Solo Leveling on Crunchyroll has emerged as one of the most distinctive and popular series. What made the series truly amazing was undoubtedly Jinwoo’s journey. It started with Jinwoo as an E-Rank Hunter, the weakest in the nation; however, his kindness from the beginning made him an endearing character, while his sacrifice in the Double Dungeon arc, combined with his intellect, stole fans’ hearts and made them root for his growth. Solo Leveling then follows this desire, focusing on a journey of leveling up solo. So when a series like Tomb Raider King began serialization at the start of Summer 2026, fans naturally drew comparisons, as it featured many similarities to Solo Leveling.
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Tomb Raider King incorporated many elements similar to Solo Leveling, featuring tombs that resemble the dungeons from Solo Leveling and the similarity of the main characters becoming increasingly powerful as they uncover more details about the strange phenomena in their worlds through the power of the systems bestowed upon them. However, as new episodes of Tomb Raider King were released, it proved to be far different from Solo Leveling, as the former completely eliminates the concept of solo leveling by featuring its protagonist, Seo Jooheon, who constantly seeks others’ help to execute his revenge plan.
Tomb Raider King Is No Longer a Replacement for Solo Leveling, but Its Own Anime
The first element that sets Tomb Raider King apart is undoubtedly the protagonists’ motivations. While Jinwoo wanted to become stronger for himself and his loved ones, Jooheon is simply on a quest for revenge and has no desire to become a hero. Jooheon suffered betrayal in the future, so his second chance at life is essentially about doing everything he can to seek justice for himself. He constantly seeks the help of others or even manipulates them whenever he gets the chance. He has done this so far with Irene Holton and the relic restorer, Jaeha. In the latest episode, he is now embarking on a quest to acquire a relic for someone important whom he recognizes from the future.
The “Queen of War” he is aiming to help is someone who gains immense power in the future, and he is doing her this favor so that he can become as powerful as possible. This reflects how he isn’t relying solely on his own abilities but is instead gathering as many allies as he can in his quest for revenge against Kwon Taejoon. This makes Tomb Raider King an anime about revenge, where the avenger will go to any length to achieve his goal. Meanwhile, Solo Leveling was about the main character leveling up alone to the point where the assistance of others was no longer required, standing as a hero at the peak all alone.
Yet, both anime are indeed so similar that you can’t help but compare the two. Still, it is encouraging to see Tomb Raider King emerging as its own anime despite borrowing similar concepts from Solo Leveling, and it will surely be a good watch for fans who want something similar to Solo Leveling while still offering its own nuances.
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