The Most Underrated Anime Of 2025 Is Officially Better Than Solo Leveling

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The 2025 Crunchyroll Awards were quite controversial. While there were many strong nominees, the anime *Solo Leveling* unexpectedly won a lot of awards, including Anime of the Year and Best Main Character. Many fans thought *Frieren* would be the big winner. However, some believe that *Orb: On the Movements of the Earth* was even more deserving of recognition, but it wasn’t even nominated. Many consider *Orb* to be the best anime of both 2024 and 2025, but sadly, it remains underrated.

Solo Leveling Won Anime of the Year

  • A Major Success Internationally
  • Won Many Other Awards

Wow, I have to say, Solo Leveling absolutely exploded onto the scene! It came out in 2024 and totally took the anime world by storm. I was blown away when it became the most-watched show on Crunchyroll, but it didn’t stop there! At the 2025 Crunchyroll awards, it cleaned up – winning Anime of the Year, Best New Series, Best Action, Best Main Character, Best Score, Best Ending Sequence, *and* awards for Best Voice Artist Performance in Brazilian Portuguese, Castilian Spanish, *and* English! Seriously, it was a huge win for the series and a testament to how much people loved it.

I’m excited about how well the series is being received, but I don’t think it’s a household name just yet. In Japan, *Solo Leveling* isn’t as popular as giants like *Dragon Ball*, *One Piece*, or *Naruto*. As someone living here, I can say that’s the case. However, I’m hoping a third season will really help it reach that next level of recognition.

The show sparked a lot of debate, particularly when compared to popular series like Frieren, The Apothecary Diaries, and Dandadan. It’s easy to understand why some viewers were disappointed. Solo Leveling doesn’t have a deep backstory or a particularly complex story; it mainly delivers quick-paced action and exciting fights.

I’m really excited about the possibility of a Season 3, maybe even more than anyone! It took a huge amount of work – 220,000 animated frames – just to create Seasons 1 and 2. If I had my way, we’d wait until after the 2028 Olympics to start working on a third season. However, the decision ultimately rests with Kaneko and A-1 Pictures.

Solo Leveling is Huge, But Orb: On the Movements of the Earth is an Underrated Masterpiece

  • Orb Was Largely Overlooked In 2025
  • Orb Did Win Best Song In 2024

I seriously can’t believe more people haven’t discovered *Orb: On the Movements of the Earth*! For me, it was hands-down the best anime to come out between 2024 and 2025. It’s not about flashy fights or incredible animation; instead, it really digs into its characters and their inner lives, and it does it *so* well, all within just 25 episodes. Honestly, it’s incredibly underrated – it didn’t even get a nomination from Crunchyroll, which is just mind-blowing! Thankfully, at least in Japan, its opening theme, “Kaijū,” won Best Song at the 2024 Anime Grand Prix, and trust me, it absolutely deserved it!

We trade money for food, taxes for freedoms, and work for a paycheck. But what do we have to give to discover the real truth about the world around us?

Unfortunately, there won’t be any more episodes of Orb for international fans, as the series concluded after 25 episodes. Still, it’s always a good time to discover this anime and see why it was considered a strong contender for Anime of the Year.

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. If you’re eager for more content before season 3 is announced, reading the original *Solo Leveling* Manhwa is a good way to continue the story.

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2025-09-27 13:36