Hundreds of new anime flood the market each year, many of which cover a wide array of storytelling genres and visuals. However, for decades, it’s the heightened nature and exaggerated action of the shonen genre that’s the medium’s most popular type of series.
The shonen genre is geared towards adolescent male audiences, which means that they sometimes lack the depth of more mature series. Nevertheless, even the laziest and most disappointing shonen series still have passionate, vocal fandoms.
10 Dragon Ball Z Is Full Of Iconic Moments That Justify The Lengthy Journey
Akira Toriyama’s Dragon Ball Z has become a poster child for shonen anime, and the mark that it’s left on the genre is undeniable. The ongoing Dragon Ball franchise is still ongoing, so it might sound a little harsh to group it in with the weakest of shonen series.
However, Dragon Ball Z is still undeniably the weakest, but also the most popular, of the franchise’s series. Dragon Ball Z suffers from poor pacing, repetitive battle formulas, and irrelevant filler installments. Dragon Ball Z also contains many of the franchise’s biggest moments, which have helped give the lengthy series a pass.
9 Boruto: Naruto Next Generations Recaptures the Magic Of Its Predecessor
Naruto is unquestionably one of the most successful shonen series of its generation. The anime's satisfying conclusion was followed up with a spin-off sequel series that follows Naruto's son, Boruto. Boruto: Naruto Next Generations has good intentions, but many of its earlier episodes are derivative of its predecessor and cover comparable ground.
Granted, Boruto does gradually find its own voice, but at more than 270 episodes, it's becoming a bloated expansion to the Naruto lore. However, ongoing Naruto love and intermittent appearances from old characters have made Boruto quite popular.
8 Bleach's Legacy Outlives Its Anime’s Poor Execution
Ichigo Kurosaki’s quest to become a legendary Soul Reaper helped turn Bleach into one of Shonen Jump’s most popular series of all time. Bleach has an exceptional foundation, but its anime adaptation is filler filled, lasts more than 350 episodes, and goes wildly off-course.
Bleach’s anime ends on a weak, unresolved note. However, the overwhelming excitement that’s been on display for the anime’s Thousand-Year Blood War anime return is proof that a subpar ending isn’t enough to kill the fans’ interest in Bleach’s characters, action, and storytelling.
7 Fairy Tail Bides Its Time & Relies On Stereotypes
Fairy Tail is an extensive shonen series set in a rich fantasy world that's filled with magic users and prolific guilds of heroic warriors. Fairy Tail has found a devoted audience across its hundreds of episodes, but the shonen series takes some time to find its footing.
The earliest episodes of Fairy Tail are the weakest and feature the brash Natsu Dragneel at his most abhorrent. This slow start, Natsu's stunted development, and copious caricatures are valid criticisms, but the adventure that it eventually becomes is a satisfying one.
6 JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: Stardust Crusaders Is An Important Turning Point In The Series
Stardust Crusaders is a fascinating chapter in Hirohiko Araki's larger JoJo's Bizarre Adventure series. To many fans, Stardust Crusaders is the most popular installment from the franchise, and it marks a crucial shift from Hamon power to energy Stands. Stardust Crusaders is indispensable, but its anime's positive reception is largely colored by nostalgia.
Stardust Crusaders' anime is the longest of any JoJo's series at 48 episodes that are spread across two parts. This results in some pacing problems and much of Stardust Crusaders is random battles with Stand users through Egypt. Stardust Crusaders is still a lot of fun, but it'd benefit from tighter editing.
5 One-Punch Man Pokes Fun At The Bloated Superhero Genre
Fans are eagerly awaiting the arrival of One-Punch Man’s third season, and the heightened shonen series couldn’t have come at a better time. One-Punch Man exhibits a lot of reverence for both the shonen and superhero genres, but it also lovingly mocks them through its ridiculous heroes and overpowered characters.
It might be a stretch to call One-Punch Man one of the worst shonen series, but its premise quickly wears thin and the noticeable downgrade in animation during Season 2 has helped humble the anime’s reputation.
4 Black Clover Is The Ultimate Underdog Tale That Takes Its Time
Black Clover is a magic-based shonen series that borrows a lot from other fantasy and action stories. The Clover Kingdom is a world where magical powers are the norm. However, Asta, an orphan, struggles to develop this skill. Asta's growth as an anti-magic user is juxtaposed to that of his brother, Yuno, who's prolific with spells.
The biggest complaints with Black Clover involve Asta and how long it takes him to ditch his obnoxious habits, yet most audiences agree that it's worth the wait. If Black Clover's upcoming 2023 feature film is popular, then it's unlikely that this will be the last fans have seen of Asta and company.
3 The Seven Deadly Sins' Story Of Redemption Makes Up For Its Weaknesses
The Seven Deadly Sins embraces the popular shonen trope where a team of powerful magic users work together to fix a corrupt world. Meliodas and the rest of his team have been unjustly blamed for a crime that they didn't commit and are forced to go on the ultimate redemption tour.
This story of second chances is inspirational as far as shonen series are concerned, and its humanized characters are what work best. Meanwhile, the anime is viewed as a lower-tier shonen series because of its poor pacing and repetitive storytelling.
2 Toriko Gets Its Audience Hungry For A Subversive Shonen Story
Toriko was set to be the next big shonen hit on the level of Dragon Ball or One Piece thanks to its unique take on action and adventure. As a famed Gourmet Hunter, Toriko searches the globe for the best food and ingredients. Toriko himself is an odd anime hero who is sometimes enough to win over fans.
Toriko's popularity plummeted enough that its English dub stopped after only 50 of the 147 installments. However, both the full anime and manga end on equally abrupt notes. This all detracts from Toriko's legacy, and the series hasn't really returned in other forms.
1 Bakugan Battle Brawlers Delivers Juvenile Joy Despite Its Obvious Advertising
The success of duel-based battle shonen anime that have real-life counterparts like Yu-Gi-Oh! resulted in countless imitators. Bakugan Battle Brawlers involves transforming marbles that's used as a way to battle monsters.
There's nothing particularly original about the Bakugan franchise, and its efforts to sell toys are incredibly transparent. However, Bakugan became an odd success in North America during the 2010s, surpassing its reputation in Japan and resulting in a wide array of sequel series. Bakugan Battle Brawlers is a nostalgic guilty pleasure for many anime fans.