While shonen anime powerhouses such as Dragon Ball, Naruto, One Piece, and Bleach continue to soar in popularity with their latest releases, the 2020s have ushered a new wave of standout series that have become instant fan-favorites. Many of these modern shonen anime pay homage to the classics while carving out their own identities as worthy successors.
From modern shonen anime with unique power systems and well-written heroes and villains to series with incredibly rich world-building, the best shonen anime since 2020 continues to set new standards for the beloved genre. These standout modern shonen anime deserve to be celebrated for their contributions to the genre.
Who’s That Character?
Identify the silhouettes before time runs out.
8
Tokyo Revengers Is One of the Few Shonen Anime Without Overpowered Fighters
Tokyo Revengers is an iconic shonen anime known for delivering some of the most dramatic and intense hand-to-hand fights. There are no overpowered characters with absurd supernatural abilities, aside from a select few who possess the ability to travel back in time and change the course of events.
Takemichi Hanagaki is unlike any shonen anime protagonist either, as the young man often loses his fights. He is not skilled in hand-to-hand combat, but his relentless determination to save his friends fuels his courage and keeps him fighting even when the odds are stacked against him.
7
Kaiju No. 8 Is a Modern Shonen Anime Packed With Powerful Soldiers and Deadly Monsters
Set in a dangerous world where giant monsters run rampant, Kaiju No. 8 brings together a group of highly skilled soldiers capable of fighting and surviving the deadliest encounters. Among these incredible soldiers is Kafka Hibino, a 32-year-old man who dreams of fighting alongside his childhood friend but finds himself struggling to reconcile his lifelong dream with his new identity as Kaiju No. 8.
That said, Kaiju No. 8 is an action-packed modern shonen anime where nearly every character wields powerful weapons to battle giant monsters. Every episode is packed with intense monster fights and explosive combat sequences while maintaining a lighthearted and entertaining atmosphere.
6
Gachiakuta Brings a New Level of Grit to Modern Shonen Anime
No shonen anime is as edgy and gritty as Gachiakuta today. The shonen series based on Kei Urana’s manga of the same name is gradually building a strong reputation among modern shonen anime fans thanks to its dark storytelling, unique power system, and expansive world building.
On top of that, Gachiakuta doesn’t hold back when it comes to delivering intense and brutal action scenes. With Rudo Cerebrec at the helm, there’s no shortage of explosive battles, creative vital instruments, and high-stakes confrontations until he exacts his revenge on the people who wronged him.
5
Hell’s Paradise Proves That Brutal Shonen Anime Can Still Be Beautiful
Among the shonen anime released in the 2020s, Studio MAPPA’s Hell’s Paradise stands out as one of the most beautiful, thanks to its breathtaking visual presentation. Even during its most brutal scenes, the hit shonen series uses vivid colors and striking imagery, proving that violence can be portrayed with remarkable beauty.
Hell’s Paradise tells the story of Gabimaru, a young prisoner whose greatest desire is to survive long enough to return home to his beloved fiancée. However, with powerful villains standing in his way, Gabimaru’s journey home becomes far more dangerous than he ever anticipated.
4
Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End Has Become a Modern Shonen Favorite
The elven mage, Frieren, begins her contemplative yet melancholic journey in Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End after defeating the Demon King. This shonen fantasy anime relies on nostalgia, emotional storytelling, and a deep exploration of human life, death, and, most especially, the passage of time.
Moreover, Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End immerses its viewers in a beautiful world where magic and adventure come together to create a captivating setting. The characters, on the other hand, are compelling in their own right, each possessing unique personalities and emotional depth that make Frieren even more entertaining to watch.
3
Dan Da Dan Is the Modern Shonen Anime Where Anything Can Happen
What happens when the supernatural meets the terrestrial? In Dan Da Dan, chaos becomes a regular part of Momo and Okarun’s lives, placing them at the center of supernatural and extraterrestrial conflicts where they must rely on each other to survive.
With protagonists just as chaotic as the villains, there’s never a dull moment in Momo and Okarun’s bizarre adventures in Dan Da Dan. Produced by Studio Science Saru, Dan Da Dan takes viewers on a wild adventure filled with supernatural encounters, terrestrial threats, chaotic battles, and unexpected twists! Plus, this shonen series often includes references to popular anime, adding even more personality to its storytelling!
2
Chainsaw Man Is One of the Boldest Shonen Anime of the 2020s
Chainsaw Man took the world by storm when it introduced Denji, a shonen protagonist who can pull the cord attached to his heart and transform into the fearsome Chainsaw Man. Unlike traditional shonen protagonists, Chainsaw Man’s Denji is blunt, impulsive, and unapologetically driven by his basic desires, making him an incredibly entertaining character to watch.
Produced by Studio MAPPA, Chainsaw Man also boasts fluid animation that further elevates Tatsuki Fujimoto’s dark storytelling. The series also features likable and relatable characters, from its protagonists to its villains, each bringing their own personalities and motivations to the story.
1
Jujutsu Kaisen Is a Defining Shonen Anime of the 2020s
Among the dark shonen anime released in the 2020s, Jujutsu Kaisen is easily one of the most successful, amassing a massive fanbase eager to consume Gege Akutami’s dark storytelling, compelling heroes and villains, and intense supernatural battles.
Jujutsu Kaisen is home to some of the most popular anime characters today, from the legendary Gojo Satoru, whose death nearly broke the internet, to the main protagonist, Yuji Itadori, who did not stop at nothing to protect the world from evil jujutsu sorcerers.
PakarPBN
A Private Blog Network (PBN) is a collection of websites that are controlled by a single individual or organization and used primarily to build backlinks to a “money site” in order to influence its ranking in search engines such as Google. The core idea behind a PBN is based on the importance of backlinks in Google’s ranking algorithm. Since Google views backlinks as signals of authority and trust, some website owners attempt to artificially create these signals through a controlled network of sites.
In a typical PBN setup, the owner acquires expired or aged domains that already have existing authority, backlinks, and history. These domains are rebuilt with new content and hosted separately, often using different IP addresses, hosting providers, themes, and ownership details to make them appear unrelated. Within the content published on these sites, links are strategically placed that point to the main website the owner wants to rank higher. By doing this, the owner attempts to pass link equity (also known as “link juice”) from the PBN sites to the target website.
The purpose of a PBN is to give the impression that the target website is naturally earning links from multiple independent sources. If done effectively, this can temporarily improve keyword rankings, increase organic visibility, and drive more traffic from search results.