It’s no surprise to know that Solo Leveling has been a major sensation all around the world. After its debut in 2024, the Solo Leveling anime blew up incredibly fast, and its popularity keeps growing steadily, even now in 2026. The series’ success isn’t specific to just the anime. Fans who have watched Sung Jinwoo’s adventures animated also love the original source, that is, the novel, as well as the Manhwa.
New Manhwa Are 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 for novels, manga, and comics, revealed that Solo Leveling was the dominant series in 2025 on the platform. When it comes to the absolutely best in the Manga/Manhwa/Comic, Solo Leveling came out on top. Even in terms of Novels, Solo Leveling was first again. Solo Leveling’s success can’t be understated, but despite all that, it still wasn’t chosen as the title of 2025, which was a shocking reveal to many.
Yen Press Reveals Solo Leveling As The Number One Best-Selling Manga/Manhwa/Comic
Yen Press is a major publishing company in the US. This company releases manga and manhwa for many big series, and each year, they reveal their list of the best-selling series, as well as the most popular ones. With 2025 now over, Yen Press has revealed its yearly Rewind. Thanks to the Yen Press Rewind, a lot of interesting information has been revealed. For example, the list for the top 5 for the new or continuing Manga/Manhwa/Comic has been revealed, and the results might surprise some.
Solo Leveling has made it on top, even though it faced major competition from some very big series, as it was competing 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, like 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 5 for the new or continuing Manga/Manhwa/Comic by Yen Press for 2025 are as follows:
- Solo Leveling
- The Summer Hikaru Died
- The Guy She Was Interested In Wasn't a Guy at All
- Toilet-bound Hanako-kun
- Delicious in Dungeon
Solo Leveling Was Also 2025’s Number One Novel
- Solo Leveling Novel Dominates All Categories
While fans were impressed to see Solo Leveling dominate in the Manga/Manhwa/Comic department, its success didn't stop there. Solo Leveling’s Manhwa was able to sell amazingly well in 2025, but so did its true original source, the novel. The novel, created by Chugong, is the top-selling novel for Yen Press, as was revealed during their Yen Press Rewind.
Again, Solo Leveling didn’t win due to a lack of big competition. If anything, its win for the novel department was even more impressive. To take the number one spot, Solo Leveling beat the monumental Isekai novel, That Time I Got Reincarnated As A Slime. Fans know That Time I Got Reincarnated As A Slime to be one of the most popular Isekai series of all time.
Solo Leveling also beat the novel of one of the hottest 2025 anime series, Lord of Mysteries, which is an extremely popular Chinese series that has found a lot of success, but clearly not more than Solo Leveling at the moment.
Solo Leveling even beat out another Korean novel that fans love, such as Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint. Of course, it’s a bit harder for Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint to compete with Solo Leveling. After all, it still awaits an anime adaptation.
When it comes to Novels, Yen Press’s Top 5 have also been revealed, and they are as follows:
- Solo Leveling
- Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint
- Lord of Mysteries
- That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime
- 86—EIGHTY-SIX
Despite Solo Leveling’s Domination, Yen Press Reveals A Different Top Title for 2025
- The Summer Hikaru Dies Beats Out Solo Leveling For Unknown Reasons
If there’s one thing that’s clear, it’s that 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 Top Title of 2025, fans naturally believed 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, the Summer Hikaru Died was Yen Press’s 2025 Top Title. Why that is the case is really unclear. After all, Solo Leveling beat the Summer Hikaru Died in the Manga/Manhwa/Comic department.
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The criteria for this choice haven’t been revealed by Yen Press, so it’s hard to say what is taken into account when choosing the top series for the year. It definitely feels like a snub for Solo Leveling after its monumental success and incredible sales.
Should You Read Solo Leveling’s Manhwa And Novel?
The Solo Leveling anime has, through its success, brought in a whole lot more fans for the series. Solo Leveling Season 1 was a hit and became 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, a lot of Solo Leveling fans are anime-only, wondering if the Manhwa or novel is worth exploring. This is especially more of an intriguing question now that fans know that Solo Leveling Season 3 has been delayed.
Fans who are invested in Solo Leveling should definitely explore the original source materials. The Solo Leveling Manhwa, especially, 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 the 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 most depth and true 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 the anime, and the novel is the one that truly reigns supreme.
Of course, fans also have a sequel novel and manhwa to check out once they’re done with the original Solo Leveling story. That sequel story is Solo Leveling: Ragnarok, and it is 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 awaiting any more news concerning the third season. There have been no major announcements about a third season so far. Fans can get more Solo Leveling content via the Manhwa.