Top 5 Shounen Anime

Shounen is easily the most popular anime genre out there. They all follow the classic story of a weak antagonist who’s met with hard challenges that train to become the strongest. The biggest anime titles that even your mother knows are shounen because these are the shows that excite the little child in all of us. So, we have come up with a list of the top five:

Hunter x Hunter

Hunter x Hunter is one of the most loved anime, while some anime fans may disagree. However, the numbers are proof of the show’s legacy. HxH boasts a total of 2.2 fans on My Anime List alone. This show follows a 12-year-old boy, Gon Freecss, who aspires to be the greatest in a world full of Hunters who capture criminals and hunt for treasures. His goal is to find his long-lost dad: who abandoned him as a child. Gon befriends others whom he travels with. They join together to take the dangerous Hunter Exam. The story explores the hardships they face and shows lots of character development as they learn what it truly means to be a Hunter.

>One Piece

One Piece is the longest-running shounen anime. It was first aired in 1999 and has had weekly episodes since. This show stood the test of time and has progressed with unparalleled character and world development. The story follows a boy named Luffy in a world of pirates and special Devil-Fruit powers. The king of pirates, Gol D. Roger was executed as millions witnessed him reveal that he left the greatest treasure behind: the One Piece. This statement sparked a new era in the world. The loveable Luffy is on his journey to find the treasure to become the Pirate King with his crew. They face many hardships but they grow and become stronger than ever. However, if you do intend on watching this show, be aware that there are over 1000 episodes and counting.

Full Metal Alchemist

This show is a bit different from the others on the list. It’s unique in the sense that the main characters are 2 brothers, Ed and Al Elric. In this world, there are people called Alchemists who can shape matter into different things. After losing their mother, the boys try to perform Human Transmutation to bring her back. Failing very badly, the younger brother loses his body and the older brother loses his limbs. To save his brother’s soul- he binds Al’s soul to some armor in exchange for one of his limbs.  They are in search of the Philosopher’s stone, which they believe to be the only hope of getting their bodies back.

Attack On Titan

A relatively new show in comparison to the others on this list, Attack on Titan took the western world by storm. This show has been the biggest talk in the past few years. The dark tale takes place in a world overrun by beings called titans who feed on humans. Forced to adapt, humanity was boxed in-between walls for a century. Suddenly, new titans had attacked and took a portion of the walls. Causing a state of chaos, the military forces had more work to do in order to keep humanity safe. The main character, Eren Yeager, who loses his mother during the attack joins the Survey Corps to learn more about the world. As the story progresses, many dark secrets about the titans and humans unveil.

Naruto

This title should be no surprise to anyone. Naruto is the first thing that comes to everyone’s mind when they hear the word shounen. Easily the most famous shounen anime, Naruto follows the story of Naruto Uzumaki in a world of ninjas and Jutsu. He loses both his parents during the 9-tailed fox’s attack on the Hidden Leaf. In order to save the village, Naruto’s father seals half of the 9-tailed fox away inside Naruto. This made the entire village despise him: as they blamed him for the destruction. Naruto wanted to become the Hokage (which is the title given to the leader of the village) to gain the people’s respect. He grows as a ninja along with his team as they are challenged with many hardships and villains. What makes Naruto special is the characters, each one of them has their altered view on the world and acts to bring their interpretation of peace to life.