what does shounen mean in anime

Why is Shounen anime so popular?

• never giving up
• motivation
• overcoming obstacles
• Friendship
• Female character supporting male protagonist…

What makes an anime a Shounen?

I will note that good shonen, however, do tend to be truly good if they have:

• A great cast of characters -Yu Yu Hakusho and HxH are primary examples. Each character is unique in their personalities, powers, basically everything. ...
• Interesting villains -Basically an extension of the first, and there are many ways to make a villain 'interesting'. ...
• Good story plot. -If this wasn't obvious. ...

Which shonen anime is considered the worst?

Wonder Momo is considered one of the worst anime of all time, and it managed to cement this reputation in just five episodes, which must be some kind of record. Ostensibly about an idol wannabe who ends up fighting evil aliens instead, it's no surprise that Wonder Momo feels dated from the word go.

What's a good shounen anime?

35 Best Shounen Anime Of All Time (Ranked)

1. Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood
2. Hunter x Hunter (2011)
3. One Piece
4. Shingeki no Kyojin
5. Rurouni Kenshin (Samurai X)
6. Gintama
7. Haikyuu!!
8. JoJo no Kimyou na Bouken (JoJo's Bizarre Adventure)
9. Trigun
10. Naruto

More items...

What makes an anime a shounen?

First, shonen anime is a category of anime made specifically for younger boys. Usually there is some type of main character, normally male, who has muscles, good martial arts abilities, and some type of ability to enhance their strength.

What is seinen vs shounen?

Shonen is predominantly aimed at young teenage boys, typically ranging between the ages of 12-18 years old. Seinen, however, stretches across a much wider demographic, marketed towards adult men aged between 20 and 50.

What is a shounen guy?

Overall, the word shounen means “young man” or “young boy” in Japanese. This is usually used to refer to a genre of anime and manga that is targeted toward young men ages twelve to eighteen, similar to young adult fiction in English.

Is Goku a shounen?

Goku, as well as the Dragon Ball series, are considered shonen icons. Decades after the initial release of the series, the characters and stories are still considered to be some of the best the genre has to offer.

Is AOT a shonen?

Attack on Titan is serialized in Kodansha's Bessatsu Shounen Magazine. As the magazine's name suggests, it is a shounen magazine. The official way to identify a series is not just through its themes or characteristics, it is mostly classified by the magazine where it is serialized in.

Is demon slayer a shonen?

Demon Slayer is one of the most popular shonen anime in the world. Ever since the anime's first season aired, avid anime watchers have flocked to it like bees to a honeypot. The anime's story is very interesting, which is enough to keep the watchers on the edge of their seats.

Is Naruto a shonen?

Naruto Uzumaki is one of the most famous anime heroes in the Shounen genre.

Is JoJo a shonen?

While JoJo's is undeniably a shonen classic that helped define the genre, it will go down in history as a shonen series unlike any other.

What is Isekai anime?

What is Isekai? Isekai is a subgenre of fantasy in which a character is suddenly transported from their world into a new or unfamiliar one.

Who is Father of all anime?

Osamu TezukaTezuka in 1951BornTezuka Osamu (手塚 治)3 November 1928 Toyonaka, Osaka Prefecture, Empire of JapanDied9 February 1989 (aged 60) Tokyo, JapanNationalityJapanese16 more rows

Who is the most powerful in anime?

The 12 Strongest Anime Characters of All Time1 Saitama (One Punch Man)2 Son Goku (Dragon Ball) ... 3 Giorno Giovanna (JoJo's Bizarre Adventure) ... 4 Anos Voldigoad (The Misfit of Demon King Academy) ... 5 Tetsuo Shima (Akira) ... 6 Muzan Kibutsuji (Demon Slayer) ... 7 Kaguya Otsutsuki (Naruto) ... 8 Yhwach (Bleach) ... More items...•

Who is the Big 3 anime?

The Big Three refers to three very long and very popular anime, Naruto, Bleach and One Piece. The Big Three was a term used to describe the three most popular running series during their golden age in Jump's mid 2000s period - One Piece, Naruto and Bleach.

What is Shounen anime?

Definitions states that shounen, or shonen manga and shonen anime are classifications of anime and manga whose target demographic is young males. The word shounen (kanji: 少年) means “few years” in English, according to Kotaku. Many of these manga and anime series are aimed at a young male audience and have a male protagonist who is a young boy.

What does Shounen mean in soap opera?

Recently, action adventure josei stories have become more popular. Overall, the word shounen means “young man” or “young boy” in Japanese.

What anime is Eren Jaeger in?

A young boy, Eren Jaeger, vows to destroy the Titans and decides to join the military to avenge his mother’s death. Another popular shounen anime is Naruto. Fandom states that this anime follows a young ninja who wants to become a Hokage in order to gain recognition in his village.

What age group is anime?

Anime and manga in this category are aimed at girls ages ten to eighteen. These focus on romance and friendship, but have their fair share of action and adventure. Many homosexual love stories are in the shojo category. Some of these anime include Sailor Moon, Fushigi Yuugi, and Ouran High School Host Club.

What age is the anime genre?

This is usually used to refer to a genre of anime and manga that is targeted toward young men ages twelve to eighteen, similar to young adult fiction in English. These programs usually have comedy, action, and adventure to try and appeal to their target demographic.

What is the target audience of Shounen?

In English, the genre could be described as young adult, but specifically focused toward young men. The target audience of shounen anime is between ages 12 and 18.

What age is Shounen?

In Japan, the word “shounen” is used to refer to boys under the age of fifteen. According to Japanese Tactics, Japanese people use it to refer to boys from middle school to high school age.

What It Means

If you're looking at the word 'shonen' literally, then you'll get a good indicator of what the anime genre entails. The Japanese script - or kanji - for shonen literally translates to 'boy' or 'youth' in English.

What It Is

In terms of anime, shonen described a specific type of audience. When a show is said to be a shonen title, that means the series was created for a demographic of boys between the ages of 7-18.

What Does It Contain

Shonen series are varied just like any other kind of anime genre, but it has its tropes. In general, shonen anime titles are categorized by their explosive action and leading male protagonists. These shows are often most plot-focused and tell an sequential story about the lead's desire to overcome an insurmountable task.

What Are Some Examples

Shows such as Astro Boy are regarded as the first popularized shonen titles, but no anime has been so influential as Dragon Ball. The series debuted back in 1984, and its sequel anime Dragon Ball Z led to the globalization of shonen anime years later.

What was the first Shounen magazine?

One of the first shonen magazines was Shōnen Sekai. Published by Hakubunkan from 1895 to 1914, it was one of the most popular children’s magazines of its day. Although the stories in the magazine don’t resemble the shounen of today, it was one of the first shounen media to target a young male demographic.

When did Shonen Jump come out?

In 1968 , the magazine Weekly Shonen Jump began production and went on to become the best-selling manga magazine in Japan. It’s still produced today, and that’s where many of the most popular shounen anime started.

What demon attacked Naruto?

Just before Naruto Uzumaki is born, a demon called the Nine-Tailed-Fox attacked the Hidden Leaf Village where he lives. To stop the demon, the leader of the village, the Hokage sacrificed his life and sealed the demon inside the newborn Naruto.

How many episodes are there in Shounen no Tempest?

Zetsuen no Tempest (Blast of Tempest) Zetsuen no Tempest is one of Studio Bones’ best shounen series ever. It’s only 24 episodes long (this is relatively short in the world of shounen) but it tells a complete story of magic, adventure, and revenge.

Why do people complain about Studio Deen?

When you see anime fans complain about Studio Deen for their shoddy or lackluster animation, as if they’re being held to a higher standard than most , that’s probably because of shows like Samurai X.

Is Naruto a filler?

Naruto. Naruto is filled with fillers, and it definitely has moments of uninspired animation. But that doesn’t stop it from being one of the most popular anime of all time, only comparable in global appeal to the likes of Pokémon and Dragon Ball. I still remember when the first season aired on local TV.

Is Shounen a genre?

But while the genre itself has no required story elements, shounen has since become synonymous with epic stories of super-powered action and adventure.