Solo Leveling continues to perform strongly in Japan, with Solo Leveling: Gaiden breaking into the country’s top 10 best-selling manga shortly after its release. The new volume collects the beginning of the series’ post-finale story and reached No. 6 on Oricon’s weekly manga ranking after only three days on sale.
According to data published by Oricon, the volume was released in Japan on September 18 and had sold approximately 20,132 physical copies by September 21. Its rapid appearance near the top of the chart demonstrates that interest in Sung Jinwoo’s story remains high even without an ongoing anime season.
Solo Leveling: Gaiden Makes a Fast Start
Solo Leveling: Gaiden, known as the series’ side stories in its English release, continues the story after Jinwoo defeats the Monarchs. The material begins after the original manhwa’s Chapter 179 and eventually shifts attention toward Sung Suho, Jinwoo’s son.
The new storyline expands the world established by the original Solo Leveling manhwa while exploring what happens after Jinwoo’s battle against the Monarchs. Its strong Japanese debut is particularly notable because the franchise is no longer benefiting from the weekly momentum of a currently airing anime.
The 20,132 copies sold in just three days were enough to place the volume sixth on Oricon’s weekly chart, putting Solo Leveling alongside some of Japan’s biggest active manga franchises.
The result adds to the evidence that Solo Leveling has developed a substantial international audience since its anime adaptation. The first anime season initially struggled to generate strong physical disc sales in Japan, but the franchise’s popularity grew significantly as the anime reached a much larger global audience.
Season 2 further increased the series’ visibility, while the continuation of the manga has allowed fans to follow the story beyond Jinwoo’s original journey.
Solo Leveling is also expanding into other forms of entertainment. The upcoming Solo Leveling: Beyond the System film is currently in development, potentially giving the franchise another major opportunity to attract viewers.
The manga’s latest Japanese sales performance also arrives during a period of uncertainty for Kakao Entertainment’s webtoon business, following reports about the closure of Tapas and Kakao Webtoon.
Despite those developments, Solo Leveling: Gaiden’s early performance shows that the franchise itself continues to command significant interest. Its No. 6 Oricon debut and 20,132 copies sold in three days suggest that fans remain eager to see what happens after Sung Jinwoo’s original story concluded.
