Even if you haven’t heard of the term “shounen”, there’s a 99% possibility that you’ve watched an anime that falls into this category. Dragon Ball, One Piece, Naruto, and My Hero Academia are some of the most famous examples. Shounen is a type of Japanese animation originally targeted at young boys. In fact, the term shounen, pronounced “show-nen”, is the Japanese word for “boy”, but the genre has since expanded to include many other demographics and found a huge following in young girls and adults too. Although there are many genres of anime, this is by far the most popular and successful.
The shounen genre has been around since the beginning of the 20th century when an increase in publishing manga magazines occurred and began targeting specific genders and age ranges. But there are several reasons why it continues to find success today. A shounen anime is characterized by its use of long storylines, as well as action-adventure plots, comedy, and colorful yet simple characters who later bloom into more complex, mature, nuanced ones as they overcome hardships and obstacles. The protagonist is often a boy or teen (around 13-18 years old), but there are exceptions that show us a female main character, like Soul Eater, Dr. Slump, and The Promised Neverland. A wide cast of secondary characters accompanies our hero and contributes to shaping their story and fate, episode after episode. If you’re a newfound otaku (in other words, an obsessed manga and anime fan), or you’re just curious about the best and most popular shounen anime, you’re in the right place!
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