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- Actas / Bandai Namco Pictures
- CloverWorks / Production I.G
The Best Shonen Anime Of 2024, Ranked
In the earlier days of anime, it sometimes felt like the only shonen anime out there were Dragon Ball and the Big Three that were inspired by it: Naruto, One Piece, and Bleach. While those are all amazing series, it's great to see that there are so many new shonen coming out these days. It means that the demographic is thriving.
Here are some of the top shonen anime airing in 2024. Several of these are sequels: in 2024, there are new seasons of hits like My Hero Academia and Demon Slayer, and a few totally unexpected updates to older shows like Black Butler and Blue Exorcist. But this year also brought some great new original series: Kaiju No. 8 and The Elusive Samurai are especially noteworthy.
Which 2024 shonen anime deserves to become a classic?
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- Production I.G
Release Date: April 13
Premise: As children, Kafka Hibino and Mina Ashiro vowed to fight against monsters called kaiju. While Mina achieves their dream, Kafka ends up on clean-up duty. One day, a freak accident turns him into a human-kaiju hybrid. With his newfound abilities, he might be able to fulfill his dream after all.
Why It's Worth Watching: Based on a wildly popular manga, Kaiju No. 8 was hotly anticipated before it came out. While its plot is similar to many shonen series - how many times have anime fans seen a character turning into the monster he seeks to destroy? - it's well-executed here. There are also plenty of moments that make it feel original, especially when it comes to character development and relationships.
Shonen of the year?- Photo:
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- Actas, Bandai Namco Pictures
Release Date: July 7
Premise: Will Serfort promised his childhood friend that he would one day become a Magia Vander, one of the top wizards in their world. Unfortunately, he can't cast spells at all. In order to earn credit at Magical Academy Rigarden, he has to spend all of his time fighting dungeon monsters. Oh, and dealing with an unusually cruel teacher.
Why It's Worth Watching: Will might be bad at magic, but he does have something that makes up for it - unusual physical strength, reflexes, and other abilities that make him an excellent swordsman. While anime fans have certainly seen underdog characters with special skills that the rest of the world doesn't respect, this trope exists for a good reason. Not only is it awesome to watch the MC flourish, it's also nice for viewers whose own talents have yet to be recognized.
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- ufotable
Release Date: May 12
Premise: After returning from the Swordsmith Village, Tanjiro and the other demon slayers must recover from their injuries and train for future missions. While training, Tanjiro tries to learn more about his fellow Hashira. At the end of the season, the groundwork for a major confrontation with Muzan is laid.
Why It's Worth Watching: This isn't the most exciting season of Demon Slayer, but that's okay. It's a short, transitional season that gives viewers a chance to get to know the characters in a calmer setting. It's the calm before the storm since the next installments will involve massive battles from the final arc. If you love the series and are invested in the characters, you'll probably love this season too, even if it isn't quite as action-packed as some of the others.
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The Elusive Samurai
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- CloverWorks
Release Date: July 6
Premise: When Ashikaga Takauji attacks the Kamakura shogunate, eight-year-old Hojo Tokiyuki barely escapes with his life. With the group he was once heir to now taken over by someone else, he has to steer clear of the new shogunate until he gains enough allies and becomes strong enough to take them on directly.
Why It's Worth Watching: The original manga was created by Yusei Matsui, the creative mind behind Assassination Classroom. That story was exciting, surprising, and heartfelt. If you were one of its many fans, you might want to check out the adaptation of his other work. It's also worth watching because it focuses on actual historical events, so you can learn something while being entertained.
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- A-1 Pictures
Release Date: January 6
Premise: After his battle with Magia Lupus, Mash's secret lack of powers is no longer a secret. He's summoned to a meeting with the Divine Visionaries, who decide that he should be punished with execution. A group called Innocent Zero interrupts the meeting to intercede on Mash's behalf. The Divine Visionaries eventually decide to let Mash live until Innocent Zero can be defeated - but by the end of the year, he has to earn the right to become a Divine Visionary himself.
Why It's Worth Watching: Whether it was the absurd jokes about Mash's strength or his never-ending supply of cream puffs, the first season of Mashle was hilarious. Thankfully, this new season is just as funny despite the stakes being higher. Overall, it delivers an excellent blend of comedy and action.
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- Bones
Release Date: May 4
Premise: The Paranormal Liberation War Arc continues in Season 7 of My Hero Academia. Shigaraki and All For One continue to pose a dangerous threat, while Shoto Todoroki must face off against his estranged older brother Dabi. The U.A. traitor, at long last, is revealed.
Why It's Worth Watching: If you're considering watching Season 7, chances are high that you've already seen Seasons 1-6. Season 7 may or may not be the final season, but it's certainly one of the most climactic ones. It features some of the most consequential battles of the series. Secrets that fans have wanted answers to for ages, like the U.A. traitor's identity, are revealed here. Basically, if you've been watching My Hero Academia so far, quitting now means missing out on a whole lot of good stuff.
Shonen of the year?The Best 'My Hero Academia' Characters, RankedSee all
- 1Shoto Todoroki25,518 Votes
- 2Shota Aizawa21,843 Votes
- 3Izuku Midoriya23,692 Votes
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- 8bit
Release Date: April 5
Premise: After defeating Clayman, Rimuru Tempest is now an official demon lord. This means that he's able to expand his territory. He decides to commemorate the event with a massive festival that will help him recruit new citizens and form allegiances with neighboring nations. Unfortunately, along with all the festivities comes a declaration of war.
Why It's Worth Watching: This season isn't as action-packed as previous seasons, which might be disappointing to some, but might be a breath of fresh air for others. Rather than focusing on fighting, this season focuses on what it's like to build community in a fantasy world. It's not conflict-free, but the conflict is a little less action-oriented.
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- SILVER LINK.
Release Date: April 7
Premise: After his parents pass away, Taiyo Asano is too traumatized to connect with anyone aside from his childhood friend Mutsumi Yozakura. Unfortunately, Mutsumi comes from a family of spies and has an overprotective brother who has it out for Taiyo. The only way to avoid the brother's wrath is to marry Mutsumi, but that means joining a family of spies.
Why It's Worth Watching: The manga that this series is based on sold 1.5 million copies, which means that there were plenty of people waiting for an anime adaptation. The series is an action-packed comedy that makes for a great addition to the spy anime genre. It also has its emotional moments - Taiyo really does need to be part of a family now that his own is gone.
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- Studio VOLN
Release Date: January 7
Premise: An artificial gate to the demonic realm of Gehenna has just been opened. This seems to be the work of a wealthy and powerful group called the Illuminati. The Illuminati appears to have planted spies among the exorcists of the True Cross Order, but who could those spies be?
Why It's Worth Watching: Blue Exorcist hasn't updated since 2017, which is a long time to wait if you’ve been loving the series. Luckily, this new season is worth the wait. The story and characters are just as compelling as they were in previous seasons, so if you liked them then, you'll like them now. The one area that's divisive is the art and animation. Previously handled by A-1 Pictures, the series is now overseen by Studio VOLN. Some people feel that this was a downgrade, but others are perfectly satisfied.
Shonen of the year?- Photo:
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- J.C.Staff
Release Date: July 7
Premise: The Fairy Tail guild has a new goal: to take on the 100 Years Quest. Though nearly everyone who has taken on this challenge has failed, the guild is determined to give it a go. They're assigned to take down the Five Dragon Gods. Each of them is so powerful that they could destroy the world, so this is going to be challenging, to say the least.
Why It's Worth Watching: This Fairy Tail sequel has been receiving positive feedback so far. Unlike many sequels, it hasn't done anything strange with the characters or created a nonsensical reason for the team to work together. It feels like a continuation of the same series that Fairy Tail fans know and love.
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- Yostar Pictures
Release Date: April 7
Premise: Every Sunday for the last 13 years, the Nefarious Monster Army has shown up attempting to take over the Earth. But every time, they're defeated by the Dragon Keepers. This turns out to be a total farce: the Dragon Keepers want to keep the Monster Army active so that they can maintain their fame and fortune. That's why they allow the weakest monsters, called Dusters, to survive. Hoping to end this nonsense once and for all, a Duster and a member of the Dragon Keepers join forces.
Why It's Worth Watching: If you grew up watching Power Rangers or its original Japanese equivalent, Super Sentai, this show is a great choice. It's a parody of those series that's hilarious if you have strong memories of them, but still funny even if you only have a vague idea. It’s a little on the cynical side, but that can be a good thing.
Shonen of the year?- Photo:
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- Shin-Ei Animation
Release Date: January 7
Premise: Kyotaro Ichikawa and Anna Yamada are back in school following their winter break. The two are closer than ever, and both of them are starting to open their minds to new experiences. The closer they get, the more pressing a certain question becomes - should they preserve their close friendship, or should they take their first steps towards romance?
Why It's Worth Watching: Despite its somewhat cringey premise, this series has turned out to be surprisingly delightful. The characters grow and change both emotionally and physically. While emotional growth is to be expected, it's still noteworthy when it's well done. Physical growth, on the other hand, is rare unless there's a time skip, but it's a nice touch since real teenagers are growing and changing at a rapid rate. Pair this with some extremely creative transition scenes, and you have a great series.
Shonen of the year?- Photo:
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- CloverWorks
Release Date: April 13
Premise: Queen Victoria sends Ciel and Sebastian to Weston College, a prestigious boys' school that a relative of hers attends. Her relative is missing, and she hopes that Ciel and Sebastian will be able to find him. But the college holds many secrets, some of which could make finding him nearly impossible.
Why It's Worth Watching: Black Butler hasn't seen an update since 2017 and hasn't had a new season since 2010. For fans of the series, finally getting to see the story continue is worth getting excited about. This season is especially noteworthy because, unlike Black Butler II, it actually follows the manga. Also, who doesn't want to see Sebastian posing as a teacher?
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- White Fox
Release Date: January 11
Premise: Fox girl Tama Youko is a magical species called a katawara. She shares her powers with a hermit named Jinka Yamato via a special ritual. The two of them are vigilante heroes seeking to take down injustice wherever they find it. They soon make a connection with aspiring samurai Shinsuke Hyodo. Together, the three of them deal with a group of monks who are trying to create human-katawara hybrids.
Why It's Worth Watching: Though it doesn't have a great score on MyAnimeList, many people consider this series to be underrated. The characters are compelling and have motivations that make sense. Also, the animation and music are both well done.
Shonen of the year?- Photo:
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- MAPPA
Release Date: April 10
Premise: Taro Yamada gave up on baseball after being brutally defeated by a talented duo in middle school. When he starts high school, he discovers that the duo is in his class. However, something has changed - Kei Kaname, once an expert strategist, has developed amnesia and a new personality that's mostly focused on making bad jokes. Yamada realizes that he isn't the only one who gave up on baseball, so he decides to persuade others to start fresh in high school.
Why It's Worth Watching: From exciting in-game moments to bonding between teammates, Oblivion Battery does everything that a sports anime is supposed to do. One of the characters having amnesia is a somewhat original twist, but overall, it's a fairly standard example of its genre. If you like sports anime, you'll probably enjoy this.
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