a dungeon, fine-tuning his bodily abilities to near-perfection.

Wistoria‘s story is nothing notably particular, neither is Will’s motivation and plight distinctive for motion anime. Nonetheless, the present makes up for its unspectacular premise and storytelling by always delivering unbelievable motion that may rival practically every other anime, even Solo Leveling​​​​​​. Whereas nowhere close to as highly effective as Sung Jinwoo, Will is a extremely competent fighter who by no means backs down from a battle. Each battle appears like a battle to the loss of life that would spell the top for the protagonist, much like Solo Leveling‘s first season.

Shangri-La Frontier

Grasp The God Recreation

On account of being set primarily in a video game, Shangri-La Frontier doesn’t have the built-in pressure of Solo Leveling‘s fights since defeat solely ends in misplaced progress and a reset. Nonetheless, in practically each different space, C2C’s anime is a superb suggestion for followers of Sung Jinwoo. After chopping his tooth in trash video games, Rakurou decides to leap into the eponymous MMORPG, and he shortly finds himself taking up large bosses, gaining cute allies, leveling up, buying new weapons, and unlocking cool aspect quests.

Each exhibits focus extensively on motion, with most episodes that includes spectacular battle sequences. Shangri-La Frontier is de facto no slouch on this space, and the battles are inclined to mix reflex-based motion and technique nicely. Much like Sung, Rakurou is comparatively weak when he first joins the sport, however he always grows stronger as he beneficial properties expertise. Whereas he by no means turns into as overpowered as Sung, Rakurou often takes on enemies who’re roughly round his stage, so the battles are back-and-forth struggles much like Solo Leveling‘s encounters in season 1.

That stated, Shangri-La Frontier has much more comedy than Solo Leveling.

Undead Unluck

A Excessive-Stakes Shonen Anime That Matches Solo Leveling’s Nice Motion

Yoshifumi Tozuka’s Undead Unluck is an thrilling sequence that brilliantly balances the action-comedy genres. Whereas the anime does have thematic variations with Solo Leveling, followers who loved the manhwa-inspired sequence will certainly discover the misadventures of Fuuko and Andy entertaining.

Undead Unluck follows Fuuko Izumi and Andy, two supernaturally gifted people who’re cursed with powers which have pushed them to hunt loss of life. Nonetheless, earlier than they obtain their closing purpose, they have to work collectively to battle towards a murderous secret group. Mixing motion, comedy, and character growth, Undead Unluck is the complete bundle, and the animation is constantly unbelievable as nicely.

Demon Slayer

The Motion Anime That Is Simply As Massive As Solo Leveling (If Not Larger)

When Tanjiro’s household is ruthlessly massacred and his sister is became a demon, he’s unsurprisingly overcome with the sensation of retribution. He finally ends up becoming a member of the Demon Slayer Corps, with the purpose of discovering the progenitor of demons, Muzan Kibutsuji, to place an finish to his reign of terror.

As a way to soothe the spirits of these it killed, and to ensure it claims no additional victims, I’ll swing my blade down and lop off the top of any demon with out mercy! However I cannot belittle those that remorse their actions and undergo over the issues they did as demons. As a result of demons had been as soon as human. As a result of they had been like me.

Like Solo Leveling‘s Sung Jin-Woo, Tanjiro additionally faces an uphill wrestle to carve his path in an unforgiving world the place a mistake can price him his life. Each characters are underdogs who undergo a exceptional transformation and rise to grow to be a formidable pressure of their respective worlds. Solo Leveling followers may also benefit from the epic battles in Demon Slayer which have reshaped the panorama of recent anime.