The Real Reason Behind Solo Leveling Season 3 Delay Has Been Revealed

This article contains spoilers from the Solo Leveling series.

Solo Leveling fans have been eagerly waiting for a Season 3 announcement for months now, and it’s quite shocking to know that for a series as big as Solo Leveling, a new season still hasn’t been confirmed yet, especially after all the success that it found earlier this year. It wouldn’t be a stretch to say that Solo Leveling is the most popular anime out there at the moment, and the fact is that Solo Leveling has the potential to grow only bigger. Everyone, from the fans to the studio, to those who hold the IP know very well that Solo Leveling Season is absolutely massive.

This is why it is especially baffling to see no advancements being made when it comes to Solo Leveling Season 3. To be clear, fans aren’t disappointed knowing that Solo Leveling Season 3 won’t be out immediately. It’s the fact that Solo Leveling Season 3 hasn’t even been officially announced yet months after the conclusion of the second season that confuses everyone, but, there certainly is a big reason for it. The main reason why Solo Leveling Season 3 won’t be coming out anytime soon is that A-1 Pictures have their hands tied with other projects for 2026, and taking on Solo Leveling when the staff is presumably busy with other projects is just not viable.

Solo Leveling Season 3 Has Been Delayed Due To Other A-1 Pictures Projects

Three New A-1 Pictures Projects Are Currently In the Works

Solo Leveling Staff Is Busy
Solo Leveling Takes A Lot Of Time And Effort To Animate

There is quite a lot of speculation about why Solo Leveling Season 3 hasn’t been announced yet, and while some of it certainly does hold an element of truth, it all comes down to this: Solo Leveling Season 3 faces a delay because of other projects that A-1 Pictures are currently working on. As fans know, A-1 Pictures is absolutely massive and some would say one of the most exciting anime studios to follow at the moment. But, their manpower isn’t limitless.

I feel I lose a part of myself every time I get stronger. — Sung Jinwoo

They can only do so much, and the staff is already overworked as is. So far, three big A-1 Pictures projects have been confirmed for 2026. Fans know that Fate/strange Fake is coming in 2026, and those who have dabbled in this series know very well the level of quality the Fate series usually delivers. It takes a lot of effort to deliver the quality of that order.

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. 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.” – Atsushi Kaneko

Then, there is also the original anime from A-1 Pictures, called Grow Up Show: Himawari no Circus-dan. Little is known about this anime project, but the fact that it is an anime original means that it will likely be paid extra attention. Besides, most shows that A1 Pictures work on usually have high quality, so once again, it will take up some manpower.

There is also Kusonoki no Bannin that’s coming out in 2026, specifically in January, and all these projects take up a lot of time to work on.

Jinwoo realizes he'll need to kill the lizards - Solo Leveling

Solo Leveling Season 3 Will Be Delayed For Higher Quality

A Healthy Production Schedule Is Very Important

All this is not counting four other big projects that A-1 Pictures delivered after Solo Leveling Season 2 in 2025 alone. Clearly, the studio is overloaded right now and Solo Leveling Season 3 requires manpower and time that the studio simply doesn’t have at the moment. This doesn’t mean Solo Leveling Season 3 isn’t a priority. If anything, it means that the studio wants to deliver quality of the highest order when it comes to Solo Leveling Season 3. By alleviating some of the burden and officially setting a healthy production schedule for the team, A-1 Pictures is only helping Solo Leveling Season 3. When the time is ripe, Solo Leveling Season 3 will officially be announced, and that’s one thing fans can bet on with their eyes closed.

Solo Leveling Author Confirms Jinwoo's Latest God Power Up

Solo Leveling has two seasons out right now, one with 12 episodes, and the other with 13, for a combined episode count of 25 episodes available to watch right now. The series can be streamed on Crunchyroll for fans to enjoy while awaiting any more news concerning the third season. For fans who can’t wait for season 3 to come out, checking out the Manhwa might be a great option.