By Debopriyaa Dutta Published Jun 20, 2026, 3:00 PM EDT Polygon Lists These underdog stories make for exciting power fantasies
Image: A-1 Pictures Sign in to your Polygon.com account Some anime stories rely on exaggerated power fantasies to prop up a stand-out protagonist, but Solo Leveling takes it to another level. This trope can take many forms when used for sustained dramatic effect in genres like shonen or isekai. Shows like One-Punch Man come alive thanks to its satirical deadpan humor while still delivering on the power fantasy. Others, like The Eminence in Shadow, embrace a ludicrous brand of self-aware absurdity. By contrast, Solo Leveling , which is based on a fantasy web novel by Chugong (later adapted into an immensely popular manhwa), uses addictive dungeon-crawler elements and RPG-style power progression to keep things dynamic and interesting.
In Solo Leveling , gifted hunters fight vicious beasts to protect humanity, but the notoriously weak Sung Jin-woo finds himself trapped in a hopeless survival loop. Once Jin-woo overcomes the weakness associated with being an E-rank hunter, there are no limits to what he can achieve. While few anime share a premise with Solo Leveling , these entries also indulge in high-octane action in a dynamic world inspired by fantasy or video game mechanics. Without further ado, here are the eight best anime worth checking out if you like Solo Leveling .
Image: C2C In Shangri-La Frontier , Rakuro Hizutome loves playing “trash games,” glitchy, mass-produced VR titles that are notoriously clunky. After experiencing burnout, Rakuro takes a stab at playing Shangri-La Frontier , the acclaimed full-dive VR game that is all the rage. After being transported into the game world, Rakuro assumes the bird-masked avatar Sunraku and is confident that his skills will help him master this challenging reality. Unfortunately, the path ahead in such a polished world is rife with truly dangerous obstacles, which often lead to in-game nerfs that can manifest after a player character is cursed. While Shangri-La Frontier leverages stat-based progression and strategic min-maxing like Solo Leveling , it is much more lighthearted in its exploration of gamer culture and dramatic stakes.
Image: Satelight Based on the light novel series by Mamare Touno ( Maoyu ), Log Horizon also centers on an MMORPG named Elder Tale with a massive player base. Unlike Sword Art Online , which uses real-world VR mechanics to fuel its premise, Log Horizo n transports unwitting players to the game world after they log in to play the latest expansion pack. Enter our socially awkward protagonist, Shiroe, who bands together with his friends Naotsugu and Akatsuki to combat the challenges ahead. While most players are already aware of how the game world functions, what was once a thrilling pastime suddenly becomes a game of life and death. This might sound like more of the same, but Log Horizon ’s emphasis on teamwork and tactical prowess is a breath of fresh air for those who enjoy exploring nuanced socio-political tiers in video games.
Image: A-1 Pictures Sword Art Online makes great use of its virtual reality setting, wherein its titular MMORPG world is set in the storied floating castle of Aincrad. When 10,000 players log into the game’s shared cyberspace for the first time, they are unable to log out until they complete the objective of beating all 100 floors of Aincrad. In-game deaths or forcible removal of VR gear (NerveGear) is not an…