Crunchyroll is currently streaming a strong lineup of new anime as part of its Summer 2026 season, which is proving to be one of the platform’s best seasons for new series. The lineup includes several standout titles, with one already emerging as one of the most gorgeous anime of the year thanks to its beautiful premise. Meanwhile, another is arguably the darkest anime of the year with one of this year’s most intriguing premises. Among the season’s other distinctions, two anime have particularly stood out by serving as replacements for some of Crunchyroll’s biggest hits.
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While Black Torch has proven itself to be a great Jujutsu Kaisen replacement, Tomb Raider King, the anime based on the same action-packed manhwa, is emerging as the perfect replacement for Solo Leveling this season. From its very first episode, the series made it clear that it shares several elements with the global sensation Solo Leveling. However, what makes the anime especially intriguing is how each episode is already incorporating elements that Solo Leveling only introduced much later. The latest episode of Tomb Raider King continues that trend and subtly introduces another element that Solo Leveling has yet to fully incorporate into its anime.
Crunchyroll’s Solo Leveling Replacement Is Already Laying the Groundwork for Romance
Solo Leveling is an action-packed series, so there was never much room for romance. Even so, it introduced the idea by establishing Cha Hae-in as Jinwoo’s potential romantic partner near the end of the first season, with their dynamic becoming more firmly established during the intense events of the second season. Yet, fans have barely seen meaningful interactions between the two. More importantly, the series has never actually shown Jinwoo embracing romance at all, despite presenting other opportunities. Meanwhile, just three episodes in, Tomb Raider King surprisingly introduces this element in a subtle way. As Seo Jooheon travels to Japan to find the reader of the relic prophecies who has been disrupting his plans, he intends to subdue them.
However, the series reveals that this prophet is a woman, Yuka Sasaki, who falls for Jooheon at first sight. While Jooheon is initially surprised by Yuka’s direct approach, he quickly realizes it works to his advantage. He accepts her proposal and immediately takes her on a date. This implies that Jooheon is not afraid to exploit every opportunity presented to him, and considering how valuable Yuka’s ability to read relic prophecies could be, he is willing to indulge in a fake romance with her. As a result, Tomb Raider King introduces a romantic element early on that the Solo Leveling anime is still missing.
These developments make it clear that Tomb Raider King and its protagonist, Jooheon, are already being positioned as the kind of aura-farming protagonist that Solo Leveling took much longer to build. While it may seem like the series is rushing by introducing such elements so early, it perfectly suits Jooheon because he is much older, has already experienced hardship in the future, and has regressed back in time. He is driven by both vengeance and conquest, making these developments feel natural. In that sense, Tomb Raider King incorporating elements that Solo Leveling only introduced much later feels far more fitting, making it intriguing to see how far Crunchyroll’s Solo Leveling replacement can go and whether it can ultimately emerge as the stronger series.
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