Fans of the Solo Leveling webtoon can finally rejoice as a Solo Leveling anime adaptation by A-1 Pictures is in the making, due to be released in 2023. But given the story's roots as a Korean web novel and manhwa, what will the anime production look like? Will the Solo Leveling anime be in Korean? Here's what we think:
Will the Solo Leveling Anime Be In Korean?
At the time of writing, the team of voice actors for Solo Leveling has yet to be announced. However, since the anime will be produced by the Japanese studio A-1 Pictures, we think that the original audio will most likely be in Japanese - without ruling out a Korean dub.
Earlier in 2022, a domain titled sololeveling-anime.net was registered by a Japan-based company, GMO Internet - which also manages the Sword Art Online website. This also suggests that
In Western streaming services, anime dubs tend to be primarily in English to remain understandable to most, while popular works can also be translated into other European languages.
We don't tend to hear about Korean dubs equally often; but Solo Leveling is a work unfolding mostly in Korean, with a Korean main character, so it would only make sense for it to get a dub as soon as possible.
What About Korean Artists?
Unless an official announcement tells us otherwise, we assume that the Solo Leveling fantasy anime will be a primarily Japanese production, which makes sense, as Japanese anime tend to get more attention and widespread distribution than animated works from outside of Japan.
The music will be by Hiroyuki Sawano with character designs by Tomoko Sudo, while Noboru Kimura will serve as head writer.
Still, it would be great if Korean artists also participated in the creative process. Solo Leveling started as a story by the Korean artist Chugong and went on to become one of the most popular webtoons in websites with primarily Korean works.
Late in 2021, an OST for Solo Leveling OST by the K-Pop boy band The Boyz was announced, and it's now available on Spotify.
Related: Solo Leveling Ending Explained
At the time of writing, it's unclear whether this OST will feature in the anime, but, even if not, other Korean songs could possibly come out as opening or ending things songs, given that Korean music is very popular with young people.
As more is revealed about the forthcoming anime, we expect to find out more information about it and about the artists involved, so we'll update this with all relevant information!
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