J Balvin will make his anime debut in 2025, voicing a key character in the second season of Solo Leveling: Arise From the Shadow. The Colombian artist will voice a major role in both English and Spanish in the current season that premiered Jan. 4 on the Crunchyroll streaming platform.
“I’m beyond thrilled to join the cast of Solo Leveling!” Balvin, real name José Álvaro Osorio Balvin, said in a press statement. “This series has such a passionate fanbase and getting the chance to be part of the anime world, after being a fan for such a long time, is an absolute honor. I can’t wait for everyone to see what we’ve been working on!”
Co-produced by Aniplex and Crunchyroll, and adapted from the popular Korean web novel written by Chugong, the series follows the story of the world’s weakest hunter Sung Jinwoo. After being slaughtered by monsters in a dungeon, he returns with a program that’s leveling him up, and is discovering his superpowers and the dungeon that spawned them.
Balvin’s voiceover debut will premiere later this season. Fans can stay tuned to Solo Leveling Season 2: Arise From the Shadow on Crunchyroll.
In 2024, Balvin announced he was gearing up for his first feature film lead role, in the drug drama Little Lorraine, helmed by Grammy Award-winning director Andy Hines and planned for a release this year. His TV and film ventures also expanded with a new docuseries called A Great Day With J Balvin that premiered in October via Peacock.