Japanese animation studio A-1 Pictures, the company behind popular anime Solo Leveling, has incurred a loss of 178 million yen (more than Rs 10 crore) in 2024-2025, the highest in the past 10 years, as per a report published in government journal Japan’s Official Gazette on June 30.
The company was yet to issue an official statement regarding the annual loss reported by the time this article was published.
The previous fiscal year (ending March 2024) saw a net profit of 24 million yen for the Aniplex subsidiary, technology news portal Gamebiz reported.
The studio consistently made profits in the past decade, with a minor loss in the fiscal year ending in March 2020. March 2016 was the studio’s most profitable year, with a reported profit of 350 million yen, according to the website Comic Book Resources.
Between March 2024 and 2025, the company produced several anime including Solo Leveling Season 2.
When Solo Leveling came out in 2024, it became an instant hit, impressing viewers with its impeccable visuals and storytelling. The anime, adapted from the popular Korean web novel by Chugong, swept all the major categories at this year’s Anime Awards and emerged as the most-viewed show on Crunchyroll ever.
In March this year, Solo Leveling emerged as the highest rated anime on Crunchyroll, surpassing all-time hits like One Piece and Demon Slayer: Kimetsu No Yaiba, according to data available on the streaming platform. The development came after the release of the 11th episode of Solo Leveling Season 2 on March 15.
Some of the other titles animated and bankrolled by A-1 Pictures in the year 2024-25 are Makeine: Too Many Losing Heroines!, NieR: Automata Ver1.1a (second cour), Sword Art Online Alternative: Gun Gale Online II, Solo Leveling Season 2, and a special animated version of the popular game Goddess of Victory: NIKKE.
Solo Leveling is adapted from Chugong's bestselling Korean web novel of the same name. In 2018, Chugong adapted the novel into a webtoon and manhwa with illustrations by DUBU.
The anime follows the story of Jinwoo, the weakest hunter in history, and his solo journey to increase his rank by defeating monsters and dungeon bosses. After undergoing a reawakening, he gains unparalleled power through a system which enables him to level up by taking on special tasks.
A-1 Pictures, founded by producer Mikihiro Iwata, is a subsidiary of Sony Music Entertainment Japan’s anime production company Aniplex. Apart from Solo Leveling, the studio is well-known for creating anime like Sword Art Online and Kaguya-sama: Love is War.
