Solo Leveling Meets Food Wars In Streaming's Wildest New Power Fantasy (Exclusive)
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One of manhwa's strangest power fantasy twists comes alive and will stream next week on Rakuten Viki, with its studio excited for the world to see it.
Published May 8, 2026, 10:00 PM EDT
An experienced Editor representing Canada via Screen Rant's Team Anime, J.R. has been reading manga since the first printing of Shonen Jump in North America. This passion drove him to write about anime, manga, and manhwa since 2022, having recently served as Lead Anime Editor for ComicBook.com.
His favorite moments in media coverage include reviewing the series premieres of Zom 100 and Bleach: TYBW Part 2 back-to-back and briefly meeting Junji Ito at a VIZ gallery event in 2023.
When it comes to power fantasy fiction in today's market, the hottest providers in the past few years has undoubtedly been South Korea through its vast webtoon offerings. Through pioneering the vertical scrolling comic format with their traditional manhwa style, iconic hits like Solo Leveling, Omniscient Reader, and The World After the Fall quickly became particularly famous power fantasy stories in the scene. But one peculiar twist on the niche is just about to finish marinating before being served as a genuinely filling dish for K-drama fans.
The Legend of Kitchen Soldier, itself based on Kitchen Soldier's manhwa by J Robin, is the next project to be released by Studio N and Studio Dragon on May 11. The series will be available to North American audiences for streaming through Rakuten Viki, starring Weak Hero's lead Park Ji-hoon as Kang Seong-jae, who rapidly grows from troubled new recruit to a godly chef at his post's kitchen thanks to a mysterious system allowing him to level up his skills. ScreenRant had the opportunity to speak with Studio N CEO Michelle Kwon about The Legend of Kitchen Soldier, and why it's a particularly exciting release beyond its bonkers premise.
Power Fantasy & Exaggerated Food Reactions Collide In The Legend Of Kitchen Soldier
The elevator pitch of The Legend of Kitchen Soldier is a fascinating one, joining the likes of Solo Leveling and Food Wars!: Shokugeki no Soma to an unexpectedly cohesive degree. Seong-jae's journey takes him from an unremarkable upbringing, growing up helping his underprivileged father run their food truck, into joining the military under "special observation" before eventually joining as assistant cook. It's here that a mysterious game-like UI appears, unlocking a certain "cook's path" allowing him to develop skills ranging from recipe memorization, cooking speed boosts, and progressively godly skills that bring joy to the mess hall.
May 2026's K-drama lineup is an impressive spread with comedy, fantasy, and healing dramas appropriately highlighting the Spring 2026 season.
While the reactions to this food aren't quite as risqué as those from Food Wars, the story simultaneously brings fun through its hook and intrigue in its overarching plot as Seong-jae soon learns his base's dark secrets as he grows his position. With such a wild concept and such excellent studios at its helm, Michelle Kwon affirmed the company's enthusiasm for the series, noting its equally excited reactions from international audiences.
"The other project I’m most excited for is The Legend of Kitchen Soldier, a new TV series with Studio Dragon and Korea’s TVING. We brought this project to Series Mania, which was the only Korean project at the event this year. It was a wonderful recognition and moment for us, and I think an excellent indication of how much audiences have come to love our content."
Series Mania is Europe's largest TV series event, boasting international competition, with The Legend of Kitchen Soldier featuring as South Korea's only entry among select special screenings including Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man. The event also named South Korea its first-ever Country of Honour, recognizing it as "one of the most influential markets in global series creation." To get such a prominent showing, for a show featuring breakout The Uncanny Counter star Lee Hong-nae and Bloodhounds star Lee Sang-yi, is a massive deal, and the cooperation of acclaimed teams at Studio N and Studio Dragon are, well, chef's kiss.
Viki Isn't The Only Streaming Service About To Serve A Highly-Anticipated K-Drama
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While The Legend of Kitchen Soldier is certainly the most immediate upcoming series sure to captivate viewers, Kwon confirmed an impressive slate of future K-dramas coming from Studio N. This includes afterlife dramas like This Life to the Next, key collaborations like with Toei Animation in Gosu's upcoming anime, and other genres like horror and romance in, well, Horror and Romance. But certain projects were especially anticipated, with audience expectations reaching sky-high levels for the amount of care their adaptations deserve, with Kwon eager to discuss which projects to look out for.
"I love all of our projects and don’t usually pick favorites! However, I am particularly excited for people to see The Remarried Empress, which is currently in post-production with Disney+. It is a big, beautiful production with incredible set design and extraordinary costumes, telling a truly epic story of love and betrayal. Given the immense global popularity of the original source material, we’ve worked hard to adapt it in a way that fans will love.
Beyond that, we have an incredible slate of upcoming shows including The Legend of Kitchen Soldier, Four Hands, and My Bias, My Boss. I’m very excited to share these stories with audiences around the world in the near future!"
Naturally, The Legend of Kitchen Soldier ranks highly among Kwon's considerations for top upcoming K-dramas, but The Remarried Empress is a particularly noteworthy highlight. With billions of views for its manhwa, and female lead Shin Min-a in its star role as Empress Navier, it's safe to say that, with the manhwa's comparisons to Bridgerton in style and storytelling, superlatives about its costume design are a welcome endorsement. But with The Legend of Kitchen Soldier set to premiere on May 11, K-drama fans and manhwa aficionados alike won't go hungry for long either way.
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English (US) ·