“Shonen” or “shounen” is a Japanese word meaning “boy,” as in a male child. A shonen anime is one that is geared toward young boys. While shonen is technically a demographic, some fans also consider it a genre. When I say “shonen anime,” I mean a tiny subset of all anime aimed at shonen. I call this genre “Standard Fighting Shonen,” and it includes shows that feature a lot of action, usually focusing on one young boy and his companions using a unique fantasy power system. Standard Fighting Shonens are usually extremely popular. Examples include My Hero Academia, One Piece, Naruto, and Demon Slayer.
Like any genre, shonen anime is subject to tropes. Not all tropes are bad, but today’s article features those that are distinctly annoying (at least, to me). Without further ado, here is my list of the seven most frustrating tropes in standard shonen anime.
1) Beach Episodes
Beach episodes are basically fan-service episodes, where the anime takes every available opportunity to show as much skin as possible for the female characters. It isn’t always literally a day at the beach. You also see episodes where this happens at pools, hot springs, or bathouses.
There is occasionally fan-service of the male characters, but by and large, it’s one-sided and only sexualizes the bodies of the female characters. Shonen anime will usually have the girls in swimsuits or wrapped in towels, but there are also instances of partial “anime nudity” where breasts or butts are visible.
This trope is not only overused, but annoying in its premise. Sexualizing the female characters to this degree is not necessary for a story. In addition, the girls are often canonically underage. Yikes.
2) Filler Episodes
Fillers are episodes where nothing happens that’s relevant to the larger overall plot. The show doesn’t progress at all with a filler. Since I don’t watch a lot of long shonen anime series, I rarely encounter this problem. However, it’s a known trope for many anime fans, including those who watch One Piece and Naruto.
A filler episode usually occurs when an an ongoing show is moving faster than the manga that serves as its source material. While waiting for the manga to update, the creators of the anime version have to fill the time. It makes sense, but it can still be annoying.
3) Forced Romantic Subplots
A forced romantic subplot is when there is a romance element that doesn’t feel natural or believable. This may happen when characters who do not have good chemistry are forced by the narrative to be “a couple.” It may also happen when multiple girls fall for a male character who is unremarkable. Lastly, a forced romantic subplot might be literal – for example, two characters are forced into a relationship due to an arranged marriage. In any of these cases, this trope can be frustrating.
4) Fridging
Fridging is a trope wherein a character is killed off just to be a plot device to make another more important character sad or traumatized. In my opinion, instances of this happening in shonen anime are relatively rare. There are more examples of a character death that has lasting impact and wasn’t just a cheap gut-punch.
For example, Kamina’s death in Gurren Lagann was not fridging according to my standards. A good example of actual fridging would be the death of Hide in season 2 of Tokyo Ghoul. This trope is annoying because it feels like it disrespects the characters it kills off.
5) The Mandatory Boob Grab
This one shouldn’t need explaining, but the Mandatory Boob Grab is when a protagonist grabs or gropes one of the breasts of a female character. In anime, these are sometimes framed as “accidents,” or stupid excuses are made for why it had to happen. Even if it was an accident in-universe, we as viewers know the anime is forcing us to watch sexual assault and expecting us to laugh at it. Once again, yikes.
6) The Mineta
Many shonen anime series have a token pervert character. The Mineta is a name for this trope. It is, of course, a reference to the little pervert in MHA. Even if they are not as pervy as Mineta, these characters are still annoying and not needed. Examples include Zenitsu and his obsession with Nezuko (Demon slayer), as well as Sanji and his weird infatuation with Nami’s body (One Piece).
7) The Evil Queer
The Evil Queer trope happens when there is a character who has LGBT+ characteristics but is villified. In some cases, the character will be a pervert, thereby conflating bisexuality with perversion. Dio from JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure is bisexual, and he is a monstrous villain. Grell from Black Butler is a trans woman, but she is considered creepy by the other characters.
The best example, however, is definitely Hisoka from Hunter x Hunter. In my opinon, he would have been an interesting bi/pansexual character if not for the fact that he is also a pedophile. Anime loves conflating evil with queerness. A similar idea is the Trans Laughing Stock character, but that’s a trope to discuss another time.
Runner up:
Yelling Names of Powers and Techniques
I don’t think this needs an explanation. It happens in the majority of popular shonen fighting anime and it has always lowkey annoyed me. It can be fin on occasion, but most of the time, shouting the name of your technique is stupid.
Thank you for reading~
Anime Rants 
I agree with most of this, but a couple points of order:
When it’s literally an accident for the character to grab a boob, that’s not sexual assault. Sexual assault is deliberate, and it is generally framed as something bad, complete with violent comeuppance. The innocent guy who does it by accident is also generally given some violent consequence for it, and this is supposed to be seen as funny.
That said, I do wish they would freaking cut it out with the accidental intimate touching of any kind.
As for having queer people who are villains, there are also plenty who are heroes or simply background characters. Meanwhile, in the West, across cartoons, television shows, movies, comics, and more, there are hardly any villainous queer characters at all. Actually, I can’t think of even one. They are always portrayed as good, upstanding people and victims of hate and prejudice. If you have a problem with anime having both good and bad characters who are queer, including those who are pedophiles, then it seems to me that you are demanding favoritism of the worst sort. “Never associate a queer person with something unsavory” is about as sensible as demanding the same for Chinese characters – which, the Chinese government do exactly that – or the same for Christian characters – and there are so many examples of so-called Christian villains in the media, but do you see us getting butthurt over it, or do you see us denouncing such villains as un-Christlike?
It’s a question of fair standards held equally across the board. Anime has villains who are queer, or Chinese, or Christian, or anything else, but also heroes who are also any of the above? I call that a good thing.
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“As for having queer people who are villains, there are also plenty who are heroes or simply background characters.”
I definitely wouldn’t say there is “plenty” of positive representation, especially in anime. While there are good queer characters, I don’t see enough of them, and I’d hate to see progress in media representation stopping because heteronormative society thinks it’s already good enough.
“Actually, I can’t think of even one.”
I suggest doing some research into the history of queer coding and queer characters in media, including Western movies. Though, I will admit Western media is making big strides compared to Japan.
“Never associate queer person with something unsavory.”
Well, that isn’t exactly what I said. But there are far more examples of bad representation than good. I am fine with having *some* queer bad-guys, especially if it drives a good story. However, since there is so much prejudice and hatred toward LGBT+ people historically and worldwide, it makes sense to want to see more positive than negative representation. Because ultimately, representation of minorities is a tool to help expose people to the idea that we’re not monsters.
“…and there are so many examples of so-called Christian villains in the media.”
You might be right about that, but with all due respect, Christians are not a persecuted minority. Certainly not in the West. Statisitically, Christians in Japan would be a minority, but nobody is trying to take away their rights to marriage, freedom, reproduction, etc. Which is what you see with LGBT+ all over the world across history.
Sorry about the long comment, and I really hope I don’t come across as combative. I enjoy these discussions with my readers. And ultimately, it sounds like we agree on a lot, including that it’s a good thing to have some queer heroes.
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I would say some of that coding you’re talking about is maybe projecting. Like in the case of Jafar with Disney, I don’t see the character as gay, bi, pan or anything like that. Kind of the same for Scar I just don’t get that vibe from him. At least that wasn’t the first thing I thought of. And while Ursula’s design was based on a drag queen, it seems pretty clear she’s a woman. Besides they actually gave a happy end to the mermaid compared to the novel. Which in itself was a love letter to the man the author was in love with. Though I will say the Trans element (which I’ll be honest I’m on the fence about) is more often played for laughs given its a male Mc getting turned into a girl.
As for the Christian side, two things. One Christianity was persecuted for a time. More than once and Japan actually was a perpetrator of that. In the post of the Sengoku period hundreds of converts and actually peaceful missionaries were tortured or killed if the didn’t convert. Two, Catholicism used to be more accepting of those who were gay. But events such as the little ice age and then to the Black Plague led people to go into an almost survival instinct mode for procreation. Let alone changes in iconography.
As for the Mineta bit, I find it ironic you used him when he’s the most recent variation. As you said that character type has existed for a long time. But it’s not as if it’s a male only field. There are some women characters that are worse. Like in Seitokai Yakuindomo and Aho Girl. Both are slice of life but still partially categorized as Shonen.
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Hey thanks for your comment. I mostly still hold that the queer-coding in Disney was intentional, and while a specific character like Jafar might not be gay/bi, the movie still villified the traits associated with femininity or nontraditional mascuilinity in a male character. I also don’t think giving the little mermaid a happy ending because it was a gay love letter excuses anything like making villains based on prominent LGBT+ figures. But we can agree to disagree on the queer coding elements, I think.
I was very interested to learn that there were historical examples of Christians being persecuted in Japan. It’s an interesting flip on the usual pattern. But although I do like being enlightened about specific occurences in Japanese history, this certainly doesn’t effect my main point, which was to say that Christianity has historically, worldwide been something that forces itself on other cultures. There is an attitude among some modern-day Americans that they are being persecuted as Christians, when nothing could be farther from the truth.
On a similar note, regardless of ancient Catholic doctrines, Christianity has been, and continues to be, one of the biggest justifications for anti-LGBT+ sentiment and action in the world. (I don’t call it the absolute #1 reason because a) there are many other religions besides Christianity who hate queer people, and b) there are homophobic secular countries.)
As for the last point, absolutely you are right that there are many examples of perverted female characters in anime. I didn’t mean to imply that every “Mineta” is a boy. I don’t see them in shonen as much as comedy and SOL, but it still bothers me when I see girl perverts. There was this one anime called Engaged to the Unidentified which I thought was really cute. I really liked it – until it started making jokes of the older sister character being a pedophile. … That kind of ruined it for me to be honest. Anyway, thanks for your thoughts.
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I commented before but I do have something else to point to with disagreeing on certain portrayals. The first is that the defining of feminine, effeminate, and the like is subjective or a matter of. For one I was taught to sew and cross stitch as a kid by my grandpa. An old Marine who had been stationed at Pearl Harbor. Both of my parents cooked and my dad has always done a decent amount of housework. Let alone doing a number of “mom” things while I was in high school because my mother had been promoted to manage banks across 3 states. And when it comes to gay elements, my coach and phys ed teacher was gay and he drank and chewed tobacco like a lot of the other guys around. Heck drank plenty of them under the table. And he and his husband still live in my small Kansas town. They even had a ceremony the Catholic priest presided over.
As for a different matter with the church, there have been other historic factions that have tried to remove them. The psycho liberals known as Nazis were one. And this isn’t conjecture. A cousin who was a Catholic cardinal spoke out against their actions. And thrown into a concentration camp. While other members of my family were less fortunate. Let alone the targeting of the Pope by Hitler and his ilk.
But onto some different discussions, I agree the shouting attack names is dumb. At least anymore. Back when I was a kid I thought it was awesome and would practice the Kamehameha. Now that I’m older I realize how cringy that was. The beach episodes I feel are hit or miss. Sometimes they give a reason like with MHA where they were relaxing before and after a mission. Or you have the less skin showing one of My Dress Up Doll. Where it’s just about hanging out by the ocean. Heck the Nekopara one is cute because it’s just showing the kitten how to really enjoy the beach and swimming. And while fanservice is typically for male readers, I think it isn’t wrong to say that some girls could enjoy it too. Though I agree it’s become an overdone trope at this point, but it’s not going anywhere.
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Hmmm… Consider that “queer coding” may be a subjective call. Not that it never happens. It absolutely does. But… reading things into a work the author didn’t put there is also possible, even likely, in a politically charged environment. “Can be read as queer coded” is meaningless because one “can” read a character any way they want.
Imagine you do not associate Jafar’s villainous traits with being male or female, but rather just villainy? As a cis-het guy, Jafar demonstrates traits I don’t want to see in any human. Make his gender female, keep everything else the same, and you could have Ursula the Sea Witch. If Jafar supposedly showing female traits is villainous, Ursula behaving the same way ought to be good.
From my POV (and my wife’s POV,) neither has a discernable sexual alignment.
A certain subset of Christians are claiming to be victims and oppressed. When you are in a political struggle for control, you always want to claim the mantle of persecution. In America today, “persecution” amounts to “Can’t have everything their way. Must not compromise with nonbelievers in rule-making.” Genuine persecution has lost its meaning.
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Accidentally grabbing a boob is not sexual assault but it is so rare that a thousand boys could go entirely through school with none of them ever grabbing a boob by accident.
Certainly the writer did not write that boob grabbing by accident. The writer intentionally had him grab the boob. The point is to fulfill the fantasy of the viewer about grabbing otherwise unavailable boobs in a way that is excusable. Can’t speak for Japanese boys, but I don’t think it is a terribly common fantasy in America.
It is kind of like the panty shot. One in a thousand panty shots will add something of value to an anime. Unless you’re a sexually frustrated teenage boy, the rest are wasted screen time and kind of annoying. Particularly if you are a female who might shudder at an unwelcome boob grab or having her panties gawked at.
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That seems to be an apt assessment of shonen cliches. I didn’t even think about fridging, but I do realize it happens. A lot of the filler stuff is so annoying and most filler episodes aren’t that great although I do admit the Naruto episode where they try to find out what Kakashi looks like under the mask had no business being that funny.
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OMG, the filler episode when they tried to find out what Kakashi looked like under his mask was awesome! That is one of the few filler episodes that I really liked!
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Hahaha! Yes, that episode was comedy gold. Seeing the ninjas staring at Kakashi trying to eat only to get interrupted by Ino of all people was funny. Even Sasuke wiggling while being disturbed by Naruto giving him bad mental images of what Kakashi might look like was so hilarious and how is that scene not a meme?
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I totally know what you mean, 7mononoke! Forced romance subplots can be super annoying. I actually dropped the anime Seraph of the End: Vampire Reign after the main and his female combat trainer developed a relationship. From the beginning they had no chemistry at all. Not even a weak Tsundere like for each other. They really disliked each other a lot. They had nothing in common and didn’t spend any time together unless they were ordered to do so. And then the main character suddenly is in Looooove! No matter how hard I thought about it, I just couldn’t figure out why. I mean, I understand that the writers probably thought that the story needed a romantic interest, and she was one of the few females characters in the cast, but couldn’t they have just added another character that was actually nice and had some chemistry with the main character? Or maybe they could have just not had a love interest? The story was fine without it up to that point.
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Anime is primarily shounen, which, in turn, is primarily fantasy for teenage boys. We’re not in the target demographic which explains a lot. Manga writers write what sells and that shows up in anime. Japan has somewhat different notions about sexuality than the US. (Plus, quality writing costs money!) I’ve been known to fast-forward a bit to skip the more obnoxious stuff.
The very things that would make shounen more interesting to you and me would detract from the enjoyment of a typical Japanese teenage boy. The Japanese notion of what is appropriate for him is a bit different from the American notion. And that’s why shounen is what shounen is.
For every rule you can find an exception and it is the exceptions I keep an eye out for.
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That’s a great attitude to have. I also really like the exceptions. And you make a good point that I’m nothing at all like the target demographic. I have one or two friends who can’t understand why I don’t generally like standard shonen. I’m so bad at explaining it to them. But maybe I can just say “It’s not targeted at my demographic” or something, lol.
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Yeah. You’re not a sexually frustrated Japanese boy under insane pressure to perform academically.
I am seriously surprised so much good anime is produced.
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Oh dear. Shounen. This will be a long bit, but I can say that it won’t happen again (unless a similarly rant-able topic comes about).
To add onto the list of Shounen tropes that are annoying:
∙ the aforementioned unending toooooouuuuurnament arcs;
∙ expanding your beach episode listing to include “the onsen episode”, “the bath episode” (both of which you mentioned), “the summer festival/spoopy story episode”, “the disturbing date episodes”, “the grinding episodes”;
∙ antagonists and compatriots who have personalities and motivations of less dimensions than a quantum dot;
∙ violence towards characters for deeds done or not done, especially the classic girl-hits-boy;
∙ (unnecessary) fanservice (not the actual kind of the meaning of the term however, fanservice as in “attention to detail and background” is absolutely amazing, e.g. Nihei Tsutomu sensei’s detailed architectural backgrounds due to his own, ah, architectural background) – and while I think to begin to grasp as to why those accidental perv moments happen, to show the flustered side of an otherwise stoic character for instance, all of that could be done so much better, and differently;
∙ the series just doesn’t end. At all. The kids should be both in- and out-universe geriatricians by now but the company has a contract with the nearest lich company to just keep the kids alive and small and wipe away their personalities and memories every time they begin to remember that they should be long adult by now and want to stop adventuring and solving mysteries;
∙ there is either no romance at all because the protagonist is denser than a neutron star (not because there would be no otherwise, that is a different thing and not always bad as both you and some other commentators said) or the “romance” is just the traditional family form of “a harem” – can’t have kids learn to learn about proper forms of romantic or non-vitriolic relationships;
∙ “defeat means friendship”/”Nobody Dies”(not the good EVA fanfic) – it just feels so cheap;
∙ everyone can jump twenty storeys.
To be fair to filler episodes though, their reason is as you wrote (ceterum censeo “just read the source material”:^).
I barely take in media aimed at this demographic (with exceptions) and neither liked it when it was the only thing available on TV back in the day for all the little anime that we could see. (I much more preferred “Kamikaze Kaitou Jeanne” and “Sailor Moon” to the never-ending Conan episodes or the generic scream tournament arcs of whatever battle Shounen there was. Still partially glad to not having witnessed any “Dragon Ball” show, although I’ve heard that the first ever show of it is basically only a more kid-friendly retelling of “Journey to the West” so maybe I’ll eventually come around to read/see that.)
Shounen never appealed to me since I lacked the adrenaline addiction, the relevant tribal clique (though animango in general was not something people or kids around here would consume), the muscle mass for wanting or being good at most kind of (especially popular) sports, as well as the lack of intellect(ual curiosity) as a child (don’t worry though, I dumbed down since much more). I still can say though that some pieces are good without necessarily liking them.
However, to counter-argue at least a little bit to what Fred said this time around: There is a lot of Seinen and Josei (and amidst and outside these categories too) out there, just most of it is either rather short or rarely ever scanlated (or outright localised) outside of Japan or the Japanese internet sphere (if ignoring the other type of not-directed-at-children content..). Unfortunately fully agree though on the market part, since it keeps printing much more money as well as as much more safely so to just repeat what sold good before, and that is any kind of 1. power fantasies or 2. more “adult-themed” (in contrast to just “adult”) wish-fulfillments in whatever flavour of the decade is currently ‘in’.
Also, I don’t believe all kids love Shounen tropes either. I can’t speak for myself here, but even more regular kids mightn’t get that much out of some…hm…wait.
Is…is it all slapstick? Is that why it sucks?
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A lot of filler episodes is the reason why I still haven’t watched naruto and one piece
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