Everybody loves list articles, right? They are easy to digest, fun to follow, and get the reader thinking about what their own personal choices would be for their own list. But here at mangaarchaeologist.com, we are going to take our own approach. Instead of a straight list of ten series, I am going to break it up into five more well known franchises, which will be referred to as “the surface”, and five more obscure manga, which will be “the depths”. Today, we are going to be looking at shounen manga, but I will also create lists like this for other genres and demographics of manga in the future. These are all series that I personally have read and enjoy, and I hope fans of all levels of familiarity with manga can find something that strikes their fancy and gets them reading! Included with each entry will be a short paragraph on why I recommend each series. Without any further ado, let us explore some shounen manga!
1. Bleach
Bleach is a great entry point for new manga readers, and was a gateway drug for a lot of manga fans throughout the 2000’s. The story follows Ichigo Kurosaki, who after meeting the mysterious Rukia Kuchiki, is brought into the world of Soul Reapers, spiritual swordsmen that hunt lost souls and earthbound spirits known as Hollows. With lots of action, intriguing, unique character design, and easy to follow plot, Bleach is a great read for not only newer manga fans, but also to fans more acquainted with manga who may have missed its initial run, or fans from other demographics looking to check out a battle shounen. At the height of its popularity, Bleach was one of the three manga that was colloquially referred to as “The Holy Shounen Trinity” (along with One Piece and Naruto), and was one of the flagship franchises of Shounen Jump in the 2000’s. Bleach was also the only member of the shounen trinity I was invested in enough to read until completion. The series has also seen an influx of attention and new fans due to the announcement of the anime adaptation of the manga’s final story arc, The Thousand Year Blood War, slated to air this October.
2. Death Note
Death Note is a tale that embodies that quote, “The road to hell is paved with good intentions”. As a staple of manga culture that has consistently stayed popular since its debut in the 2000’s, Death Note is another great entry point into shounen manga. Death Note stands out from the pack of shounen manga by being more of a psychological thriller than a battle or comedy based shounen. Death Note follows Light Yagami, who happens upon the titular Death Note, a book that has the power to kill anyone who’s name is written in it. Light resolves to use this book to purge the world of violent criminals and those he deems as undesirables, but as the world renowned detective known as L begins to investigate the string of mysterious deaths, Light Yagami is forced to kill more and more to try and cover his tracks, and a decent into madness ensues…
3. Great Teacher Onizuka
Until a few years ago, I would have put this series in the “depths” half of this article, but over the last few years, interest in Great Teacher Onizuka has been rekindled, and it has found its place as a beloved series in the manga canon. Eikichi Onizuka is a 22-year-old ex-gangster turned social studies teacher at Holy Forest Academy. His class, Class 3-4 is filled with troubled youths that no other teacher could handle, but with his own rough background, Onizuka is more than up to the job of teaching this rowdy bunch of high school students. The story is an over-the-top comedy, complimented by Eikichi Onizuka’s wild and eccentric personality. GTO also contains many wholesome moments and life lessons as Onizuka bonds with his students and helps them through troubles they face within their home and school lives. If you want to laugh out loud at Onizuka’s crazy antics and also have your heart warmed by the acts of kindness and lengths he goes to help the personal and academic lives of his students, Great Teacher Onizuka might be your new favorite manga.
4. Fist of the North Star
Fist of the North Star is the king of 1980’s macho man manga. If the cover art hasn’t convinced you yet, the mangaka, Buronson even gets his pen name from actor Charles Bronson. If you aren’t familiar with the Fist of the North Star, picture a mash-up of Five Deadly Venoms and Mad Max. The world has been turned into a wasteland following a nuclear war, and the weak and innocent are preyed upon for the little food and water they have. Enter Kenshiro, a master martial artist who decides to use his martial ability to defend the innocent and crush the gangs of criminals that have popped up among the wreckage. Viz Media has reprinted the series in hardcover format as of last year, so getting your hands on a volume and finding out why Kenshiro is one of the most bad ass shounen protagonists shouldn’t be hard. Also, if you’re familiar with the phrase “Omae wa mou shindeiru (English: You are already dead”), this is where it comes from.
5. Shaman King
This supernatural battle shounen was actually my first experience with manga, so it has a special place in my heart. Shaman King follows Yoh Asakura, a kindhearted slacker who wants nothing more to live an easy life. Yoh is also a shaman, giving him the ability to see and communicate with ghosts, and considers many of them his friends. To achieve Yoh’s dream of an easy, peaceful life though, Yoh must participate in a battle tournament against other shamans, called the Shaman Fight, in order to become the Shaman King. The Shaman King has the ability to model the world and their life as they see fit, so naturally, shamans from all over the world join the tournament to have a shot at being the next Shaman King. The story boasts a large cast of lovable characters, both human and spirit, and has just as many heartfelt moments as it does action packed ones.
THE DEPTHS
6. Kurohime
Kurohime is a personal favorite series of mine that has sadly fallen in obscurity within the manga scene. Protagonist Zero was saved at a young age by a mysterious witch named Kurohime. Zero fell in love with her and vowed to himself that he would see her again. Ten years later, Zero got his wish, only Kurohime is now Himeko, a small, child-like version of herself, that can only return to her proper form under the right circumstances. The pair set out together to find a way to permanently restore Kurohime’s true appearance and fall in love along the way. The series has just about everything, gun battles, magic, gorgeous character art and deep themes of true love and selflessness. The lengths the two go for each other and the depth of their partnership is beyond the scope of what most manga event attempt to convey, but Kurohime conveys this eventual deep romance in a powerful way. Kurohime is a slept on masterpiece in my opinion, and if you can get your hands on the series, I would highly recommend giving this obscure hidden gem your time.
I have a full review of Kurohime here for anyone looking for a more in-depth look at the series: http://mangaarchaeologist.com/manga-archaeologist-unearthed-1-kurohime
7. Getbackers
Ginji Amano and Ban Mido make up the duo, The Getbackers, the coolest Robin Hood-like organization around. They will retrieve anything that shouldn’t be missing, for the right price. The pair’s line of work finds themselves at odds with the yakuza, a cult, art thieves, and even time itself throughout the story’s run. The pair are also equipped with special abilities that they utilize on their missions; Ban can make anyone that looks him in the eyes hallucinate for exactly one minute, and Ginji has the power to harness lightning. Along with a revolving cast that posses their own unique powers that help the Getbackers on their retrieval jobs, the story boasts beautiful art with a punk rock-esque aesthetic, creative, well thought out battle sequences, and memorable characters. Getbackers is a charming, criminally underrated series in the realm of shounen manga.
8. Mission: Yozakura Family
A relative newcomer in the world of shounen manga, Mission: Yozakura Family is a manga that is currently being serialized in Weekly Shounen Jump, and is available to read via Shueisha’s Manga Plus app. Taiyo Asano finds himself dating Mutsumi Yozakura, the heir to the infamous Yozakura spy family, and thus his wild, new life of espionage and information gathering begins. The series is getting a physical release in the very near future, so if you like what you read on the app, pick this one up when it drops.
9. Outlanders
Tetsuya is a photojournalist just starting his career when the earth is invaded by the alien forces of the Santovasku empire. Tetsuya’s career ends abruptly when he crosses paths with Kahm, the crown princess of the invading Santovasku empire, and their two lives change forever, as they find themselves falling in love, much to Kahm’s father’s dismay. This conflict leads to the pair becoming outlaws and lovers on the run across the galaxy. If you love unique characters, this is the entry on the list for you, the character interactions, and especially the character design have a quality I have not seen anywhere else.
10. Flame of Recca
Another relatively obscure gem from the mid 1990’s, and my personal favorite manga is Flame of Recca. The story follows high school student Recca Hanabishi, who is a total geek for anything related to ninjas, their history, their culture and their weapons are all things Recca is intrigued by. When he meets schoolmate Yanagi Sakoshita, who has the power to heal any injury, Recca confides in her his own secret, his power to produce fire. Their newly confided secrets aren’t kept between them long, as a mysterious woman named Kagehoshi witnesses their abilities in action, and attempts to end Recca’s life. After this encounter, word gets around to a rich businessman who loathes the idea of dying and leaving his money behind that there is a girl who can heal any injury, and his nefarious instincts are piqued. Any lover of shounen battle manga should give Flame of Recca a read; the characters, art and fight choreography are all top class, and shouldn’t be as slept on as they are now.
