Shonen anime isn't necessarily the demographic most known for romantic subplots, but many of them still incorporate it. Not all shonen anime is focused on fighting, either. Series like Komi Can't Communicate and Horimiya are beloved romantic comedies published in weekly shonen manga magazines. Exclusively conflating shonen to series like Naruto or My Hero Academia is a rookie mistake.
Still, just because the genre features romance-centric titles doesn't mean that every love story is absolutely perfect. Shonen is often criticized for its poorly developed relationships; many characters have zero chemistry by the time their relationship becomes canon.
9 Most Of The Female Love Interests Are Poorly Written
While there are plenty of LGBTQ+ ships in anime fandoms, most canon relationships are heterosexual. This isn't inherently bad, but these relationships would significantly improve if the female love interests were well-written. In most cases, female love interests in battle shonen series only exist to fawn over the protagonist and quietly offer encouragement from the sidelines.
Their entire personality revolves around their admiration for the protagonists. A few of them underwent significant character growth and proved themselves worthy heroines, but many just disappointed fans with their perpetual passivity.
8 There Are Too Many Oversexualized Running Gags & Uncomfortable Moments
Shonen anime is targeted at young boys, so immature jokes shouldn't shock anybody. While some are acceptable, there's always a limit. That kind of humor gets old after a while. In some shonen series, most of the interactions between the protagonist and their love interest occur because of fan-service moments and over-sexualized jokes.
In some instances, the protagonist tripping and falling into their love interest's chest is a joke that's been recreated several times across many anime series. It'd be a nice change of pace if these relationships were built on normal interactions instead of running gags.
7 Romance May Feel Out Of Place In Some Battle Shonen Series
It's easy to forget that shonen is a diverse genre. There are classic battle shonen series like Naruto, Dragon Ball, and even modern hits like Jujutsu Kaisen or Demon Slayer. However, it's fair to say that romance may feel out of place in many battle shonen series compared to titles that resemble a slice of life like Komi Can't Communicate.
Most battle shonen series don't have time to slow the plot down and build their relationships. This isn't necessarily bad, but fans wish the authors would stop trying to force romance in as an afterthought if the relationships, otherwise, wouldn't make any sense.
6 Most Of The Relationships Are Unhealthy
Unhealthy relationships are rampant throughout every fictional medium, whether anime, novels, or video games. However, these shouldn't be the romantic connections viewers aspire to.
To note, Attack On Titan's Eren and Mikasa had a very codependent connection. For most of the series, Mikasa babysat Eren during his impulsive antics. There are countless other couples throughout shonen whose relationships wouldn't work out in real life. Sakura was obsessed with Sasuke for most of her life, and Light took advantage of and abused Misa for his own gain.
5 Most Shonen Romances Are Mistaken For Shojo Series
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Series like Horimiya, Komi Can't Communicate, and The Quintessential Quintuplets are actually shonen series. Their manga was published in shonen magazines, but it's easy to mistake them for shojo since their subject matter is much more lighthearted than series like Demon Slayer or Chainsaw Man.
Still, disregarding them as something for another demographic is a mistake since many of these shonen rom-com feature some of the genre's most common tropes. Komi Can't Communicate, for example, is literally about the power of friendship since the protagonist strives to make 100 friends and overcome the obstacles presented by her social anxiety.
4 Many Fandom Ships Are Toxic
Since most shonen romances are lackluster and don't offer what fans want, many turn to headcanons and write fanfictions about their favorite ships. This is harmless on its own, but some of the most popular ships are also the most toxic.
Bakugo and Deku from My Hero Academia, are better off as hero partners than romantic companions because of their complicated history. From the same series, Toga and Deku would be equally as toxic since yanderes are far from ideal romantic partners.
3 Most Of The Canon Relationships Are Never Properly Developed
Unfortunately, most authors are just desperate to wrap the story up by the time everything is coming to a close. This leads to rushed endings for subplots and conflicts, including romantic tension between characters. Sasuke and Sakura had little to no chemistry for most of Naruto. Sakura obsessively pined after Sasuke, while he brushed her off for most of the series.
Somehow, they wound up together by the end of the series. With no real explanation or build-up, many fans feel like it was a lazy cop-out for any other potentially better ending for them. Not every relationship between a guy and a girl needs to be romantic, and fans hope that this shonen trend is fading out.
2 Couples That Would Work Are Never Fully Developed
The sad truth about any romance in battle shonen is that it's simply not the most important theme. Friendship is far more important in most shonen series, so romantic relationships are placed on the back burner. Fans are led on with vague interactions and strung along with one-second scenes of characters awkwardly touching hands and blushing at each other.
There are some characters, if the mangaka further developed their relationships, that would be power couples in their series. For example, Jujutsu Kaisen's Maki Zenin and Yuta Okkotsu had lots of chemistry in Jujutsu Kaisen 0. Their classmates even joked about them liking each other. For the time being, unfortunately, their relationship hasn't developed further.
1 Relationships That Are Canon By The End Of The Anime Have Zero Chemistry
Instead of connecting characters with real chemistry, it seems like the opposite becomes canon by the end of most shonen anime. Some couples feel like they're just pulled somewhere out of left field, leaving fans confused as to how they're supposed to accept them as canon at the end of the series.
In Bleach, Orihime and Ichigo truly confused fans since it seemed like Rukia was destined for Ichigo from the jump. Sasuke and Sakura are another couple who really didn't need to get together by the end of Naruto.