Right off the bat, Solo Leveling winning Anime of the Year at the 2025 Crunchyroll Anime Awards wasn’t super shocking to me, but I do get why some people were surprised. I think it won mostly because it had that rare mix of hype, killer action, and animation that just got everyone talking. The moment those first few episodes dropped, there were memes everywhere and people were binge-watching nonstop.

What really made it hit different was just how intense the story felt. The MC, Sung Jinwoo, basically goes from zero to badass legend, and every episode had at least one "no way that just happened" moment. Seriously, I remember texting my friend after episode 7 because I couldn’t believe one of those fight scenes!

Also, the animation and soundtrack were super polished, like MAPPA and A1 Studios really outdid themselves. Even though other shows like Frieren were more emotional or deep, Solo Leveling just had that big energy everyone loves in a shonen. It might not have been everyone’s first pick, but the buzz it got was wild, and I feel like it just clicked with the audience and the judges this year.