Why Solo Leveling’s Anime Awards 2025 Sweep Has Fans Divided
Solo Leveling swept the 2025 Crunchyroll Anime Awards, but not everyone is celebrating. Fans are divided over the wins, questioning if hype overshadowed deeper, more deserving titles like Frieren and The Apothecary Diaries.
This year’s Crunchyroll Anime Awards ended with a bang, and at the center of it all was Solo Leveling. Not only did it win Anime of the Year, it pretty much swept the stage with five big awards in total. Best New Anime Series. Best Action Anime. Best Main Character. Best Anime Score. Best Ending Sequence. It was a clean run, almost too clean, if you ask some fans.
For many, this felt like a huge moment. Solo Leveling has been hyped since the webtoon days. People waited years to see Sung Jin-Woo’s rise animated, and when it finally hit the screen, it didn’t disappoint in terms of visuals, pacing, or pure hype energy. It was flashy, intense, and just fun to watch.
But the full picture isn’t that simple.
Once the results came out, the anime community started buzzing not just in celebration, but in confusion. Plenty of fans were happy for Solo Leveling, but a large chunk of the audience felt something was off. The biggest question floating around was: Did Solo Leveling really deserve to win this much?
That’s because this year’s lineup wasn’t weak at all. Titles like Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End and The Apothecary Diaries had built massive followings of their own, for completely different reasons. Frieren moved people with its slow, emotional storytelling. It was quiet, thoughtful, and beautifully animated. The Apothecary Diaries brought clever mystery-solving, strong female leads, and a setting that felt fresh. Even shows like DAN DA DAN and Kaiju No. 8 had their own unique flair.
So when Solo Leveling won nearly everything, a lot of fans were scratching their heads.
Hype vs Heart: What Really Drives Awards?
Some people online pointed out that the award voting might’ve leaned too heavily on hype, especially from the second half of the show. There was even confusion over which part of the season was being judged. One Reddit user said they had to double-check because it felt like season two was carrying the votes, not the early episodes, which were more setup than payoff.
Others admitted they enjoyed Solo Leveling, loved the fights, the power-ups, and the main character’s cool factor, but still felt that Frieren or Apothecary Diaries were “better” overall. Not necessarily in terms of popularity or excitement, but in how complete and emotionally rich they were as stories.
And then there were fans who felt genuinely disappointed. Some called it a “robbery” that The Apothecary Diaries didn’t win anything. A few even said they’re done voting in these awards, feeling like deeper or more meaningful shows keep getting overshadowed by louder, flashier ones.
Written By: Ashish Jha, India Today Gaming
