Solo Leveling producer wants the anime to surpass One Piece in Japan — Is it possible?

Producer Atsushi Kaneko recently revealed that, despite its global success, Solo Leveling has yet to catch up to the likes of One Piece, Dragon Ball, and Naruto in the home of anime, Japan. Due to this, he expressed his desire to make the series reach that level of success through potential sequels.

This has sparked significant controversy all across the industry, with some fans admiring Solo Leveling’s ambition to resonate with audiences, while others believe it to be an impossible dream for the anime to surpass the all-time greats. However, is it realistically possible for the dream of Producer Kaneko to be realized?

The chances of Solo Leveling matching up to One Piece, let alone surpassing it, are very slim in Japan. This is not just due to the differences in their storytelling but also because of various external factors.

Why Solo Leveling may not be able to compete with One Piece in Japan

As most fans know, Solo Leveling is among the most popular anime ever made. It has broken countless records, including becoming the most-viewed anime on Crunchyroll. However, it hasn’t come close to reaching the same status as "Big 3" anime like One Piece and Naruto, as well as the forefather of shonen anime, Dragon Ball.

Some fans may argue that it is because of the difference in the quality of storytelling, with Solo Leveling being highly dependent on the hype generated by its protagonist and caring little about the development of other elements. On the other hand, One Piece is renowned for its world-building and intricate writing, making viewers emotionally invested even in side characters.

While this may partly be the reason, the main factor is legacy. Japanese anime are renowned for its long-running status, as fans have kept up with thousands of episodes of titles such as Detective Conan. One Piece undoubtedly falls under this category as well, boasting one of the biggest fandoms in the world and having hundreds of millions of views.

As a further testament to this, the filler movie One Piece Film: Red is one of the most successful movies of all time in Japan. The series simultaneously expands its viewership base through the manga as well, which has over 400 million copies published in Japan.

With remakes, live-action shows, and numerous merchandise, the franchise has been growing since 1997 and has become the face of Shonen Jump. Solo Leveling, though undeniably popular around the world, is facing a near-impossible task in matching up to this legacy.

Firstly, the original story is a novel and manhwa based in South Korea, due to which there is a geopolitical disconnect with Japanese audiences. The source material is also not as significantly distributed in Japan. Next, Solo Leveling is incredibly exciting, but it is simply too short.

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At its current pace, the anime will have a maximum of two more seasons, which is not long enough to build a dedicated core audience. Moreover, most fans of the original story also believe that it begins losing its charm towards the end, since the focus completely shifts towards the battle between Sung Jinwoo and the Monarchs, eliminating the already minimal screen time for other characters.

As a result, while future sequels would definitely be popular and break further records globally, Kaneko’s wish of making it a great anime in Japan will be a steep and extremely difficult climb.

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