How to Watch Solo Leveling in the Correct Order

Solo Leveling is an up-and-coming anime with a steadily growing fanbase. If you’re ready to join in on the fun, we can get you started! Thus far, only a couple of seasons of Solo Leveling have been released, which makes watching it a pretty easy thing to do. In an exclusive interview with wikiHow, an anime expert explained the proper watch order for Solo Leveling. We’ll also introduce you to the show and its story—and show you where to catch all current episodes.

Solo Leveling Watch Order for First-Time Viewers

Anime expert David Ross recommends watching Solo Leveling in standard chronological order. Watch the first season of the anime (12 episodes), and then season two, which is subtitled Arise from the Shadow (13 episodes). There’s also a recap movie, Solo Leveling -ReAwakening-, which you could watch after season one.

Section 1 of 8:

Solo Leveling Recommended Watch Order

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There’s only so much Solo Leveling to watch (at least, for now), so the watch order is pretty straightforward! The anime consists of two seasons, with a recap movie in between, covering the events of the first season. And don’t be confused by the subtitle, “Arise from the Shadow”—it’s not a separate series, just season two of the Solo Leveling anime. Here’s the standard chronological watch order recommended by Moss:^{[1]
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Expert Source

David Ross
Anime & Manga Expert

Expert Interview}
- Solo Leveling (2024) - Anime, Season 1 (12 episodes)
- Solo Leveling -ReAwakening- (2024) - Movie (Recap)
- Solo Leveling: Arise from the Shadow (2025) - Anime, Season 2 (13 episodes)
Meet the wikiHow Expert

David Ross is an anime and manga expert.

Section 2 of 8:

What is Solo Leveling about?

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Solo Leveling follows Sung Jinwoo’s attempts to “level up” in strength. Ten years before the events of the show, “gates” began to appear, creating doors between the human world and a world of monsters—and, at the same time, regular humans suddenly gained powers, and became “hunters.” Sung Jinwoo is one such hunter, and after an encounter with a strange dashboard called “the System,” he’s given a “Quest Log” and the power to level up his strength with no limits or caps.^{[2]
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- Solo Leveling has some similarities to the isekai subgenre, in which the protagonist is an ordinary person who gets transported or reborn into a fantasy realm (and often gains new powers).
- Jinwoo doesn’t exactly travel to a new realm, but he is still exposed to the magic (and monsters) of a world other than his own—and he definitely gains incredible new powers.

Section 3 of 8:

All Solo Leveling Seasons, Explained

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Solo Leveling (Season 1)The first season ofSolo Leveling introduces its setting and characters—including Jinwoo, its protagonist. In the show, hunters are ranked according to their strength, and Jinwoo is ranked in the lowest tier of all, “E.” After Jinwoo encounters “the System” and gains his new powers, he sets out to rise above his E-tier ranking. The season chronicles his quest to become one of the world’s strongest hunters.^{[3]
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- Air dates: January 6, 2024 - March 30, 2024 (Japanese); January 20, 2024 - April 13, 2024 (English)
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Solo Leveling -ReAwakening-ReAwakening more or less recaps the events of Solo Leveling’s first season, meant to bridge the gap between seasons. It also contains a “sneak peek” of the second season’s first two episodes (although the sneak peek isn’t really necessary anymore, since the second season has since been released entirely).^{[4]
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- Air date: November 29, 2024 (Japanese); December 6, 2024 (English)
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Solo Leveling: Arise from the Shadow (Season 2)Chronologically,Solo Leveling’s second season takes place immediately after the first. Now that Jinwoo has “leveled up” and even gained the title of “Shadow Monarch” (allowing him to summon an army of shadow soldiers to his aid), he’s got a new quest to pursue: finding materials for the Holy Water of Life, to cure his mother’s illness.^{[5]
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- Air dates: January 4, 2025 - March 29, 2025 (Japanese); January 18, 2025 - April 12, 2025 (English)

Section 4 of 8:

Where to Watch Solo Leveling

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Solo Leveling is available to stream on Crunchyroll.Crunchyroll has the streaming rights to Solo Leveling in North America (and a handful of other territories), so that’s where you’ll find both seasons of the show. Just keep in mind that you’ll need a subscription to watch! You can also catch episodes on Roku or YouTube TV—but, again, an account or subscription is required for each.

Section 5 of 8:

Do you need to watch the Solo Leveling movie?

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No, you don’t need to watch Solo Leveling -ReAwakening-. Because it’s a recap movie, you won’t miss anything by skipping it. And, considering the fact that it isn’t streaming on any platforms currently, most people probably will end up skipping it when they watch Solo Leveling. It was always meant to be a fun, optional experience for fans rather than an essential part of the Solo Leveling experience; you’ll get the same amount of story if you just watch the anime!
- It seems like -Reawakening- was really only made for a theatrical release—not intended for streaming, especially after season two’s release.
- While Crunchyroll has the rights to Solo Leveling in North America, it’s unlikely that they’ll add -ReAwakening- to their catalogue anytime soon.

Section 6 of 8:

Who should watch the Solo Leveling series?

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Fans of underdog stories and the fantasy genre should enjoy Solo Leveling. While it takes place in a modern world that mirrors the real one, there are most definitely fantastical elements of the show that’ll appeal to fantasy fans—from swords and sorcery to otherworldly monsters lurking in dungeons. Additionally, even though Solo Leveling isn’t a textbook example of isekai, fans of the subgenre might still enjoy it (especially if they’re looking for a refreshing change of pace from the typical isekai storyline).
- There’s also the fact that Jinwoo, Solo Leveling’s protagonist, is a classic underdog in every sense of the word. He’s literally the world’s weakest hunter at the start of the show!
- So, anyone who enjoys rooting for the underdog (especially when it’s just an average person thrust into extraordinary circumstances) might enjoy Solo Leveling.

Section 7 of 8:

The Future of the Solo Leveling Anime

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There will be more Solo Leveling content, but it’s unclear when. A third season of the show hasn’t officially been announced yet, even though it’s more or less confirmed that the studio behind the anime, A-1 Pictures, is working on more Solo Leveling content in some shape or form. However, the fact that a new season hasn’t been announced yet could mean that we won’t see this content for some time.
- A-1 animation producer Atsushi Kaneko took to X/Twitter early in 2026, teasing that “something truly exciting” could arrive this year for Solo Leveling fans.
- However, A-1 hasn’t yet made any formal announcements, and Kaneko didn’t explain what, exactly, was in the works.
- There’s been speculation that season three could arrive as a movie rather than a series—or that a movie might be released in between seasons two and three.
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There are several more arcs to adapt from the source material. Solo Leveling started as a fantasy web novel by Chugong in 2016; later, in 2018, a webtoon version was also released. The Solo Leveling anime is an adaptation of the popular webtoon, and there are still at least 9 story arcs (93 chapters) to cover before the show catches up to its source material—which means there’s plenty of opportunity for new Solo Leveling episodes in the future.
- Given Solo Leveling’s popularity, it seems likely that the show will continue (or that the story will be continued in some other way). But, again, nothing has been confirmed thus far!

Section 8 of 8:

What is Solo Leveling: Ragnarok?

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Ragnarok is a web comic spinoff of the original Solo Leveling. It follows Jinwoo’s teenage son, Sung Suho, as his powers are awakened and he embarks on a journey to follow in his father’s footsteps. Suho’s mission is to conquer the shadow dungeon and become a hunter in his own right—all while facing off against a new foe threatening the entire world.^{[6]
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- Currently, Ragnarok is only a web comic—there isn’t an anime or movie adaptation.