5 Best Chinese Anime That Are Better Than Solo Leveling, Ranked

The Solo Leveling anime turned Sung Jinwoo’s climb from the weakest hunter alive into a huge hit, and honestly, it earned it. But once you’ve finished it, you’re left wanting more. China’s donghua scene has been busy for years.

These shows swap Gates and shadow soldiers for time-traveling photos, esports comebacks, and cultivators clawing toward immortality. Some hit harder emotionally, some run far longer, and a few are simply better written. Here are five Chinese anime worth watching next, ranked from good to best.

5 The King’s Avatar: A Fallen Esports Pro’s Comeback From Level One

The King’s Avatar | Credits: G. CMay Pictures

Ye Xiu is widely considered the best player of the game Glory and captains Excellent Era until the team pushes him out because he won’t play along with its marketing deals. Compared with Solo Leveling, The King’s Avatar gives its supporting cast more room to matter, making victories feel less like one man’s show. The donghua series also has a live-action counterpart. It’s a comeback story and a joy to watch. It lands fifth because esports is a smaller stage than the worlds higher up.

4 A Record of a Mortal’s Journey to Immortality: A Nobody’s Climb

A Record of a Mortal’s Journey to Immortality | Credits: Original Force/Wanwei Cat Animation

Han Li begins as a poor village boy with ordinary talent who enters cultivation almost by accident. Instead of receiving an overwhelming power-up, he survives through patience, preparation, and knowing when to run. That’s where A Record of a Mortal’s Journey to Immortality has an edge over Solo Leveling: Han Li’s progression feels slower, riskier, and more earned. The donghua, based on Wang Yu’s novel, has been running since 2020. It ranks fourth because its deliberate pacing can take longer to become addictive than the top three.

3 Heaven Official’s Blessing: A Broke God and a Ghost King in Red

Heaven Official’s Blessing | Credits: Haoliners Animation League

Xie Lian was a crown prince who ascended to heaven at seventeen, only to suffer repeated demotions before returning 800 years later with almost nothing. His strange encounters with Hua Cheng gradually reveal a much bigger mystery. Unlike Solo Leveling, Heaven Official’s Blessing puts greater weight on relationships, emotional history, and character-driven mystery rather than constant power escalation. Its gorgeous animation only strengthens that appeal. It takes third because its emotional storytelling is richer than SL‘s, though the next two are even more devastating.

2 Mo Dao Zu Shi: The Feared Patriarch Who Returns After 13 Years

Mo Dao Zu Shi | Credits: B. CMay Pictures

Wei Wuxian founded the Demonic Path, and the cultivation world turned on him for it. Thirteen years after his death, a sacrificial ritual brings him back, and he soon runs into Lan Wangji, the stiff, poker-faced cultivator he used to tease back in school. Mo Dao Zu Shi stands above Solo Leveling for its layered characters, complicated relationships, and willingness to let its mysteries unfold gradually instead of relying mainly on power progression. It takes second because it’s rich and tragic and the animation is impeccable, but Link Click hits harder.

1 Link Click: Twelve Hours Inside a Photo to Fix Someone’s Regret

Link Click | Credits: Studio LAN

Cheng Xiaoshi and Lu Guang run Time Photo Studio, where a client hands over a photo and Xiaoshi steps inside it. He becomes the photographer, absorbs the photographer’s memories, and gets twelve hours to find what the client needs without changing the past. Sounds simple, but it never is. Where Link Click surpasses Solo Leveling is its emotional storytelling: victories aren’t simply about defeating stronger enemies, but about people, regrets, and choices that can leave lasting scars. The god-tier donghua is number one because no other pick here wrecks you this hard.

What are your thoughts on these Chinese anime that are possibly better than Solo Leveling? We’d love to know your favourites and opinions in the comments below.