Solo Leveling has become a major hit since its debut, especially internationally, largely due to its stunning action scenes and fast-paced storyline. In the West, Solo Leveling was honored as Anime of the Year 2025 at the Crunchyroll Awards.
However, what’s popular overseas doesn’t always match what’s loved in Japan. Despite its international acclaim, Solo Leveling hasn’t gained widespread recognition in Japan, a fact confirmed by the voice actor of Sung Jin-Woo:
“Solo Leveling is still not widely recognized in Japan. As someone living in Japan, this anime hasn’t reached the level of Dragon Ball, One Piece, or Naruto yet.”, Atsushi Kaneko.
Black Butler Leads Japan’s Highest-Rated Anime for Early 2025
Filmarks, Japan’s largest movie and anime review site, offers a reliable indicator of which series are truly popular domestically.
The rankings for the first half of 2025 have been released, and Solo Leveling did not make the Top 10. Instead, the top spot belongs to Black Butler, specifically Black Butler: Emerald Witch Arc.
This has surprised many international fans since the new season of Black Butler hasn’t made much impact abroad and has been somewhat overshadowed. Yet in Japan, the series remains extremely popular.
Other Popular Japanese Series in 2025
Black Butler isn’t the only series to outperform Solo Leveling in Japan. The Top 10 list includes many well-known Japanese titles that international fans might be less familiar with:
| Rank | Anime Title | Rating | Number of Reviews |
| 1 | Black Butler: Emerald Witch Arc | 4.46 | 948 reviews |
| 2 | Uma Musume Cinderella Gray | 4.38 | 1,024 reviews |
| 3 | Lycoris Recoil: Friends Are Thieves of Time | 4.33 | 1,755 reviews |
| 4 | Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man | 4.32 | 1,472 reviews |
| 5 | The Apothecary Diaries Season 2 | 4.27 | 6,623 reviews |
| 6 | Medalist | 4.26 | 7,269 reviews |
| 7 | Shoshimin: How to Become Ordinary Season 2 | 4.24 | 1,590 reviews |
| 8 | Apocalypse Hotel | 4.21 | 1,568 reviews |
| 9 | Fire Force Season 3 | 4.21 | 1,074 reviews |
| 10 | Re:Zero Season 3 | 4.20 | 3,190 reviews |
The most notable is The Apothecary Diaries Season 2. Although it ranks fifth in rating (4.27 stars), it has the highest number of total reviews (6,623), highlighting its widespread popularity in Japan.
These results confirm that while Solo Leveling represents the global rise of manhwa, traditional anime series and romantic mystery titles like Black Butler and The Apothecary Diaries remain the highest-rated and most beloved in Japan.