It’s Time To Meet The New Solo Leveling Replacement Anime Of 2026

by

Among all the popular anime series released recently, Solo Leveling is a favorite for many fans. It’s been incredibly popular since it first came out in 2024, and the release of its second season has only increased its fanbase. Since the anime concluded, many viewers have also started reading the original web novel and Manhwa to continue following the story.

I’m seriously excited about everything happening with Solo Leveling! It’s become a huge phenomenon, and the recent announcement of a new anime got everyone talking – though it’s a bit strange since it’s called Tomb Raider King and isn’t directly related to Solo Leveling. Honestly, a lot of fans, myself included, think it’s really borrowing heavily from Solo Leveling – even the main character looks just like Sung Jinwoo! Since Solo Leveling came first, the similarities are hard to ignore. Still, while we wait for more news on the actual Solo Leveling anime, this Tomb Raider King series might be a fun distraction!

Solo Leveling Is A Worldwide Sensation

Image via A-1 Pictures

  • It was Anime of the Year in 2025
  • It became Crunchyroll’s most popular anime

After its anime debut in 2024, Solo Leveling quickly became a hit, with the second season arriving in 2025. Remarkably, it was named Crunchyroll’s Anime of the Year in 2025, a huge accomplishment considering the strong competition from shows like Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End, Dandadan, and The Apothecary Diaries.

Despite any challenges, Solo Leveling continued to succeed, earning numerous awards including recognitions for its main character and action sequences.

Beyond its initial success, Solo Leveling became a record-breaker on Crunchyroll, the popular anime streaming platform. It quickly rose to become the most-rated and highest-scoring anime in Crunchyroll’s history – a remarkable achievement considering shows like One Piece and Demon Slayer are also available there. Solo Leveling is now a global phenomenon and one of the biggest new anime hits in recent years. Its popularity has inspired numerous imitations, with the latest one receiving positive feedback from fans.

A Solo Leveling Copycat Replacement Is Coming In July 2026

  • Tomb Raider King Blatantly Copies Solo Leveling

A new anime series called Tomb Raider King is scheduled to debut in July 2026. A recently released trailer has drawn criticism from fans who feel it closely resembles the popular series Solo Leveling, leading many to call it a copy.

Fans immediately noticed how much Sung Jin-woo from Solo Leveling looked like Seo Joo-Heon, the main character from Tomb Raider King. The character designs are incredibly similar – they share the same hairstyle, hair color, eyes, and body type, and even wear almost identical clothing. For anime viewers unfamiliar with Solo Leveling, it’s hard to tell the characters apart, aside from slight differences in art style. Many believe the anime doesn’t just draw inspiration from the other series, but directly copies it.

Although many people haven’t heard of Tomb Raider King, it shares a lot of story elements with Solo Leveling. Both main characters, Sung Jin-woo and Seo Joo-Heon, are striving to become stronger, and they’re both incredibly powerful protagonists who consistently defeat even the most dangerous foes.

It’s okay to be inspired by others, but this goes further than that. When it comes to the character designs, fans probably shouldn’t place too much blame on Tomb Raider King.

The series’ author didn’t intend for the main character to look so similar to Sung Jin-woo. The issue actually stems from REDICE Studio, the company that adapted both Solo Leveling and Tomb Raider King from novels into manhwa.

REDICE Studio’s designs often feel derivative, borrowing heavily from other popular series. ‘Tomb Raider King’ isn’t the only example – the huge popularity of shows like ‘Solo Leveling’ means we’ll likely see a lot more similar creations in the future.

Solo Leveling Precedes Tomb Raider King in Webnovel and Manhwa Release

  • Solo Leveling’s Webnovel and Manhwa came out in July 2016 and March 2018 respectively
  • Tomb Raider King’s webnovel and manhwa were released in November 2016 and 2019

Although the Solo Leveling anime premiered before Tomb Raider King, many fans are curious about which web novel originated first. A closer look reveals that Solo Leveling came out before Tomb Raider King in every format – anime, novel, and manhwa. Specifically, the Solo Leveling novel began publishing in July 2016, a few months before Tomb Raider King launched in November 2016.

It’s very clear which series came first when looking at the manhwa adaptations. Solo Leveling’s manhwa launched in March 2018, while Tomb Raider King didn’t get a manhwa until 2019. This means Solo Leveling was the first, and has since been widely copied by other Korean manhwa and web novels.

Tomb Raider King Could Still Be A Fun Watch For Fans Missing Solo Leveling

  • Solo Leveling Has No Confirmed Upcoming Anime Projects

Many fans of Solo Leveling are understandably disappointed by the plagiarism issues with Tomb Raider King, but the anime itself doesn’t appear to be viewed as a major concern.

Although the two series share many similarities, they each offer a distinct experience. Tomb Raider King has its own unique plot points not found in Solo Leveling, which keeps it engaging for viewers.

Since there aren’t any new Solo Leveling projects planned right now, “Tomb Raider King” looks like a great way for fans to enjoy something new while they wait for Solo Leveling to return with more content. This 2026 series seems like a good substitute in the meantime.

Currently, there are 25 episodes of Solo Leveling available – the first season has 12 episodes and the second has 13. You can watch both seasons on Crunchyroll. While fans wait for news about a possible third season, they can also enjoy the original Solo Leveling Manhwa. There haven’t been any official announcements regarding a third season yet.

Read More

2026-01-20 23:36