Sony’s motion capture technology, mocopi, played a key role in simplifying one of the most ambitious fight sequences in Solo Leveling Season 1. The intense battle between Sung Jinwoo and Blood-Red Commander Igris, alongside his army of knights, was one of the most highly praised scenes in the anime.
The use of this new technology helped streamline the animation process, making it more efficient while maintaining high-quality visuals.
A discussion hosted by MyNavi featured Solo Leveling CG producer Nao Kudo and Sony’s Shota Minami, who leads the planning and business development for mocopi.
A-1 Pictures becomes the first anime studio to implement Sony’s mocopi (Photo: Solo Leveling/Lucasfilm Ltd)During the conversation, it was revealed that A-1 Pictures, the studio behind Solo Leveling, was invited to test mocopi and offer feedback, marking the first time an anime has utilized this technology.
Kudo explained how mocopi reduced production time for Episodes 11 and 12, particularly in the sequence where Jinwoo faces off against Igris and his knights.
Faster Production Time Achieved through Sony’s Mocopi
Ordinarily, anime production follows a structured workflow, starting with a storyboard that acts as a visual plan for animators. This is followed by a layout that determines character positioning, background details, and other elements before being assigned to different teams.
A-1 Pictures traditionally employs 3D software to develop CG characters from these initial steps, but the process often presents challenges. Kudo noted how demanding it can be to animate large numbers of characters manually.
“Drawing and animating numerous characters by hand takes an enormous amount of effort,” she explained. “In the past, a group of about ten artists would sketch out characters manually before their movements were incorporated into the animation.”
Sony’s Motion Capture Tech Offers a New Approach to CG Animation
Instead of relying solely on traditional methods, mocopi introduces a more efficient alternative. The production team wore small motion capture sensors that recorded their movements, which were then fed into 3D software to generate character animations much faster.
“For scenes involving large groups of soldiers,” Kudo explained, “we used mocopi to capture motion data and then developed three different animation sequences.
By distributing different numbers of soldiers across these animations and adjusting their timing, we achieved a natural combat sequence where every character appeared to move independently.”
She expressed enthusiasm about mocopi’s potential and how similar technologies could provide fresh possibilities for anime creators. Currently, animation studios share a limited set of motion data libraries, but Kudo believes mocopi could expand these options very well.
More Large-Scale Battles Expected as Jinwoo’s Power Grows
With Jinwoo now established as a Shadow Monarch, large-scale battles are set to become even more frequent in Solo Leveling. Given how successful mocopi proved to be, the production team is eager to incorporate it more actively in upcoming episodes. Kudo also hinted at Season 2 placing greater emphasis on supporting characters, which could add new dimensions to the story.
Fans can watch Solo Leveling on Crunchyroll, where the platform describes the anime as follows: “They say whatever doesn’t kill you makes you stronger, but that’s not the case for the world’s weakest hunter, Sung Jinwoo.
After being brutally slaughtered by monsters in a high-ranking dungeon, Jinwoo came back with the System, a program only he could see, that’s leveling him up in every way. Now, he’s inspired to discover the secrets behind his powers and the dungeon that spawned them.”