The massively popular “Solo Leveling” franchise, known for its record-breaking webnovel, webtoon, and anime adaptation on Crunchyroll, is entering a groundbreaking partnership with Story to explore blockchain-based IP management and even launch its own memecoin.
Global sensation “Solo Leveling” is venturing into the blockchain space through a collaboration with Story, a platform specializing in decentralized IP solutions. This move aims to tokenize select assets, creating a new type of Real-World Asset (RWA) beyond traditional financial instruments like money market funds or treasury bonds.
By collaborating with Story, “Solo Leveling” aims to represent key intellectual property elements on-chain. This innovative approach will enable programmability, paving the way for exciting fan-created content, blockchain-powered experiences (both digital and real-world), and reimagined licensing agreements. This announcement solidifies “Solo Leveling’s” position as a leading transmedia property and a pioneer in embracing Web3 technology for IP management.
Before its Web3 integration, “Solo Leveling” has already achieved remarkable success across various media:
- Webnovel & Webtoon: Originating as a Korean web novel and later adapted into a webtoon, “Solo Leveling” has captivated a global audience, accumulating over 14 billion views and 175 million readers. Its unprecedented popularity has made it a flagship Korean series with significant international impact. It stands as the top-performing webtoon and Korean webnovel to date.
- Comic Book: The comic book adaptation has become a major hit, reaching the #1 spot on the New York Times Graphic Books bestseller list and selling over 10 million copies worldwide.
- Anime (Streaming): The “Solo Leveling” anime adaptation has taken streaming platforms by storm, becoming the most-watched anime in Crunchyroll’s history. It also consistently ranked in Netflix’s Top 10 in 11 countries during its debut week, and secured the top spot on Amazon Prime Video in Japan.
- Anime (Awards): The anime series dominated the 2025 Crunchyroll Anime Awards, securing 9 awards, including the prestigious Anime of the Year – a historic achievement for a show based on a manhwa.
- Game: “Solo Leveling: ARISE,” the mobile RPG, transformed the franchise into an interactive experience, generating approximately $70 million in its first month and attracting 50 million players within five months of its launch. The game achieved #1 in downloads across 141 countries, #1 in revenue in 21 countries, and topped App Store popularity charts in 78 countries.
- Live Action Series: Netflix is currently developing a live-action series adaptation of “Solo Leveling,” with rising star Byeon Woo-seok set to play the lead role of Sung Jinwook.
These achievements underscore “Solo Leveling’s” unmatched success across multiple platforms and its dedicated global fan base. By embracing blockchain technology, “Solo Leveling” is set to revolutionize how franchises engage with their audience and unlock new value from their content.
From Webnovel and Webtoon to Web3
“Solo Leveling” is partnering with Story, a pioneering blockchain network built specifically for intellectual property, to initiate the on-chain representation of select IP elements. Story enables the tokenization and programmability of IP, fostering innovative models of ownership, remixing, and monetization for creators and fans. By onboarding “Solo Leveling,” Story aims to showcase the potential of on-chain representation for high-value franchises. This means specific elements of the “Solo Leveling” IP (such as characters, the universe, and content rights) can be represented on the blockchain and managed via smart contracts.
Once integrated with Story, “Solo Leveling’s” IP will become machine-readable and enforceable on-chain, empowering developers and fans to build upon it according to predefined rules. For instance, a creator could remix a “Solo Leveling” character into a game mod with automated royalties flowing back to the IP holders. Licensed merchandise could be linked to on-chain provenance, and any third-party game or media utilizing “Solo Leveling” content could easily implement programmable licensing and revenue splits. In essence, “Solo Leveling’s” move to Story unlocks a vibrant ecosystem for community-driven innovation around the franchise, secured by the power of blockchain.
“Korea has long been a global hub for intellectual property. Beyond the early success of K-pop and K-dramas, Korea is now leading the way in gaming, webtoons, and even influencing major Hollywood productions like Squid Game and Parasite. Solo Leveling perfectly exemplifies how Korean IP can break down borders, dominate various formats, and cultivate massive global fandoms. IP should be more than just something to watch or read; it should be programmable. This means tokenizing, composing, and monetizing IP across games, AI models, and consumer applications,” said SY Lee, co-founder and CEO of Story. “Registering Solo Leveling’s IP on-chain will unlock the next level of engagement, loyalty, and monetization, enabling remix culture, fan-powered economies, and token-native formats that were previously impossible.”
Official “Solo Leveling” IP-Backed Memecoin on the Horizon
In a unique crypto-native development, the “Solo Leveling” team has also announced plans for an official IP-backed memecoin tied to the story’s characters and universe. This upcoming token (details and launch date to be announced later) will be directly associated with “Solo Leveling’s” lore and characters, making it one of the first memecoins supported by a major franchise’s IP. Fans will effectively be able to “own a piece” of the “Solo Leveling” saga in token form, potentially transforming community engagement and fandom within Web3.
Unlike traditional memecoins that often arise from internet jokes without creator involvement, this “Solo Leveling” coin will be officially authorized and supported by the IP owners. Built on Story’s infrastructure, the coin aims to align its value with the franchise’s success: the more the story and its associated memes spread, the more both fans and creators can benefit. This strategy addresses the growing recognition that memes and viral content generate significant value (the memecoin market exceeds $100 billion), yet creators often receive little compensation. An official “Solo Leveling” coin could change this by channeling cultural hype into a token model designed to link fan engagement with the franchise’s overall success.
“Solo Leveling has always been about leveling up, and now we’re looking to level up the franchise with Web3. With Story, we hope to see the IP expand beyond the series itself, which could allow fans and creators to join Solo Leveling’s next chapter in new ways,” stated Jungsook Jang, CEO at Redice Studio.
Bringing “Solo Leveling” on-chain could represent a pivotal moment for Story and the broader concept of tokenized IP. “Solo Leveling” is exploring a phased registration of selected IP elements, demonstrating how a top-tier franchise is approaching blockchain representation. For Story, this partnership is a significant validation of its network’s mission: to become the premier infrastructure for the $80 trillion IP industry in the age of AI and crypto. The “Solo Leveling” partnership is anticipated to significantly boost activity within Story’s ecosystem, attracting new users (including millions of crypto-curious fans) and developers creating ecosystem dApps leveraging the IP.
With “Solo Leveling’s” passionate fan base and content connected to Story’s dedicated IP blockchain, the stage is set for pioneering experiments at the intersection of fandom and Web3. Community-created art, games, NFTs, and expanded storylines can flourish under transparent rights and royalty structures. Memecoin enthusiasts can rally around a token with legitimate narrative backing. And IP owners (like the creators of “Solo Leveling”) have a blueprint for extending their works into Web3 while retaining control and revenue share.
About Story: Story is a layer-1 blockchain designed specifically for intellectual property. It provides a decentralized platform for creators to tokenize their IP and define programmable licensing terms, enabling fair attribution, remixing, and monetization of creative works on-chain. The network’s native $IP token facilitates transactions and governance. Supported by leading investors (including a16z Crypto), Story is building an AI-native infrastructure to unlock the full potential of the $80 trillion IP asset class at story.foundation.
About “Solo Leveling” / Redice Studio: “Solo Leveling” is a South Korean fantasy franchise that originated as a webnovel by Chugong and became a highly successful webtoon illustrated by Redice Studio. Since its debut in 2016, “Solo Leveling” has evolved into a global IP encompassing comics, animation, games, and more, amassing over ten billion reads and a large international following. Redice Studio is celebrated for its stunning visuals and has been crucial in expanding the “Solo Leveling” universe. Together with its partners, Redice continues to explore innovative avenues (like Story) to further develop the franchise and engage fans worldwide.
Sources to back up stats:
- “Solo Leveling” viewership and readership welcon.kocca.kr pinepat.com
- NYT bestseller owwl.org
- Netflix Top 10 koreajoongangdaily.joins.com
- Crunchyroll Awards newsroom.kakaoent.com/news/solo-leveling-wins-top-honor-at-crunchyroll-anime-awards-2025
- Game revenue and users mobidictum.com koreajoongangdaily.joins.com
Contact
Head of Communications
HV Story
henri.vies@piplabs.xyz
Disclaimer: This is a paid post and should not be treated as news/advice.