Shonen anime is aimed at boys under the age of 15 years old. At this ages, it is quite typical for males to be fond of larger than life stories, including interesting characters and, more importantly, an interesting world. This is because stories like that provide the perfect avenue for escapism and wish fulfillment.
Boys can spend their free time pretending to be their favorite heroes in their favorite worlds. This is a fundamental reason behind the Shonen genre's sustained success. As such, writers usually go out of their way to ensure that the world they create is one these kids would be thrilled to live in. Of course, these worlds can be dangerous, but a massive theme in Shonen is overcoming whatever obstacle standing between you and your dream.
Here are our top 10 Shonen anime worlds.
10 DEMON SLAYER
The world of Demon Slayer is one where humans and demons exist side by side and, often, they may never even meet or interact. But, at times, ravenous demons go on the prowl— for blood.
This can be quite terrifying to come to grips with as a normal and powerless person, and this is where the Demon Slayer Corp comes in. This is an organization that trains warriors to use special techniques, in order to be able to kill demons. This organization aims to protect humans and has many members. But, despite this, it is not officially recognized by the government.
Many young men have stayed up fantasizing about a world where they get to be a badass demon slayer and this world provides all of that.
9 YU-GI-OH
The game of duel monsters is by far the most popular game around the Yu-Gi-Oh world, and the citizens are absolutely captivated by its wonders. At times, even the fate of the entire world boils down to the result of a single match between the game’s best competitors.
This anime has many different series, with companies and schools solely focused on the card game. Of course, long ago, duel monsters were more than just a game. In the days of the Pharaoh Atem, dueling was a way of life and means of protecting his people. Being able to watch these colossal monsters come to life and do battle would be quite a sight to behold.
8 ATTACK ON TITAN
Paradis Island sounds a lot like a vacation destination, a home away from home...a paradise, if you will. But, as it’s inhabitants will tell you, it’s far from that. Paradis Island is an absolute hellhole. It is an island overrun with Titans who decimate and trample everything in their wake. It’s home to the subjects of Ymir and, for a large part of the series, it was the only location revealed. On this island stands three great walls meant to keep the Titans out, and it did for much of history until 'That Day'.
The world of Attack on Titan is interesting due to its complex and chaotic political happenings, but it is not somewhere that any person should voluntarily try to visit. The mortality rate for this world is far too high but, despite this, it is interesting to watch how it all unravels.
7 POKÉMON
The Pokémon world is known for its interesting pocket monsters, who inhabit the many regions of its world. These monsters can be tamed using a pokéball, making it a normal case for people to pit these monsters against each other in battle.
The people who follow this path are known as Pokémon trainers. It is common for these trainers to set out on their journey at a young age, in pursuit of being the best. This world is an exciting one, where a trainer's next battle is always lurking around the corner. One must be careful though. Nefarious characters lurk in the dark and, if you aren't careful, they might steal your Pokémon. The Pokémon world is beautiful with the Johto and Alola regions looking like dream destinations.
6 DRAGON BALL
The Dragon Ball multiverse is one of the largest and most developed worlds in anime. With a plethora of interesting planets, it would be entertaining to adventure to them. Explorers should be careful though, because due to how massive this universe is, it could be quite easy to find yourself lost, with little means to get home.
Another great concern is running across Dragon Ball's many planet-killing villains. That is indeed a frightening thought to come to grips with but, in most cases, you can count on Goku to save the day for you. Only a few thoughts are as exciting as being able to collect the Dragon Balls and make whatever wish you want coming to fruition. The possibility of intergalactic travel is another worthwhile feature of this massive multiverse.
5 BLEACH
Bleach takes place in a world much like our own and in a time period very similar to that of the 21st century. The major difference comes from the existence of two other worlds, known as the Soul Society and Hueco Mundo.
The Soul Society is home to beings known as Soul Reapers, who are tasked with helping the souls of the dead cross over to the Soul Society, as well as battling Hollows, who threaten the human realm. The Soul Society has its own uniquely stratified class system, which allows for little upward mobility.
Hueco Mundo is the home to Hollows and Arrancar, and much of it seems to be a never-ending desert of white sand, under a perpetual night sky.
4 NARUTO
Naruto takes place on a planet called Earth which looks similar to our own earth from space. The shinobi world is divided into several different countries, namely, the Land of Fire, Iron, Earth, Lightning, Snow, Sound, Water, and Wind. These countries all have a military force consisting of ninjas.
These ninjas are schooled from a young age in the ways of a shinobi. They learn to weave signs and use them, in conjunction with their chakra, to perform powerful jutsus. These are the basic mechanics that allow for such interesting fights in Naruto. With these abilities, Ninjas can perform a variety of powerful, elemental-based attacks. Finally, some clans in Naruto have specific abilities that they become known for, such as the Uchiha Clan's 'Sharingan'.
3 MY HERO ACADEMIA
Owing to evolution, about 80% of the world's population has developed special abilities known as 'quirks'. Quirks are apart of the user's body and grant them a superhuman ability. This development led to an increase in dangerous crimes and, as a way of combating this, the government made being a 'hero' an actual profession.
A hero can be considered to be any licensed person who uses their quirk to protect civilians from harm. This led to a boom in heroism, as many people who wished to help others quickly jumped at the opportunity to do so. Of course, some heroes only engage in these activities for the money and some for fame. The thought of living in a superhero-themed world, where you can earn a living by saving people, is a very intriguing one indeed.
2 FULLMETAL ALCHEMIST
An alchemist is a scientist who understands the structure of matter and uses this understanding to either decompose objects or decompose and then reconstruct that matter into something different. A fundamental rule of alchemy is the principle of equivalent exchange. That law states that, in order to create something, something of equal value must be lost or destroyed.
This power system is one of the more detailed ones in anime and, it having drawbacks, makes the use of alchemy even cooler. This system is largely what makes this world cool, but special mention must go to the countries of Amestris, Ishval, and Xing, which are all beautiful countries, rich in history.
1 ONE PIECE
The One Piece world has one large continent, a succession of islands that run around the world and four oceans. The continent is known as the Redline and the ocean current containing the islands that stretch around the world is known as the Grandline.
The Grandline is a crazy place, where interesting adventures await those who are brave enough to seek them. The majority of One Piece takes place in its massive oceans. These expansive seas are divided into four seas known as North, East, South and West Blue. Those seas are made up of different islands of varying sizes. All these islands are interesting and it would be a dream come true to explore them.