Shōnenanimehas always been incredibly popular. Aimed at a largely teenage audience, shōnen action dominates the spotlight seemingly every passing anime season, and has for decades. Titles likeDragon Ball,One Piece,Naruto, and so many more have built strong, lasting legacies thatcontinue to attract hordes of new fans to this day. Many of the shows that dominated the ’90s and 2000s are still ongoing, or have taken on new forms to attract modern audiences with different expectations.
However, while certain series have dominated the shōnen scene over the last 30 or so years, new shows have stepped in and taken the anime world by storm. Some have utilized the tried and true tropes that have kept shōnen anime so popular throughout the decades,while others have pushed the very definition of a shōnen story to its limits. The past 5–8 years have seen the release of quite a few new series that have shifted boundaries, while gaining mass popularity and proving that anime is better than it’s ever been.
Studio Pierrot’sBlack Cloveris one of the most popular anime series of the last decade. Following a young orphan named Asta, who was born without the ability to use mana in a world where everyone has magical abilities, the series focuses on the boy’s journey of honing his physical strength in its place. Stories focusing on ‘hard work beats talent’ have always been popular with anime fans,andBlack Cloverhas scratched that itch for many since debuting late in 2017.
The series doesn’t do much out of the ordinary for a shōnen battle anime, but insteadmakes use of a structure that has helped the genre remain so popular throughout the years, while bringing its own flair and unique spin to a magical world. Unfortunately,Black Cloverhas been on hiatus since 2021, though the manga it’s based on is still ongoing.
Kaiju no. 8premiered during the spring 2024 anime seasonand became the sleeper hit of the year, taking the community by surprise and gaining quite a bit of fanfare. In the short time since, the series haspartnered with video games likeFortnite, and has confirmed that it will be returning for a second season in July 2025. Based on the manga by Naoya Matsumoto,Kaiju no. 8does things a bit differently than the typical shōnen series.
The anime follows Kafka Hibino, who becomes infected with a parasite while attempting to join the Japanese Anti-Kaiju Defense Force, becoming a Kaiju hybrid himself. The premise isn’t all that revolutionary, as something likeAttack on Titanfollows a very similar baseline, but what makesKaiju no. 8unique is thatits protagonist is in his early 30s, rather than a teen like most shōnen battle stories. With a gripping setting, over-the-top action, and kaijus designed by the studio behindEvangelion, there isn’t much to dislike about the series.
Few anime series have been quite as big asSpy x Familyhas been since its premiere in 2022. The found family, spy-comedy series chronicling the daily life of the Forgers has taken the anime community by storm, and has only needed two seasonsto cement itself as one of shōnen’s new-gen mega hits.
Packed with comedy, drama, slice-of-life and even action elements, the series has something for fans of all genres, and the three family members doing their best to keep their secrets from one anothermakes for consistently entertaining viewing experiences. The slight possibility that one will find the true identity of the other is enough to keep fans coming back for more, and more is on the way, asSpy x FamilySeason Three is set to air in October 2025.
Premiering in 2019,Beastarsis one of the stranger,more underrated anime series released in recent years. Set in a world where there is a clear divide between carnivorous predators and herbivores, the series follows Legoshi, a gray wolf who is gentle despite his appearance. When an alpaca is killed and eaten, tensions rise between the groups, and Legoshi must learn to find himself in a society where discrimination and prejudice follow his every move.
Beastars' animation style and anthropomorphic animal cast of characters have turned many anime fans off of the series before ever giving it a try, which is a shame considering how incredible and current a story it tells. The first half of its split-cour final season premiered in December 2024,and is expected to return for the finale some time in 2025.
There has arguably been no bigger anime title in the last decade thanDemon Slayer. The dark fantasy series based on the manga of the same name by Koyoharu Gotouge has absolutely dominated the spotlight since its premiere in 2019, and shows no signs of slowing down. The 2020 film,Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba - The Movie: Mugen Train, is currently the highest-grossing Japanese movie of all time, a title the franchise will surely be battling itself forlater this year with the first of itsInfinity Castlefilms.
Following the kind-hearted Tanjiro, the titular Demon Slayer, who fights in order to return his sister’s humanity, the anime is packed withsome of the most visually impressive action sequences ever. With emotional beats thrown in here and there,Demon Slayerhas become the blueprint for modern shōnen anime.
Dandadantook the anime world by storm with its first season’s debut in late 2024, and immediately became one of shōnen’s hottest new titles. With each weekly release, the series climbed the popularity charts, finding itself consistently on Netflix’s top 10 lists.Dandadanisa prime example of the shift that’s taken place in shōnen over the last decade or so, in which stories began straying from the usual hero’s journey structure.
The series refuses to stick to one genre, with action, drama, horror, and even romance elements playing major roles in a narrative based on one of the most ridiculous premises in anime.Dandadanis set to return with Season Twothis coming July, and if its quality can match that of its first season, the series may find itself among the most popular titles in the medium.
AsDandadanwas 2024’s breakout smash-hit anime,Frieren: Beyond Journey’s Endowns that title for 2023. Debuting in the fall anime season,Frierenquickly captured the attention and hearts of fansof all genres with its relaxed, almost melancholy tone, moving story, and incredible visual style.
Frieren, the titular elven mage, was a legendary member of a party of adventurers who restored peace to the world after defeating the Demon King during a long, 10-year quest. However, what makes the series totally uniqueis thatFrierentakes place 50 years after those events, and follows its protagonist as she takes on new challenges and wrestles with the fact that her nature allows her to outlive those she cares about. The anime’s second season is expected to arrive in 2026.
Chainsaw Manwas arguably the most anticipated anime series ever in the months leading up to its premiere in 2022, and for good reason.Many attribute the new-gen transformation of shōnen to the original manga by Tatsuki Fujimoto, which found itself where it might not have belonged in the pages ofShōnen Jump, and threw the legendary magazine’s rulebook right out the window.
Following the lovable and morally gray Denji, the series uses the guise of a shōnen battle story to tell a uniquely moving tale of one unlucky boy’s growth and maturityin a world that wants nothing more than to see him dead. Studio MAPPA’s adaptation has undergone some changes in the time leading up to its return, but fans can see the new-lookChainsaw Manin theaters this October withthe upcomingReze Arcmovie.
Jujutsu Kaisenis arguably shōnen’s current most popular title. Based on the now-finished manga by Gege Akutami, the anime has ruled the spotlight since premiering in 2020, and only further boosted its reputation with a masterful second season in 2023. With flashy, beautifully animated fights, and enough style to hang with the titans ofShōnen Jump,the series has established itself as the must-watch anime of the 2020s.
Jujutsu Kaisenhas joined the likes ofDemon Slayeras an era-defining title for shōnen anime, and will undoubtedly gain classic status in future years, if it hasn’t done so already.Season Three is currently in production by MAPPA, though given the studio’s propensity for picking up endless new projects, it’s uncertain when the series will return.
Though the series slightly predates the ‘new-gen’ movement,Mob Psycho 100sowed the seedsof what shōnen would become in the years that followed. Taking the hero’s journey battle shōnen formula that countless stories utilized before it, the series made thethen-novel choice to focus inward on its protagonistrather than the enemies he comes across.
Touching on themes like identity and self-improvement,Mob Psycho 100was revolutionary in the shōnen battle genre at the time of its release, andremains incredibly impressive now in a landscape of anime that was built upon its influence. The adaptation by Bones studio comes with excellent pacing and visuals, offering just about everything fans of shōnen anime would want from a show.
