Anime is a medium that’s made space for every style of storytelling imaginable, yet there’s still unprecedented enthusiasm and acclaim for big, bold battle shonen series. The anime industry has significantly changed over the past few decades. It’s becoming increasingly rare for shonen anime to run indefinitely for hundreds of episodes. However, these anime remain front and center, dominating the decade.
It’s great when an anime finds an audience immediately out of the gate, but it’s arguably even more important for titles to retain that audience after they’re finished, so that fans are incentivized to repeatedly revisit these epic adventures. A good anime isn’t always a rewatchable anime, yet it’s the latter that go on to become all-time classics. There are some exceptional titles out there that can constantly be watched without ever getting old.
Jujutsu Kaisen has become one of shonen’s biggest breakout hits of the past few years. The dark supernatural action anime has released 59 episodes across three seasons, along with a prequel movie, which fans have repeatedly revisited in eager anticipation of season four. Jujutsu Kaisen is filled with challenging battle choreography and one of the best power systems in modern shonen storytelling, not to mention dazzling visuals that have MAPPA doing some of its best work ever.
Jujutsu Kaisen‘s battles never lose their charm, but the anime’s densely plotted, non-linear narrative benefits from repeated viewings. Seemingly innocuous changes suddenly hit a lot harder the second time around. It’s easy to get lost in rewatches because of Jujutsu Kaisen‘s tight storytelling that lacks unnecessary filler. It’s pure plot-driven action.
Akira Toriyama’s Dragon Ball is one of shonen’s greatest success stories and a title that’s likely to remain relevant and be regarded as one of the industry’s top titles. Each Dragon Ball anime has a slightly different style that caters to contrasting interests. Dragon Ball Z might contain some of the franchise’s most memorable moments, but it’s the original Dragon Ball that’s the more consistent series.
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The original Dragon Ball seamlessly shifts between fantastical adventures, exaggerated martial arts tournaments, and superpowered showdowns against dark forces. Dragon Ball Z is prone to repetitive and formulaic storytelling, plus more disposable filler, but the original Dragon Ball is more focused and varied in its adventures.
Yu Yu Hakusho’s Suspenseful Supernatural Combat Stays Fresh & Intense
Yoshihiro Togashi’s Yu Yu Hakusho is a standout battle shonen anime from the ’90s that’s often regarded as the gold standard for many of the genre’s tropes, particularly its comprehensive approach to a tournament arc. Yusuke Urameshi evolves from a reckless juvenile delinquent into a selfless spirit detective who takes it upon himself to reconcile the balance between clashing worlds. Yu Yu Hakusho is careful to not overextend itself with a cumbersome cast of characters.
Its four central players all get their moments to rise to the occasion and play hero. It’s a shonen anime that’s easy to rewatch because its 112 episodes are effectively spread out over four distinct sagas. The Dark Tournament, which features back-to-back combat for an extended period, remains creative and captivating without ever feeling like a laborious slog.
JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure Rejuvenates Itself Through Genre & Generational Pivots
JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure sets itself apart from its many shonen peers through Hirohiko Araki’s inspired decision to focus on a legendary bloodline of heroes rather than on a single savior. Each major JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure saga chronicles the trials and tribulations of a different member of the Joestar family. This helps JoJo constantly reinvent itself as each new saga tackles a different style of storytelling, genre, and villain.
This helps make JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure infinitely rewatchable because it covers so much ground and is always changing. Alternatively, it’s a lot of fun to notice certain themes, ideas, and characters that recur throughout JoJo’s history. There are hundreds of unpredictable Stand powers on display that make sure JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure is always building upon its strong foundation and pushing its limits.
There are plenty of battle shonen anime that lose their momentum after unnecessarily lengthy adventures. Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood benefits from 64 episodes of economical and emotional brilliance that follow two traumatized brothers who want to fix their family. Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood is careful to make sure that Edward’s emotional arc is just as important as his power.
Alchemy is such a thought-provoking power system that equates strength with contemplative consequences. Every episode feels like it’s building towards the anime’s bigger picture, but this is even more evident during a rewatch. Subtle foreshadowing, perplexing character motivations, and tonal pivots all hold up better once the audience knows where the Elric brothers’ story is heading.
Haikyu!! Conjures Endless Enthusiasm For Its Fast-Paced Sports Showcase
Sports anime represent another crucial pillar of shonen anime. These inspirational underdog stories tap into many of the same ideals that are championed in superpowered action anime. Haikyu!! is often praised for being one of the greatest modern sports shonen anime. Shoyo Hinata doesn’t let his short height get in the way of his intense passion for volleyball. Hinata’s enthusiasm for the sport evolves into an exciting meditation on teamwork, forgiveness, and self-improvement.
Haikyu!!‘s four seasons are effectively structured to celebrate different volleyball challenges that don’t just feel derivative of one another. Haikyu!! hits even harder on a rewatch because the relationships among Hinata, his teammates, and his rivals are clearer. The same is true for the surprising degree of foreshadowing in each volleyball match, which is easy to miss the first time around.
Attack On Titan Is A Masterpiece Of Foreshadowing & Serialized Storytelling
Hajime Isayama’s Attack on Titan is one of the darkest shonen hits of the past 15 years. It’s a poignant deconstruction of power, corruption, propaganda, and how the ends can often justify the means. Attack on Titan begins as mankind’s altruistic crusade to survive against man-eating monsters. Gradually, the anime reveals that man is worse than any monster and ultimately responsible for the endless war that’s in motion between nations. Attack on Titan is full of bleak themes, cruel casualties, and disturbing body horror.
It’s not an anime that’s necessarily pleasant to revisit, but one that’s even more effective the second time around. There’s such dense foreshadowing that’s hidden away in Attack on Titan, even in its earliest episodes, that adds so much to the storytelling. It’s such an impressive accomplishment to see how many of its biggest twists were hiding in plain sight.
Gintama Rich Comedy & Complex Worlds Work Even Better On Rewatches
Gintama has over 360 episodes and a full watch is no small feat. Shonen anime of this size can be intimidating tomes that feel more like chores than means of entertainment. That being said, Gintama achieves an effortless energy that makes repeated viewings a real breeze and casually sneaks up on the audience thanks to its intuitive pacing and genre-blending. It’s so easy for dozens of episodes to be binged through in the blink of an eye.
It creates a well-defined, lived-in world that’s constantly expanding and drawing more characters, concepts, and callbacks into its orbit. Gintama has its share of melodramatic climaxes that are on par with the greatest action anime. It’s also a shonen series that’s more than content to waste an entire episode on nonsensical silliness. Gintama’s ability to excel equally in both comedy and drama makes it a winner in every situation.
Hunter X Hunter Breaks Shonen Stereotypes With Its Challenging Sagas & Power System
Hunter x Hunter takes many of the battle shonen genre’s most popular tropes and pushes them to unprecedented places through its subversive storytelling, strategic battles, and nuanced characters. Gon Freecss proves that his Nen abilities are in a league of their own, but he’s not regarded as some legendary warrior. His accomplishments are the result of hard work and determination.
Gon’s grander adventure never drags because Hunter x Hunter carefully turns each storyline into an opportunity for deeper introspection. It avoids the formulaic pitfalls that are so prominent in these types of series by creating a system that relies on more than strength alone. Nen-based combat is still paramount in Hunter x Hunter, but it’s just as rewarding to see the action anime temporarily become a hard-boiled crime noir, a political thriller, or an isekai fantasy.
The Disastrous Life Of Saiki K. Specializes In Bite-Sized Bursts Of Silliness
Battle anime with grandiose action set pieces frequently represent shonen’s most popular programming, but there’s still plenty of room in this space for sillier gag comedy experiences. The Disastrous Life of Saiki K. is one of the best shonen gag comedies to come along in decades. Kusuo Saiki is a teenager who is blessed with unbelievable psychic abilities, yet Saiki uses these powers to be ignored rather than stealing the spotlight.
Saiki K.’s comedy stems from its titular character’s desire to be left alone and live a normal life. The anime’s comedic timing is unparalleled, and its kinetic pacing yields smart, inspired set pieces that feel more like sketch comedy than lengthy stories. The Disastrous Life of Saiki K.‘s comedy never wears out its welcome, and audiences will still be left laughing after watching every episode several times over.
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