It’s no secret that the popularity of Solo Leveling has given more visibility to the manhwa industry in the last few years. That’s why it’s become increasingly easier for readers to find webtoons that share parallels with Solo Leveling. However, an upcoming webtoon adaptation has recently raised controversy for allegedly being a rip-off of Solo Leveling.
Naturally, many fans were quick to compare Solo Leveling to the upcoming anime, Tomb Raider King, due to their similar aesthetics and initial plot points. While this resemblance has worried fans about future industry trends, raising fears that the medium will fall into a repetitive and superficial formula, Tomb Raider King could be the prelude to anime’s next defining era.
Why Tomb Raider King’s Anime Is a Much Bigger Deal Than Solo Leveling’s Fans Think
The fact that Tomb Raider King‘s novel was released after Solo Leveling‘s has made fans credit Chungong’s story as its direct inspiration. Not only are both works novels-turned-webtoons by REDICE Studio, which means their art style is similar, but they are also power fantasies. Moreover, while their personalities are different, Seo Joo-Heon also has a similar character design to Sung Jinwoo.
However, the most striking similarity between Tomb Raider King and Solo Leveling is that both webtoons start with a betrayal and explore a modern world that changes with the appearance of a sort of dungeon, full of monsters, but with the prospect of finding treasures inside and making a living. Still, Tomb Raider King knew how to distinguish itself.
Tomb Raider King is one of Kakao’s most popular IPs, accumulating over 500 million views and 200 million worldwide. Likewise, Seo Joo-Heon’s adventure focuses on relics linked to different mythologies, each with unique abilities and durability. Thus, more than a copycat, Tomb Raider King’s anime highlights how Solo Leveling was the gateway for more power fantasy manhwas to be adapted.
Solo Leveling Fans Aren’t Ready for the Power Fantasy Manhwa Takeover
Solo Leveling inspired a manhwa subgenre, influencing countless titles with its system/hunter dynamics. Furthermore, Solo Leveling‘s artist, DUBU, left his mark as one of manhwa’s most prominent artists, leading many webtoons to emulate his style. But while many current power fantasy manhwa evoke a sense of déjà vu and their plots lack emotional depth, there are many masterpieces that far surpass Solo Leveling.
If fans brush off any series for having a character design or RPG mechanics similar to Solo Leveling, they will miss out on manhwa gems such as Omniscient Reader’s Viewpoint and Pick Me Up Infinite Gacha. It’s also common for titles from the same genre to share tropes. An example is how Tomb Raider King is a regression story like A Returner’s Magic Should Be Special.
Comparably, Sword Art Online started the isekai boom, but better series emerged and became the current pillars of the genre. This highlights how anime fans should be delighted that more webtoons are being adapted and give them an opportunity to prove their worth before disregarding them as repetitive stories.
Power Fantasy Webtoons May Be Anime’s Next Biggest Revolution
Although Tomb Raider King will be released soon in summer 2026, it’s not the only webtoon expecting an anime adaptation in the near future. Other battle manhwas like The Stellar Swordmaster, Eleceed, and Teenage Mercenary are currently in production and may signal a new era for power fantasy anime after Solo Leveling.
While anime is no stranger to power fantasy, with Dragon Ball being the genre’s quintessential influence, in the last decade, overpowered protagonists with cheat abilities have become the trademark of isekai. Furthermore, dark fantasy anime is conquering the industry, while isekai is heavily criticized for its lack of originality and the genre’s oversaturation.
That’s why the rise of power fantasy manhwa adaptations could bring a major shift in the anime industry. Despite the abundance of slop titles, there is a wealth of high-quality webtoons with fascinating worldbuilding and well-written characters above the standards of anime’s current power fantasies. Also, many manhwa series that are receiving anime adaptations will undoubtedly become hits upon release.
Solo Leveling Kickstarts a New Era for Anime
The impact of Solo Leveling demonstrated the potential of the manhwa medium to connect with international fans. While Sung Jinwoo’s story isn’t the most complex in terms of narrative, Solo Leveling was a groundbreaking webtoon with a big enough reputation to receive a quality adaptation that showcased its charms, unlike titles such as Tower of God, Noblesse, or The Beginning After the End.
Manhwas continue to gain ground as global IPs, as seen with Tomb Raider King, which will have a Japanese dub despite being produced by a South Korean studio. This sets a precedent for a new era of animation and heralds that many webtoons could be adapted in the future and compete with Japan’s top anime franchises.
- Release Date
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2024 – 2025-00-00
- Network
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Tokyo MX, Gunma TV, BS11, Tochigi TV
- Directors
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Tatsuya Sasaki, Toru Hamasaki
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Genta Nakamura
Yoo Jin-ho
