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Solo Leveling fans are convinced a surprise second season is in development after a new Crunchyroll special dedicated to the popular anime unveiled unexpected, fresh artwork.
The new documentary, which is officially titled The Leveling of Solo Leveling, left viewers wide-eyed when it offered up a glimpse at never-before-seen designs for humanoid shadow ant Beru, a character from the source material that has yet to show up in the adaptation. Before long, viewers took to social media to speculate as to what the images meant, with many concluding that it was a hint at future chapters.
According to a Twitter user, the sheets were ultimately replaced in the broadcast. "In other words, they leaked it by accident," they continued, as another replied: "Solo Leveling really might be the anime with the most worst kept secrets in the Anime Industry. Even before the official announcement of the anime, the leaks were crazy. Really feels like Spiderman: No Way Home all over again."
🚨Character design sheet of Beru in the anime!Source: The Leveling Of Solo Leveling pic.twitter.com/Ddp43NsikwMarch 5, 2024
"Solo Leveling is the 7th most viewed show on Crunchyroll of all time with just 9 episodes, as well as 89th most popular show in the entire world," claimed someone else online. "They will keep adapting Solo Leveling, we will get somewhere like 50 episodes for the whole thing, possibly even 60."
Based on Chugong's South Korean web novel of the same name, Solo Leveling season 1 premiered in January 2024, having been screened the month before in in Tokyo, Seoul, Los Angeles, India, and Europe. "They say whatever doesn't kill you makes you stronger, but that's not the case for the world's weakest hunter Sung Jinwoo," reads the official synopsis. "After being brutally slaughtered by monsters in a high-ranking dungeon, Jinwoo came back with the System, a program only he could see, that's leveling him up in every way. Now, he's inspired to discover the secrets behind his powers and the dungeon that spawned them."
Beru's upcoming inclusion may be what producer Sota Furuhashi was referencing when he teased that the creators were looking to start "adding extra meat to the story" in the behind-the-scenes film. Elsewhere, director Shunsuke Nakashige added, "There were characters who didn't show up in the webtoon. They'd be brought up in dialog but wouldn't appear in the artwork, so we would ask, 'Well, what are they like?'"
While Beru did show up in the webtoon – in Chapter 105, to be precise – the comments further indicate a continuation of the series beyond the planned 11 episodes, which are set to conclude on March 24.
Solo Leveling and The Leveling of Solo Leveling are streaming now on Crunchyroll. For more, check out our guide to the best anime shows of all time.
