AnimeNYC 2025: SOLO LEVELING’s massive cultural impact during ANYC ’25

By Justin Guerrero and Jeremy Fuscaldo

Anime NYC has come and gone, delivering an amazing variety of panels, including one that particularly appealed to the webtoon crowd. Solo Leveling: Are You A [Player]? took place on Friday, August 22, in room 1A21 from 1:00 to 1:45 PM EST. The panel was moderated by comics editor, writer, and scholar Dr. Shamika Mitchell and featured guests DJ Crooked, Rachel Bang (The Korea Society), Mark De Vera (Ize Press), and our own Michael “Marion” Pena (The Beat, Manga Mavericks).

The panel began with Shamika discussing Sung Jin-woo: “He is the anti-hero, hero—I’m not sure what makes him appealing to everybody. But he has global appeal.” She also referred to the Solo Leveling novel as “The Sacred Texts,” crediting Tony Weaver Jr. for the phrase. “If you have the Sacred Texts, then you know that there is an epic story at play.” She then discussed how Solo Leveling evolved from the novel into a webtoon and eventually an anime series, prompting Marion to comment, “Saturdays were tough,” referring to waiting for new episodes as they aired.

The conversation shifted to the initial airing of the anime, during which Crunchyroll experienced outages. Marion attributed it to “the Aura,” explaining that he had followed the series since the manhwa days and participated in discussions after each story arc. He noted Sung Jin-Woo’s “glow-ups,” saying, “He would just keep dressing fresher and fresher, so we started calling him Sung Drip-woo.” Marion added that the main appeal of the series is its comeback story—watching the protagonist rise after setbacks inspires readers. “It’s a pretty basic trope, but it works.”

Rachel Bang added, “I think we can all relate to him because he starts the story as a weak individual. He doesn’t come from a luxurious family. All of these tropes add up, and then he becomes strong. So I think it’s very rewarding as a viewer to watch his story go from weak to strong. That is relatable to many audiences.”

Mark De Vera of Ize Press/Yen Press shared insights into publishing webtoons in print. “Generally, we speak to publishers in South Korea. The head of Ize Press looks at a webcomic and decides, ‘I think this one will make a good book.’ Many webtoons have amazing art, but not all translate well to print. We pride ourselves on creating high-quality books.” Mark noted that Solo Leveling was already gaining popularity in America before its print release, and by Q2 2021, Volume 1 became the best-selling first volume for a comic at that time, surpassing titles like Invincible and other manga and Korean comics.

Shamika highlighted Solo Leveling’s cultural significance for Western audiences, noting that while manga often reflects Japanese settings, Solo Leveling introduced readers to modern South Korea. She explained, “We have Korean world politics at play as well as domestic politics when following the Sacred Texts. And then we even have the aesthetics… I feel Solo Leveling is another way to introduce readers to Korean arts and culture.” Mark emphasized the global impact, saying, “Once Solo Leveling became the hit it is today, we now see an international race for more Korean content. Solo Leveling showed that this is here to stay.”

Shamika also mentioned the difference between the original title, which translates to I’m the Only One Leveling Up, and the more familiar Solo Leveling. When discussing the anime, Marion shared that he “triple dipped” by watching the series in Korean, Japanese, and English, ultimately preferring the English dub for Aleks Lee’s performance. DJ Crooked agreed, praising Lee after watching the English dub with his niece.

The conversation turned to soft diplomacy. Rachel Bang noted that in 2025 alone, South Korea received approximately 20 million visitors and suggested that Solo Leveling contributed to this growth during the global rise of the Korean Wave. Shamika added that she eagerly awaits a formal acknowledgment from Cheong Wa Dae (the Blue House), as Solo Leveling made national history by being the best-selling Korean comic project domestically and achieving milestones like the New York Times bestseller list, Top 5 on Amazon, and Top 10 at Barnes & Noble.

Marion highlighted the series’ themes of growth and perseverance, noting that they resonated with fans, particularly post-COVID lockdown.

The panel concluded with four audience questions: the power-scaling system, whether the IP should expand into multimedia or focus on the original formats, the potential Solo Leveling film from San Diego Comic-Con, and Jin-Woo’s father in Season 3. Shamika cryptically replied to the last question, whispering, “In the Sacred Texts, you will find out more.”

Overall, the Solo Leveling: Are You A [Player]? panel offered fans old and new valuable insight into the series, its cultural significance, and its multimedia journey. It was certainly worth attending.

Were you at the panel? Did you miss it? Are there topics you wish had been discussed? Let us know in the comments!

For more coverage on AnimeNYC 2025, you can find it right here in the AnimeNYC 2025 archive on The Beat!