It's no surprise to know that Solo Leveling has been a huge sensation all over the world. After its debut in 2024, Solo Leveling Anime exploded incredibly quickly, and its popularity continues to grow steadily, even now in 2026. The series' success is not specific to just anime. Fans who have seen Sung Jinwoo's adventures in animation also love the original source, i.e. the novel, as well as the Manhwa.
New Manhwa is officially coming for Solo Leveling's Throne
Solo Leveling is the biggest manhwa anime out there, but that could change very soon.
Recently, Yen Press, a major publisher of novels, manga and comics, revealed that Solo Leveling was the dominant series in 2025 on the platform. When it comes to the absolute best in Manga/Manhwa/Comic, Solo Leveling came out on top. Even in terms of novels, Solo Leveling was first again. Solo Leveling's success cannot be understated, but after all, it was still not chosen as the 2025 title, which was a shocking revelation to many.
Yen Press Reveals Solo Leveling as Number One Best Selling Manga/Manhwa/Comic
Yen Press is a major publisher in the United States. This company releases manga and manhwa for many major series, and every year they reveal their list of the best selling series, as well as the most popular. With 2025 now over, Yen Press has revealed its annual Rewind. Thanks to Yen Press Rewind, a lot of interesting information has been revealed. For example, the Top 5 New or Continuing Manga/Manhwa/Comic list has been revealed, and the results may surprise some.
Solo Leveling has made it to the top, although it has had a lot of competition from some very big seriesas it competed against the likes of The Summer Hikaru Died and even Delicious in Dungeon. These two are both major series with acclaimed anime adaptations. Solo Leveling also beat some other popular manga/manhwa, such as The Guy She Was Interested In Wasn't a Guy At All. This win was expected though, especially as the latter series doesn't have an anime yet.
The top five for new or continuing Manga/Manhwa/Comic by Yen Press for 2025 are as follows:
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Solo Leveling
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The summer Hikaru died
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The guy she was interested in wasn't a guy at all
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Toilet bound Hanako-kun
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Exquisite in Dungeon
Solo Leveling was also 2025's number one novel
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Solo Leveling Roman dominates all categories
While fans were impressed to see Solo Leveling dominate in the Manga/Manhwa/Comic department, the success didn't stop there. Solo Leveling's Manhwa could sell incredibly well in 2025, but so did its true original source, the novel. The novel, created by Chugong, is the best-selling novel for Yen Press, as revealed during their Yen Press Rewind. Again, Solo Leveling didn't win due to the lack of major competition. If anything, the win for the novel division was even more impressive. To take first place, Solo Leveling beat the monumental Isekai novel, That Time I Got Reincarnated As A Slime. Fans know that That Time I Got Reincarnated As A Slime is one of the most popular Isekai series of all time.Solo Leveling also beat the novel of one of the hottest anime series of 2025, Lord of Mysterieswhich is an extremely popular Chinese series that has seen a lot of success, but clearly no more than Solo Leveling at the moment.Solo Leveling even beat out another Korean novel that fans love, like Allswetande Reader's Viewpoint. Of course, it's a bit harder for Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint to compete with Solo Leveling. After all, it's still waiting for an anime adaptation. When it comes to novels, Yen Press's top 5 have also been revealed, and they are as follows:
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Solo Leveling
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Omniscient reader's point of view
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Lord of Mysteries
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The time I was reincarnated as a slime
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86—EIGHTY SIX
Despite Solo Leveling's dominance, Yen Press reveals another top title for 2025
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The Summer Hikaru Dies knocks out Solo Leveling for unknown reasons
If there's one thing that's clear, that's it Solo Leveling was the most successful series for Yen Press in 2025, both as a Manhwa and as a novel. As such, when Yen Press revealed their 2025 top title, fans naturally thought it was a no-brainer to give the title to Solo Leveling. However, that didn't end up being the case for some reason.Instead of Solo Leveling, Summer Hikaru Died was Yen Press' top title in 2025. Why this is so is really unclear. After all, Solo Leveling beat Summer Hikaru Died in the Manga/Manhwa/Comic department.
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The criteria for this selection has not been disclosed by Yen Press, so it is difficult to say what is taken into account when choosing the best series of the year. It definitely feels like a pushback for Solo Leveling after its monumental success and incredible sales.
Should You Read Solo Leveling's Manhwa And Novel?
Through its success, the Solo Leveling anime has brought in quite a few more fans to the series. Solo Leveling Season 1 was a hit and won Anime of the Year for 2025, and Solo Leveling Season 2 was even bigger, as it paved the way for the series to become the most watched anime on Crunchyroll. That said, many Solo Leveling fans are anime only and wonder if the Manhwa is worth exploring or a novel. This is especially a more intriguing question now that fans know Solo Leveling Season 3 has been delayed.Fans invested in Solo Leveling should definitely explore the original source material. The Solo Leveling Manhwa in particular is a must read because of its incredible art. The series is also very easy to get through. With its eye-catching art and incredible character writing, fans can't go wrong with Solo Leveling Manhwa.
“I would really, really like it if the momentum continued and it didn't just stop because there's so much more of the story left to tell. So season three, season four, season five, maybe even a movie in the works.” —Taito Ban
For fans looking for the deepest and truest understanding of the characters straight from the author, the novel is the best option to delve into. Fans should note that there are some differences between the novel, manhwa, and anime, and the novel really reigns supreme. Of course, fans also have a sequel and manhwa to check out once they're done with the original Solo Leveling story. That sequel is Solo Leveling: Ragnarok, and it's also a must-read for any fan of the series.Solo Leveling has two seasons out right now, one with 12 episodes and the other with 13, for a combined episode count of 25 episodes available to watch right now. The series can be streamed on Crunchyroll for fans to enjoy while they wait for more news about the third season. There has been no major announcement about a third season so far. Fans can get more Solo Leveling content via the Manhwa.
