Why Shangri-La Frontier is The Next Must Watch on Netflix for Solo Leveling Fans

For the fans of Solo Leveling, Shangri-La Frontier is the anime that you’ve been missing out on. With Season 2 officially coming to Netflix on June 1st (according to the official listing), this is the best time to binge this anime.

Be it the shared mechanics of the world or how the powers work in the anime, there are many reasons why Solo Leveling fans will love this anime. Let’s discuss all the reasons while also talking about the plot of Shangri-La Frontier itself. Let’s dive in.

TITLE	Shangri-La Frontier	Solo Leveling
STUDIO	C2C	A-1 Pictures
MAL RATING (as of May 23, 2026)	8.10 / 10	8.16 / 10
STREAMING	Crunchyroll	Crunchyroll
RELEASE DATE	Oct 1, 2023	Jan 7, 2024

What Is Shangri-La Frontier About?

This anime is about Rakuro Hizutome, a high school student. His hobby is to play really bad games. The games he loves and completes are always full of bugs, and sometimes the playbase is just 2-3 people in total. However, one day after completing a trash game, he found himself bored. That’s when the owner of the shop from where he buys games recommends him a god-tier game called Shangri-La Frontier.

Shangri-La Frontier is a massive multiplayer online role-playing game with thirty million active players and advanced virtual reality mechanics. The concept is a bit similar to Sword Art Online, except for the fact that Shangri-La Frontier is much better.

For Hizutome, or Sunraku, as that’s his gamer tag, this game is a huge level up, as for the first time, he can even feel his body properly. The plot follows his journey as he uses the skills he developed from surviving broken games to master this flawless virtual reality world.

However, things change for him when he encounters a monster that no one has ever seen before. The battle between them lasts all night, as Sunraku keeps dodging every attack. He is pretty much “Let me solo her”, but in anime. Eventually, he gets attacked by that monster in a way that he couldn’t even perceive. But, he had a lot of fun, so he decided that he is gonna find this monster again and finally defeat it.

Shangri-La Frontier Is if Solo Leveling Was Actually a Game

Both of these anime feature a core system based on leveling up and acquiring skills to grow strong. However, there is a fundamental difference: the stakes in Shangri-La Frontier are not real. In Solo Leveling, Sung Jinwoo fights for not just his life, but also for many others. If he dies in a dungeon, he dies in reality, and the fate of humanity itself is at risk.

In Shangri-La Frontier, Sunraku is simply playing a game. If his character is defeated, he respawns. The real world is never in danger. Despite this lack of real-world stakes, the anime remains entertaining because it replicates the adrenaline of a high-difficulty boss fight perfectly. Furthermore, the viewers also get to experience the story in the game through Sunraku.

Why Shangri-La Frontier is The Perfect Watch Before Solo Leveling Season 3

Solo Leveling Season 3 is yet to be announced, and this waiting time is perfect to binge more shows like it. Since both anime share how they handle action and character development, watching one will satisfy your craving for the other in the meantime. In fact, with so much source material available, this anime could even become the next One Piece.

The fighting style of both characters is exactly the same. Both focus on speed and damage, with both of them using similar daggers instead of traditional swords. Because of this, both anime even had a collab last year.

— アニメ『俺だけレベルアップな件』公式 (@sololeveling_pr) February 28, 2025

The progression aspect of both anime is really similar. The different games and distinct zones Sunraku enters are almost exactly like the different dungeons in Solo Leveling. Each new area is a specific environment, unique enemy types, and a final boss that requires more effort but also provides more reward. When Sunraku enters a new area or game, it triggers the same anticipation as Jinwoo stepping through a dungeon gate.

Are you going to binge this anime? Let us know in the comments.

Shangri-La Frontier and Solo Leveling are streaming on Crunchyroll