Shonen and seinen are two of the main genres in manga and anime – in fact, some of the biggest franchises in anime sit under these categories. Major shonen titles include Naruto, Hunter x Hunter, and My Hero Academia, while major seinen titles include the likes of Berserk, Tokyo Ghoul, and Psycho-Pass.
There are many similarities between both genres, so much so that despite titles such as Attack on Titan being published in a shonen magazine, questions of whether it should be considered a seinen are often raised within the anime community. But the differences between the two completely set them apart.
10 Different: They're Aimed At Separate Demographics
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.
Although seinen seems to have an advantage by appealing to a wider audience, shonen takes the crown in terms of franchises under its belt, with many being the best-selling anime titles of all time.
9 Similar: They Both Include Captivating Fight Scenes
Both shonen and seinen series include some of the greatest battles known to anime. While shonen brought us infamous fights like Gon vs. Neferpitou, Naruto vs. Sasuke, All Might vs. All For One, and countless others, seinen features incredible battles such as Akame vs. Esdeath and Kaneki vs. Arima.
8 Different: Seinen Includes More Adult Themes
Because seinen is aimed at an older demographic in comparison to its shonen counterpart, it often includes adult themes that you wouldn't generally see in a shonen title. For example, themes of a sexual nature are not uncommon in seinen anime; Tokyo Ghoul featured a particularly intimate scene between Kaneki and Touka.
Further, seinen is far more graphic in the way it portrays violence and will often push boundaries beyond that of a shonen anime.
7 Similar: They Both Include Comedy
There's no denying that shonen is notably more comedic than seinen, considering it gave us unforgettable moments like Naruto essentially saving the world by using his Sexy Jutsu.
But despite shonen typically being more comedic, seinen certainly has its hilarious moments, and titles such as Akame ga Kill and Kaguya-sama: Love Is War are great examples of seinen anime that do comedy really well.
6 Different: Shonen Is All About The Action
Although seinen features an array of incredible battle moments, shonen completely and utterly prides itself on being the number one action-packed genre in anime.
In fact, without shonen, many of the greatest anime scenes ever created, such as Gojo Satoru's Hollow Purple and Levi Ackerman vs. the Beast Titan, wouldn't exist.
5 Similar: They Both Include Romance
Seinen may have the freedom to explore more adult themes, but shonen certainly has its fair share of romance, and titles that would usually abstain from placing too much focus on romance, such as Naruto, still ended up featuring their own kiss scenes. In fact, some of the most popular ships in anime belong to the shonen world.
4 Different: Seinen Storylines Are More Complex
While shonen anime remains extremely popular, largely due to its never-ending action scenes, seinen thrives off its complex nature.
Psycho-Pass, set in a futuristic Japan where citizens are controlled by the unforgiving Sibyl System, is an excellent example of a series that possesses a story that is both so enticing and disturbing that it manages to leave fans at the edge of their seats throughout.
3 Similar: They Both Feature Incredibly Heartbreaking Moments
Both shonen and seinen include heartbreaking moments, and they do it exceptionally well. Although seinen is far more merciless when it comes to killing off its main characters, shonen hasn't shied away from death either.
Shonen anime feature many heartbreaking death scenes which left anime fans across the globe in disbelief, such as the deaths of Jiraiya, Neji, and Itachi from Naruto and L from Death Note.
2 Different: Seinen Is Less Cliché Than Shonen
There's no denying that every shonen story is unique in its own right, but overall, shonen anime tend to follow very similar themes and story arcs to one another. For example, it's not uncommon to see a tournament or competition arc across the majority of popular shonen titles.
Seinen, however, tends to steer clear of stereotypical trends, allowing many popular titles, such as Akira and Berserk, to shine as standalone stories.
1 Similar: They Both Focus On Excellent Characterization
Although this is true for all genres across anime, shonen and seinen in particular handle characterization extremely well and have arguably created many of the best anime characters of all time.
The majority of popularity polls are dominated by characters from these two genres, and for good reason; without shonen and seinen anime, the world wouldn't have been introduced to an endless supply of compelling characters.