Solo Leveling was one of the most highly anticipated titles of the Winter 2024 anime season, and that’s with anime like Mashle: Magic and Muscles and Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End to compete with. There’s no question that Solo Leveling has been one of the best anime of the entire year, and with promises of more to come in Sung Jin Woo’s universe, the franchise can only get better from here on out.
The Solo Leveling anime is a fantasy action/adventure story starring Sung Jinwoo, a likable young man who’s at the bottom of the heap in his industry. In Jinwoo’s world, fantasy monsters emerge from portals all over the place, and it’s up to hunters like Jinwoo to use magic and weapons to fight back. That makes Solo Leveling a “monster hunter” anime with some light isekai and JRPG elements to it, so the anime may remind fans of many other, similar titles. Anyone who’s having a blast with Solo Leveling is encouraged to try various similar anime series while they’re waiting for new Solo Leveling episodes to air.
Updated on July 30, 2024, by Antonio Samson: Solo Leveling has taken fans by storm with its engaging characters and story lines. For fans looking for other anime like Solo Leveling, there’s plenty to enjoy. This article was updated to include more anime and to meet CBR’s editorial and formatting standards.
15 Black Clover Chronicles the Journey of Magic Knights Battling Villains
Asta and Yuno’s Quest to Become the Wizard King
Tokyo Ghoul Scores: |
IMdb: 8.3/10 |
MyAnimeList: 8.14/10 |
Anime Planet: 4.25/5 |

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RETRO REVIEW: Black Clover Season 1 Is a Fine New Addition to the Shonen Pantheon
Despite some shaky arcs and moments, Black Clover Season 1 successfully sets the stage for Asta’s greater narrative.
Black Clover is another thrilling fantasy action series that fans of Solo Leveling might enjoy. This anime centers around Asta and Yuno, two orphans who aspire to become the Wizard King, the strongest magic user in the Clover Kingdom. Despite being born without magic, Asta gains a unique anti-magic ability through a mysterious grimoire, setting him apart from his peers.
The series showcases Asta’s relentless training and numerous battles against formidable foes, reminiscent of Sung Jinwoo’s journey. Alongside his friends in the Black Bulls squad, Asta faces off against various magical threats, from rogue mages to powerful devils. The intense action, character development, and camaraderie in Black Clover make it a captivating watch for anyone who enjoys high-stakes fantasy battles.
14 Tokyo Ghoul Explores the Dark Side of Monster Hunting
Ken Kaneki’s Transformation into a Half-Ghoul
Tokyo Ghoul Scores: |
IMdb: 7.9/10 |
MyAnimeList: 7.80/10 |
Anime Planet: 4.12/5 |
Tokyo Ghoul delves into the darker aspects of monster hunting, making it an intriguing alternative for Solo Leveling fans. The series follows Ken Kaneki, a college student who becomes a half-ghoul after a near-fatal encounter with a ghoul. Ghouls are terrifying creatures that feed on human flesh and blend into society, posing a constant threat to humans.
Kaneki’s transformation thrusts him into the ghoul underworld, where he must navigate his new identity and survive dangerous conflicts. Tokyo Ghoul’s exploration of identity, morality, and survival, coupled with intense battles between ghouls and ghoul investigators, provides a gripping narrative that echoes the high-stakes monster encounters in Solo Leveling.

Tokyo Ghoul
A Tokyo college student is attacked by a ghoul, a superpowered human who feeds on human flesh. He survives, but has become part ghoul and becomes a fugitive on the run.
- Release Date
- July 4, 2014
- Cast
- Natsuki Hanae , Sora Amamiya , Rie Kugimiya
- Studio
- Pierrot
13 Noragami Features a Stray God Battling Phantoms and Regaining Worshippers
Yato’s Struggles and Battles in the Modern World
Noragami Scores: |
IMdb: 7.9/10 |
MyAnimeList: 8.02/10 |
Anime Planet: 4.26/5 |
Noragami combines urban fantasy with action-packed battles against supernatural beings, making it a compelling watch for fans of Solo Leveling. The series follows Yato, a minor god who dreams of having millions of worshippers but works odd jobs for a small fee. Yato, his weapon partner Yukine, and a human girl named Hiyori fight against malicious spirits known as phantoms.
Throughout the series, Yato confronts his dark past and struggles to maintain his existence in the modern world. The dynamic combat scenes, witty humor, and exploration of divine and human relationships in Noragami offer a unique twist on the monster-hunting genre that will resonate with Solo Leveling enthusiasts.
12 Hunter x Hunter Features Prodigy Hunters Battling Dangerous Creatures
Gon Freecss’s Adventure to Find His Father
Hunter x Hunter Scores: |
IMdb: 9.0/10 |
MyAnimeList: 9.10/10 |
Anime Planet: 4.68/5 |
Hunter x Hunter is a classic series that any fan of action-packed fantasy should watch. The story follows Gon Freecss, a young boy who becomes a Hunter to find his father. Hunters are licensed individuals who can track down secret treasures, rare beasts, or even other people. The series covers various arcs, each with different challenges and enemies.
Along with his friends Killua, Kurapika, and Leorio, Gon faces many powerful adversaries, from deadly creatures to sinister humans. The intricate plot, strategic battles, and profound character development in Hunter x Hunter offer a richly layered narrative that mirrors the intense journey of Sung Jinwoo in Solo Leveling.
11 Akame ga Kill! Showcases a Rebel Group Fighting Corrupt Forces and Monsters
Night Raid’s Fight Against a Corrupt Empire
Akame ga Kill! Scores: |
IMdb: 7.9/10 |
MyAnimeList: 7.49/10 |
Anime Planet: 4.01/5 |
Akame ga Kill! presents a dark, action-packed story of rebellion and survival, making it an excellent match for Solo Leveling fans. The series follows Tatsumi, a young fighter who joins Night Raid, a group of assassins dedicated to overthrowing a corrupt empire. Each member of Night Raid wields powerful weapons known as Teigu, which grant them extraordinary abilities.
The anime is known for its brutal combat scenes and high stakes, as Tatsumi and his comrades face off against formidable foes, including monstrous creatures and the empire’s elite warriors. The themes of justice, sacrifice, and camaraderie, as well as the intense action and tragic moments in Akame ga Kill!, provide a gripping narrative that will captivate fans of monster-hunting and fantasy battles.

Akame ga Kill!
A countryside boy named Tatsumi sets out on a journey to The Capital to make a name for himself and meets a seemingly dangerous group of Assassins known as Night Raid. Their journey begins.
- Release Date
- July 7, 2014
- Cast
- Soma Saito , Sora Amamiya , Yukari Tamura , Christina Kelly , Corey Hartzog , Molly Searcy
10 Goblin Slayer Shows a Fantasy Squad Fighting Deadly Monsters For a Living
The Goblin Slayer’s Vengeance Against Goblins
Goblin Slayer Scores: |
IMdb: 7.4/10 |
MyAnimeList: 7.42/10 |
Anime Planet: 4.01/5 |

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10 Ways Goblin Slayer Proves Brain Beats Brawn
Goblin Slayer is an intelligent hero who never underestimates his opponents, creating clever strategies that maximize his chances of success.
Goblin Slayer is a fantasy action anime like Solo Leveling, except it’s set entirely in a fictional realm where everyone is used to magic and monsters. The namesake protagonist Goblin Slayer only fights weak monsters, like Sung Jinwoo, except it’s personal for the Goblin Slayer. He only fights goblins because they destroyed his family.
The Goblin Slayer spends much of the anime’s two seasons hunting and killing goblins, which are stronger and craftier than they look. It’s a monster hunter anime where goblins are the only desired target. Though at times, the Goblin Slayer and his allies, such as the elf archer and the cleric girl, might fight other monster types as well if they pop-up during a mission.

Goblin Slayer
In a fantasy world, a lone hero makes his living by exterminating all goblins he encounters. But one day he meets a friend, and his life begins to become more intense.
- Release Date
- October 7, 2018
- Cast
- Yūichirō Umehara , Yui Ogura , Brad Hawkins , Hayden Daviau
- Seasons
- 2
9 Jujutsu Kaisen Depicts Sorcerers Slaying Curses On the Streets
Yuji Itadori’s Battle Against Deadly Curse Monsters
Jujutsu Kaisen Scores: |
IMdb: 8.6/10 |
MyAnimeList: 8.62/10 |
Anime Planet: 4.51/5 |
Already, Jujutsu Kaisen has established itself as one of the most popular and well-respected anime series of the modern era, though Solo Leveling might catch up, given enough time. Both series are slated to become legendary fantasy action titles, and with a loosely similar premise, too. In both anime series, a good-hearted young man begins a career of fighting monsters, and will get much stronger in the process.
Protagonist Yuji Itadori was just a simple high schooler until he ate one of Ryomen Sukuna’s fingers, turning him into a curse sorcerer and the living vessel of the curse king himself. Yuji then underwent rigorous training as a student sorcerer, ready to purge deadly curse monsters on the streets and even fight other humans at times. He will also face deadly, elite curses like Mahito, Hanami, Choso, and more during his adventures.
8 Fire Force is Set in a World Where Fire Soldiers Exorcise Flame Monsters
Shinra Kusakabe’s Mission to Destroy Infernals
Fire Force Scores: |
IMdb: 7.6/10 |
MyAnimeList: 7.71/10 |
Anime Planet: 4.06/5 |
Fire Force never made it into any major anime trio like the shonen big three or the new “dark trio,” but it’s still a solid, highly entertaining action anime where trained fighters take on monsters for a living, just like Solo Leveling. Fire Force takes place in the future, where society was rebuilt after a devastating Cataclysm.
In this world, people become monstrous Infernals after experiencing spontaneous combustion, and it’s up to fire soldiers like Shinra Kusakabe to destroy them before they can cause any more harm. It’s a monster hunter anime where fire and heat mean everything, but it’s not just that – there is also a conspiracy spreading in the shadows, one that may burn down the entire world for an insidious cause.

Fire Force
A superhuman firefighter force is formed to deal with supernatural fire incidents.
- Genre
- Anime
- Language
- Japanese/English Dub
- Number of Seasons
- 2
- Debut Date
- July 6, 2019
- Studio
- David Production
7 Engage Kiss Is a Sci-Fi/Fantasy Anime About Fighting Monsters to Protect an Island City
Shu Ogata’s Search for His Long-Lost Sister
Engage Kiss Scores: |
IMdb: 6.4/10 |
MyAnimeList: 6.82/10 |
Anime Planet: 3.4/5 |
Engage Kiss is more obscure than high-profile anime like Solo Leveling and Jujutsu Kaisen, but if fans are in the mood for a fun, off-beat anime, then Engage Kiss is worth a try. It’s one of many monster hunter anime series where the protagonists have special powers to slay deadly creatures. In this case, protagonist Shu Ogata fights with his half-demon ally Kisara to destroy demons in his island city home, Bayron City.
Ogata Shu doesn’t just fight demons for money, however. He’s convinced that his long-lost little sister is alive, and he’s determined to use any power he must to find her, even if that means losing everything he has. Every slain demon will bring Ogata closer to the truth, but he may not be ready for what he finds.
6 Chainsaw Man Stars Denji the Devil Slayer on His Misadventures
Denji’s Journey as Chainsaw Man in the Public Safety Commission
Chainsaw Man Scores: |
IMdb: 8.4/10 |
MyAnimeList: 8.53/10 |
Anime Planet: 4.36/5 |
Based on author Tatsuki Fujimoto’s ongoing manga, the Chainsaw Man anime is a brutal, subversive anime that shreds the shonen rulebook in creative, meaningful ways. In an alternate timeline in the 1990s, professional devil hunters slay devils on the streets, and that now includes Denji, the newest devil hunter in the Public Safety Commission.
Like Solo Leveling‘s Sung Jinwoo, Denji was once an ordinary, helpless boy, but all that changed when he gained immense power. Denji fused with his devil dog Pochita to become Chainsaw Man, a fearsome warrior who can take on any devil for money and food, all while trying to impress his beautiful yet sinister boss Makima, who’s watching his every move.
5 The Rising of the Shield Hero Is an Intense Fantasy Action Adventure in Another World
Naofumi Iwatani’s Struggles as the Shield Hero
The Rising of the Shield Hero Scores: |
IMdb: 7.9/10 |
MyAnimeList: 7.96/10 |
Anime Planet: 4.31/5 |

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10 Most Questionable Storylines in The Rising of the Shield Hero
With Shield Hero’s fourth season coming soon, audiences can take their time and reflect on some of the series’ most controversial storylines.
The Rising of the Shield Hero is a true isekai anime while Solo Leveling is not, but those two anime series may still give fans similar vibes. Shield Hero stars Naofumi Iwatani, who was once an ordinary young man until he got dragged into the violent world of fighting fantasy monsters. More specifically, Naofumi and three other youths in Japan got summoned to the Kingdom of Melromarc to serve as the Four Cardinal Heroes.
Like Sung Jinwoo, Naofumi Iwatani must quickly master the art of fantasy combat or be overwhelmed, and he’s a total underdog. As the Shield Hero, Naofumi cannot use proper weapons, so he must recruit a new team of his own to support him in battle after he and the other three Cardinal Heroes have a falling out.
4 Attack on Titan Involves Blade-Wielding Soldiers Fighting Giant Monsters
Eren Yeager’s Fight Against the Titans
Attack on Titan Scores: |
IMdb: 9.1/10 |
MyAnimeList: 8.54/10 |
Anime Planet: 4.35/5 |
Attack on Titan is a fantasy monster hunter anime unlike any other, blending fantasy and action with hard-hitting horror, drama, mysteries, and thought-provoking politics as well. In anime like Solo Leveling, the heroes may face smaller monsters like goblins, but in Attack on Titan, the enemies are towering Titans who eat people whole.
Protagonist Eren Yeager, like Sung Jinwoo, will go from a nobody to a battle-hardened hero who will do anything to win first against the Titans, then against all-new enemies, too. Eren Yeager will seize more power than anyone else could imagine in his world, effectively leveling up solo so he can change the entire world with extreme force, whether or not his friends and allies like it.
3 Sword Art Online is the Fantasy Isekai Anime That Launched a Trend
Kirito’s Quest to Clear the 100 Floors of Aincrad
Sword Art Online Scores: |
IMdb: 7.5/10 |
MyAnimeList: 7.20/10 |
Anime Planet: 3.98/5 |
The Sword Art Online franchise is widely credited for launching the modern isekai trend, even if SAO isn’t quite isekai by a purist definition. It’s a partial isekai fantasy adventure, not unlike Solo Leveling, and both series show an otherwise ordinary young man diving into the brutal world of fantasy action. In the case of SAO, the fantasy is confined to high-tech MMO worlds, but it still feels real.
Sword Art Online begins when Kirito and his new friends get trapped in the MMO world of Aincrad, and they cannot leave the game until they clear all 100 floors and wipe out all the boss monsters at swordpoint. Kirito will go from a skilled gamer to a true swordsman hero as he grinds his way to Aincrad’s top, and he may become even stronger in subsequent gaming worlds, too.
2 Bleach Shows Soul Reapers Purifying Monstrous Souls With Swords
Ichigo Kurosaki’s Journey as a Newly Minted Soul Reaper
Bleach Scores: |
IMdb: 8.2/10 |
MyAnimeList: 7.93/10 |
Anime Planet: 3.98/5 |
Bleach is one of the original shonen “big three” anime series, and among them, it is the most similar to Solo Leveling. In fact, Bleach helped inspire other monster hunter anime like Jujutsu Kaisen and Demon Slayer with its simple yet entertaining premise. In Bleach‘s world, the restless souls of the dead mutate into deadly Hollows, and it falls to sword-slinging Soul Reapers to fight and exorcise those Hollows.
Protagonist Ichigo Kurosaki was once a punkish high schooler, but after gaining Soul Reaper powers one night, he will enter the world of monster slaying and swordplay, and there’s no going back. Ichigo will be off to a stronger start than Sung Jinwoo in their respective series, but Ichigo will still have a long road ahead of him if he wants to save the world as a newly minted Soul Reaper.
1 Demon Slayer Depicts a Great War Between Nightmarish Demons and Sword-Wielding Slayers
Tanjiro Kamado’s Fight to Protect Humanity from Demons
Demon Slayer Scores: |
IMdb: 8.6/10 |
MyAnimeList: 8.48/10 |
Anime Planet: 4.47/5 |
The original Demon Slayer manga series by author Koyoharu Gotouge enjoyed solid popularity, but it was the anime adaptation that made Demon Slayer a household name in the anime fandom. Like its Bleach forebear, the Demon Slayer series is a monster hunter fantasy series where sword-wielding warriors risk their lives to keep humanity safe from monsters.
For protagonist Tanjiro Kamado, fighting demons isn’t just a job – it’s personal. His younger sister Nezuko was turned into a demon, and Tanjiro is determined to find a cure, no matter what. That will mean slaying powerful demons to pursue a lead for developing a cure, which is sure to put both Tanjiro and Nezuko in the crosshairs of Muzan Kibutsuki, the all-powerful demon king.

Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba
- Release Date
- January 22, 2021
- Cast
- Natsuki Hanae , Zach Aguilar , Abby Trott , Akari Kitō , Yoshitsugu Matsuoka
- Seasons
- 4