Solo Leveling has been on every anime fan’s radar ever since its anime debut in 2024. The franchise’s popularity rose rapidly thanks to A-1 Pictures’ stellar animation, especially when it comes to the action scenes, as well as the unmatched might of its shining star, Sung Jinwoo. Viewers just can’t help but love a story about an underdog with an aura-farming game so strong that it’s become the character’s most iconic trait.

In spite of Solo Leveling‘s growing success, however, it isn’t a perfect series. For as many anime fans who absolutely love it, there are just as many who claim it to be overrated, and with some very valid reasons. Solo Leveling has a lot of weak points, and so many other anime have managed to excel in what the series fell short on as well as execute its greatest strengths ten times better.

Death Note Keeps Viewers on Edge Without Being Flashy

Death Note continues to be one of the most referenced and well-known anime today, despite it never being considered one of the “Big Three.” While it doesn’t focus on action nearly as much as Solo Leveling does, Death Note is famous for its riveting cat-and-mouse game between the series’ two most significant characters: Light Yagami and L. It doesn’t rely on showcasing feats of inhumane strength or flashy powers to be engaging or exciting.

The only supernatural power that really matters in Death Note is the Death Note, and the intellect of those who hold it. The only thing that increases in level about Light is his ego, which makes him into a far more compelling character to watch than Jinwoo, whose development practically plateaus in Solo Leveling Season 2. Death Note wasn’t just a battle of wits and morals—it was about the corruptive nature of power and playing god, something that Solo Leveling barely touches upon despite having every chance to.

Gachiakuta Makes Every Fight Feel Intense and Volatile

Gachiakuta is the hottest new shonen anime from Bones Film. Although it follows the typical shonen formula, many things set it apart from other series in its genre. Most notably, Gachiakuta takes the real-life problem of society’s wasteful nature and overproduction of garbage and introduces the intriguing concept that powerful weapons are born from the sentimentality given to objects. Not a single weapon is like any other, and that gives each respective holder a special and insanely awe-worthy power.

Solo Leveling’s main attraction is the fact that Jinwoo is able to level up whereas others can’t. He also has the ability to turn his felled enemies into personal servants. This gimmick, while interesting, grows old after every predictable win. Gachiakuta gets more creative by showcasing a slew of characters with different abilities, allowing for diverse and clever match-ups that make every fight exciting and unpredictable.

Kaiju No. 8 Captures a Spirit That Solo Leveling Just Can’t

Kaiju No. 8 is another anime in which humankind is pitted against a force that seeks to destroy the world. Like Sung Jinwoo, protagonist Kafka Hibino is given an ability that none of his other peers possess. The thing is, Kafka isn’t made into the special star of the cast. Instead, Kaiju No. 8 emphasizes the importance of teamwork and community alongside personal growth.

Jinwoo might beat every other anime character when it comes to aura-farming, but how Kaiju No. 8 handles its victories feels truly inspiring. The triumph is rarely ever credited to the effort of one single person. Instead, the anime drives home the fact that protecting the world is something that every fighter has a hand in. Kaiju No. 8’s dynamic action scenes only add to that that hype, holding an almost cinematic level of animation that beats out even the most epic battles in Solo Leveling.

Jujutsu Kaisen Explores Conspiracy & Corruption With Great Characters

Between Sung Jinwoo and Jujutsu Kaisen’s Satoru Gojo, there’s an endless debate about which of the two has the best aura and is the most powerful. Regardless of which side of the argument a person leans towards, no one can deny that Jujutsu Kaisen has a far more enthralling narrative. Both anime center around a society of supernaturally powered humans fighting against forces that threaten the world, but Jujutsu Kaisen is able to do it far better.

Jujutsu Kaisen exposes a corrupt system that takes advantage of the young and weak and explores that narrative through the perspectives of numerous characters, all of whom the audience has grown incredibly attached to. Many of these characters were significantly harmed or lost in Jujutsu Kaisen Season 2, and viewers still continue to mourn them over a year after the season ended. Solo Leveling, however, has barely presented any characters that aren’t just an accessory to Jinwoo’s story.

Code Geass’ Iconic Protagonist Makes Jinwoo Feel Subpar

When it comes to goals and values, Code Geass’ iconic protagonist, Lelouch, and Solo Leveling‘s Sung Jinwoo are quite similar. They both prioritize one singular interest over everything: family. The family they placed above the world were their mothers and younger sisters. The two also gain a one-of-a-kind power that elevates them above their enemies. Lelouch, however, offers a far more gripping story in terms of development and growth.

Jinwoo was written to be a character who is constantly admired and praised, adding to the opinion that Solo Leveling emphasizes the fantasy in power-fantasy anime. Lelouch, on the other hand, maintains several likeable traits while still being the morally grey anti-hero that Solo Leveling fans claimed Jinwoo to be. Lelouch’s journey was full of excitement, emotional depth, and fascinating development that eventually led up to one of the best series finales (and character deaths) in anime history.

Attack on Titan is a Global Sensation

Attack on Titan is an anime so influential that it became the first real recipient of Crunchyroll’s Global Impact Award. Not even other highly recognized franchises, like Naruto or Dragon Ball, have earned the honor of being acknowledged as a series that has affected anime on a historical or cultural level. Even Solo Leveling, despite breaking Crunchyroll’s streaming servers twice, didn’t make the cut for the award.

Hajime Isayama’s creation became a sensation upon its release in 2013, becoming the edgiest and most intense anime of the decade. What first looked like the age-old story of humanity fighting against creatures that threatened its existence became a tale full of riveting twists and mind-blowing conspiracies, evolving into a masterpiece about sacrifice, freedom, and triumph over the inevitable cruelty of the world.

My Hero Academia is a Master at Giving Every Hero Their Spotlight

Kohei Horikoshi’s My Hero Academia is another action-filled anime that focuses on the powers of its cast, which are uniquely dubbed “Quirks.” When it comes to inventing diverse and distinctive abilities, Horikoshi’s imagination knows no bounds. And there’s an entire culture and system built around Quirks, which, in the anime’s world, has become society’s norm, whereas being born completely ordinary is considered odd.

That is the fate of My Hero Academia’s Izuku Midoriya. Like Sung Jinwoo, Izuku was at the bottom of the food chain. Yet he was also given a special power that set him apart from the rest of his peers. The difference between My Hero Academia and Solo Leveling is that the former expertly showcases the importance of diversity and community—it shows how every hero is important, even when the only one who has the power to stop the series’ biggest villain is the main character.

To Be Hero X’s First Season Knocked it Out of the Park

To Be Hero X is one of the most unique animated series to have come out in 2025. With a distinct 3D-animated style, a creative power system, and its compelling non-linear storyline, Li Haoling’s most recent creation has earned over 50 million views on the Bilibili platform and has become one of Crunchyroll’s most popular series. It hasn’t broken servers like Solo Leveling has, but To Be Hero X offers far more in terms of story, characters, and visuals.

To Be Hero X explores the superhero genre at a level of depth that no other piece of media has reached, expanding Li Haoling’s world and exposing the corruptive flaws of the Trust Value System through its numerous protagonists. Every action hits harder than any punch Sung Jinwoo can land, because each personal battle holds its weight in a grand overarching story that just concluded with a near-flawless finale.

Anime Fans Still Think Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End Deserved the Win

Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End was among Solo Leveling’s competition in Crunchyroll’s 2025 Anime Awards. Nominated for a total of 20 awards and managing to dethrone Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood as the #1 rated anime on MyAnimeList, half the anime community was convinced that this series would win the crown as Anime of the Year. That same crowd is still convinced that Frieren deserved the win despite Solo Leveling stealing it after a series of sweeping wins across the charts.

Countless anime fans believe that Solo Leveling has several weak points that Frieren legitimately does better. Frieren has the character depth, development, visuals, and standout narrative that Solo Leveling was lacking in. What Frieren didn’t have in regard to fight scenes, it more than made up for with a story and a protagonist who has enthralled and touched the hearts of anime fans worldwide.

Solo Leveling Pales in Comparison to Lord of Mysteries

Lord of Mysteries is the latest donghua out of the studios of B.CMAY Pictures, adapting one of the largest literary works currently in existence. It is also one of the most stunning animated adaptations to date, showing off highly detailed and quality animation that really helps to immerse the audience in the source material’s expansive lore and captivating story.

Although A-1 Pictures does amazingly well at animating Jinwoo’s every battle, their work in Solo Leveling doesn’t hold a candle to what B.CMAY PICTURES has accomplished in every minute of every episode of Lord of Mysteries. It’s not just the animation that elevates the donghua above Solo Leveling; it’s also the characters, the story, and the world-building. In every area, Lord of Mysteries has Solo Leveling outmatched.