Best Shonen Manga Of All Time

Summary

• Shonen manga has revolutionized the industry with unique themes and characters.
• Chainsaw Man, Attack on Titan, and Naruto are among the top shonen series ever created.
• Some of these series, like One Piece and Dragon Ball, have influenced the global comic book industry.

It can’t be denied that the shonen category has made an enormous impact on Japan’s ever-growing manga industry. Over the last few decades, many original stories (which were written specifically for young Japanese boys) have managed to reach people all around the world, regardless of their age, gender, or nationality.

As a result, shonen manga has become extremely successful worldwide, and many talented authors have created their own exciting and unique series, not to mention that some of them have left such a huge mark on the industry that they managed to influence others that came after them. Needless to say, there’s an absurd number of excellent shonen manga series, but only the following can be considered the absolute best ones.

8

Chainsaw Man

A Surreal And Dark Story With A Unique Power System

• Author: Tatsuki Fujimoto
• Magazine: Weekly Shonen Jump
• Debut: December 3, 2018
• Genre(s): Action, Horror, Dark Comedy
• Length: 198 chapters (Ongoing)

While the late 2010s spawned multiple solid shonen manga (like My Hero Academia, Demon Slayer, and Jujutsu Kaisen), it takes a lot for one of them to be placed alongside some of the category’s most legendary and influential series. One of the few series that has easily earned that place is Tatsuki Fujimoto’s Chainsaw Man, a surprisingly dark and innovative story that turned the entire industry on its head.

Chainsaw Man is a lot more mature than most shonen manga, as it explores themes of loneliness, violence, fear, sexuality, and more, but it never feels like it’s overtly edgy or like its violent scenes are gratuitous. On top of that, the characters are complex and have impeccable development, and it has one of the most creative power systems in the industry, with a focus on devils that are powered by humanity’s greatest fears. Lastly, Fujimoto’s amazing paneling, original character designs, and dynamic action scenes are the cherry on top that have helped cement Chainsaw Man as a modern classic that, in just six years, has already made an even bigger impact than most of its contemporaries.

7

Attack On Titan

A Violent Series That Satisfied Readers During A Drought Period

• Author: Hajime Isayama
• Magazine: Bessatsu Shonen Magazine
• Debut: September 9, 2009
• Genre(s): Action, Dark Fantasy, Political Thriller
• Length: 139 chapters

It may be easy to forget nowadays, but the shonen manga industry was going through a major drought between the mid-2000s and the mid-2010s, and Hajime Isayama’s Attack on Titan was pretty much the only major series that successfully bridged that gap. The best part is that this wasn’t another generic action series with a lighthearted tone; it was a dark fantasy thriller with surprisingly mature themes and some of the most violent action sequences in the entire genre.

Attack on Titan introduced readers to a unique and dangerous world where it felt like every character could die at any point, and Isayama’s incredible art helped raise those stakes, especially with the detailed designs of the titular titans, who always looked both epic and threatening. But the most memorable thing about Attack on Titan is its final arc, which completely turned the story on its own head by turning the protagonist, Eren Yeager, into a ruthless antagonist hell-bent on destroying the world for his own personal reasons. A lot of people may not have enjoyed its ending, but there’s no denying that this is a series that took a lot of risks. As a result, it had a huge impact on the entire industry.

6

Naruto

This Epic Story About Ninjas Quickly Became One Of The Big Three

• Author: Masashi Kishimoto
• Magazine: Weekly Shonen Jump
• Debut: September 21, 1999
• Genre(s): Action, Adventure, Fantasy
• Length: 700 chapters

It’s literally impossible to discuss the shonen manga industry without mentioning Shueisha’s “Big Three,” three different series that became extremely popular during the late 90s and early 2000s. The most popular and influential one is, without a doubt, Masashi Kishimoto’s Naruto, which is still read by people all around the world on almost a yearly basis. It follows the story of Naruto Uzumaki, a young boy who wants to become Hokage (the greatest ninja in his village), but he has one problem: an evil fox demon resides inside his body.

With this simple but effective premise, Kishimoto has managed to turn Naruto into an incredible action story, with endearing character dynamics, intimidating villains, and some of the best fights ever drawn in a manga, which are elevated by the series’ unique power system that revolves around chakra and ninjutsu. While many people despise its final arc and its sequel series, Boruto, that’s not enough to ruin the everlasting legacy that Naruto has left on the entire world, especially considering that it heavily influenced numerous shonen manga that came after it.

5

Bleach

An Endlessly Entertaining And Influential Supernatural Action Series

• Author: Tite Kubo
• Magazine: Weekly Shonen Jump
• Debut: August 7, 2001
• Genre(s): Action, Adventure, Supernatural
• Length: 686 chapters

Tite Kubo’s Bleach is another member of the “Big Three,” and this is for very good reasons, seeing as it’s so different from Naruto that both series perfectly complement each other. This story works especially well because it starts off with a dynamic that is reminiscent of a western superhero comic, but with an Eastern touch: Ichigo Kurosaki is a Japanese delinquent who can see ghosts, until one day he meets Rukia Kuchiki, a Soul Reaper who fights dangerous undead creatures called Hollows. This simple interaction opened the door to an incredible supernatural world that is always engaging and interesting.

The first few chapters of Bleach feel like a run-of-the-mill superhero story, but it quickly turns into an epic fantasy tale with some of the most epic battles in the genre. This is because Tite Kubo has showcased his impeccable character writing and design (which are perfectly seen in specific groups of characters like the Gotei 13 or the Espadas). He also created one of the most creative and interesting power systems, the Zanpakutos and the Bankai, always making every battle even more exciting for the readers. At its core, Bleach is extremely entertaining, and its influence can still be seen and felt today in multiple modern series like Black Clover, Demon Slayer, Jujutsu Kaisen, Chainsaw Man, and more.

4

Dragon Ball / Dragon Ball Z

The Most Important Manga In The Entire World

• Author: Akira Toriyama
• Magazine: Weekly Shonen Jump
• Debut: November 20, 1984
• Genre(s): Action, Adventure, Fantasy, Martial Arts
• Length: 519 chapters

Back in 1984, a young Akira Toriyama concluded his work on a goofy comedy series called Dr. Slump, so he immediately began working on his next story: Dragon Ball, a lighthearted retelling of Journey to the West with a big focus on both comedy and martial arts. Little did he know that it would eventually become the biggest and most successful manga, not only within the action shonen genre but also in the global comic book industry.

Of course, the original Dragon Ball was a delightful little story that was mostly centered on its adventure aspect, but what cemented it as the most recognizable manga in the entire world was its sequel series, Dragon Ball Z. This is a martial arts extravaganza, with cool-looking characters, flashy special attacks, exciting transformations, and over-the-top battles that engaged readers all around the world, not to mention that Toriyama seamlessly adapted his unique art style into a more serious setting that still featured some occasional comedic moments. Despite all its glaring issues, Dragon Ball Z managed to become a cultural milestone that changed the world for good, and it helped the late Akira Toriyama leave behind an eternal legacy.

A Deep Political Thriller That Has A Lot To Say About The World

• Author: Hiromu Arakawa
• Magazine: Monthly Shonen Gangan
• Debut: July 12, 2001
• Genre(s): Adventure, Fantasy, Steampunk
• Length: 108 chapters

It’s important to point out that, despite being such a male-centric field, the shonen manga industry has featured the works of many talented female writers, with one of the biggest standouts being the great Hiromu Arakawa, the creator of Fullmetal Alchemist. The story of Edward and Alphonse Elric is as heartbreaking as it is fascinating, and it slowly but cleverly leads both the main characters and the readers into a dark but complex plot about life, death, war, genocide, and political conspiracies.

The plot of Fullmetal Alchemist is, without a doubt, one of the absolute best ones in the medium, and that’s not even the only reason it is considered one of the best shonen manga in the industry. Arakawa’s art style is incredibly appealing, the characters can be both fun and serious depending on the situation, it’s filled to the brim with many emotional moments, and its alchemy-based power system is endlessly creative and is constantly being used in brilliant ways. While most shonen fans don’t usually pay attention to series that are published outside of Shueisha’s Weekly Shonen Jump, Fullmetal Alchemist is the perfect example of how other magazines can also be the home of numerous excellent stories.

2

Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure

An Extremely Creative Series That Is Constantly Reinventing Itself

• Author: Hirohiko Araki
• Magazine: Weekly Shonen Jump, Ultra Jump
• Debut: January 1, 1987
• Genre(s): Action, Adventure, Supernatural
• Length: 978 chapters (Ongoing)

For many years, Hirohiko Araki’s JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure was almost never mentioned whenever fans discussed the most important and influential shonen manga, mainly because it didn’t receive a proper animated adaptation until 2012. However, the fact that its reputation has finally changed so much in the last decade is very satisfying, because it is one of the most distinctive and creative series in the entire medium.

Hirohiko Araki is a brilliant author and artist who has utilized his love of film and fashion to create some of the most bizarre but appealing fictional characters ever made, not to mention that he also came up with Stands, a truly inventive power system in which all the character’s abilities have a physical form with an excellent design. But JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure’s biggest strength is that it’s a generational story that is split into nine different parts, which has allowed Araki to repeatedly switch up his own formula with new protagonists, villains, locations, and supernatural abilities. This series has reinvented itself so many times that it even surpassed the shonen demographic and was eventually turned into a seinen manga that was serialized in Shueisha’s Ultra Jump magazine. Nevertheless, the first six parts of JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure are part of the shonen editorial category and are among some of the most fun and exciting stories ever told in it.

1

One Piece

This Fun Manga About Pirates Is One Of The Greatest Fictional Story Ever Told

• Author: Eiichiro Oda
• Magazine: Weekly Shonen Jump
• Debut: July 22, 1997
• Genre(s): Adventure, Fantasy, Comedy
• Length: 1144 chapters (Ongoing)

Eiichiro Oda’s One Piece is the third and final member of the “Big Three” and definitely its most important one, seeing as it’s the only one that is still being serialized in Weekly Shonen Jump, almost 28 years since its original debut. A lot of people are rightfully intimidated by its extensive length, but those who have read it are aware of the fact that this may just be the greatest fictional story ever told, not only in the manga industry but in the entirety of human history.

One Piece starts off pretty tame, with Monkey D. Luffy wanting to become Pirate King, so he starts recruiting a slew of fun and interesting characters for his own crew. What at first seemed like a lighthearted adventure, however, quickly becomes an ambitious story about revolutionary pirates going against a corrupt government, featuring glaring themes of greed, violence, war, discrimination, and social injustice that are brilliantly executed in a digestible and appealing way. Interestingly enough, this is a series that combines many elements (like comedy, action, science fiction, fantasy, and more) and perfectly juggles them all at the same time, so readers can never feel bored. Of course, Oda’s unique art style and over-the-top character design help this incredible shonen manga stand out even more. Needless to say, the day that One Piece reaches its long-awaited conclusion, both its fictional setting and the real world are going to change forever.