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One of the most interesting parts of anime and shonen protagonists is how many of them seem to share similar traits. Especially within battle series, a vast majority of shonen main characters seem to be characterized as and act awfully similar to one another.
While a majority of shonen protagonists have this similarity, there are always exceptions to the rule. Even some of the most recognizable shonen characters break the mold on how to build said protagonists.
Here are five of the most iconic shonen protagonist traits, with five exceptions to each who prove the rule.
In new and old series, exceptions can be found to typical shonen protagonist traits
1) Trait: Unintelligent
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One of the most dominant traits amongst shonen protagonists is their being generally unintelligent, or at least far from the smartest character on their show. This is in part due to the target demographic of the shonen series being boys 18 years old or younger.
With such a young audience, having an incredibly smart protagonist doesn’t always pan out. This is especially true if the series is written in a way that makes viewers feel reprimanded or inferior for their lack of knowledge.
2) Exception: Light Yagami
One stellar exception to the rule is shonen protagonist Light Yagami, main character of the hit series Death Note. Throughout all of Death Note, he’s one step ahead of those on his level, and those who aren’t as intelligent as him are too beneath him to even recognize the clues in front of them.
Light’s genius is also presented in an evil and maniacal way, which helps to create enough of a barrier for viewers to not feel bad for being less intelligent than him. As a result, he’s the perfect exception to the rule of protagonists always being unintelligent.
3) Trait: Battle hungry for fist fights only
Similarly, shonen protagonists are typically portrayed as being all brawns, no brain, and obsessed only with fist-fighting as a means of combat. The vast majority of series following the rise of Dragon Ball Z stuck to this pattern, which was undoubtedly popularized by Akira Toriyama’s hit series.
4) Exception: Senku Ishigami
However, the Dr. Stone series of recent years has put forth a shonen protagonist who serves as the perfect exception to the rule. Senku Ishigami is an incredibly intelligent high school student, who began a journey to build civilization back up from the Stone Age.
While he has the smarts to lift himself up to this goal, his physical abilities and desire to fight are somewhat lacking. Even when physical conflict is inevitable, he accepts such an outcome very reluctantly, expressing displeasure at the fight. He’s the perfect exception to this rule as a result.
5) Trait: Never killing enemies
Shonen series often find a way of being able to write in the victories of their main characters without having them kill their enemies. As a result, a reputation of shonen protagonists, which has built up over recent years, is that none of them ever kill anyone.
This is certainly true for older shonen series, but newer entries into the medium have certainly disputed such a claim.
6) Exception: Eren Yeager
Attack on Titan’s Eren Yeager is one of them, especially in the latter stages of his story. This shonen protagonist’s goal from day one is to eliminate the oppressive Titans that keep him and the rest of humanity penned up like livestock.
Even when the true enemy is revealed to be his fellow man, Eren never falters in his fortitude and commits to moving forward and killing all of his enemies. As a result, he’s one of the most quintessential exceptions to this shonen protagonist rule.
7) Trait: Underdog to the absolute best
One of the most uncanny characteristics shonen protagonists seem to have is their rapid progression in power. Many anime main characters will see themselves start their journey as one of the weakest in the series, yet they'll be stronger than nearly everyone halfway through.
It's one of the most annoying tropes in shonen anime, as it detracts from the difficulty of the journey by making it appear to be near overnight. Even with montages, the leap in skilll and power still feels undeserved.
8) Exception: Edward Elric
Edward Elric serves as the perfect exception to this shonen protagonist rule, as he's neither the underdog, nor overpowered throughout the entirety of Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood.
While he's undoubtedly a strong fighter, none of his abilities are inherently unbeatable or invincible, mainly thanks to the creative freedom of an alchemic combat system.
Additionally, while he visibly grows stronger physically and as a person throughout the series, he doesn't start off as an underdog. In fact, one of the first major points made about his character in the series is that he's an exceptionally talented alchemist for his age, which is why he's state-certified. He's the perfect exception to this all-too-common shonen protagonist journey.
9) Trait: Usually male
Finally, with the shonen demographic being aimed at boys 18 years of age or younger, it’s no surprise that the medium is dominated by male main characters. Every protagonist mentioned thus far has been male, and there are plenty unmentioned which further propagate the idea.
10) Exception: Emma
One of the most notable exceptions to the rule is Emma, who is the main character of The Promised Neverland series. She’s very clearly depicted throughout the series as the central protagonist, with perspective even fixing on her once she departs from other protagonistic group members.
While she’s not the only female shonen protagonist out there, she’s remarkable in how popular she is as a character and The Promised Neverland is as a series. Both factors have helped to make her a household name amongst anime viewers in the context of shonen protagonists who break the mold.
