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Speculation around exactly whenSolo Levelingwill return for Season 3 has gone wild as fans begin their potentially long wait formore of Sung Jinwoo’s story. While the official date for Season 3 has yet to be confirmed, fans are poring over potential leaks and producer statements to try to figure out exactly whenSolo Levelingwill be back.
Comments from a producerduring a recent Q&A signaled a preference for a 2028 release date, while another producer in a Reddit Q&A revealed that each episode ofSolo Levelingcan take 10 months or more to complete fully. A possible 2028 date for Season 3 has fans divided, with some unwilling to wait that long and feeling like such a faraway date kills the current hype the series has been building.
Quality Animation Takes Time
Why a Further Date is Preferred
Sota Furuhashi, an animation producer for Aniplex, expressed a desire to give the series' animation more time to cook, wanting it to get the best treatment possible despite fan anticipation for a quick release.
“I think, more than anyone, I am anxiously awaiting a Season 3! But in truth, between Season 1 and Season 2, 220,000 frames of animation were created. So, if it were up to me, I’d say let’s wait until the next Olympics (2028) to see what’s going to happen with a Season 3. But I think that’s more up to Kaneko and A-1 Pictures.” Furhashicommentingduring a Solo Leveling Q&A.
Atsushi Kaneko, an animation producer for A-1 Pictures,answered a question during Q&A on r/animation that revealed a typical episode ofSolo Levelingtakes quite a while to complete. This revelation casts doubt over whether a Season 3 could be released quickly enough to follow up on Season 2 anytime soon.
“Each episode takes about 10 months to complete, with some of the longer ones taking up to 12 months.” -Atsushi Kanekoduringa Reddit Q&A.
The math seems to be adding up forSolo LevelingSeason 3, which will take a bit longerto release if the same level of quality and work is put into it compared to the previous seasons. While waiting for something that takes a long time is a negative experience, it’s possibly an even worse experience as a fan to get something early that feels rushed or below the standard bar set.
Fan Reaction to Potential Release Date
Some Aren’t Thrilled at Waiting
The possibility of waiting multiple years for good animation is a feeling thatSolo Levelingfans might now have to share with other fans of popular series. While some shows’ seasons are planned for and released in succession, some series aren’t so lucky.One Punch Manwas praised for its animation quality when it came out in 2015, but fans had to wait nearly four years before Season 2 saw the light of day. With the uncertainty around the release date forSolo Levelingand A-1 Pictures having to take on other projects, it’s possible the show may not see another installment for quite some time.
“Solo Leveling pushed till 2028 ? [Forget] my life.” -X user 0xxRagereactingto the news of a possible 2028 release date.
While some fans of the show understand the amount of work that goes into animating an adaptation likeSolo Leveling, others weren’t sure that such a long wait would be worth it.
“Idk how I feel about this.” -Reddit user Brief-Contact664respondingto the idea of a 2028 release.
One concern is that the current momentum the anime has achieved in drawing in new viewers and catapulting the series to the top of streaming charts will be lost with such a long wait until Season 3.
“Wouldn’t the fans lose interest and drop this anime because it’s taking so long? People would probably forget that season 3s even coming so its release probably wouldn’t be great either. Imagine waiting for 3 years just for 12 episodes.” -Reddit user Princefluffysreactingnegatively to a potential 2028 release date.
It’s unclear how the potential long wait for the follow-up to Season 2 would affect fan perception of the series. WhenOne Punch ManSeason 2 finally came out, many fans' initial impressions were negative, feeling like the quality on display was not worth the hiatus between adaptations. AsSeason 3 ofOne Punch Manis set to release later this year, we may get a sneak preview of possibleSolo Levelingfan disappointment as they may also have to wait years for something that might not live up to expectations.
