Last Updated on May 15, 2024 by “Talha Saqib”
Shounen (also written as Shōnen) is a Japanese creative category aimed at adolescent boys. It is one of the primary editorial categories of anime and manga, along with shoujo, seinen, and josei. It is literally formed with two characters of kanji “少” and “年” which translate to “few years”. This collectively makes up the Shounen word’s meaning, which is “young men or boys”.
In the Japanese market, shounen is the most popular of the four basic demographic categories of manga. Although shounen manga nominally targets a young male audience, its actual readership stretches much beyond this demographic to include people of all ages and genders. It is now equally popular regardless of gender, it started as this because of the main character being a male and the story stemming from his existence.
The stories in the Shounen genre mostly have the meaning best applied when you see the story as a whole, which is basically a journey of a young boy. There are several characteristics that can be applied to the general shounen category, and those are:
- A central male character
- Motivation and goals bigger than their self (literally)
- Underdog succeeding enough to reach the top
- Extremely unrealistic stuff
- Oh, and they don’t die, Ever!
This further can be best explained by the types of shounen anime there are.
Examples of Shounen in Anime
Here are all the anime we believe can define a certain category relating to the shounen meaning the best.
Naruto, One Piece, Dragon Ball Z
The themes of Shounen that started it all are action and adventure. We all know the masters of the shounen category are anime like One Piece, Dragon Ball Z, and Naruto. They set the foundation for an underdog to become super powerful with a special power or ability. These animes are the literal definition of anime when someone starts their journey of this world and rightfully so, they deserve this top spot.
Another remarkable thing about these animes is that they are not just action-based and more about the story of the protagonist and the people around them. This adds some comedic, some emotional, and some other elements keeping the story fresh. Also, the fact that they don’t die, must be frustrating to the opponents. Other examples include Pokémon, Digimon, Hunter X Hunter, etc.
Dr. Stone, Fullmetal Alchemist
The sci-fi or fantasy category is much more fun and unrealistic, which makes it a perfect category for teens who just want to have fun. Let’s take Dr. Stone for example. Do you actually believe that a high schooler managed to make a cell phone out of rubbish? Please be honest, because it’s as absurd as it sounds. The anime does a good job of making it realistic and believable, but it’s still far from reality.
Of course, this doesn’t take away the fact that these are highly enjoyable and sometimes popular because of these explanations. Another widely popular example is Fullmetal Alchemist.
My Hero Academia
For the school category, there are many that have this as the central theme, implying that the protagonist needs to learn a lot. As in the example, My Hero Academia, Midoriya gets into school with a miracle which is the power he secretly got. This anime checks out all the above characteristics, but in a school setting where he has to learn before going out.
Naruto can also be considered part of this category, as everyone goes through training and both protagonists learn to control their powers. Other examples: Haikyuu!!, Inazuma Eleven, Free, etc.
Dororo
There aren’t many animes that can be called historical due to them being highly out of place in history. Some manage to give that vibe with an atmosphere built around ancient times. For example, we can see in Naruto that it’s historical based on their living habits and the area shown. In a rare case, Dororo is a good example of historical shounen anime.
Death Note
Want to enjoy some mind games and a suspense-filled story? Check out some thriller and mystery-themed anime like Yuukoku no Moriarty, Death Note, etc. As shounen meaning is basically a teen audience, it’s going to be highly intelligent 18-year-olds making the most elaborate and fancy plans that not even a grown-up can comprehend. It’s fun if you forget they are literal kids, but nice to watch nonetheless.
