Well, it is certainly not an isekai.
Summary:
- Solo Leveling belongs to the progression fantasy genre, which isn’t that popular within the anime medium at the moment.
- Fans of the genre feel that it’s only popular because of the art.
- It’s definitely not an isekai.
Solo Leveling (Ore dake Level Up na Ken) was one of the biggest anime in Winter 2024. Manhwa fans were generally happy with this adaptation, and anime-only watchers were excited once the anime finally got to the action.
This, however, made fans question what genre the series even belongs to. It’s not easily defined, though, as there aren’t many series that use the tropes in the same way. Funnily enough, there is an actual genre you can mark it as — but it isn’t seen much in anime.
It Belongs to a Very Specific Genre That’s Not Popular in Anime
Solo Leveling is a progression fantasy. The genre focuses on a singular protagonist, often with minimal involvement from supporting cast, honing their skills and becoming stronger.
The “becoming stronger” part is the main selling point of the series — oftentimes, there is no set goal. While this isn’t as common in anime — usually, we get introduced to characters who are already overpowered — it’s far more popular in Korean manhwa.
This, in itself, is a subtype of power fantasy — which is an umbrella term for series where the selling point is the overpowered main character, often serving as a self-insert for the reader. Curiously enough, this doesn’t mean that all of them necessarily should belong to the fantasy genre, although Solo Leveling definitely does.
It’s Not the Best Among the Genre
Actually, many progression fantasy fans say that within the genre, Solo Leveling is not that special. In fact, they think that writing-wise, it is among the weaker works in the series, and it’s worth reading only for the art.
Similar arguments have been made about the anime — that it’s fairly generic and only carried by animation.
Others say that in a genre like progression fantasy, art and animation are the more important parts — it’s not a very complicated genre. It’s made primarily for entertainment, and production values are more important than trying to break the patterns and be unique.
It Is Not an Isekai
Despite the recent conflations between the terms for fantasy and isekai, Solo Leveling is very hard to call an isekai even unknowingly.
Not only does it not feature a protagonist being transported into another world, it also doesn’t really follow most of the isekai tropes, like fantasy realms and races. Yes, there is still a game system, but its existence doesn’t make an anime an isekai.