With new manga and anime series popping up, it is easy to forget about the classics. While new anime definitely has better graphics, they mostly follow the standards set by the previous hit animes. This is especially true for works in the shounen genre.
Shounen is intended for young boys, ages 12 to 18. Shounen brings you anime with action-packed visuals and continuously growing characters as they face adversity with an optimistic attitude. Together with friends, the main character usually faces challenges to improve his skills and to explore the world.
As a 90’s kid who grew up watching anime, here’s the list of the must watch longest-running shounen anime.
Dragon Ball
The Dragon Ball series follows Son Goku as he matures from a child into an adult. He explores the world and finds friends and enemies alike as he searches for the Dragon Balls: 7 orbs with a power to summon a dragon that can grant any wish.
The anime that started on February 26, 1986 is still on-going, with 640 episodes, 19 films and countless TV specials, shorts and OVAs.
Naruto
This series is about Uzumaki Naruto’s adventures as he aims to become the Hokage, or the chief ninja in their villaage. Following the Dragon Ball trope, Naruto also emphasizes on friendship and willpower as the means to overcome hardships.
The Naruto franchise started on October 3, 2002 and ended on March 23, 2017 with a total of 720 episodes. With Naruto’s story coming to a close, his son, Boruto, tells his own as the next generation ninja.
One Piece
Here, Monkey D. Luffy and the Straw Hat pirates search for that ‘One Piece’. With different dreams but similar goal, the crew continues in their misadventures as they aim to become the strongest and the best, with Luffy aiming to become the next Pirate King in the Great Age of Pirates.
One Piece started October 20, 1999 and is still airing, currently in its 828th episode.
Detective Conan
Detective Conan is about a high school detective’s investigations, as he aims to undo the effects of the poison that transformed him into a child. The series’ complex characters, dynamic storyline, and simple explanation of the solutions made it dear to people’s hearts.
The anime series has 897 episodes that aired since it started in January 8, 1996. It is still on-going.
Pokemon
The Pokemon series follows the journey of Ash Ketchum and Pikachu as they travel around the world to catch, train and compete with different trainers and their pokemon.
Starting in 1997, the Pokemon anime series gave 1004 episodes, with several films and games released as the story continues.
Bleach
Tite Kubo’s Bleach tells the story of Ichigo Kurosaki as he substitutes for Rukia Kuchiki in fighting a Hollow, a ghost that feeds on other souls. He aims to get stronger as a Soul Reaper, with the assistance of powerful exiled Soul Reapers.
The anime series started October 5, 2004 and ended with 366 episodes on March 27, 2012.
While the term ‘Shounen’ targets the demographic of young boys, that is not to say that the anime listed here will not be enjoyed by the fairer sex. Shounen anime has been steadily growing, with subgenres that will cater to the preferences of all ages. While these list contains the must watch longest-running shounen anime, there are still undiscovered gems that got buried in time in the world of anime. As new Shounen anime series are released, let us not forget to give appreciation to these classics that withstood the test of time.
Sources
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