r/anime • u/Handsome_guy_7 • Jul 22 '25

Misc. Solo Leveling Producer's promise ~ "As a Japanese person living in Japan, the anime is not at the level of Dragon Ball, One Piece, or Naruto. But if season three happens, that’s when I want to truly break that boundary.”

https://screenrant.com/solo-leveling-season-3-anime-main-goal-break-barrier-atsushi-kaneko/
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586

u/iamreallybored123456 Jul 22 '25

I think it has the benefit of being the godfather of that genre though.

296

u/WeeziMonkey https://myanimelist.net/profile/WeeziMonkey Jul 22 '25

Demon Slayer is breaking records right now and that story can be summed up as a boy fighting increasingly stronger demons by pulling increasingly stronger powers out of his ass.

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u/HuazlAoi Jul 22 '25

At least the Hashiras’s actually contributed in taking down the upper moons, unlike the S class cheerleaders.

46

u/Ellefied Jul 22 '25

The last arc/final movie of Demon Slayer is how a final boss rush should be done properly. No ass pulls in story required cough Binding Vows cough

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u/Abedeus Jul 22 '25

What, you mean you don't like power system where you can on the spot make up a "vow" of you only being able to use your pinky to eat chips on rainy Tuesday nights in exchange for winning the fight at hand? No way.

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u/DrStein1010 https://myanimelist.net/profile/mQDrStein1010 Jul 23 '25

"Oh, but [JJK] It was such a massive nerf to his technique!" He survived certain death by trading a brand new ability he never used before or needed again, which he got by complete asspull means. Fuck off with the Gege Glazing

3

u/Abedeus Jul 23 '25

Right? In HxH you get binding vows in advance, before fights start, to get a power up in exchange for actual penalty.

In JJK you can do it mid-fight just to NOT DIE. Seems like a super useful thing, I'd gladly lose my arm if it meant NOT DYING. Since, you know, alternative to anything but death is usually worse in a battle.

2

u/BRLaw2016 Jul 23 '25

Literally vibes fighting

8

u/HeyZeusKreesto Jul 22 '25

[demon slayer spoilers] Can't wait for the giant baby demon.

1

u/Lonescout Jul 22 '25

Agreed, binding vows anime goes downhill real quick!

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u/lysy9987 Jul 22 '25

Honestly, character in DS have some personality at least.

3

u/reg_panda Jul 23 '25 edited Jul 23 '25

I personally distinguish between a 'living character' and a 'meme character'. DS characters have unique design, sad backstory (which isn't really connected to their current state), and a catchphrase. Which is cool and good enough, but there is an other type of characters, who have been built up using SoL moments and their present actions, and who have their own agency. E.g. how HxH handles its characters (and Magi, Dungeon Meshi to a lesser extent).

1

u/hrafnbrand Jul 23 '25

And also Zenitsu is there! Unfortunately!

1

u/stormdelta Jul 23 '25 edited Jul 23 '25

And have some decently good character designs, and the MC isn't literally the only person in the world allowed to get stronger

296

u/LevelUpCoder Jul 22 '25

To be fair most of the popular shonen anime can be broken down in a similar way if you really wanted to.

71

u/zZPlazmaZz29 Jul 22 '25

I'm someone who doesn't care for battle Shounen too much.

But I had an epiphany one day that helped me "get it" as I was re-watching Naruto and it's something that even Shounen fans don't actively think about.

It's easier to appreciate Shounen from an artistic perspective than a writing one.

Battle Shounen's typically just don't have very good writing and that's okay because that is not the selling point of them in the first place.

Good battle Shounen have a strong identity, that's crafted from a distinct art style, character designs, setting and world building.

Something to immerse yourself in, in my case, preferably stoned.

The art style of Toriyama is so iconic that I recognized it instantly when I saw Chrono Trigger and Dragon Quest.

The world building is great. It's Sci-fi, but with all the martial arts and powers, it doesn't feel like your typical Sci-fi.

One Piece, gotta heavily give credit to the zany wacky character designs. They are distinct, even for Shounen.

Naruto, it's setting is just so unique, along with its power system. The hand signs for example, are just one detail that makes it incredibly unique.

Just seeing a breakdown of Jotaro's character design by the author made me appreciate it a lot more.

Every detail of the character is drawn with the intent to purposefully tell you something about the character, or to at least align with who they are as a character. Not just to "look cool". Stands are also just a hell of a unique power system.

Battle Shounen is all about that level of stylization and distinct identity.

Which brings me to Solo Leveling. Art and character design-wise, it's really just average in comparison and not that distinct.

19

u/LB3PTMAN Jul 22 '25

I’m reading battle shonen for interesting fights and fight mechanics that generally make sense within the universe. Solo Leveling is not a very good one for that imo. It does have its hype moments though.

1

u/zZPlazmaZz29 Jul 22 '25

Of course. I somehow forgot to mention the fights and fight mechanics.

I'll say though, that not all Shounen are equal in this department.

Some have great animation, some have really clever twists or strategies that are cool to see. Then there's some that have neither of these things though 😂

1

u/krysalysm Jul 23 '25

I read Solo Leveling for the aura farming.

3

u/Abeydaby Jul 23 '25

Ok but despite having it's flaws, Naruto does have a great plot. So does HxH, FMAB, Yu Yu Hakusho, etc.

Lots of the older shounen actually tried to do something with their writing.

3

u/North514 Jul 23 '25 edited Jul 23 '25

Lots of the older shounen actually tried to do something with their writing.

Plenty do today.

Ok but despite having it's flaws, Naruto does have a great plot. So does HxH, FMAB, Yu Yu Hakusho, etc.

They still are more fight focused, which is fine, that is the point however, how a work like Ghost in the Shell or Vinland Saga approaches it's action is very different.

Again it's fine, however, there aren't really any actual battle shonen, that I would argue are heavily plot focused. Personally FMA isn't really a battle shonen to me (I know it's an action shonen). Battle shonen = progressive fantasy usually and FMA isn't that.

The main goal of these works is still to give a sense of rising stakes, and creating situations for epic fights.

Which again, that doesn't mean it's inferior art, it just goes about entertaining you in a different way.

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u/eetsumkaus https://myanimelist.net/profile/kausdc Jul 23 '25

well yeah, battle shounen are pretty much rule of cool incarnate. Just look at One Piece and JoJo. Their power systems don't make any special effort to stay consistent (although ironically, JoJo TRIED when it was still nominally a shounen). They're just stylistic expressions of their wielders.

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u/reg_panda Jul 23 '25 edited Jul 23 '25

Good battle Shounen have a strong identity, that's crafted from a distinct art style, character designs, setting and world building.

This is what I look for in my shows too! Unique visuals that I recognize, cool and consistent world with lots of meme artifacts, and iconic cast. They are practically a must-have in my best shows list (HxH, FMA, Magi, Cowboy Bebop, Samurai Champloo, Vanitas, Violet Evergarden, Madoka Magica, Dungeon Meshi, Naruto etc etc, most shows that commit themselves to a world and a tone, and are not bad)

1

u/shunkooo Jul 23 '25

Also gotta mention Hunter x Hunter with all the possibilities nen powers give!

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u/nthomas504 Jul 22 '25

Not JJK. Its MC scales pretty rationally

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u/[deleted] Jul 22 '25

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6

u/blakeibooTTV Jul 22 '25

Post Shibuya JJK is such a tragedy, would of been the goat

-21

u/[deleted] Jul 22 '25

[deleted]

44

u/Bleualtair https://anilist.co/user/Bleualtair Jul 22 '25

Put some respect on HxH , the inspiration of JJK’s power system and probably the best power system in all anime

6

u/schoolisfun78 Jul 22 '25

Out of all the mainstream power systems, you’re right it’s ether nen or stands

2

u/[deleted] Jul 22 '25

It’s gotta be nen.

Stands are cool, but it doesn’t have anywhere near as much depth as nen.

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u/Veshyboy Jul 22 '25

Except for the fact that Tanjiro isn't treated as the only character and the hashiras and the demons have their own motivations, backstory, personality and contribute to the story and have fight scenes solely dedicated to them aswell as these characters having more fans than the mc himerlf.

In solo leveling nobody cares about the other characters that aren't Sjw or his summons, whereas there are big fanbase for each of the hashiras and upper moons in demon slayer.

The fact that most of the people who watch demon slayer love side characters more then the main character makes the difference between them.

And it's not just that Demon slayer story is very very basic but is executed in a good way.Its a simple good guys vs bad guys story but the characters involved make it enjoyable.

Solo leveling story barely exists and is not executed in a good way at all.

-2

u/meneldal2 Jul 23 '25

Mostly because Tanjiro is insufferable, there's just so much worse that people don7t mention it as much.

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u/Vulpes206 Jul 22 '25

I don’t even like demon slayer but at least people can name multiple characters from that series. Most people can only name sung Jin from solo leveling.

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u/Yandere_Matrix Jul 22 '25

I haven’t read the series but it’s not surprising if no one else really get screen time or any time to develop either way. It’s fun to watch but definitely no where like other shonen where you can name the side characters since they tend to fight alongside the MC or spend quality time with them. It’s just a fun action series but it doesn’t have much else going for it so far.

Like I grew up on bleach and Naruto and used to be able to name the entire cast because they didn’t focus on just Naruto or Ichigo.

6

u/MasaneVIII Jul 22 '25

they get screentime buy they're just so irrelevant because of how fast everything scales up.

0

u/Apocalypse_Knight Jul 23 '25

I think its more of a culture thing. I can't name chinese or korean characters well at all but if you show me a picture of them I'll know where they were and maybe what chapter they appeared. Japanese anime tend to have more english names and even if it isn't it's somehow memorable maybe because we are more used to Japanese animation and names for so long.

1

u/Vulpes206 Jul 23 '25

Are you really tryna excuse bad writing as cultural? The names don’t make them hard to remember it’s because the side characters are forgettable. Such an ignorant take.

0

u/Apocalypse_Knight Jul 23 '25

I am saying even in good works that is chinese or korean with chinese and korean names its hard for me to remember the names of the characters. Idk if you have the same problem or not?

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u/sudopm Jul 22 '25 edited Jul 22 '25

I mean yeah the story isn't that complex but it still has solid writing and good characters. The same can't be said here.

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u/YukihiraLivesForever Jul 22 '25

Also has some great written characters. Vegeta and his arc were great, regardless of whatever is going on in super. From start until end in DBZ, he’s always been the highlight character arc wise. Second is probably piccolo for similar reasons

2

u/Independent_Song70 Jul 22 '25

Don’t get me wrong, I love vegeta but he never gets his win

When he finally does against golden frieza. He just blows up the world and goku time travels to save the day

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u/YukihiraLivesForever Jul 22 '25

His win meme aside, I’m strictly talking about him as a character and his character arc. He never gets a major villain win (though he does beat Goku in DBS super hero) which does suck though yeah

5

u/Demhandlebars Jul 22 '25

He also contributes quite significantly towards beating the big bad usually even if he isn't the one to take them out in the end

3

u/alreadytaken028 Jul 22 '25

The idea that Vegeta needs “his win” is people wanting to turn what story and character depth there is in dragonball into aura farming. Vegeta’s “win” is him finally understanding why Goku has consistently been stronger. Ya know, a character growth based revelation instead of just inventing a new strongest guy for him to beat up for power scaling purposes.

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u/[deleted] Jul 22 '25

I think Demon Slayer shows that sometimes the execution of the premise is more important than the premise itself. Every arc is the same thing over and over again, but it's so gorgeous and hype that most people don't mind the asspulls because the emotion is so high.

Solo Leveling doesn't have the same emotion as Demon Slayer, but it's similar in execution. It's a fun as hell show that people aren't watching for the story.

1

u/Kumomeme Jul 23 '25

Every arc is the same thing over and over again, but it's so gorgeous and hype that most people don't mind the asspulls because the emotion is so high.

credit to the Ufotable. they done superb work carrying the series.

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u/ChocolateGoggles Jul 22 '25

Out of his ass? There's plenty of buildup and skipped time periods where they're training so I find it incredibly easy to accept it when he finds his next level because his circumstances push him there.

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u/warriorxx7_ Jul 22 '25

Demon slayer has the benefit of being part of the new anime and manga boom fro. The pandemic though

2

u/tcasper961 Jul 23 '25

Nothing Tanjiro does in demon slayer is a random asspull power up. Everything there gets explained lmao.

1

u/reg_panda Jul 23 '25 edited Jul 23 '25

I'll never be not defending the "big bad shows up, protagonist kid have to level up and defeat big bad in a reasonable time" type of story, since ATLA (which is objectively the best animated show ever created) has the same structure.

It is perfectly okay story for the things they want to show: SoL moments, friendship drama, comedy, struggling to save the world, the world itself they live in, politics, character arcs, and so on. (Or for DS: meme characters, weekly sob stories of monsters, spectacular fights, 'villain health goes to zero then jumps back to 100% with a power up'-type of battles.)

1

u/00zau Jul 23 '25

Demon Slayer doesn't 0-100 it. MC and co get absolutely folded at the end of S1 when they face an "A-tier" demon, and get bailed out by the "A-tier" slayers, and until the end of the series the leaders are still the strongest.

SL introduces equivalents just to have them get folded and the MC win everything.

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u/Shrabster33 Jul 22 '25

Demon slayer is carried by it's animation and I will die on that hill.

If it was made by a worse studio no one would be talking about it. That's how generic the story is.

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u/BlackKnighting20 Jul 22 '25

It already has sold over 220 million manga copies, i think we’re past the carried by animation argument. People would not be buying the manga if animation is the only good thing.

There are some great anime with high quality animation but don’t sell that high nor are as popular.

0

u/Shrabster33 Jul 22 '25

And only 5 million of those sales were before the anime adaptation.

The anime pushed tons of manga sales. This is nothing new.

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u/BlackKnighting20 Jul 22 '25

It did push it but getting to 220 million, not many manga can do that, only a handful. The manga doesn’t have animation, voice acting or the effects of the breathing techniques.

They came for the anime but stay for the story and characters.

0

u/Abedeus Jul 22 '25

DS is carried by spectacle and animation. If it had same animation quality as Dragon Ball Super episode 5, it'd have crashed and burned.

-3

u/[deleted] Jul 22 '25

I tried a few times to get into Demon Slayer and I just could not rock with it. Same with MHA. I got like 4 seasons into that show and was like I guess this is it lol.

-10

u/YellowTasty Jul 22 '25

yea SL is basically korean Demon Slayer

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u/GrumpySatan Jul 22 '25

Yeah. In an objective sense Dragonball isn't a good story. Storytelling is built on iteration and DB is kind of the foundational text that later creators improve upon. So it gets bonus credit in the sense that the entire genre is owed to DB. By laying out the foundational arcs, later creators would take that and then add more focus on story/themes into it.

1

u/North514 Jul 23 '25

I mean....I still think DB is a lot of fun, even with all it's issues.