In many shonen anime, countless fans tune in in order to watch the main character of the series grow to accomplish their dreams and become the strongest in the world. Often, at the end of many of these series, these dreams become a reality for the protagonist.
Of course, there are just as many, if not more, shonen series where the protagonist still has a lot of work to do and isn't even close to being the strongest. In fact, many of these protagonists might surprise quite a few that are unfamiliar with them.
10 Dragon Ball Has Many Characters Beyond Goku's Level
Goku was once believed to finally have reached the peak of his power in the Dragon Ball series, but by the original series' end, it was clear that he still hadn't become the strongest being out there.
Not only was Kid Buu too much for him, but he most likely isn't even on the level of someone like Majin Buu. Not to mention he still constantly trains to reach the power level of a great group of other opponents.
9 In One Piece, Luffy Is Still Working On Being The Strongest
The whole point of the One Piece story is to follow the main characters in their quest to become the strongest and best pirates around. This, of course, includes needing the protagonist, Luffy, to become the strongest.
Monkey D. Luffy is very powerful right now but has a lot ahead of him on his road to becoming King of the Pirates and the strongest fighter out there.
8 Young Midoriya Isn't Even Close To Being The Strongest (Yet)
Izuku Midoriya, or Deku, is clearly destined to become the strongest character in the My Hero Academia series due to his gift from the current strongest character, All Might.
However, he isn't even close to being the strongest as is. It's clear that he will reach his goal in the end, but he has a lot of growing and work to get past in order to get close.
7 Sakuragi Falls Many Times In Slam Dunk
Slam Dunk is looked at as one of the most important anime of all time when it comes to introducing the West to the now well-loved medium.
This amazing sports anime has a protagonist that may call himself a basketball genius, but still takes his fair share of losses along with the rest of his team, Shohoku.
6 Josuke Is Powerful But Still Needs Help
JoJo's Bizarre Adventure is not one of the most prolific anime in the West, as it has been in Japan for decades. Of course, the protagonists of the series have never been the strongest.
One of those protagonists is Josuke Higashikata of JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Crazy Diamond is Unbreakable, who needed a lot of help in order to defeat the final boss of his series, Kira Yoshikage.
5 Light Had The Death Note But He Is Still Just A Human
One of the protagonists that could easily pass as an antagonist of his series is Light Yagami of Death Note. Originally, he is perceived to be an unstoppable mastermind until he is rightfully challenged.
Many characters such as detective L and his successors take on and eventually defeat Light in a game of wits. Not to mention Ryuk is technically above him the entire time.
4 Ippo Still Has A Long Way To Go
The famous boxing anime, Hajime no Ippo, is yet another anime that's all about the protagonist going on a journey to grow in strength and become the best there is.
As with the case of Slam Dunk, Hajime no Ippo is a more realistic anime and, of course, features the hero of the series taking home just as many losses as Ws.
3 Baki Hanma Has Yet To Surpass His Father
The goal of Baki Hanma in the Grappler Baki series is to finally surpass the greatest and most powerful fighter in the world, his father Yujiro "The Ogre" Hanma.
However, even after finally battling his father in the third Baki series, Son of Ogre, Baki falters and hasn't surpassed him yet, showing that he obviously isn't the strongest yet.
2 Soul Eater Not! Is All About The Weaker Students
While it can be argued that by the end of Soul Eater, Maka, Soul, Black Star, and the rest of the main group become the strongest at their school, the DWA, and across the globe the same can't be said about the sequel.
In Soul Eater Not! the main cast of characters is a group of lower-ranked DWA students. These new characters have a lot of work ahead of them to get even close to those that came before them.
1 Ash May Never Be The Strongest
One of the most infamous examples of a shonen protagonist not being the strongest in the series is Ash, of the long-running Pokémon anime series.
Despite getting as close to the top as possible on multiple occasions, Ash falls short just about every time. It's likely that he'll never be the strongest in the series.