Shounen is a genre that focuses mainly on crafting great stories for teenage boys. That’s why almostevery shounen protagonist is also a teenager, such as Naruto, Ichigo, Midoriya, and Tanjiro. There is, however, some shounen anime out there that break free of this tradition. These titles still cater to predominantly teenage audiences, but the protagonists are actually adults.
Before we proceed, there are some caveats. This list focuses on the protagonists’ actual age, rather than their physical appearance. And for our purposes, anyone at or past college age counts as an adult. With that out of the way, these are the best shounen anime with adult protagonists, ranked based on their MyAnimeList score.
Kaiju No. 8
It’s Never Too Late to be a Hero
- Japanese Title: Kaijuu 8-gou
- Protagonist: Kafka Hibino
- MyAnimeList Score: 7.89
Kafka Hibino is the protagonist ofKaiju No. 8. He is a young man in his 20s who works at a cleaning company that specializes in the disposal of Kaiju’s corpses. He always dreamed of being a member of the Japan Anti-Kaiju Defense Force, but unfortunately, he lacked the necessary physical prowess to become one of the elite fighters. That is, until he accidentally meets an insect-likemonster that enables him to transform into a Kaiju, thus granting him the necessary strength to be a member of the Defense Force.
Kaiju No. 8 belongs to the new generation of shounen stories that don’t hesitate to break the convention and put a working-age adult as the main protagonist of the story. The result is a protagonist who is wiser and much more mature than your typical shounen protagonist, while still retaining that exuberance and optimism that has become the trademark of the main character of a shounen anime.
Noragami
Divine Power, Human Struggles
- Japanese Title: Noragami
- Protagonist: Yato
- MyAnimeList Score: 7.94
As mentioned in the opening paragraphs, there will be some protagonists who look younger than their actual age.The main character ofNoragami, Yato, is one of those protagonists. Appearance-wise, he looks just like your typical rowdy young man. But that couldn’t be further from the truth. After all, Yato is actually a God who’s been roaming the Earth for thousands of years. In fact, he is actually the oldest protagonist on this list.
In the world ofNoragami, a God’s worth is measured by how many followers they have. The more people mentioned your name and believed in your existence, the more powerful and wealthy you are as a God. As a minor God, Yato barely has any followers, which is why he is often regarded as a stray God, essentially the godly version of a homeless person. But make no mistake, cause when it comes to combat, Yato is someone who can slash the heavens and strike down the Gods who dwell there.
That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime
From Office Life to Fantasy Kingdom
- Japanese Title: Tensei shitara Slime Datta Ken
- Protagonist: Rimuru Tempest
- MyAnimeList Score: 8.13
Yato is not the only one who looks young despite his old age. The same thing can be said about the protagonist ofThat Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime: Rimuru Tempest. Before he was transported to the new fantasy world as a slime and ended up taking the appearance of a teenager, Rimuru was actually a man who worked 9 to 5 in a company, just like most adults his age.
Unlike other isekai protagonists who often spend their time in the new world as overpowered fighters or mages,Rimuru focuses mainly on building his own kingdom of monsters called The Jura Tempest Federation. And one of the reasons why he is capable of doing so is because he is an adult with years of experience working as a team and has learn about negotiations, leadership, history, economics, and politics for years. A young and naive teenager won’t be able to do such a thing. But don’t mistake his role as a statesman for an inability to fight. He can, and has, annihilate the entire army of a big Kingdom in a matter of minutes.
Moriarty the Patriot
The Professor Who Outsmarted Nobility
- Japanese Title: Yuukoku no Moriarty
- Protagonist: William James Moriarty
- MyAnimeList Score: 8.17
Moriarty the Patriotreimagines the Sherlock Holmes saga through the eyes of the detective’s greatest adversary: the young, ambitious, and radical William James Moriarty. He is a charming mathematics professor by day and a cunning criminal mastermind by night.
He sees himself as a revolutionary. A necessary evil. To him, every act of crime is a weapon against the corruption rotting society from within. Each scheme is a step toward dismantling the powers that be. But above all, the young professor revels in crafting the perfect crime, and nothing thrills him more than crossing wits with his rival, the great Sherlock Holmes.
Solo Leveling
From Weakling to World’s Strongest
- Japanese Title: Ore dake Level Up na Ken
- Protagonist: Sung Jinwoo
- MyAnimeList Score: 8.23
Sung Jinwoo is the sole breadwinner in his family. He has to earn money to pay for his mother’s medical bills and for his younger sister’s high school tuition. He should’ve been in college, but when he realized that he had awakened the mana in his body, he decided to become a Hunter. A hunter can earn good money when they defeat monsters and get precious resources from a dungeon. Unfortunately for Jinwoo, he is nothing more than an E-Rank Hunter, basically the weakest rank in the Hunter hierarchy.
But everything changed when he was accidentally involved in a brutal tragedy known as the Double Dungeon Incident. In his last gasp, Sung Jinwoo experienced a second awakening. Thanks to that, he gained the ability to increase his level. This means the more he fights, the stronger he becomes. He basically becomes a hunter that can keep leveling up. In no time at all, Sung Jinwoo becomes the 10thS-Rank Hunter in the country.
Rurouni Kenshin
A Samurai Burdened by the Past
- Japanese Title: Rurouni Kenshin: Meiji Kenkaku Romantan
- Protagonist: Kenshin Himura
- MyAnimeList Score: 8.28
In Meiji-era Japan, there’s a legend about a skilled swordsman who can cut down dozens of people in minutes. He was known as Battousai the Manslayer. But then, this ruthless samurai suddenly vanished from the public eye.
Not long after,an unassuming young man named Kenshin Himura arrived in Tokyo. He is a pacifist who avoids confrontation as much as possible. He even carries a reverse-blade katana, made to incapacitate foes instead of slaying them. But don’t mistake his meekness as a sign of weakness. Faced against tyranny and injustice, Kenshin will awaken the past that he has buried so deep within his soul. And when Battousai inevitably appears, everybody bleeds.
Spy x Family
When Espionage Meets Parenthood
- Japanese Title: SPY×FAMILY
- Protagonist: Loid Forger
- MyAnimeList Score: 8.45
Twilight is the greatest spy Westalis has ever produced. No one has seen his real face, but everybody who works in the underworld and across intelligence circles knows his name.Spy x Family follows his biggest mission yet: uncovering everything about Donovan Desmond, a powerful Ostania official and Westalis’s greatest adversary.This highly classified mission is called Operation Strix.
For Operation Strix, Twilight takes on the identity of Loid Forger, a psychiatrist at one of Ostania’s largest hospitals. To get close to Desmond, he’s ordered to build a family in just a week. Though flabbergasted at first, he was determined to complete the mission. So, Loid adopts a little girl, Anya, and marries a kind woman, Yor, all in the span of one week. Unbeknownst to him, Anya is a telepath who can read minds, and Yor is a feared assassin known as the Thorn Princess. When a spy, an assassin, and a telepath pose as a family, chaos and hilarity ensue.
Great Teacher Onizuka
From Delinquent to Unforgettable Teacher
- Japanese Title: GTO: Great Teacher Onizuka
- Protagonist: Eikichi Onizuka
- MyAnimeList Score: 8.68
Eikichi Onizuka was a rowdy young man who co-founded the most notorious biker gang in his city. But one thing led to another, and now this former delinquent becomes a high school teacher. Considering his colorful past, the headmaster put him in charge of the school’s most troubling students. Being a former rebel without a cause himself, Onizuka thinks that teaching some bad kids would be a walk in the park. But the job proves to be a lot more challenging than expected.
They disrespect him, ignore him, prank him, scam him, and even try to hurt him. In the olden days, he would use his fist and his penchant for violence to curb these sorts of behaviors. But he is a teacher now, so that is no longer an option. Watching Onizuka come up with bizarre solutions to teach these kids a lesson and seeing how they slowly but surely open up to him isnot only hilarious, but it is also heartwarming and inspiring.
Gintama
A Lazy Samurai Who Still Saves the Day
- Japanese Title: Gin Tama
- Protagonist: Gintoki Sakata
- MyAnimeList Score: 8.93
Normally, when a samurai lost his master and his purpose, he would become a mercenary and offer his deadly skills to the highest bidder. But this is not a normal world. Far from it. Here, the people of feudal Japan live together with all sorts of aliens. To survive in this bizarre world, a samurai has to be willing to do anything. And that’s why Gintoki decided to work as a freelancer who is willing to do any sort of odd jobs.
The problem is, Gintoki is a lazy, carefree, rude, and brazen man with no care in the world. He rarely takes anything seriously and often finds himself in trouble due to his own carelessness. On the flip side, he is actually smart, decisive, and observant. And he can also be a good leader when he wants to. As for combat, well, considering he is one of the few survivors of the last great war, it’s safe to say thatGintoki is one of the best swordsmen in the world. From absurd and hilarious situations to intense and dynamic combat, you’ll find everything inGintama.
Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End
The Loneliness of Outliving Everyone
- Japanese Title: Sousou no Frieren
- Protagonist: Frieren
- MyAnimeList Score: 9.29
Most fantasy stories focus on the adventure of the Hero’s party as they embark on a journey to defeat the demon lord. This one, however, is all about what happens after said journey has been completed. Here, some of the members of the hero party have passed away due to old age, leaving only the powerful mage of the group, a long-lived elf named Frieren, as the only one who is still actively roaming the world.
As a member of a race that can, and has, lived for thousands of years,Frieren finds it hard to understand and sympathize with a short-lived race like humans. But something changes in her heart when she sees the passing of her comrades. It may be a blip in her long life, but the days that they spent together were truly a precious memory for her.
And now, Frieren gets a chance to embark on another journey. For this new adventure, she is not only a party member but also a mentor. There will be lots of obstacles along the way, but Frieren has promised herself that this time around, she will pay close attention to her companions and enjoy their journey together as much as possible.
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