If you’ve ever gone to watch an anime like Gintama or My Hero Academia, you may have noticed the show was tagged as Shonen. So what’s up with this descriptor?
Shonen is a common term thrown around for anime series that typically feature younger male protagonists and lots of action. While these elements are not required to make an anime fit the Shonen category, it is popular within the genre. But what exactly does Shonen mean for anime fans?
What does Shonen anime mean?
First, it’s worth giving a disclaimer that Shonen is technically more of a marketing term than a genre. Still, many regard it as an umbrella term worthy of categorization. Shonen is a broad genre of anime that is targeted towards older boys and younger men, with 12-18 years old being the typical range. Still, this doesn’t mean that older audiences can’t enjoy works within Shonen, because they often do.
Shonen can also be found in manga, especially the popular monthly manga magazine, Shonen Jump. Many popular Shonen anime series were once manga in the magazine, like Bleach and One Piece. Other popular Shonen anime includes Attack on Titan, Dragon Ball Z, Demon Slayer, and JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure. The female counterpart to Shonen is called Shojo, which has anime like Fruits Basket. You’ll also occasionally see the terms Seinen (adult males) and and Josei (adult females) thrown around in the anime community, with anime like Devilman Crybaby and Yuri On Ice representing them. Both feature more mature themes and subjects.
