Solo Leveling topped Japan’s Oricon chart with its 24th volume and 53,000 copies sold, confirming its growing dominance beyond Korea.
Solo Leveling is one of the most popular anime and manga (or rather manhwa) franchises in the world. After studio A-1 Pictures delivered a phenomenal anime adaptation in 2024, the series’ popularity went through the roof. If you’ve finished the series and want something else to read, check out our list of manhwa similar to Solo Leveling. Although Solo Leveling was long seen more as a global hit than a local Japanese phenomenon, the tide is turning. Last week this South Korean smash became the best-selling series in Japan, an unheard-of achievement for a work that doesn’t come from the home of anime. Sung Jin-woo is proving that, much like One-Punch Man or Sword Art Online, he can draw crowds even in the most competitive market there is.
Volume 24 at the top of Oricon
According to the latest data from the Japanese company Oricon for the period from 31 March to 6 April 2026, Solo Leveling climbed to first place in sales. The main driver was the freshly released volume 24, which secured the top spot for the series.
- An impressive result without the anime: The success is all the more valuable because Solo Leveling hasn’t had any new content on TV for more than a year. Even so, it racked up over 50,000 copies sold last week.
- Numbering confusion: Fans outside Japan may be puzzled by the “Volume 24” label. While the series has 15 main volumes internationally, the Japanese market adjusted the number of chapters per volume to better match local standards and release pace.
The franchise’s growth in the promised land of anime
Japan is home to the biggest giants of the genre, and the competition there is brutal. While Solo Leveling dominated in South Korea from the start, in Japan it was a gradual process. The key turning point was the quality of the A-1 Pictures anime, which last year placed in the top 5 anime of the year at the prestigious Newtype Awards.
What’s next: a movie and a new season?
Even though 53,000 copies sold looks great, Solo Leveling still has a lot of catching up to do with titans like One Piece (whose volume 114 broke the 900,000-copy mark). Upcoming projects could speed up its climb to the top, though:
- A feature film: Leaks from production committees and producer comments suggest that, following hits like Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle and Chainsaw Man: Reze Arc, we’ll also get a movie set in the world of Solo Leveling.
- Looking ahead to 2027: The first realistic dates for new projects point to 2027. Besides the movie, a third season of the TV anime is of course also on the table, and it would send manga sales soaring again.
Our take
It’s refreshing to see an “imported” series from Korea break through even in conservative Japan. Solo Leveling benefits from the anime’s polished technical side and a story that is simple but extremely addictive (a so-called power fantasy). Sales of volume 24 show that the appetite for Sung Jin-woo isn’t fading even during a broadcast break. If the movie speculation is confirmed, Solo Leveling could soon start nipping at the heels of even the biggest homegrown legends in Japan. A fan of Sung Jin-Woo? The GamersTogether shop has fan-made merch inspired by Solo Leveling – t-shirts, hoodies and mugs.
FAQ
The Japanese publisher adjusted the number of chapters in each volume (made the volumes smaller) so they match the format of regular Japanese manga and can be released more often.
No official date has been announced yet. According to leaks, a new animated project (probably a movie or a season) is expected in 2027 at the earliest.
Solo Leveling Volume 24 reached cumulative sales of roughly 53,000 copies, topping the weekly Oricon chart.
The animation is handled by the renowned Japanese studio A-1 Pictures, the studio behind hits like Sword Art Online and 86.