Published Oct 25, 2026, 12:00 PM EDT
Dhruv is a Lead Writer in Screen Rant’s New TV division. He has been consistently contributing to the website for over two years and has written thousands of articles covering streaming trends, movie/TV analysis, and pop culture breakdowns. Before Screen Rant, he was a Senior Writer for The Cinemaholic, covering everything from anime to television, from reality TV to movies. After high school, he was on his way to become a Civil Engineer. However, he soon realized that writing was his true calling. As a result, he took a leap and never looked back.
Sign in to your ScreenRant account
A long line of unsuccessful and unworthy adaptations marred the reputation of live-action anime. Netflix, too, was struggling to find its feat with anime adaptations after delivering underwhelming takes like 2017’s Death Note and 2021’s Cowboy Bebop. No one could even imagine a live-action take on a shōnen like One Piece would ever succeed after 2009’s Dragonball Evolution movies.
However, after many efforts to get live-action anime right, Netflix surprised everyone with its One Piece adaptation. After two seasons, the show is still going strong, showing absolutely no signs of slowing down. The Netflix live-action anime not only worked because of Eiichiro Oda’s active involvement, but also because of the show’s incredible casting and tangible worldbuilding and VFX.
Since the One Piece live-action series has allowed Netflix to finally figure out what works and what does not, the streaming service’s anime adaptations will likely get even better with time. Interestingly, Netflix is all set to adapt another ambitious animated action fantasy franchise, which even has the potential to give One Piece’s live-action a run for its money.
Produced by Kakao Entertainment and Sanai Pictures, Netflix’s upcoming adaptation of Chugong’s bestselling Solo Leveling manhwa is officially in the works. Reports suggest that the adaption will ground itself in the original story beats, Hunter Guild dynamics, and character arcs of the original webtoon.
The show has a star-studded cast that includes many renowned Korean actors like Byeon Woo-seok, Han So-hee, Kang You-seok, Sung Joon, Lee Sung-min and Jung Ji-hoon, among others. The show’s filming has already kicked off in Summer 2026 in South Korea, and it is expected to premiere on Netflix around late 2027 or early 2028.
It has also been confirmed that the live-action show’s season 1 will follow Sung Jin-woo’s awakening in the Double Dungeon and his early dungeon raids with Yoo Jin-ho. As seen in the anime and the manhwa’s early arcs, the live-action series will also walk through how Jin-woo rises in the Hunter ranks to become the world’s most powerful.
Given how live-action adaptations of manhwa can often be hit or miss, it is hard not to be carefully optimistic about the upcoming series. However, Korean productions have a good history of delivering some incredible live-action anime/manhwa adaptations like Sweet Home, Parasyte: The Grey, Hellbound, and All of Us Are Dead. This seems to spell promise for Solo Leveling’s live-action series.
Solo Leveling and One Piece might share a few tropes, but they are significantly different anime. One Piece often thrives on absurdism and has an extremely vast worldbuilding that includes everything from hundreds of interconnected storylines to a massive roster of characters. Solo Leveling, in contrast, is fairly linear and laser-focused with its storytelling.
Unlike One Piece, *Solo Leveling *also avoids featuring too many fillers and unfolds at a breakneck pace almost throughout its runtime. Even its story remains fixated on the protagonist, Sung Jin-woo, as he raids dungeons, finishes quests, and levels up as a character.
Translating anime humor to live-action can also be quite challenging. While One Piece’s live-action still struggles with this, Solo Leveling does not have to worry about this issue because its anime and manhwa are largely serious and atmospheric in tone. The upcoming live-action anime on Netflix will still require a good budget to be able to recreate the anime’s slam-bang action.
However, if One Piece and Parasyte: The Grey can work as live-action anime adaptations on Netflix, Solo Leveling, too, should be able to follow their footsteps.
](/db/tv-show/one-piece-live-action/#thread)
](/db/tv-show/one-piece-live-action/)
](/tag/action-movies/)
](/tag/adventure/)
](/tag/fantasy/)
Young pirate Monkey D. Luffy and his diverse crew embark on a daring quest for treasure and notoriety. Kicking off with the Season 1 release on Netflix in 2023, One Piece brings the adventurous world of the popular manga to life in live-action, capturing Luffy’s relentless pursuit of the legendary One Piece treasure.
](/db/tv-show/one-piece-1999/)
](/tag/comedy/)
](/tag/action-movies/)
](/tag/adventure/)
](/tag/fantasy/)
The One Piece anime began in 1999 and follows the adventures of Monkey D. Luffy, a boy with rubber-like abilities, as he embarks on a journey to find the legendary treasure “One Piece.” Inspired by the pirate Shanks, Luffy aims to become the King of the Pirates, accompanied by a diverse crew.
](/db/tv-show/solo-leveling/)
](/tag/animation/)
](/tag/action-movies/)
](/tag/fantasy/)
2024 - 2025-00-00
Tokyo MX, Gunma TV, BS11, Tochigi TV
Solo Leveling follows Sung Jin-woo, the world’s weakest hunter, who gains extraordinary powers through a mysterious program after surviving a brutal monster attack. As he navigates his newfound abilities, Jinwoo embarks on a quest to uncover the secrets of his powers and the dungeon that altered his fate.