To attract new fans to a game, many games use collaborations with well-known franchises. This brings them even more attention. However, the following crossover of two famous anime reopens old wounds.
What is this collaboration about? Solo Leveling: Arise is a mobile game, which should not be confused with the game that will be released on Steam due to its gacha mechanics. The title has previously had a crossover with I-DLE, a well-known K-Pop band (via Game8).
Now, the developers of Solo Leveling: Arise announced on X that there will soon be a collaboration with Frieren. Starting October 23, 2025, it will be possible to pull well-known characters like Fern, Stark, or even the elf mage Frieren herself in the gacha game.
Through the crossover, players will then engage in real-time battles with characters from Frieren. However, many fans are mocking the event, as the two animes had a difficult past together.
2 Series in the Dispute over Best Anime of the Year
What is so bad about it? At the last Crunchyroll Awards, both Solo Leveling and Frieren were nominated for Best Anime of the Year. Many saw Frieren as the favorite, after all, it is the highest-rated anime on MAL. But in the end, Solo Leveling prevailed.
Many fans of Frieren were angry with the winner. On social media, they complained that Solo Leveling didn’t deserve the award.
The crossover reopens this old wound in the anime community. On Reddit, there are some fans referencing the anime awards. One user writes: “Imagine showing this to a Frieren fan right after the anime awards.”
Many Frieren fans would probably really not want to see this trailer after the anime awards:
The charged atmosphere is also evident elsewhere. Another user quotes what he claims could be said by Frieren: “You stole the [award for the] anime of the year from me and now you ask me for a collaboration to revive your shitty game?”
Overall, the crossover is not well received by fans. Many users say that Frieren has become such a popular character that she is now found in all sorts of games.
The anime of Frieren has become popular due to its emotional story and memorable main character. However, there almost was a change to the elf mage that would probably have harmed the anime: “Don’t be silly”: The editor-in-chief of Frieren wanted a change in the manga that fortunately did not go through
