Shōnen anime may be the most popular in the entire art form. Series like Naruto, Dragon Ball, and the 1,000+ episode saga One Piece are known by people across the globe, but they're not always the most accessible series. Each of the big three listed above has hundreds of episodes, different series within their franchise, and plenty of other reasons why they might not be the best starter anime for someone just getting into the genre.

The best starter shōnen anime have a lot of the same elements as the big three but tell their stories in a lot fewer episodes. To be a great starter shōnen, an anime needs to have a lovable main character, plenty of great fights, and set pieces that can define anime as a whole. Shōnen is a genre characterized by a main character who faces adversity better than most, never letting their limits put them into a corner they can't get out of.

7 Fire Force

Animated By David Production, Based on the Manga By Atsushi Ohkubo

There aren't many better shōnen series, or anime in general, with better sound design than Fire Force. It feels like the first anime series that was meant to be watched in a movie theater. Even Dragon Ball can't compare to the booming bass that comes from Fire Force and its fights. The animation in Fire Force is also second to none. David Production, the animation studio behind Fire Force, didn't leave a single color out.

Each episode is a work of art, using bright, vivid colors to portray both fights and the characters' everyday lives.

Fire Force should be one of the first shōnen series any new fan watches thanks to its concise story and excellent fights. There's no filler in Fire Force whatsoever, a feat none of the big three can equal. The series has animated two succinct seasons at the time of writing, with another on the way in the summer of 2025. Arthur Boyle and Shinra Kusakabe's tumultuous friendship is another great reason to watch the show. The pair might be at each other's throats off the battlefield, but on it, they have each other's backs like Goku and Vegeta.

6 Hell’s Paradise

Animated By MAPPA, Based on the Manga By Yuji Kaku

Hell's Paradise is another excellent starter shōnen thanks to its amazing visuals and incredibly interesting story. Gabimaru is a unique main character in the world of shōnen. He's supposed to be executed, but he just can't die. He's not unwilling to die either, making his story even more captivating. He's simply too strong to die thanks to his life as a famed assassin in the dangerous Iwagakure clan. His clan betrayed him after he chose to leave his role as their strongest assassin to live a peaceful life with his wife, and he'll do anything to get back to her.

Hell's Paradise is part of Shonen's Dark Three, a fan term referring to Jujutsu Kaisen, Demon Slayer, and Hell's Paradise.

Hell's Paradise currently only has one season animated with season 2 of Hell's Paradise slated to come out during January of 2026, according to Crunchyroll. It's a series without a lot of complicated twists, but enough solid story elements to keep any fan of shōnen entertainment. The world Gabimaru has found himself in is full of mysteries and unexplainable events, but thanks to his immense power and his new friend Sagiri, he's plowing through unlike any other.

5 My Hero Academia

Animated By Bones, Based on the Manga By Kohei Horikoshi

My Hero Academia might be one of the best shōnen series to come out in the last decade. It's a series unlike many others in that it tells a long, widespread story that sees several characters grow to nearly unimaginable heights. Deku, real name Izuku Midoriya, started the series as a weak, Quirkless person in a world that values Quirks above all else. By the end of the series, he's quickly becoming one of the strongest people in the series thanks to his hard work, determination, and the usage of one of the strongest Quirks in the world.

My Hero Academia has more than 150 episodes with at least one more season on the way. It also has several movies attached to the franchise, making it a much larger series than many other shōnen anime. While this can seem intimidating, My Hero Academia has a lot fewer episodes than the Dragon Ball franchise, the Naruto franchise, and nearly a tenth of the episodes in One Piece. It's a great series for someone just getting into shōnen because of Deku's ability to persevere through any hardship, his incredibly forgiving attitude, and some of the most jaw-dropping fights in anime.

4 Haikyu!!

Animated By Production I.G, Based on the Manga By Haruichi Furudate

Haikyu!! isn't just one of the best starter shōnen series - it's one of the greatest sports anime of all time. While the show is entirely set around the game of volleyball, it couldn't be more exciting. There aren't many other series that can capture the highs and lows of competition quite like Haikyu!! can.

The story has an incredibly simple premise, following main character Shoyo Hinata as he looks to become one of the greatest volleyball players in Haikyu!!'s world despite his incredibly short height. His newfound friend and teammate, Tobio Kageyama starts the series as an arrogant player before mellowing out and becoming an even stronger force to be reckoned with on the court.

Haikyu!! is an excellent series with much more emotion than it initially lets on. The series is filled with incredibly hype moments both on the court and off of it, as Kageyama, Hinata, and the rest of Karasuno face the strongest schools in the nation on their way to glory. Fights define a shōnen anime, and while there's no real violence or physical fighting in Haikyu!!, the series more than makes up for it through its matches.

3 Hunter x Hunter

Animated By Madhouse, Based on the Manga By Yoshihiro Togashi

Hunter x Hunter is a near-legendary shōnen anime. It's gotten two solid animations, with the second receiving huge praise from fans around the world. Like My Hero Academia, Hunter x Hunter has just around 150+ episodes, making it a lot longer than other starter shōnen anime. While this might seem like a heavy commitment for a newer fan to anime, Hunter x Hunter is one of the few series that's absolutely worth it. The series follows Gon as he looks to find his father Ging, explore the world beyond his small town, and create some of the best friendships in anime at the same time.

Hunter x Hunter stands out as a starter shōnen series because of the world it's set in and the characters within it. As the series progresses, Hunter x Hunter's world only gets more interesting and the characters grow to match their new environments. Gon starts the series as a naive, starry-eyed young boy before growing into a mature young man. He's another character with a never-say-never attitude that makes him an extremely lovable character.

2 Mob Psycho

Animated By Studio Bones, Based on the Webcomic By One

Mob Psycho 100 is a beautiful anime. It has the most emotional depth out of any starter shōnen series by far. The series is focussed on the titular Mob as he looks to navigate life as a teenage boy and understand how to use his incredible powers as arguably one of anime's strongest psychics. He's a sweet, thoughtful boy in a world filled with people who fear him, want to use him, and more. While a lot of other characters might succumb to the pressure of being the strongest, Mob never abuses his power and instead dedicates himself to self-improvement and helping others when he can.

Mob Psycho 100 is unlike any other starter shōnen anime, and unlike most other anime in general. It still has all the great fights that define the shōnen genre, but it's willing to go to great emotional depths that other series don't get anywhere close to. It's a series with just as many tear-jerking moments as it has heart-pounding set pieces, a rarity in the genre. The result isn't just one of the best starter shōnen, it's one of best anime period.

1 Demon Slayer

Animated By Ufotable, Based on the Manga By Koyoharu Gotouge

Demon Slayer is easily the best starter shōnen series of all time. It's about one thing: action, and it's perfect because of it. Tanjiro Kamado is set on the path of revenge after he comes home to his family's slaughter in one of the most gripping premiere episodes in anime. He left his home life to become a titular Demon Slayer in an attempt to avenge his family and hopefully save his sister from becoming a fully-fledged demon herself.

Demon Slayer: Mugen Train is still the highest-grossing anime movie of all time.

In a world of series about fights, determined characters, and amazing set pieces, Demon Slayer stands alone. Every time one of its movies is released, it breaks records across the globe. The movies are so successful that the only records they have left to break are their own. Tanjiro is not only easy to root for, but he's an excitement every time he's on-screen. His determination is second to none, and not even the Demon King Muzan Kibutsuji can stop him from getting what's his.