Shonen is one of the oldest and most popular genres when it comes to manga and anime. In fact, the most popular anime today are from this genre, like Naruto, Dragon Ball, and One Piece. Many anime fans grew up watching these shows, but over the years, tastes develop and leave us wanting for more.

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Those fans who are simply tired of watching shonen leads like Luffy, Naruto, or Goku wherever they go, can find other great alternatives. Some are popular, while others aren’t as much.

10 Ciel Phantomhive (Black Butler)

Ciel Phantomhive (Black Butler)

This 12-year-old is so smart, cunning, and manipulative that he’d easily put the average 20-year-old to shame. Due to a horrible incident in his childhood where he lost his family, he made a contract with the demon Sebastian Michaelis to avenge the murder of his family.

He is the Earl of the Phantomhive house, and despite his cold attitude, he is loved by all his employees. He rarely expresses emotion, but often fails in the presence of his betrothed, Elizabeth Midford.

9 Ray (The Promised Neverland)

Ray (The Promised Neverland) Waves

Despite his tender age, Ray is extremely aloof and sarcastic. He prefers being by himself and doesn’t make friends easily. Even so, he is shown to care for his fellow orphans deeply, despite him never making his feelings public.

In fact, he’s shown to almost put himself in harm’s way to ensure Emma and Norman are kept safe. Ray also snaps easily, especially at Emma, and has no trouble telling people what’s exactly on his mind.

8 Saiki (The Disastrous Life of Saiki K)

Saiki (The Disastrous Life of Saiki K)

Saiki can easily be said to be the anti-Saitama. Even though he has a lot more powers than him (mind-reading, x-ray vision, telekinesis, etc), all he wants to do is to live a normal and boring life. He avoids talking too much, likes to be by himself, and is shown to be an extremely selfless guy.

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Ironically, he hates it when people help him because he views it as him burdening them with his troubles.

7 Eren Yaeger (Attack on Titan)

Attack on Titan's Eren Yaeger looking crazed

It’s been 6 years since Attack on Titan created a special place in the hearts of anime fans. Touted as one of the most popular anime to ever come out of Japan, the show revolves around the life of Eren Yaeger. His life changes the day he sees a Titan consume his mother and wreak havoc in his village.

Since then, he has only one mission in his mind – to kill all Titans! Angry, air-headed, impulsive, all these qualities are what define Eren the best.

6 Hinata (Haikyuu)

Hinata (Haikyuu)

Short and easily annoyed, Hinata has a loud and energetic personality. He makes friends easily but doesn’t hesitate to challenge people twice his size if they hurt him or his friends. Like any other shonen protagonist, Hinata’s IQ is pretty average.

Even so, he is able to pick up on social cues that most people ignore, and is able to demonstrate great levels of empathy towards people he’s barely even met. He performs as his volleyball team’s middle blocker at the Karasuno High School.

5 Gintoki (Gintama)

Gintoki (Gintama)

This protagonist of the parody-shounen anime Gintama is shown to be extremely laid back and lazy. He hates working hard, due to which he is always behind when it comes to paying rent. However, whatever money he has, he wastes it on gambling.

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He also prefers imparting “knowledge” to people, even though he has no idea what he’s going on about. He usually has a dazed expression on his face, avoids responsibilities, and can often be seen being yelled at by his friends Kagura and Shinpachi.

4 Senkuu (Dr. Stone)

Senkuu (Dr. Stone)

Unlike most shonen heroes whose ages range between 14 and 16 years, Senkuu is shown to be 18 years old. He is shown as an extremely logical, straight-laced, and over-confident young man, whose attitude often puts off others.

Yet, he never lets his ego get the best of him since he always weighs the pros and cons of any situation before making a decision. He also shows the same level of respect to those who are smarter or more naïve than him.

3 Tanjiro (Demon Slayer)

Tanjiro (Demon Slayer)

Young, naïve, and idealistic, Tanjiro’s life does a 180 when he returns home one day to find his mother killed by a demon, and his sister Nezuko turned into a half-demon. He immediately vows to kill the demon responsible for breaking apart his family, and so he goes on a very dangerous journey that ultimately ends in him becoming a Demon Slayer.

On his journey, he makes many friends as well (some humans while others demons), who help him realize how it was more important to be logical, rather than emotional, when dealing with a crisis.

2 Yato (Noragami)

Yato (Noragami)

Yato is shown to be a small-time God whose own followers have forgotten him. He’s obsessed with the idea of having a shrine to his name, which would result in people praying to him and offering him cash as their offerings.

He befriends a human named Hiyori and a spirit named Yukine, who instantly become accomplices in his misadventures, as he tries to help humans, Gods, and his own friends.

1 Alibaba (Magi: The Kingdom of Magic)

Alibaba (Magi: The Kingdom of Magic)

Alibaba is shown to be an opportunist in a world where magic and logic exist side by side. He’s sharp and selfish, going so far as to flatter rich merchants in order to get their patronage.

Initially, he befriended Aladdin for his strength, but after he saved Morgiana, he slowly started changing his thinking and his lifestyle. As a friend, he’s excessively loyal and he goes out of his way to save them from harm.

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