These best shonen anime lists are action-packed stories with strong characters who overcome challenges and grow as individuals.
Shonen anime is a Japanese anime and manga genre aimed at a young male audience. The themes portray friendship, courage, and determination, and they appeal to viewers of all ages.
The animation too is often top-notch, with fluid movement and detailed visuals. Even the characters are often relatable and aspirational, providing viewers with role models to look up to. So here’s the best shonen anime you should watch if you haven’t done so already.
LATEST: I’m Quitting Heroing Anime: Leo’s Epic Journey Comes to an End
10 Best Shonen Anime You Shouldn’t Miss
1. Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood
Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood is one of the best shonen anime series released in 2009. It is based on the manga of the same name.
The story follows two brothers, Edward and Alphonse Elric, who attempt to bring their mother back to life using alchemy. However, the ritual goes wrong, Alphonse loses his body, while Edward loses his arm and leg. The brothers then embarked on a journey to find the Philosopher’s Stone, a mythical item that can restore their bodies.
Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood is considered one of the best anime series of all time, and it has won numerous awards, including the Anime of the Year award from IGN and the American Anime Awards.
2. Hunter x Hunter
Hunter x Hunter is a 2011 anime series about Gon Freecss, a young boy who dreams of becoming a Hunter, a licensed professional who specializes in anything from treasure hunting to monster extermination.
Gon sets out on a journey to find his father, who is a legendary Hunter himself. Along the way, he meets a variety of other Hunter’s, including Kurapika, Leorio, and Killua. The group faces many challenges together, including deadly creatures, powerful enemies, and the Hunter Exam itself. Hunter x Hunter is a story about friendship, adventure, and overcoming challenges.
Hunter x Hunter is another one of the best shonen anime with fast-paced action, well-developed characters, and complex story arcs. It appeals to a wide audience.
3. JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure
JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure is a long-running anime series that centers on the Joestar family, a lineage of people destined to fight evil in all its forms. Each generation of the Joestar family has a unique Stand, a supernatural power that manifests in different ways.
Stands are physical manifestations of the user’s fighting spirit. The Joestars have faced many challenges throughout the series, including deadly creatures, powerful enemies, and even other Stand users. However, they have always managed to overcome these challenges and save the day.
This shonen anime is very unique from other anime and has gained a cult following over the years.
4. Dragon Ball Z
In Dragon Ball Z, a young Saiyan warrior is sent to Earth as a baby to destroy it. However, Goku’s head injury causes him to forget his mission, and he grows up to become a kind and gentle warrior who fights for justice.
The series follows the adventures of Goku and his friends as they defend Earth from a variety of threats, including aliens (Vegeta, Frieza), androids (Cell), and magical creatures (Majin Buu).
It all begins with Goku and his friends defeating Vegeta and Nappa, two powerful Saiyan warriors who come to Earth to conquer it. Goku then travels to Namek to stop Frieza, a powerful alien tyrant who seeks to destroy Earth. After a long and difficult battle, Goku defeats Frieza, but at a great cost.
Several years later, Goku’s friends and family are attacked by Cell, a bio-android created by Dr. Gero to destroy Goku. Cell absorbs two other androids, becoming even more powerful. Goku and his friends can defeat Cell but at a great cost.
A few years later, Goku’s son, Gohan, is possessed by Majin Buu, a powerful magical creature who is terrorizing Earth. Goku and his friends can defeat Majin Buu but at a great cost.
5. Attack on Titan
One of the best Shonen anime series you definitely should watch is Attack on Titan. This 2013 anime series is set in a world where humanity lives inside cities surrounded by enormous walls that protect them from gigantic man-eating humanoids called Titans.
The story centers on Eren Yeager, a young boy who vows to avenge his mother’s death by killing all the Titans. Eren, his adopted sister Mikasa Ackerman, and his childhood friend Armin Arlert join the Survey Corps, an elite group of soldiers who fight against the Titans. The Survey Corps discovers that the Titans are not as mindless as they seem and that there is more to the world outside the walls than they ever imagined.
As Eren and his friends fight to protect humanity from the Titans, they also learn more about the history of the world and the secrets that the walls are hiding. The story is full of twists and turns, and it will keep you guessing until the very end.
Attack on Titan has also won numerous awards, including the Anime of the Year award from Crunchyroll and the Television Award at the Japan Academy Prize.
6. My Hero Academia
My Hero Academia is a 2016 anime series that is set in a world where most people have superpowers called Quirks. In a world where 80% of the population has superpowers, Izuku Midoriya is one of the 20% who does not. He dreams of becoming a superhero despite not having a Quirk.
Despite this, Izuku dreams of becoming a superhero. He meets All Might, the greatest hero in the world, who gives Izuku’s quirk, One For All. Izuku attends U.A. High School, a prestigious school for heroes-in-training.
At U.A., Izuku meets other aspiring heroes, including Ochaco Uraraka, Katsuki Bakugou, and Shoto Todoroki. Izuku and his friends train hard to become heroes, and they face many challenges along the way. They must learn to control their quirks, work together as a team, and overcome their fears.
But through it all, Izuku never gives up on his dream of becoming a hero. He knows that he has the power to make a difference in the world, and he is determined to use his quirk to help others.
Both kids and adults can enjoy this anime series. It’s one of the best Shonen anime series you should watch.
7. Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba
Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba is a 2019 anime series about Taisho-era Japan, a young boy who sets out to become a demon slayer after his family is slaughtered and his sister is turned into a demon.
Tanjiro and Nezuko travel to Japan to find a cure for Nezuko’s demon curse. Along the way, they meet other demon slayers and learn more about the demons that are terrorizing Japan.
Tanjiro and his friends face many challenges along the way, but they never give up on their quest to find a cure for Nezuko and to protect humanity from the demons.
8. Jujutsu Kaisen
Jujutsu Kaisen is a 2020 anime series about Yuji Itadori, a high school student who swallows a cursed object known as the Finger of Sukuna, the most powerful curse set in the world.
The world there is one where curses, creatures born from negative human emotions, prey on humans. Jujutsu sorcerers are people who fight curses, which are malicious spirits that can possess humans.m
Yuji is forced to join the Jujutsu Tech School, where he learns to control his newfound powers and fight curses. Along the way, he meets other jujutsu sorcerers, including Megumi Fushiguro, Nobara Kugisaki, and Satoru Gojo.
Yuji and his friends face many challenges along the way, but they never give up on their quest to protect humanity from curses.
9. One Piece
One Piece is an anime series about Monkey D. Luffy, a young boy who dreams of becoming the Pirate King, the most powerful pirate in the world. Luffy goes on a journey to find One Piece, a legendary treasure that will grant him the title of Pirate King.
Luffy and his crew travel the Grand Line, a vast and dangerous sea, searching for the One Piece. Along the way, they meet other pirates, bounty hunters, and other adventurers. They also face many challenges, including powerful enemies, natural disasters, and political intrigue.
Luffy and his friends are determined to achieve their dreams and to make the world a better place.
10. Death Note
Last but not least of the best Shonen anime series is Death Note. Light Yagami, a high school student, finds a notebook called the Death Note.
The Death Note allows the user to kill anyone by writing their name in the notebook. Light decides to use the Death Note to rid the world of criminals, but he soon finds himself caught up in a deadly game of cat and mouse with a mysterious detective known as L.
The battle between Light and L is a cat-and-mouse game that tests the limits of Light’s power and L’s detective skills. In the end, only one man can win.
