With so much personal time on our hands due to the global pandemic, we thought it would be a good idea to suggest some good anime to watch during this time. For more Top 6 list check out our Top 6 Most Interesting Star Wars Legends Characters or see who are the Top 6 Strongest Avengers!
Shounen anime may be generic and simplistic, but that doesn’t mean that they can’t be quality. From Bleach to Fairy-Tail, there are hundreds of shounen to choose from, but I’ve narrowed down a list of 6 of the best shounen anime.
That being said, like I mentioned before, this is only a few of the vast of ocean of anime out there. This is also our own list comprised of shows we have watched and perceive as the highest quality – new and old alike.
LET’S GO!
#6. Shingeki No Kyojin (Attack On Titan)
I know that some of you may think this show is overrated and immediately write it off or maybe you saw the first season and stopped because season 2 wasn’t released until a million years later. Whatever your reason is, let me just say, you’re wrong.
Attack On Titan or AOT, is a very different type of show than it initially portrays itself to be. It’s more of a political thriller with large scale action scenes mixed in. Similar to the likes of a ‘Game Of Thrones’. In addition to that, the characters that we spend a majority of the time with are incredible. Mikasa, Armin (favorite character), Captain Levi, Sanji,etc.. You would have a difficult time finding a better cast of characters in any anime among any genre.
New Kid On The Block
‘Attack On Titan’ started off with a bang in its first episodes and really all of season 1, which helped launch the show into immediate success. With it’s unique concept combined with flashy and fluid animation it’s really not surprising how popular it became. People who weren’t even anime fans were talking about the show.
A Tale Of Two Seasons
Unfortunately, WIT Studios took 4 long years to release season 2 and ultimately lost many fans’ interest. All was not lost as the second season was admittedly very good and soon season 3 followed that up.
Better Than Ever
Now if you thought the first two seasons were good, then I have great news for you. Season 3 of AOT in my opinion is one of the greatest seasons of anime I have ever watched. Startling revelations are made answering questions we’ve had since the very first episode. Characters make huge developments, and pivotal characters die. The ending of the season is amazing as well, leaving us with a new goal and threat to overthrow.
Season 4 is poised to be the best one yet! So, if you haven’t already watched AOT, then do yourself a favor and catch up now!
#5. Boku no Hīrō Akademia (My Hero Academia)
This next one is a no brainer as it’s quite possibly the most popular anime currently airing. Coming in at number 5 on the list is My Hero Academia and it is well deserved. Remember how I said that you would have a hard time finding a cast of characters as good as AOT? Well you just did, and quite a few as well, as ‘Boku No Hero’ has one of the largest set of main characters I have ever seen in an anime.
This is usually a bad thing as most shows with an abundance of characters feel bloated with unnecessary filler-episodes or fail to develop those characters. However, I’m happy to say that’s not the case here, in fact, ‘Boku No Hero’ delves deep into each and every character so well that I find myself choosing a new favorite character after every episode!
Rags To Riches
“My Hero Academia’ originally started with it’s manga written and illustrated by Kōhei Horikoshi and was heavily inspired by the legendary Naruto series. The show quickly gained popularity and in its 49th issue of the manga, an anime adaptation was announced.
With a rather simplistic concept-a common occurrence within the shounen genre- ‘Boku No Hero’ plays to its strengths and they do it extremely well. Great characters, awesome action, and animation by Studio Bones makes this show a must watch for all shounen anime fans, especially with season 5 coming soon.
#4. Wan Pīsu (One Piece)
King Of The World
Every anime fan knows what One Piece is and most have probably seen at least an episode or two. However, unlike most modern anime that receive 12-24 episode seasons, One Piece, animated by studio juggernaut Toei Animation, heils from an older generation of shows and is one of the last remaining long-running anime series around. Boasting an exhausting 929 episodes, One Piece has been around for a long time and it continues to excel in its endearing characters and ever expanding world.
One Piece has a massive fan base with an equally massive world. Spanning multiple oceans from the North Blue crossing over the Red Line to get to the East Blue, venturing across the Grand Line down to the South Blue and once again traveling west to West Blue. One piece is big in every single way and that’s part of the great appeal of it. A story with hundreds of characters in a gargantuan setting.
I won’t harp too much on One Piece as most fans already know what it is and if you haven’t watched it by now, you probably won’t. It’s a show that is consistently funny and heartwarming, with a great set of characters-a trait that you will see in most of the anime on this list.
TOP 3…
The next three shows on this list are in the order of my favorite anime of all-time!
#3. Kōdo Giasu: Hangyaku no Rurūshu (Code Geass)
“To defeat evil, I must become a greater evil”
― Lelouch Vi Britannia
Code Geass is a masterpiece of a show, one that we rarely see from anime. (Even though it’s not really a shounen). With 24 episodes, Code Geass tells the tale of Lelouch Vi Britannia or Lelouch Lamperouge, a young highschool student who has larger ambitions of overthrowing the corrupt powers in control of the world.
Forgotten Prince
Lelouch may well be the single greatest character in anime history. He is cunning, devious (in a good way), and is simultaneously the villain and the hero in the story. As a long lost heir to the throne to Britannia and victim of the countries evil rule, Lelouch wants nothing more than to create a world that is good, a world that his blind and crippled sister Nunnally can live in without fear.
Did You Say Gundam?
You may or may not know that Code Geass is technically a mecha anime, and while yes that is true, it isn’t an integral part of the show. as a whole, the action in the show is really a means to an end. Code Geass is a show that uses its action in a way that perfectly propels the progression of the plot. It’s good, but it’s not what we watch it for.
# 2. Hantā Hantā (Hunter X Hunter)
“You should enjoy the little detours to the fullest. Because that’s where you’ll find things more important than what you want.”
– Ging Freecss
These last two rankings were torture for me as I love both of these shows so much and I switched both spots multiple times in my head before officially deciding the rankings. However, Hunter x Hunter being number 2 does nothing to decrease my love for the show, as it is probably my second favorite anime of all time.
A New World
Hunter X Hunter is a show not unlike many of the shows already mentioned. Like many other shounen it follows a young boy who is driven by one goal and will not let anything get in his way. What makes the show so good is simply the execution of its many aspects. From characters and their development, it is incredible. No one is ever simply good and evil, every character has a backstory or interesting motive for their actions. Many of the ‘villains’ of the show end up as your favorite characters and everyone of them is amazing
The world of Hunter X Hunter, just like One Piece is so immersive and vast in scope. We visit locations all around the world of Hunter X Hunter and they all have their own people, creatures, and history.
Hiatus x Hiatus
Unfortunately, the series is over and we’ll probably never see another anime since the creator of the series has struggled to continue to write the manga due to illness. Thankfully, the 148 episodes that we received are some of the best quality episodes in all of anime.
#1. Hagane no Renkinjutsushi Furumetaru Arukemisuto (Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood)
“It’s a cruel and random world, but the chaos is all so beautiful.”
― Hiromu Arakawa
Trying to put into words the emotions that I felt while watching this anime was a task that I found quite difficult. Fullmetal Alchemist is a show that makes you feel the struggle of the Elric brothers, Edward and his little brother Alphonse, in such a personal way. You see their pain and longing for their old bodies and the loss of their mother as if it were your own. Brotherhood does a remarkable job in smoothly introducing us into a complex and fully realised world.
Alchemy
Alchemists as they are coined, have the ability to understand, deconstruct, and reconstruct any matter. There are many paths by which alchemists can transmute the various substances of the world, with some alchemists being said to transmute by way of the Four Classical Elements (Water, Earth, Fire, and Air) and some by way of the Three Essential Principles (salt, sulfur, and mercury), but the basic tenet at the very foundation of all alchemy is that of Equivalent Exchange.
Fullmetal
The aforementioned Elric brothers are the two main male protagonist of the show. Both are so well developed and they share a bond so strong that it makes you cheer them on the entire way. They meet many different characters throughout their quest to restore their bodies, most of which are also incredible characters too. The villains are great and are mostly irredeemable due to them being horrible people.
Fullmetal is a classic and I fully recommend you watch this as soon as possible.
Well that’s our list! Do you agree with it? Do you hate it? Which anime did I miss? Let us know down below!
Also, there will be more parts to this lists as there are hundreds of anime!
