Korean animation ‘Solo Leveling’ makes history at Crunchyroll Anime Awards

The covers for the web novel “Solo Leveling," left, and the online comic version of the novel / Courtesy of Kakao Entertainment

“Solo Leveling,” an animated adaptation of the popular Korean web novel and webtoon, swept the 2025 Crunchyroll Anime Awards Sunday, taking home a record nine awards, including the top honor of Anime of the Year.

This marks the first time a Korean animation has received the grand prize at the award ceremony, known as one of the most prestigious honors in the animation industry.

Kakao Entertainment, a content studio here responsible for developing and managing the “Solo Leveling” franchise, said Monday that the animation won nine categories out of its 13 nominations at the ceremony held in Tokyo.

The series claimed awards, including Best New Series, Best Action and three regional Best Voice Artist Performance awards in English, Brazilian Portuguese and Castilian Spanish. The competition was fierce, with “Solo Leveling” surpassing popular titles like “One Piece,” “Attack on Titan: The Final Season” and "Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba — Hashira Training Arc.”

The animation’s director, Shunsuke Nakashige, expressed his gratitude. “The entire production team poured their hearts into this project, and it was thanks to the support and empathy of fans that we were able to receive these honors."

Its record-shattering sweep at the Crunchyroll Awards sets a new benchmark for the global success of Korean creative content.

“It is deeply meaningful to create a historic moment by winning the highest honor at Crunchyroll for the first time in Korean animation history,” said Park Jeong-seo, head of the company’s story content business at Kakao Entertainment.

“Solo Leveling” is a Korean fantasy franchise that began as a web novel by author Chugong in 2016 and quickly became a global sensation. The story follows Sung Jin-woo, initially known as the weakest hunter in a world plagued by monsters, who gains the unique ability to level up in strength without limit. Through relentless battles and dramatic growth, Jin-woo rises to become the world’s most powerful hunter, captivating fans with dynamic action and an epic narrative.

The franchise has expanded far beyond its web novel origins. Its webtoon, or online comic adaptation, launched in 2018, has recorded over 14.3 billion views worldwide and played a major role in popularizing Korean webtoons internationally. The animation version, which debuted in 2024, was followed by a second season in early 2025. The series’ global appeal is further demonstrated by its expansion into video games, and Kakao added a live-action drama version currently in development.

The universe of “Solo Leveling” continues to grow. A spin-off web novel, “Solo Leveling: Ragnarok,” focusing on Jin-woo’s son Su-ho, was released last year and quickly became a bestseller.

Crunchyroll, the world’s largest animation streaming platform with over 17 million subscribers, has hosted the Anime Awards annually since 2017. Winners are chosen through a combination of expert panel nominations and global fan voting.