Best Anime Like Solo Leveling

Stories of underdogs are abundant in popular culture, and their origins can be traced back to ancient folklore and myths. Characters from disadvantaged backgrounds who battle against all odds for their ambitious goals strike a chord with people and often end up leaving a lasting impression.

A-1 Pictures’ Solo Leveling is one such story that follows the exciting journey of a young adult named Sung Jinwoo who jumps at the opportunity to turn his fate around and rewrite his destiny. The anime explores recurring themes of ambition, redemption, identity, and purpose to weave an intriguing tale. Solo Leveling, with its action-packed fight sequences, gives viewers an adrenaline rush that they can also experience in the anime listed below. Let’s highlight the best anime like Solo Leveling.

Updated August 6, 2025 by Mark Sammut: Solo Leveling Season 3 will hopefully become a reality sooner rather than later. Nothing has been confirmed yet, and while 2026 could mark the return of Sung, it might be better to keep expectations a bit low to avoid disappointment. Fortunately, the anime industry is really not lacking in overpowered protagonists, so you should be able to find something that can scratch that Solo Leveling itch.

1

Gachiakuta

Slowly Learning To Master Incredible Power (Also, Great Action)

OK, Gachiakuta is a Summer 2025 anime, so it only has a couple of episodes by this point; however, I’ve seen enough to recommend it to pretty much any action fan, and that naturally includes Solo Leveling. The shows share some similarities beyond their genre, too. So, what is the basic story? Well, Rudo lives in the slums that neighbor the upper-class town, with the latter treating the former as dirty criminals who have no rights. Also, they live in the sky. One day, Rudo is framed for murder, and he is sentenced to be flung into the dump below, which should spell death. However, he survives, learns that people live in this area, and that he has special powers that make him a cleaner.

Gachiakuta has quite a lot going for it. The world-building has been fascinating so far, as we gradually learn more about this world alongside Rudo. Speaking of the MC, Rudo is just awesome. Yes, his default state is anger, but that makes sense considering his situation. He wants revenge, but he is willing to learn from other cleaners and contribute to the society he finds himself in. He also has a power that he does not understand, and, similar to Sung, he must master it if he hopes to survive.

2

Overlord

An OP Evil MC Summoner

Solo Leveling is not isekai, but it honestly shares quite a few tropes with the genre. Overlord should not need much of an introduction for anyone remotely familiar with isekai, but if you have never tried the series but are looking for something similar to Solo Leveling, you should give it a go.

Just to set expectations, they are hardly copies of each other, but they both follow powerful MCs who use magic and summons to win most encounters. Furthermore, they are both driven by a desire to protect their own, and they try to keep a low profile to avoid attracting too much attention. However, they eventually have to make their presence felt. Also, Overlord‘s protagonist gets stuck as his video game avatar in a dark fantasy world, and he gradually begins to lose his humanity as he becomes more and more like the evil mage he created. The arc is not identical to Sung’s journey in Solo Leveling, but they are not that far removed either.

3

To Be Hero X

From Zero To Hero

Solo Leveling was likely a lot of people’s introduction to manhwa, even though the adaptation was handled by a Japanese company. The anime’s success might spark an increase in projects based on Korean stories, or it might inspire fans to check out similar manhwa. While not quite as mainstream, Chinese donghua are starting to gain a foothold as well, and To Be Hero X is a great entry point into this world. Yes, it is technically the third season under the To Be Hero brand, but the series tells anthology stories that can be enjoyed as standalone pieces. More importantly, To Be Hero X shares a surprising number of things with Solo Leveling.

Both stories revolve around weak/ordinary protagonists who are handed overwhelming power after coming face-to-face with death. In the case of To Be Hero X‘s Lin Ling, he is forced to take the place of a superhero named Nice, and he gains his abilities because the public believes in him. Like Sung, Lin goes from a nobody to somebody special in an instant, although he is not quite as OP as Solo Leveling‘s MC. More importantly, this donghua has jaw-dropping animation and action sequences, comfortably among the best of the year. While the art style is completely different from Solo Leveling, To Be Hero X looks stunning, particularly the environments. Nearly every episode features a big fight that sees Lin going up against a different villain, and they play out relatively differently. The show even has a superhero ranking system that is not too far removed from Solo Leveling‘s Hunters classification.

4

Wistoria: Wand And Sword

Top-Notch Action And A Great Underdog Protagonist (Who Is Still Somewhat OP)

From the same author behind Danmachi, Wistoria: Wand and Sword has a fairly by-the-numbers setting, at least going by fantasy standards. In a world dominated by magic, mages reign supreme, with warriors being very much treated as second-class citizens. Despite lacking magical potential, Will is still determined to make it through Rigarden Magical Academy and become a Magia Vander, an honor bestowed only on the most capable mages. Looked down upon by his peers, Will spends his time fighting in a dungeon, fine-tuning his physical skills to near-perfection.

Wistoria‘s story is nothing particularly special, nor is Will’s motivation and plight unique for action anime. However, the show makes up for its unspectacular premise and storytelling by constantly delivering fantastic action that can rival nearly any other anime, even Solo Leveling​​​​​​. While nowhere near as powerful as Sung Jinwoo, Will is a highly competent fighter who never backs down from a fight. Every fight feels like a battle to the death that could spell the end for the protagonist, similar to Solo Leveling‘s first season.

5

Shangri-La Frontier

Master The God Game

Due to being set primarily in a video game, Shangri-La Frontier does not have the built-in tension of Solo Leveling‘s fights since defeat only results in lost progress and a reset. However, in nearly every other area, C2C’s anime is a great recommendation for fans of Sung Jinwoo. After cutting his teeth in trash games, Rakurou decides to jump into the eponymous MMORPG, and he quickly finds himself taking on massive bosses, gaining cute allies, leveling up, acquiring new weapons, and unlocking cool side quests.

Both shows focus extensively on action, with most episodes featuring impressive fight sequences. Shangri-La Frontier is really no slouch in this area, and the battles tend to blend reflex-based action and strategy well. Similar to Sung, Rakurou is relatively weak when he first joins the game, but he constantly grows stronger as he gains experience. While he never becomes as overpowered as Sung, Rakurou usually takes on enemies who are roughly around his level, so the battles are back-and-forth struggles similar to Solo Leveling‘s encounters in season 1.

That said, Shangri-La Frontier has a lot more comedy than Solo Leveling.

6

Undead Unluck

A High-Stakes Shounen Series

Yoshifumi Tozuka’s Undead Unluck is an exciting series that brilliantly balances the action-comedy genres. While the anime does have thematic differences with Solo Leveling, fans who enjoyed the manhwa-inspired series will definitely find the misadventures of Fuuko and Andy entertaining.

Undead Unluck follows Fuuko Izumi and Andy, two supernaturally gifted individuals who are cursed with powers that have pushed them to seek death. However, before they achieve their final goal, they must work together to fight against a murderous secret organization. Blending action, comedy, and character development, Undead Unluck is the full package, and the animation is consistently fantastic as well.

7

Demon Slayer

The Emotionally Charged Tale of Revenge and Self-Discovery

When Tanjiro’s family is ruthlessly massacred and his sister is turned into a demon, he is unsurprisingly overcome with the feeling of retribution. He ends up joining the Demon Slayer Corps, with the goal of finding the progenitor of demons, Muzan Kibutsuji, to put an end to his reign of terror.

Like Solo Leveling‘s Sung Jin-Woo, Tanjiro also faces an uphill struggle to carve his path in an unforgiving world where a mistake can cost him his life. Both characters are underdogs who go through a remarkable transformation and rise to become a formidable force in their respective worlds. Solo Leveling fans will also enjoy the epic battles in Demon Slayer that have reshaped the landscape of modern anime.

8

Jujutsu Kaisen

Story of a Cursed High Schooler

High schooler Yuuji Itadori’s ordinary life takes a dramatic turn following an encounter with a cursed item that pushes him into a strange world of supernatural curses and sorcery. As he faces deadly threats and struggles to make sense of his newfound abilities, Yuuji must navigate the mysteries of the dark realm while protecting those close to him. Like Sung Jin-Woo, Itadori finds himself up against malevolent forces as he carries the immense burden of his eccentric powers and the unique responsibilities that they bestow upon him.

The protagonists of Solo Leveling and Jujutsu Kaisen undergo somewhat identical personal development after rising from humble backgrounds. Therefore, those who enjoy anime with action, drama, and intense character growth, should consider adding Jujutsu Kaisen to their watchlist.

9

One Punch Man

Arguably the Best Action Anime of All Time

Saitama always dreamt of becoming a hero from a young age, so in pursuit of his lifelong ambition, he trained for three years. He became so powerful in the process that he seemed almost invincible to any villain. Soon the thrill of battle became monotonous and unexciting to Saitama. But his life took a dramatic turn as he met the 19-year-old cyborg Genos, who recognized his talent and convinced him to join the Hero Association with him.

One Punch Man follows Saitama as he chases the lost excitement of fighting his adversaries while making friends and enemies along the way. As you may have already noticed, Saitama’s dramatic personal transformation and the accompanying inner conflict are quite comparable to the experiences of Sung Jin-Woo. One Punch Man may have a relatively lighthearted premise, but Solo Leveling fans will enjoy the action-packed fight sequences, which rival those in their favorite show.

10

Kaiju No. 8

Exciting Series That Follows an Underdog

Naoya Matsumoto’s Kaiju No. 8 recounts the story of 32-year-old Kafka Hibino whose childhood dream of joining the Defense force and fighting kaijuus along with his friend Mina Ashiro has been dead for years. Now, he works as a cleaner and does not feel ambitious enough to chase his dreams. But Kafka’s acquaintance with Reno Ichikawa reminds him of his past self as his lost drive to be part of the Defense force is ignited once again.

In a surprising turn of events, he somehow gains the power to turn into a humanoid kaijuu at will, after being attacked by one of the beasts. With the desire to serve the Defense force reignited in his heart, Kafka sets out to chase the dream of fighting next to his childhood friend.

Kafka is not much different from Solo Leveling’s Sung Jin-Woo, as both characters undergo a dramatic personal growth arc following a strange incident that somehow grants them powers beyond their wildest imagination. With their newfound abilities, the two characters ascend the rank of their respective worlds and chase their dreams.