Recently, there has been an increase in debate among anime fans over which series had a more successful launch on the Crunchyroll platform: the debut episode of the manhwa-based “Solo Leveling” or the “One Piece” episode featuring Luffy’s Gear 5. Discussion has revolved around claims that “Solo Leveling” has surpassed “One Piece” in terms of views and popularity.
Context of the controversy
The controversy began after the publication of a claim by the social media account Anime_Buz, which suggested that the premiere of “Solo Leveling” had broken the viewing record previously held by the “One Piece” episode featuring Luffy’s Gear 5. While the premiere of “One Piece” had registered between 85 thousand and 102 thousand likes, “Solo Leveling” had reached 116 thousand likes in two days. This comparison has caused mixed and, at times, heated reactions on social media.
The Question of Statistics
Crunchyroll, however, did not release official figures regarding the audience for both episodes. While it has confirmed that the airing of Gear 5 Luffy and “Solo Leveling” has made a huge impact on its servers, there is no concrete data that puts one series above the other in terms of popularity. The absence of official statistics makes the claim of superiority of “Solo Leveling” over “One Piece” uncertain.
Factors that Influence Popularity
It is worth mentioning that the measurement method used, the number of likes on Crunchyroll, does not necessarily reflect the total audience, as it only requires a login to the platform to register a like. Additionally, the premiere episode of “Solo Leveling” was made available for free, while episode 1071 of “One Piece” required a premium subscription, which may have affected the number of views and likes. Furthermore, “Solo Leveling”, being a debut, possibly attracted a wider audience compared to “One Piece”, which already has more than 1,000 episodes.
Conclusion and Future Outlook
While the Crunchyroll does not provide official data, the dispute between “One Piece” and “Solo Leveling” fans over which series performed better on the platform will continue. For now, both shows remain popular among anime fans. “One Piece”, with its “Egghead” arc, and “Solo Leveling”, with the premiere of its first episode subtitled and dubbed in English, remain available on Crunchyroll and Netflix, attesting to the continued success and relevance of both series in the world of anime.
