No anime adaptation of manhwa has stirred as much conversation in 2025 asSolo Leveling. After the first season won Anime of the Year at Crunchyroll’s annual anime award celebration, debates about its quality and merits run rampant. Given this ubiquity, it may be surprising that another anime based on manhwa is currently more popular on Crunchyroll.
According toCrunchyroll’s official Most Popular Anime list,Solo Levelingis the 59th most popular anime on the service. While many anime that beatSolo LevelinglikeOne PieceandDandadanmake sense given their modern relevance, what’s more surprising is Crunchyroll’s sixth most popular anime. According to Crunchyroll,The Beginning After the Endis more popular thanSolo Leveling.
How The Beginning After The End Beat Solo Leveling In Crunchyroll’s Rankings
As muchcontroversy asSolo Levelingstirred with its Anime of the Year win,The Beginning After the Endproved even more controversial. Fans of the manhwa ended up disappointed in the anime adaptation’s pacing and animation, finding it vastly inferior to what they’d come to expect from an anime adaptation of manhwa.
The controversy got so big that evenThe Beginning After The End’sown author respondedto complaints about the studio chosen. Given all this, it might be difficult to understand how the series is so effortlessly outpacingSolo Leveling, a series with a generally positive reception and rabid fan base.
Part of the cause is almost certainly the timeframe. The last episode ofSolo Levelingseason 2 was released on March 30th, while the last episode ofThe Beginning After The End’sfirst season was released on June 18th, making the series slightly more relevant.
Another explanation could be thatSolo Levelingseason 2 was so big upon release that everyone who wanted to watch it already did so upon release. In contrast, fans waiting to giveThe Beginning After The Enda try may be giving it the boost it needs to rank sixth in Crunchyroll’s rankings.
Despite The Beginning After The End’s Victory, Solo Leveling Is Still Superior (And It’s Not Close)
None of this is to downplayThe Beginning After The End’spopularity. Despite the anime’s massive backlash,The Beginning After The End’sanime has earned killer ratings, especially in Japan, so it’s clear the anime is still connecting with people.
Still, it’s hard to deny thatSolo Levelingis a better anime series in pretty much every way.Solo Leveling’sstory, pacing, and animation are handled well, making the series satisfying to watch even for many of its detractors. It has its problems, of course, but Sung Jinwoo’s story is told competently and confidently, more than earning its fandom.
WhileThe Beginning After The End’spopularity on Crunchyroll might be baffling to some, the real test of its merits will be whether it can maintain its fandom. Fans are absolutely ravenous forSolo Levelingseason 3, but only time will tell if the same can be said forThe Beginning After The Endseason 2.
