If you’re trying to find anime similar to Solo Leveling, you’ll quickly realize – it’s not that easy. That’s why we’ve put together a list of shows that come pretty close to this popular fantasy hit in terms of action, magic, and dark vibes.
Originally launched as a Korean web novel, Solo Leveling has since gained massive popularity in both manga and anime form. The animated series premiered in early 2024 and made waves right away. While you’re patiently waiting for Season 2, here are some epic anime to help pass the time:
Overlord
Overlord follows gamer Momonga, who gets stuck in his favorite MMORPG, Yggdrasil, after the servers are shut down. Instead of logging out, he ends up trapped in a realistic fantasy world as a powerful skeleton mage. His plan? Conquer this new reality.
Tower of God
All Bam wants is to see his friend Rachel again. To do that, he enters a mysterious tower filled with deadly challenges. Only those who survive can reach the top. As an “Irregular” – someone not meant to be there – Bam has to defeat a massive monster in his very first test. Oh, and he has no weapons or combat skills.
The Undead Unwanted Adventurer
This one also revolves around dungeon crawling and leveling up. Rentt, a low-level adventurer, is killed by a dragon in a labyrinth. But he wakes up as an undead skeleton monster. Now he’s on a mission to regain his human form – facing danger and dark fantasy creatures along the way.
Shangri-La Frontier
Rakuro loves playing bad games – the worse, the better. But when he tries out the new VR title Shangri-La Frontier, he jumps into the game with no tutorial and a custom avatar. What he finds is a vast world full of secrets. Can even an experienced gamer like him handle it?
The Rising of the Shield Hero
Naofumi is just your average otaku until he gets summoned to a fantasy world as one of four legendary heroes. His weapon? A shield – not exactly glamorous. After being betrayed and left with nothing, he has to fight to survive and rise from the bottom. But he’s not going down without a fight.
Sword Art Online
A classic in the fantasy anime world, Sword Art Online tells the story of Kirito, a gamer who gets trapped in a virtual reality MMORPG. The catch? If you die in the game, you die in real life. Now, survival and leveling up are the only way out.
Jujutsu Kaisen
Yūji’s normal high school life is turned upside down when he eats a cursed finger to save a friend – yep, you read that right. Now he shares his body with the dangerous curse Sukuna. To protect others, he joins the Jujutsu Academy and starts a wild journey full of dark magic, deadly curses, and intense battles.