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Best Shonen Anime That Focus on Character Development

Otaku Otaku
October 21, 2024

Since shonen anime is aimed at young male audiences, these stories tend to focus not just on action and competition, but also growth. Young viewers need fictional role models who show them how to grow up, from training hard to achieve great things all the way to maturing emotionally, for example. Also, when a shonen anime focuses on character growth, that gives the narrative a strong sense of progress and makes the heroes more dynamic.




Not all shonen anime do this — some shonen series focus more on the world-building and may feature static leads who change everyone around them. But in plenty of other cases, the protagonist and perhaps a few of their friends will grow, evolve, and become better people over time. That includes fighters who train and practice to become stronger, ordinary people who gain the maturity, responsibility, and perspective needed to become all grown up. And even if just one character grows up and learns something new in a shonen story, that’s enough to inspire viewers and create a compelling narrative.


10 Naruto Shows Its Male Lead Grow From a Young Prankster to a True Hero

Only With Constant Growth Can Naruto Become Hokage

Naruto prepares to throw a Rasengan in Naruto anime.


Much of the growth in the Naruto anime centers around protagonist Naruto Uzumaki himself, who had everything to gain at the start: respect, validation, friends, and most of all, sheer power as a ninja. Naruto compensated for his miserable life with pranks, but his life was aimless at the time. After graduating the ninja academy, though, his real growth started in a big way.

Naruto pushed himself hard to get stronger and smarter to keep pace with his shonen-style rival Sasuke Uchiha, while also learning to be a team player and express his empathy for others in a more constructive way. Naruto made enormous strides as both a fighter and human being, and by the end of it, he was a symbol of hope and peace in a world haunted by war. The anime also showed serious growth for characters like Sakura Haruno, Hinata Hyuga, and even Tsunade.


9 Little Witch Academia is About a Muggle Girl Growing Into an Incredible Spellcaster

Akko Has Everything to Gain at the Luna Nova School

Akko and friends power up in Little Witch Academia.

True to its name, Little Witch Academia is a shonen anime about a witch school, a place where students like Akko can do a lot of growing up. When the anime begins, Akko is just a magic-less teenage girl who dreams of becoming a great witch like Shiny Chariot, but actually reaching that dream seems impossible. Akko struggled at first and had to fake being a witch.

Anime collage featuring Nobara Kugisaki, Kyojuro Rengoku and Bleach's Chad

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Over time, though, Akko unlocked her true magic and felt empowered as the witch who might succeed Shiny Chariot someday. Akko wasn’t entirely doing it for herself, either — she wanted to protect and inspire other people as a benevolent witch in a modern world, which meant she did a lot of growing up as a person, too.

8 Komi Can’t Communicate Is About Personal Growth in High School

Shoko Komi Will Transform Her Life With 100 Friends

shoko komi writes with chalk.


Komi Can’t Communicate primarily focuses on the growth of its namesake heroine, Shoko Komi. Growing up, Shoko was terribly shy and had no friends, which made her lonely. By the time she started high school, Shoko vowed to make 100 friends, which would transform her life and empower her like nothing else could. It all started when she befriended Hitohito Tadano, the plainest boy in school.

From there, Shoko kept growing as a person as she pushed herself to make more friends, connect with them on a deeper level, and support them if need be. The manga version goes into more depth with this, such as Shoko’s growth after having a love triangle with Tadano and Rumiko Manbagi, after which point Shoko could express herself more clearly and confidently than ever.

Komi smiling in front of panels featuring her school friends on the cover of the Komi Can't Communicate Anime Poster

An elite and aloof schoolgirl is in fact severely withdrawn and anxious about communicating with others. An ordinary schoolboy befriends her and helps her to open up and talk with people.

Release Date
October 21, 2021

Cast
Aoi Koga , Gakuto Kajiwara , Rie Murakawa , Rina Hidaka

Seasons
2


7 Welcome to Demon School! Iruma-Kun Shows Iruma Bringing Out the Best In His Classmates

Even Demon Kids Can Grow Up a Little

iruma suzuki looks surprised.

Even if Welcome to Demon School! Iruma-Kun mostly focuses on action and humor as a wacky isekai anime, the narrative does make time for impressive growth and change for its main cast. That’s because while protagonist Iruma Suzuki grows stronger and braver over time, the real magic is how he inspires his demonic classmates to evolve and grow as people. Iruma doesn’t even realize what an incredible and positive influence he is on the other students at Babyls.


Slowly at first, then quicker over time, Iruma’s friends and classmates became braver, more confident, kinder, and overall better people, thanks to Iruma’s influence. On a physical level, these Babyls students grew a lot as they trained with their bloodline traits to get stronger and prove their teachers right about their enormous potential. That was how the Misfit Class exceeded all expectations in the Harvest Festival in Season 3.

6 Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End Proves It’s Not Too Late For People to Evolve and Change

Humans Have Plenty to Teach Elves About Growth

Frieren reads a grimoire with Fern in Frieren Beyond Journey’s End anime.


The nigh-immortal elf heroine Frieren merely drifted through the world for centuries, learning new magic spells as a hobby and fighting monsters here and there. Her personal growth was totally stagnant — until she got a wake-up call about the fragility of human life, that is. After Himmel the hero died, Frieren was inspired to connect with people more deeply, starting with her apprentice, Fern.

Split image of Naruto, Goku, and Zoro

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Frieren and Fern both grew and learned a lot from each other as they trekked north across the fantasy world, and for that matter, so did Stark, who joined partway through. Fern’s growth was rapid and impressive by any standard, pushing herself to master her spells while learning much more about the world’s many wonders and dangers. Frieren mostly grew as a person, having a new perspective on the short-lived people around her and the positive impact they can have on her long life.


5 The Quintessential Quintuplets Is About Five Sisters Growing Up to Chase Their Dreams

The Nakano Sisters Will Finally Take Responsibility For Their Lives

While most harem anime series are all about the self-insert male lead and his desires, The Quintessential Quintuplets is the inverse. The five Nakano sisters are the real heroes of this story, with each of them getting a substantial arc of personal growth and empowerment as Futaro Uesugi tutors them after class. Futaro is nothing more than the catalyst for change among the Nakano quintuplets, giving him a humble but important role.


When the story starts, the Nakanos are lazy, irresponsible students who refuse to think about the future, but Futaro’s tireless influence changes all that. Over time, the Nakano quints get better grades, build a serious work ethic, and strive to become better people who can achieve their dreams. Itsuki wishes to become a teacher like her late mother, for example, while Miku pushes herself to get better at cooking and Ichika dives into her career as an aspiring actress.

4 Dragon Ball is the Saga of Son Goku’s Never-Ending Growth on the Inside and Outside

Goku Went From a Prankster Kid to the Hero of the Universe

Goku strikes a pose against a blue sky


The Dragon Ball franchise is a classic example of shonen heroes training and fighting hard to get stronger and braver over time, especially earlier in the franchise. In the original Dragon Ball, Son Goku was a goofy, carefree kid who fought for fun, but after seeing villains like King Piccolo and the Saiyans arrive, he adjusted his attitude and started fighting for the sake of others. Goku learned to stop treating battle like a sport and treat it more like a responsibility.

Goku definitely matured as a person, even if he remained an ahodere himbo well into Dragon Ball Z, and most of all, he had explosive growth as a fighter. He was once a kid who fought by instinct, but after training with Master Roshi, Karin, and even various deities, Goku became a hero like none other, and that was even before his incredible adventures in Dragon Ball Super and other later series.


3 That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime Is About Monster People Growing Up

Monsters Always Get a Second Chance at Life

The Cast of That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime Season One

No matter his overpowered status, Rimuru Tempest in That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime was the catalyst for serious chance in his isekai world, including for himself. Physically, Rimuru was a total power trip with his many abilities, but he wasn’t perfect. Rimuru was the leader of an all-new nation of monsters, meaning he had much learning and growing to do as a leader and diplomat.


All Might next to King Kai

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The Tensura anime also showed Rimuru’s new friends grow up and become their best selves thanks to Rimuru’s positive influence. Monsters like Benimaru, Shion, the new Geld, and even Gabiru changed for the better and often evolved into new form after joining Rimuru’s nation, and they found a better cause to fight for. Shion is a fine example, going from a mere warrior brute to a charming, selfless friend who’s happy to be Rimuru’s self-appointed secretary and bodyguard.


2 My Hero Academia Charts the Growth of 20 Teenage Student Heroes

All Might Couldn’t be Prouder of Deku’s Accomplishments

My Hero Academia has been the saga of incredible growth for not just its protagonist, but all his classmates, too. Izuku Midoriya/Deku has had the most growth, going from a starry-eyed All Might admirer to a battle-hardened hero with an incredible Quirk on his side. Deku has learned what it means to be a true pro hero, and some of the lessons were quite painful or emotional, such as the Dark Deku battle.

Ochaco Uraraka has also come a long way, tirelessly pushing herself to follow Deku’s example and become a smart, brave hero who can financially support her parents. Even Katsuki Bakugo has done some growing up by discarding his bullying ways, and Kyoka Jiro grew up by overcoming her shyness and showing everyone the power of her music.


1 Bleach Forces Ichigo Kurosaki to Grow Up and Move Beyond His Grief

Ichigo Went From a Punk Kid to a Gracious Hero Who Fights For Others

Ichigo Kurosaki makes a serious face

Bleach is the story of Ichigo Kurosaki’s quest to become an ever-stronger hero who will do whatever he must to shield all his friends from harm. He felt empowered after becoming a Soul Reaper one night, but he still had a long way to go, such as recognizing his zanpakuto as a partner rather than a tool. He also faced his inner Hollow and tamed it, learning to embrace his half-other powers rather than cower from them. Most of all, Ichigo grew a great deal after letting go of his grief for his mother, Masaki.


Besides that, Bleach showed Ichigo’s friends grow and evolve over time, such as Rukia Kuchiki gaining new powers and feeling more confident about herself despite her many losses and hardships. Chad and Orihime also grew a great deal as human fighters with spiritual gifts, and even Byakuya Kuchiki evolved a bit after he gained a new, healthier perspective on his foster sister.

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