A Crunchyroll and A-1 Pictures collaboration, Solo Leveling is riding the wave of the manhwa's global popularity, as the series is being viewed as potentially spearheading a Korean anime breakthrough.
However, insiders close to Solo Leveling season 3 have consistently indicated a significant wait for its arrival. But what exactly is the reason behind that? Why wait so long to produce another season of what's arguably the most popular, ongoing anime right now?
Recently, Crunchyroll president Rahul Purini hinted that A-1 Pictures simply wants to stretch their creative muscles by working on other projects after devoting the last few years to Solo Leveling.
The English-dub voice actor for Sung Jinwoo has also stated that season 3 "won't be coming out for a while."
Dishearteningly for fans, a recent suggestion from Solo Leveling's production team points to a potential Season 3 premiere in 2028, a considerable delay stretching to the next Olympics.
This extended timeline raises a critical point: given the pacing of the first two seasons, how many more seasons will A-1 Pictures need to reach the conclusion of the Solo Leveling manhwa?
The Solo Leveling manhwa, adapted from the web novel, spans 179 chapters. Season 1 of the anime covered the first 45 episodes across 12 installments, while Season 2 adapted chapters 46 through 110 within its 13-episode run.
Maintaining this pace suggests only enough remaining source material for approximately two more seasons to conclude the original Solo Leveling story.
Notably, the latter part of the Solo Leveling manhwa's run was impacted by the declining health of its beloved illustrator, Jang Sung-rak (Dubu), who tragically passed away in July 2022 due to a cerebral hemorrhage.
His chronic illness led to a perceived rushed feeling in the final chapters, despite release delays. Many fans anticipate that the anime adaptation will expand upon this section of the story, potentially providing sufficient content for a complete fourth and final season.
Looking beyond the initial series, a sequel titled Solo Leveling: Ragnarok exists, focusing on Suho, the son of Jinwoo and Hae-In. Initially a light novel by Daul, Ragnarok has been adapted into a manhwa by writer Dang Do and illustrator JIN.
While currently on hiatus with 47 chapters released due to author Daul's recent car accident, Ragnarok already contains enough material for a potential fifth season of the anime. Given the lengthy wait for season 3, by the time A-1 Pictures were to wrap up covering the original manhwa's story, the Ragnarok sequel series is likely to be complete.
While no official announcements have been made yet, be sure to check back as we await news on Solo Leveling season 3's release.