Despite fans desperately wanting a third season, Solo Leveling’s creators have been largely silent about the series’ renewal, with an official announcement yet to be made well over a month later. While the series’ Blu-ray sales for Season 2 admittedly left much to be desired, Solo Leveling has been nothing short of a global hit in nearly every other regard, be it critical acclaim or viewership records. As far as popularity goes, Solo Leveling is clearly in high demand from fans, and it seems the series’ creators have noticed as much, subtly hyping Season 3 of Solo Leveling… with a Dragon Ball reference?
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Solo Leveling’s creators at A-1 Pictures, namely Sota Furuhashi, the main Producer, and Atsushi Kaneko, the Animation Producer, recently held an AMA session on Reddit. One of the most interesting questions the two were asked was whether Season 3 of Solo Leveling could potentially be better than the first two seasons. Unexpectedly enough, Furuhashi and Kaneko responded with a Dragon Ball reference to the Genki-dama or Spirit Bomb, asking fans for their support and energy going into Season 3. Their response under the thread reads, “Do you know Dragon Ball’s Genki-dama (Spirit Bomb)? We need your energy! If we’re going to make a Season 3, it’s going to take all the support and energy from the fans.” And, of course, the two producers also paid their respects to Toriyama, saying, “I learned that from Akira Toriyama himself! May the great Akira Toriyama rest in peace.”
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Solo Leveling’s Creators Express Their Love for the Series’ Fans
Ever since Solo Leveling’s anime adaptation was first announced, it’s been clear that the series’ producers would have high expectations to live up to, given the manhwa’s existing global fan base. Under the same Reddit thread, Sota Furuhashi even comments on how the sheer size of the series’ fandom took him by surprise, saying, “We were aware of the underlying fandom for Solo Leveling, and we knew it was going to be popular, but we never expected it to get this big. It’s amazing to see. It exceeded our expectations.”
As the series has grown in popularity with the anime’s release, these expectations have only gotten even steeper, though it seems instead of buckling, knowing that the series is loved by so many has instead been a source of strength for Solo Leveling’s creators. This is supported by another heartwarming comment by Atsushi Kaneko under the AMA post, which reads, “This might sound a little romantic, but honestly, it’s the Reddit fans—you all—who give me power. It’s not just about Solo Leveling; whatever anime I’m working on, knowing that there are people out there watching and caring means everything.”
Kaneko further adds, “I don’t know your age, gender, or where you’re from, but reading your comments here truly gives me strength. Thank you so much!”
Solo Leveling Season 3 Could Finally Take Fans’ Feedback Into Consideration
It certainly would have been easy to buckle under the popularity of the series, and random as the Dragon Ball reference may have been, it makes sense given the above context of the producers gathering strength from fans. That said, it seems this Dragon Ball reference may also hint at the series’ producers taking more of fans’ criticism and feedback into account going into Season 3.
In the same post, a fan also brought up the fact that Solo Leveling has its own dedicated subreddit, suggesting that the series’ creators look into fans’ suggestions to which Kaneko responded, “We’re really happy and excited to see so many people engaging in the Solo Leveling conversation—thank you all! We’d love to stop by in the future.”
Kaneko also referenced the Spirit Bomb yet again, adding, “And in the spirit of the Spirit Bomb theory… if you want a Season 3, it’s the energy from all of you across these subreddits and fan communities that will help make it happen.”
This means nothing but good news for fans of the series, as while Season 2 of Solo Leveling was well-received, some aspects were admittedly far from perfect. Some fan grievances about the anime adaptation include the rushed pacing and deviations from the source material, such as the change in Baran’s color scheme. However, with Solo Leveling’s creators now paying close attention to fans’ feedback, Season 3 can maybe avoid these pitfalls and actually outdo the first two seasons so far.
Source: Reddit
Solo Leveling can be streamed on Crunchyroll.
