'Lord of Mysteries' Will Never Surpass 'Solo Leveling' — And Son Jin-Woo’s Haters Will Have to Accept It

While fans enthusiastically dissect the first episodes of Lord of Mysteries and hail it as a "fantasy masterpiece" in the comments, one thing remains clear: it will never outrun Solo Leveling. Not anytime soon, and perhaps never at all.

The reason, as pointed out by FandomWire, is paradoxical — it’s simply too good. Too clever, too detailed, and too far removed from typical popcorn entertainment. Yes, Lord of Mysteries boasts a dark noir world, a complex plot, magic, secret cults, and a protagonist who doesn’t brandish a sword but studies occult schematics, teetering on the edge of madness.

But how are viewers meant to digest all that if they were simply after some high-octane fun for a couple of evening episodes?

Solo Leveling keeps things straightforward: there’s Son Jin-Woo, there’s leveling up, there are monsters — everything’s laid out clearly and packed with excitement. You watch and instantly feel cool alongside the hero. Meanwhile, Lord of Mysteries deals with suicides, enigmatic gods, and historical allusions that even some critics miss on first viewing.

And although Lord of Mysteries enjoys cult status among light novel readers, that’s no guarantee of anime success. In fact, the higher the original’s bar, the tougher the fall when adapted. So far, the adaptation holds up — but even if it never stumbles, widespread love like that showered on Solo Leveling remains unlikely.

So Klein Moretti plays in his own league — just a much more niche one. And that’s perfectly fine.