Japan has gained worldwide attention for its fascinating manga and anime creations. However, a strong competitor has emerged in South Korea. South Korean novels and manhwa series have been steadily growing in popularity every year, and it's only grown with hits like all hits. Single leveling. Single leveling It is the biggest manhwa series ever, and its success can be seen not only in South Korea, but also in the rest of the world, including Japan.
Despite Japan's strong local manga market, Single leveling It has been able to enter and compete with the best in sales. According to the latest report published by Oricon on July 1, 2026, Solo Leveling Volume 25, which finally concludes the story as a manga, has generated high sales in Japan, and is currently the second best-selling manga of the week in the country.
Solo Leveling Final Volume ends at #2 on the sales chart in Japan on July 25, 2026
Single leveling Started all the way back on July 25, 2016. At that time, it was a simple novel by a man named Chugong. The series went on to end its run on March 13, 2018, but thanks to its immense popularity, that was far from the end of the IP. Soon after, Redis Studios announced a Manhwa adaptation for solo leveling, which ran from March 4, 2018 to December 29, 2021. The ultimate success was huge with the story becoming one of the most popular in the entire country. In 2024, finally, an anime was released by Aniplex and A-1 Pictures – two Japanese animation studios.
Although the anime was very popular, it wasn't the first time solo leveling entered the Japanese market. Prior to that, on December 23, 2019, Solo Leveling went on to receive its manga adaptation by Kadokawa. In Japan, the series will be known as 'Ore Dake Reberu Appu na Ken' and instead of Sung Jinwoo, the main character will be called Shun Mizushino for localization purposes. This serialization of Single leveling According to Kadokawa, the manga ended fairly recently with the release of the final volume 25, which officially falls on June 23, 2026.
Considering this was the last volume in the series, we all had high expectations. Final volumes tend to sell very well, and this solo leveling release is certainly no exception. According to an Oricon report published on July 1, 2026, Solo Leveling Volume 25 sold 52,236 copies between June 22 and June 28, 2026, making it the second-best-selling series this week, rivaling Katainaka no Ossan, Kensei ni Naru 0 in the top 20 of the series. Two very close. With its hugely impressive sales, solo leveling proves that even if not in the same leagues as stories. a piece or Jujutsu KaisenIt is still incredibly popular and was able to top the charts with its volume release in Japan.
Solo Leveling Season 3 gets a big boost in the new A-1 Pictures update
Solo Leveling Season 3 gets a promising update with a new A-1 picture report.
Solo leveling Volume 25 could help the franchise's best-selling and IP break the 4 million sales milestone.
Single leveling Volume 25 was a highly anticipated release in Japan, as it ended Sung Jinwoo's journey to the top as one of the strongest characters. In Japan, Solo Leveling has more volume releases than other countries, such as South Korea, which only has 15 volumes. This is due to the difference in volume size, due to Japan adapting the story to its own publication format. It's still the same story by Redice Studio, and just as exciting. Breaking the story into more segments, however, definitely helps sales.
Currently, the latest total sales figure for the solo leveling manga in Japan is 3.8 million copies sold. This figure was revealed to us in May 2026, and of course, since then, it has grown even more. What's most exciting is that solo leveling volume 25 will bring it to 4 million sales overall. At a minimum, volume 25 is projected to sell over 150k copies over its run, as the current average for this story is around 160k sales per volume based on the 3.8 million figure and 24 volumes out.
We are sure that the final volume of solo leveling will break past records. The final volume of solo leveling is its most exciting yet, featuring the story's final battle, and a prologue that later explores Jinwu's fate. We could see this volume cross 200k sales, pushing Single leveling Towards a new record that sold 4 million copies in Japan, fans have been waiting for a long time.
Solo leveling continues to grow in Japan, with new 2026 and 2027 releases on the way
every Single leveling Fans are very excited to see the franchise succeed and win big in Japan. Regardless of origin Single leveling Don't trace Japan, its popularity in the land of anime and manga is extremely important to the future of the series. The biggest project for Solo Leveling isn't its novels or manhwa, but its TV anime, which is currently being handled by Japanese studios Aniplex and A-1 Pictures. The main target audience of these studios are, first and foremost, Japanese consumers. If solo leveling doesn't see any success in Japan, then investing in the series and adapting it won't be very attractive for the studio.
Fortunately, however, Single leveling While not reaching the peak of popularity of larger series like One Piece, Dragon Ball, or Naruto, it has proven to be very popular there. Increasing the popularity of solo leveling in Japan is a big goal for the studios, the creator himself said earlier.
“While thrilled with the response, I personally don't think everyone knows the series at this point. Solo leveling in Japan isn't universally recognized yet. As a Japanese person living in Japan, the anime isn't on the same level as Dragon Ball, One Piece or Naruto. But if there's a season three, I want it to break.” – Atsushi Kaneko, solo leveling creator during Anime Expo 2025
The more popular it is Single leveling is in Japan, we can expect more projects from it in the future. At this time, we already know that Solo Leveling Season 3 is an ongoing project. This was confirmed via a D&C media report, which revealed that the target date for the new installment is somewhere between 2027 and 2028.
To reach new heights, however, solo leveling may need to take a page from the Demon Slayer's book and try for a theatrical release. A successful Solo Leveling movie could boost the popularity of this sensational franchise, and luckily, based on new leaks from July 3, 2026, it looks like the movie is in the works for a 2027 release. As expected, all the upcoming projects will support the manga, which will see the huge backlog sales roll through when the new season, or hopefully, the movie, is released. Single leveling Can quickly become a giant in Japan and compete with the best.
Source: Oricon
