Most Underrated Shonen Anime, Ranked
Anime’s shonen genre is full of rich and exciting stories, many of which have become the medium’s most successful series. Shonen content is intentionally geared towards the younger male demographic, but its characters and conflicts have proven to resonate with worldwide audiences of all ages. One Piece, Dragon Ball, Naruto, and My Hero Academia are some of the most omnipresent and popular shonen titles that have irrevocably influenced the medium.
However, not every shonen series immediately connects with audiences. There are far too many promising productions that fade into obscurity that have nothing to do with their quality. It’s always important to spotlight overlooked and underrated anime that have slipped through the cracks and these are some of shonen’s biggest oversights.
Background: Loid, Yor, and Anya Forger from Spy x Family; Satoru Gojo from Jujutsu Kaisen. Foreground: Bertholdts Colossal Titan from Attack on Titan
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Flame Of Recca Adds A Supernatural Spin To Shonen Ninja Combat
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Flame of Recca is a playful shonen series that feels like the synthesis of Yu Yu Hakusho and Naruto, yet it’s not nearly as well-known as either of these series. The spirited Recca Hanabishi has a fiery passion for ninjas and he goes so far as to make the bold claim that he’ll lend his ninja services to anyone who can beat him in battle. Recca learns that he’s actually the descendant of the leader of the Hokage, a prolific group of ninjas that were eliminated centuries ago.
Recca possesses an important lineage, but he also realizes that he has the power to manipulate fire and wield powerful supernatural weapons. Flame of Recca’s anime is only 42 episodes long, but it’s incredibly efficient in its storytelling and the evolution of Recca’s powers. Recca’s participation in a deadly martial arts tournament is when the series really comes together and bombards Recca with many uniquely dangerous opponents. It’s a shonen series that’s rich in action, but also has a lot of heart.
The cast of Flame Of Recca posing on the Official Poster
Flame Of Recca
In modern Japan where the way of ninja is still practiced secretly, Recca discovers that he has a power to manipulate fire. Eventually he meets people who also has strange power, and he soon has to overcome his past and face his destiny.
Release DateJuly 19, 1997CastHikaru Midorikawa, Ksuke OkanoMain GenreAnimationGenresAction, AdventureRatingTV-PGSeasons1 SeasonStudioPierrotCreatorNobuyuki AnzaiProduction CompanyFuji Television Network, Pierrot DAR, Pierrot
GetBackers Celebrates A Dangerous Duo Who Retrieve Whats Been Lost
Luffy from One Piece, Deku from My Hero Academia, and Naruto
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GetBackers is a 49-episode anime from the early 2000s that’s one of the best shonen series that nobody knows about. Ban Mido and Ginji Amano lead the titular GetBackers group, who help individuals recover their lost and stolen possessions. This is a very simple premise, but there’s incredible diversity in the cases that the GetBackers take on, whether they’re locating a lost video game or retrieving atomic bomb elements.
On top of everything else, Ban Mido has two supernatural skills — Evil Eye and Snake Bite — which trap targets in terrifying hallucinations and apply tremendous gripping power, respectively. There’s a successful episodic quality to Ban and Ginji’s repossessive antics, but a deeper and more engrossing story also plays out that pulls the GetBackers into a dire dilemma. GetBackers never bites off more than it can chew and its central duo are some of the shonen genre’s most lovable characters.
GetBackers anime poster
GetBackers
Ban Midou and Ginji Amano, two juvenile delinquents from the Shinjuku district of Tokyo, Japan, are also known as a pair of retrievers-for-hire called the GetBackers. Both of them possess supernatural powers to aid them in their missions.
Release DateOctober 5, 2002CastShanon Weaver, Darren Pleavin, Sarah HauserMain GenreAnimeGenresSci-Fi, Comedy, Action, AdventureRatingTV-PGSeasons1Production CompanyKdansha, Rondo Robe, Studio DEENNumber of Episodes49
Kekkaishi Delivers Character-Based Drama Around Rival Magic Users
Kekkaishi is a shonen series from the 2000s that’s dense in magic, rich rivalries, and dangerous spirits, yet it’s a title that’s surprisingly grounded. Kekkaishi doesn’t create apocalyptic stakes for its characters and instead centralizes its drama to the lead characters’ school, which was built on sacred land. Yoshimori Sumimura and Tokine Yukimura are proficient users of kekkai, a powerful form of barrier magic that can repel and destory supernatural creatures known as ayakashi. Sumimura and Yukimura share the same goal, but their heirs to rival families, which creates a compelling tension between them.
Kekkaishi has plenty of action and magical spectacles, but it’s largely a character-driven shonen series where its protagonists are its priority. Kekkaishi has become an obscure 2000s shonen anime that’s been supplanted by other series that explore similar subject matter. Curiously, Kekkaishi aired on Adult Swim’s Toonami programming block in 2010, which is usually an easy way for anime titles to become mainstream hits. However, Kekkaishi still failed to achieve evergreen status and many North American audiences don’t even remember its Adult Swim run.
Hell Teacher Nube Indulges In Supernatural Shenanigans At A Cursed School
Hell Teacher Nube is set in a cursed elementary school that’s a hotbed for supernatural phenomena. Nube, one of the teachers at Domori Elementary, doubles as a powerful exorcist who also has a deadly demon sealed in his hand that helps him fight these dark forces. Hell Teacher Nube is largely episodic in nature, with each installment tackling a different supernatural threat that also manages to teach Nube and his students an important lesson once everything is said and done. There’s a very addictive quality to Hell Teacher Nube’s storytelling and its stories perfectly fit its elementary school setting, rather than a high school environment where older students are in peril.
Hell Teacher Nube is emblematic of most ’90s shonen fare. That being said, a spin-off and its sequel have carried on decades later and even bring Nube back to Domori Elementary, all of which have helped update the Hell Teacher Nube universe with some more current sensibilities. Nevertheless, the entire franchise remains quite obscure and would deeply benefit from a modern remake.
Nube Shows His Demon Arm While Yukime Looks Shocked on the Hell Teacher Nube Promo
Hell Teacher Nube
A new teacher who also happens to be an exorcist with a demon hand finds his new school is a hotbed of paranormal and must balance his teaching duties with protecting his students and friends from all manner of supernatural threats.
Release DateApril 13, 1996Main GenreAnimeGenresComedy, Adventure, HorrorStudioToei AnimationMain CastRyoutaru Okiayu, Mina Tominaga, Rumi Kasahara, Toshiko Fujita, Kazunari Tanaka, Megumi Urawa and Yuri Shiratori
Beelzebub Saddles A Juvenile Delinquent With A Needy Demon Baby
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Shonen feature image
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Beelzebub is pure fun, from top to bottom. It combines many popular shonen tropes, but in a manner that still makes the series feel genuinely fresh and engaging. Tatsumi Oga is a reckless first-year student at a school for juvenile delinquents who stumbles upon a demon king’s baby, Baby Beel, who he’s now responsible for raising. Oga and Beel’s maid, Hilda, get into wild misadventures as Oga tries to pawn off Beel to more unscrupulous individuals before he learns that he’s contracted to be the demon baby’s guardian.
Baby Beel is a great way for Beelzebub to undercut the danger that surrounds Oga. Oga’s development into a more upstanding individual is also quite inspirational. Beelzebub is an endlessly playful shonen series with an eclectic cast of characters that deserves a much better reputation than what it’s received.
D.Gray-Man Unleashes A Vicious War Between Exorcists & Akuma
D.Gray-man is classic battle shonen bliss that unfortunately got lost in the shuffle of the endless shonen anime of the 2000s. D.Gray-man is a cut above its peers, but it’s largely been forgotten two decades later, even after 2016’s 13-episode sequel, D.Gray-man Hallow. D.Gray-man has all the trappings of a battle shonen classic. Allen Walker is a fearless teenager who tirelessly searches for Innocence, a cryptic substance that can craft powerful weapons that are capable of destroying Akuma.
Allen’s efforts are aided by the Black Order, a group of like-minded exorcists who challenge the Millennium Earl and his resilient demon army. D.Gray-man’s apocalyptic conflict plays out in an alternate version of 19th century England, which adds an extra layer of personality to the story. Allen Walker should be viewed on the same level as Black Clover’s Asta or even Jujutsu Kaisen’s Yuji, but he’s been relegated to an unfortunate battle shonen footnote.
D.Gray-Man
D.Gray-man (2006)
Young Allen Walker, an exorcist, fights Akuma to save the world.
Release DateOctober 3, 2006CastMark Stoddard, Sanae Kobayashi, Shizuka Itou, Todd HaberkornMain GenreAnimationGenresAction, AdventureRatingTV-14Seasons1CreatorKatsura HoshinoProducerFukashi AzumaProduction CompanyTV TokyoNumber of Episodes104 Episodes
Hikaru No Go Turns A Strategic Board Game Into A Supernatural Shonen Adventure
Sports anime are prevalent in shonen, but Hikaru no Go is a slightly different approach to this brand of competitive storytelling. Hikaru no Go focuses on Go, a Chinese two-player strategy board game that’s akin to Othello. Hikaru is an energetic protagonist whose life is forever changed when he discovers his grandfather’s old Go board in the attic, which happens to be haunted by a ghost named Sai. Sai, in addition to being a poltergeist, is also an exceptional Go player.
Sai gets trapped in Hikaru’s mind and the boy is suddenly poised to become a legendary Go player as Sai helps him from inside his mind. Hikaru no Go conjures a lot of tension out of this competitive board game, especially once Hikaru enters the Hokuto Cup tournament. Hikaru’s growing fascination and appreciation for Go mirrors the audience’s own enthusiasm for the board game. Hikaru no Go, despite its charm, still deserves a better reputation. That being said, it’s helped popularize Go with Japan’s youth.
Reborn! Mixes Coming-Of-Age Drama With Chaotic Mafia Mayhem
Luffy and Naruto
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Reborn!, also known as Katekyo Hitman Reborn! in Japan. Reborn! follows Tsunayoshi Sawada, a young boy who learns that he’s destined to become the next head honcho of the Vongola crime family, a revered Mafia syndicate. Sawada lacks the skills to lead this organization to success, so he’s paired up with the Vongola family’s deadliest — and most eccentric — hitman, a violent infant known as Reborn. Reborn! takes a little time to find its footing, but there’s immediately winning chemistry between Sawada and Reborn.
The series effectively blends broad comedy with intense action and the inherent dark subject matter that comes along with something like the Mafia. Reborn! manages to touch upon many popular shonen tropes, like tournaments and justified anime-only filler entries, and there’s a genuine sense of progress that’s felt across Reborn!’s 202 episodes. The Reborn! anime unfortunately doesn’t adapt the entirety of Akira Amano’s epic 42-volume series and lacks the final two story arcs, but it’s otherwise an excellent shonen adaptation that doesn’t stray far from its source material.
Reborn!
Reborn!
The baby hitman Reborn, one of the cursed ‘Arcabaleno’ arrives to teach Tsunayoshi ‘No Good Tsuna’ Sawada how to become head of the Vongola, a power crime family.
Release DateOctober 7, 2006Creator(s)Akira AmanoCastEmily Frongillo, Hidekazu Ichinose, Hidenobu Kiuchi, Erica Mendez, Zeno Robinson, Jonah Scott, Veronica Taylor, Christopher SabatMain GenreAnimeGenresComedy, Action, AnimeRatingTV-14Seasons1
World Trigger Unleashes Mysterious Monsters Into A Reactionary World
There is no shortage of shonen anime that examine mysterious rifts that form between Earth and strange fantasy realms. World Trigger is set four years after the appearance of gates that allow dangerous monsters known as Neighbors to cross over and cause chaos. Humanity learns how to fight back against these creatures by using the Neighbors’ own “Trigger” technology against them. World Trigger focuses on Yuma Kuga, a transfer student, who’s actually a humanoid Neighbor. He befriends another student, Osamu Mikumo, who’s training to become a Neighbor exterminator. As a genuine friendship forms, Mikumo helps Kuga understand his new surroundings and keep his secret hidden from those who would hurt him.
World Trigger has a more positive reception in Japan than it does elsewhere in the world, which largely has to do with North American audiences struggling to give the shonen series another chance after its disastrous first season. Toei’s World Trigger adaptation for the anime’s first season takes many puzzling liberties that were criticized by not only seasoned fans, but also curious newcomers. This starts World Trigger on a very rocky note, but the anime is able to learn from these mistakes and deliver strong second and third seasons that match the heights of Daisuke Ashihara’s original manga.
World Trigger anime poster
World Trigger
A gate to another dimension has burst open, and from it emerge gigantic invincible creatures that threaten all of humanity. Earth’s only defense is a mysterious group of warriors who have co-opted the alien technology in order to fight back!
Release DateSeptember 1, 2014CastTomo Muranaka, Brian Doe Chua, Yki KajiMain GenreAnimeGenresSci-Fi, ActionRatingTV-14Seasons3Production CompanyToei AnimationNumber of Episodes99Streaming Service(s)Crunchyroll
Magi: The Labyrinth Of Magic Is A Mystical Adventure Through Dangerous Dungeons
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Shonen series that combine physical strength with dizzying displays of magic have become increasingly popular. Titles like Mashle: Magic and Muscles and Solo Leveling currently reign supreme, but Magi: The Labyrinth of Magic is one of the best examples of this type of shonen tale that’s unfortunately fallen into obscurity. Magi: The Labyrinth of Magic is a victim of coming out too early and it’s the type of shonen series that would likely have thrived if it were released a decade later in 2022, instead of 2012.
Magi creatively riffs on the One Thousand and One Nights story and presents a shonen reimagining of Aladdin, Ali Baba, and Sinbad who fearlessly forge ahead through dungeons and face their powerful Djinns. Magi’s Aladdin is an endlessly dearing shonen protagonist who feels cut from the same cloth as One Piece’s Luffy. Magi’s second season is subtitled Kingdom of Magic and it’s unfortunate that the anime couldn’t reach the right crowd to garner a third installment. It’s a cut above many of the current magical shonen series that tackle comparable material.
Magi The Labyrinth of Magic
Magi: The Labyrinth of Magic (2012)
Release DateOctober 7, 2012Creator(s)Shinobu OhtakaCastErica Mendez, Lucien Dodge, Cristina Valenzuela, Erik Scott Kimerer, Darrel Guilbeau, Matthew Mercer, Stephanie ShehMain GenreActionGenresFantasyRatingTV-14Seasons2WritersHiroyuki YoshinoStreaming Service(s)CrunchyrollFranchise(s)Magi: The Labyrinth of MagicDirectorsNaotaka Hayashi, Koji Masunari