Anime shows inspired by video games aren’t exactly in short supply, but if there’s one series that best captures the power fantasy of an MMORPG, it’s Solo Leveling. For fans looking to own the show’s first set of episodes, Solo Leveling: Season One is getting a Blu-ray release on July 22, and preorders are available now exclusively at Crunchyroll, with a $70 standard edition and a $90 Limited Edition up for grabs.
$90 | Releases July 22
The Solo Leveling: Season One Limited Edition comes in a deluxe slipcase that contains all 12 episodes from the first season, a selection of bonus materials, a 68-page art book, four art cards, and a sticker sheet.
$70 | Releases July 22
Solo Leveling: Season One is also available in a standard edition that includes Blu-ray and DVD copies of the anime’s first 12 episodes. While you’re miss out on the Limited Edition’s physical collectibles, the on-disc bonus material is the same.
Solo Leveling: Season 1 Blu-ray Special Features
The Limited Edition and standard edition releases both offer the same on-disc bonus features. Here’s what’s included:
- Clean opening and closing sequences
- Interviews with the show’s cast and crew
- A documentary on Solo Leveling
- Promotional videos
- Character highlight videos
- Episode previews
Solo Leveling is an action-fantasy anime based on the Korean manhwa series and light novel series of the same name. It’s set in a fictional version of our world where inter-dimensional monsters invade Earth through mysterious portals that connect to dangerous dungeons, and these creatures can only be stopped by super-powered humans called Hunters. Hunters are divided into ranks, ranging from lowly E-class fighters and up to the elite S-class combatants who wield terrifying powers. The catch here is that a class cannot be improved upon, so if someone were to awaken as an E-class, they’d be stuck at that ranking for the rest of their life.
Unfortunately for protagonist Sung Jinwoo, he’s an E-class who has earned the unflattering title of “the weakest Hunter.” However, after barely surviving an S-ranked encounter, Jinwoo unlocks a new ability that allows him to gradually level up and gain more power, something no other Hunter is capable of.
If you’d like to check out some of the source material, you can pick up collected English editions of the webtoon manhwa (Korean manga) illustrated by Jang Sung-rak, as well as the original light novels written by Chugong.
The format is a bit odd due to its webtoon origins–some panels are cut to make them fit in the traditional printing format–the paperback editions still do a decent job of capturing the series’ lavish illustrations in physical form. The manwha adaptation concluded in 2021 and has been slowly localized and collected into English volumes. Ten English volumes have been released so far and are available at Amazon, while Volumes 11 and 12 are available to preorder ahead of their release dates of April 23 and May 27, respectively.
Solo Leveling Manhwa
The original light novels are also available if you prefer a prose-heavy format. Unlike the manhwa that’s still being localized into English, the full eight-volume light novel series is available now in English.
