Why stupidity is an important element in most shonen anime protagonists

While it may seem a repetitive trope for shonen anime protagonists, there’s actually a good reason why many of them seem somewhat unintelligent. Featuring protagonists with below-average intelligence is a common theme amongst some of the biggest shonen anime around, including hit series such as One Piece, Naruto, and Dragon Ball.

An important distinction is their difference in portrayal from comedy shows' dumb characters' who are meant to get occasional cheap laughs from the audience. With shonen anime protagonists, however, their below average intelligence serves a key purpose in both the message it serves, as well as the series’ likability and engagement.

Follow along as this article breaks down why stupidity is an important element in most shonen anime protagonists.

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Shonen anime protagonists’ stupidity may seem redundant, but serves a key purpose

One Piece protagonist Monkey D. Luffy (Image Credits: Eiichiro Oda/Shueisha, Viz Media, One Piece)

One of the most obvious answers for why shonen anime protagonists tend to be somewhat unintelligent (which can lend itself to immaturity) is due to their target audience. The word “shonen” literally translates to “young boy,” meaning that the demographic for shonen anime and manga comprises of teenage boys and younger children.

Typically speaking, teenage boys tend to admire and relate to shonen anime protagonists such as Luffy, Goku, and Naruto. Their interests tend to lie less in the classroom, and more so with the world beyond the walls of high school or college, for older teenagers.

Dragon Ball protagonist Son Goku (Image via Toei Animation)

The two major elements of viewership are immersion and escapism, working in tandem to create a world viewers can and want to insert themselves into. Goku is relatable and admirable because of his simplicity, being easily defined by his kindness, moral authority, determination, bravery, strength, and positive attitude.

A typical teenager or young adult boy will feel a kinship with Goku, as these traits are desirable and thought to be easy to emulate. As a result, the immersion between character and viewer is a simplistic process which allows the viewer to relate to Goku on a personal level. These and the prior points apply to Naruto and Luffy as well.

Part of the attraction of immersion to these characters is the ease in the process, requiring viewers to change little or nothing about themselves internally or externally. It gives the target demographic exactly what they look for in anime, which is an escape from reality where they can envision themselves as the heroes.

The eponymous protagonist of the Naruto series (Image via Studio Pierrot)

Naruto, for example, was first introduced as an academically inept troublemaker, heavily disliked by those around him with no romantic options to speak of. Many teenage boys can relate to this version of the character upon first digesting the series. As a result, no effort needs to be made on viewers to erase distinctions between themselves and the character.

The key takeaway here is that anime allows anyone to be the hero. Whether they’re someone who had no friends at one point, a child with a dream, or someone who wants to set out on adventure, a viewer can relate to simple characters with simplistic goals.

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In conclusion

By having a somewhat simplistic shonen protagonist, whether in their introduction or throughout the series, the escapism is universally engageable with the target audience. It sends the message that anyone can be the hero, which is a key tenant of shonen anime series and the classical interpretation of the hero’s journey.

All forms of entertainment, whether animated or live-action, filmed or written, auditory or visual, serve as methods of escapism. To have a shonen anime protagonist be a perfect individual would hurt plenty of aspects of the series, from viewer engagement to series longevity to even the escapism that can be offered to viewers.

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