This New Dark Anime Has Already Dethroned ‘Solo Leveling’ in a Major Way

During the first quarter of 2025, Solo Leveling has dominated the anime space. It won “Anime of the Year” at the Crunchyroll Anime Awards, beating other big hitters like Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End. It was also used as an example by Sony Entertainment as it became the most-streamed anime of Q1 2025. But now, as fans wait for confirmation of its third season, a brand-new anime with really dark themes that was released two weeks ago has dethroned one of Solo Leveling’s records, and time will tell if it will become the most streamed show of Q2 2025.

Takopi’s Original Sin was released on Crunchyroll on June 28, 2025, and, as of writing, it currently has two episodes, with the third set to be released this weekend. According to IMDb, its first episode, “To You in 2016,” received a ranking of 9.8 stars, toppling Solo Leveling‘s record of 9.7 for the episode “Are You the King of Humans,” making it the highest-rated anime episode of 2025.

At the moment, it’s too early to tell if Takopi’s Original Sin will be able to take over Solo Leveling‘s other records since the show just came out. Additionally, nominations for the next Crunchyroll Anime Awards have not yet opened. According to the Crunchyroll website, to be nominated for “Anime of the Year,” most episodes must have already been aired before nominations open.

What’s Takopi’s Original Sin About?

Takopi’s Original Sin is an anime adaptation of a manga series by Taizan 5, which consists of only two volumes, released between 2021 and 2022. The show follows Takopi (Kurumi Mamiya), an octopus-like alien from the Happy Planet, whose goal is to spread happiness to others. On Earth, they meet Shizuka Kuze (Reina Ueda), a young girl who is a victim of bullying and finds comfort in her dog. After learning what Shizuka is going through, Takopi uses their gadgets to make things better.

According to Anime News Network, the anime adaptation was first announced in 2024 and will be produced by Enishiya, with a total of 6 episodes set for release. As of writing, Takopi’s Original Sin has received a rating of 8.92 and is currently the top ONA on MyAnimeList. And while it doesn’t have a Rotten Tomatoes page, the series currently sits at 9.3/10 stars on IMDb.

Both Solo Leveling and Takopi’s Original Sin are available to stream on Crunchyroll. Follow Collider for the latest updates.

Takopi’s Original Sin

Release Date: June 28, 2025
Network: Bandai Channel, Netflix, Prime Video, Niconico, ABEMA, Hulu, Disney+, FOD, d Anime Store, Anime Houdai, U-NEXT, TELASA, DMM TV, niconico Channel, Lemino, J:COM STREAM, milplus, WOWOW On Demand, Anime Times, Rakuten TV, VIDEX