Top 20 Best Action Shonen Anime of All Time

[00:00] [Music]

[00:05] i've been looking at my views and it's

[00:06] no doubt that action anime is a favorite

[00:09] for you guys it's all cool i'm one of

[00:10] you too so instead of counting down the

[00:12] top 10 this time i'm going to go for 20

[00:14] titles 20 of my favorite action shonen

[00:17] yep you heard that right it's the

[00:19] biggest vinnie tube video yet and we're

[00:21] gonna have double the fun today after

[00:23] all we're fast approaching a million

[00:25] subs so here's something for a

[00:26] pre-emptive celebration perhaps what i

[00:28] define as action showdown it's a title

[00:30] that has battles and a bit of adventure

[00:32] as its primary hook which is why some

[00:34] titles that i feel could belong in this

[00:35] list don't exactly make it due to

[00:37] technicality

[00:41] [Music]

[00:50] [Music]

[00:54] we start off with something modern

[00:56] noragami is what i'd call short and

[00:58] sweet and it's one of my favorite anime

[00:59] in early 2014. it has a lovable cast of

[01:02] characters set in an urban setting that

[01:04] heavily intersects with the spiritual it

[01:05] was quite the hit back in the day not

[01:07] mainstream popular but yato hiyori and

[01:10] yugine's antics endeared them enough to

[01:12] get the show a sequel no nagami aragoto

[01:14] and how could it not it's an urban

[01:16] fantasy action show that places

[01:18] surprisingly heavy emphasis on character

[01:20] development we really get to feel for

[01:22] the characters and grow attached to them

[01:23] as they go through their interpersonal

[01:25] drama that heavily characterizes most of

[01:27] the series from yato to hiyori to side

[01:30] characters like bishomon the characters

[01:32] are very fleshed out this thing sorely

[01:34] needed another sequel and it's mainly

[01:35] the reason why it's rated at only number

[01:37] 20. especially after the way aragoto

[01:39] ended it's one of the curious cases

[01:41] wherein the season one ending had more

[01:43] closure so it makes me think that if it

[01:44] just ended up being a one-and-done anime

[01:46] i would have been perfectly fine with it

[01:48] but the stopping point for season two

[01:49] changed my mind

[01:56] number 19 we go to a classic favorite

[01:59] dragon ball z

[02:00] [Applause]

[02:02] [Music]

[02:03] [Applause]

[02:06] dragon ball as a franchise needs little

[02:08] explanation even if you're someone new

[02:10] to the whole anime thing there would

[02:11] surely be an anime boomer out there

[02:13] telling you about how great the exploits

[02:14] of goku and his pals were back in the

[02:16] day it's just a testament as to how big

[02:18] of an influence the series had in

[02:20] shaping the childhoods of 90s kids if

[02:22] you're gonna let me have a biased

[02:23] opinion i really love it it's got a lot

[02:25] of cool moments and fights and i feature

[02:26] it in so many of my videos but i have it

[02:29] just at number 19 because taking those

[02:31] fights away and you have a shonen that's

[02:33] somewhat barebones especially compared

[02:35] to a lot of the more modern shows it's

[02:37] not aged very well in my opinion even

[02:38] compared to the 2000s shonen but that's

[02:40] what super's for right to keep the show

[02:42] up to speed with the modern era

[02:47] [Music]

[02:55] here's a niche title for the number 18th

[02:57] rank claymore

[03:01] i legitimately wonder how many people

[03:03] have watched claymore in 2022 not a lot

[03:05] i assume even back in its day it was

[03:07] quite the niche title even as it's a

[03:09] product of shonen jump it takes place in

[03:11] a medieval land that's plagued by

[03:13] shape-shifting demons called yoma and

[03:15] the ones standing in their way are

[03:16] female warriors who are also part yoma

[03:18] called claymores by the public it's a

[03:20] show that i enjoyed and i think a lot of

[03:22] people would like it it has an

[03:23] interesting premise strong characters

[03:25] like the claymores who have their share

[03:26] of action scenes to shine in and a lot

[03:28] of great fighting too however i take

[03:30] points away from the anime because of

[03:31] how it seems so unfinished as an

[03:33] adaptation the production values haven't

[03:35] aged too well either

[03:37] black clover bursts its way into rank

[03:39] 17.

[03:47] here's something most of you are

[03:49] familiar with i feel that the mystique

[03:50] in black clover has a lot to do with its

[03:52] world and magic system it's always

[03:54] interesting to watch a battle shonen

[03:55] with such a particular edge with its

[03:57] characters its spells and the overall

[03:59] way it handles its fights it's very

[04:01] immersive when the ball got rolling and

[04:02] while the production quality has been

[04:04] inconsistent due to its long run of

[04:06] nature it hits the mark when it comes to

[04:07] moments that matter sorry dean seven

[04:10] deadly sins i personally admire black

[04:11] clover and his fans the anime is the

[04:13] subject of much criticism early on in

[04:15] its run but the fans have stuck with it

[04:17] and got rewarded with one of the better

[04:18] new gen and immersive shown in long

[04:20] runners it's the true embodiment of a

[04:22] journey that pays off a meta parallel to

[04:24] arsenal's underdog story from

[04:26] laughingstock to hero ironically

[04:28] [Music]

[04:30] in 16th place we go back to the sengoku

[04:32] period with doraro

[04:36] doraro isn't a new series in fact if we

[04:39] take everything i've talked about so far

[04:41] doraro is the oldest series its first

[04:43] anime dating back to the end of the

[04:45] 1960s it's also one of osamu tezuka's

[04:48] popular works which is why it got a

[04:49] modernized version among the modern

[04:51] remakes of old titles such as bim it's

[04:53] the one that ended up being the best for

[04:55] me the story of yakimaru fighting demons

[04:57] and fighting his humanity through the

[04:58] journey has been beautifully captured in

[05:00] the modern version crisp fighting scenes

[05:02] pretty visuals that capture the essence

[05:04] of the rural sengoku era a lot of

[05:06] emotional moments and a story that keeps

[05:08] you wanting more i didn't hear much

[05:10] noise on doraro when it was first airing

[05:11] and i think that a lot of people missed

[05:13] out on a great 2019 show then again it's

[05:15] a show that had the first garguya quince

[05:17] and shield hero in it not to mention the

[05:19] only promised neverland anime yeah the

[05:22] only one

[05:29] rank 15 is world trigger

[05:38] world trigger is in a weird spot it

[05:40] started out with its first season right

[05:42] at the first half of the 2010s and it

[05:44] was barely talked about some blame the

[05:46] approach in the adaptation while others

[05:47] blame the art me i think the show is

[05:50] underrated and it does take a while to

[05:51] rev up thankfully we did get our sequel

[05:53] last year and it's where the series

[05:55] starts to show its metal with a lot of

[05:56] high octane fights that are just filled

[05:58] with exciting moments and epic animation

[06:00] a contrast from the middling first

[06:02] season a true example of a show getting

[06:04] better as it goes on both in terms of

[06:05] presentation and plot oh and let's not

[06:07] forget the world building and the

[06:08] ability to make us feel attached to the

[06:10] characters and development world trigger

[06:12] needed over 70 episodes to get to this

[06:15] point which is why i'd usually recommend

[06:16] someone to read the manga when it comes

[06:18] to this series well at least for the

[06:19] first few arcs

[06:22] in 14th place is my hero academia

[06:31] my hero academia is probably the closest

[06:33] we can get to a modern equivalent to the

[06:35] classic 2000 shonen archetype underdog

[06:38] hero in a bright idealistic world with a

[06:40] setting that appeals mostly to the

[06:41] younger demographic it feels like the

[06:43] stock's shown in but given the plot

[06:45] developments we've had so far i'd say

[06:46] that it also has a lot to offer to older

[06:48] fans i like the creativity on display

[06:50] with the powers and i like how it also

[06:52] goes out of the way to give the villains

[06:53] some shine the show also has several

[06:55] compelling characters that get developed

[06:57] as the story progresses from a critical

[06:59] standpoint it may not be the best shonen

[07:01] out there but there's no denying its

[07:02] influence and that's why it's right here

[07:04] at number 14.

[07:09] speaking of cultural influence demon

[07:11] slayer is 13th on my list

[07:15] by far the show that gave the most

[07:16] impact in the past couple of years in

[07:18] the world of anime is demon slayer it

[07:20] just blew up in a way that's

[07:22] unprecedented since the days of uh

[07:23] attack on titan season one that's just

[07:25] how big it got and it mostly did it on

[07:27] the heels of eye-opening animation and

[07:29] art there's just a signature flair to

[07:31] how the art was done for the series and

[07:32] i'm not just talking about the rui fight

[07:34] the attacks the character presentation

[07:36] and even the backgrounds and so all

[07:38] contribute to the appeal of the story so

[07:40] much the plot's simple and i stand by

[07:41] what i said that it's no 10 out of 10

[07:43] masterpiece however it's still a damn

[07:45] good shonen to watch and introduced to

[07:47] your pals it's also quite dark and

[07:48] violent for a shonen title and i bet

[07:50] that helps improve its popularity

[07:52] [Music]

[07:54] almost entering the halfway point we

[07:56] look at rurouni kenshin in 12th place

[08:00] another timeless classic ruroni kenshin

[08:02] feels different for its time instead of

[08:04] having a spitfire of energy we have an

[08:06] introverted pacifist for a protagonist

[08:08] seeking redemption kenshin embodies a

[08:10] kind of inner strength that we rarely

[08:12] saw emphasizing the protagonists of the

[08:14] 90s that alone makes the title notable

[08:16] in its heyday and there's also the lack

[08:18] of focus on superpowers and such that

[08:20] have become synonymous with the popular

[08:21] shonen titles instead delving more on

[08:23] character drama and buildup but that's

[08:25] not to say that the fights aren't good

[08:26] as it also has some of the best sword

[08:28] fights that the 90s could give us those

[08:30] things really gave roroni kenshin a

[08:32] unique edge over its peers it was one of

[08:34] my favorites amongst the classics with

[08:36] the shishio arc being the peak of its

[08:37] popularity it's got a unique approach

[08:39] that helped it reach heights but anime

[08:41] filler hell unfortunately cut its

[08:42] momentum short this is a show that could

[08:44] have benefited from the throttled

[08:46] releases that my hero academia does from

[08:49] ancient japan we take to the arabian

[08:51] desert for maggie

[08:53] [Applause]

[08:55] the interesting thing is that statement

[08:56] only really holds true for select parts

[08:58] of this fantastic adventure margie

[09:00] starts off giving us a new take on the

[09:01] whole arabian nights theme but with

[09:03] anime powers akin to something like

[09:04] bleach we then go on a trip that takes

[09:06] us through the various corners of the

[09:07] world a world that happens to mirror

[09:09] parts of the real world actually like

[09:11] ancient rome china or the indian islands

[09:13] magi for all the fantastical elements

[09:15] does feel like a shonen that hits closer

[09:17] to home the main appeal is the powers

[09:19] and the adventure for me but it's also

[09:21] got its chance to show off its metal in

[09:22] other aspects that we rarely see get

[09:24] this much focus in shonen such as

[09:26] politics and philosophy not to say that

[09:28] the anime is some too deep for you show

[09:30] because it talks about politics at the

[09:31] end of it all it's mainly just a bright

[09:33] idealistic shonen that's mainly about

[09:35] the trip the riders alibaba and aladdin

[09:37] learn more about the worlds and grow

[09:39] through their interactions with people

[09:40] from all backgrounds it's a definite

[09:42] recommendation for me

[09:44] we're at the halfway point now and this

[09:45] is usually where i tell you to subscribe

[09:47] subscribing helps the channel reach its

[09:49] goal so if you like what you've been

[09:50] seeing and what more then please make

[09:52] sure you go ahead and hit that subscribe

[09:53] button however i'd actually also like to

[09:55] take this moment to name a lot of

[09:56] honorable mentions that didn't quite

[09:58] make it to this list we only have slots

[10:00] for 20 titles after all so here they are

[10:02] and they're in no specific order shaman

[10:04] king nura rise of the yokai clan fairy

[10:07] tale rave d grey man soul eater hitman

[10:11] reborn seraph of the end blood blockade

[10:14] battlefront now do you have any other

[10:16] honorable mentions that you've got in

[10:18] mind so far stay tuned for the next half

[10:20] of this exciting list

[10:21] [Music]

[10:25] coming off the break we've got a

[10:26] personal favorite of mine bleach

[10:30] i know it's not impossible to talk about

[10:32] bleach without mentioning the 2000s and

[10:34] the big three so i'll talk about what

[10:36] sets it apart from the other two if

[10:37] you're asking me why i love bleach so

[10:39] much and why some people like it the

[10:40] best amongst the hits shonen of the

[10:42] 2000s i'd say that it's the one that

[10:44] seems the most mature in its

[10:46] presentation the characters feel like

[10:48] they're part of our world more and as

[10:49] teens looking to break into adulthood

[10:51] then people especially connected with

[10:53] the struggles of the characters whereas

[10:54] the worlds of something like naruto just

[10:56] felt a little bit distant bleach is a

[10:58] very influential title that it helps

[11:00] spurn in a new generation of anime fans

[11:02] in the day it's also got some of the

[11:03] best aesthetics from the shinigami to

[11:06] the hollows quincy's and aaron carr the

[11:08] designs are top-notch all coming with a

[11:09] flavor that's uniquely theirs that's not

[11:11] to mention the powers and how full of

[11:13] stakes the early fights seem sure the

[11:15] series has its flaws and it's almost

[11:16] worn out it's welcome by the time the

[11:18] full bringer arc came around but there's

[11:19] a reason that there's clamor for more

[11:21] bleach and quite some buzz for the

[11:22] upcoming sequel one that's been a decade

[11:25] in the making we can't talk about bleach

[11:27] without the show that it feels like a

[11:28] spiritual successor to you you huckle

[11:30] show

[11:32] [Music]

[11:37] urban fantasy setting ragtag group of

[11:40] comrades that fight and have adventures

[11:41] in the spiritual realm and a protagonist

[11:43] who gets involved in the spirit realm

[11:45] thanks to contact with the supernatural

[11:47] yeah it's easy to see why people call

[11:48] bleach a spiritual successor to yu yu

[11:50] hakusho in a lot of ways the two are the

[11:52] same yet they are quite different yuyu

[11:54] hakusho does have a lot of merits the

[11:56] fighting feels well constructed and it's

[11:58] got outstanding humor and depth for what

[12:00] people could easily pass off as your

[12:02] everyday supernatural battle shonen it

[12:04] may not have the same level bleach has

[12:05] in terms of flashiness the stylishness

[12:08] and complicatedness of the fights and

[12:09] powers later in the story but yuyu

[12:11] haku's show feels just as rounded as a

[12:13] series it has arcs that feel simpler but

[12:15] philosophical and just as engaging and

[12:17] enjoyable if you like one of the two

[12:19] chances are you like the other as well

[12:22] we then moved to eighth place where the

[12:24] second member of the jump big three is

[12:26] [Music]

[12:32] it seems to me that among the anime fans

[12:33] of the 2000s there's no title as

[12:35] influential to them becoming aware of

[12:37] the medium than naruto it was big back

[12:39] in the day back when there wasn't much

[12:41] internet access and online communities

[12:42] to grow it felt like the flagship title

[12:45] of that era and for good reason too

[12:47] what's not to like about naruto assuming

[12:49] you're someone who's clueless about the

[12:50] medium it's got plucky underdog story a

[12:52] unique take on the concept of ninjas for

[12:54] its time some very nice life lessons to

[12:56] be learned even though broader more

[12:58] idealistic than realistic it's no

[13:00] surprise that the show has influenced a

[13:01] whole generation of fans as for me i

[13:03] found myself captivated by the

[13:05] interesting world and the growth of our

[13:06] protagonist following orange jumpsuit

[13:08] era naruto through his journey into the

[13:10] world's greatest hero by the time the

[13:12] story ends is an ode to the journey that

[13:14] we all take growing up and the way

[13:15] naruto the series presented it is very

[13:18] satisfying

[13:21] right after that we have the hottest

[13:23] member of the new generation in town

[13:25] jiu-jitsu kaizen

[13:29] if there's an embodiment of style in the

[13:31] world of battle shonen the same way

[13:32] bleach was in its day it's got to be

[13:34] jiu-jitsu kaizen the series just screams

[13:36] edgy and cool and there's no better way

[13:38] than to show that than to have some of

[13:39] the best fight sequences in modern

[13:41] shonen it's got a lot of moments to

[13:42] remember thanks to the superb production

[13:44] quality and we can tell that mappa gave

[13:46] their all with this it's a very fun

[13:48] experience watching jiu jitsu kaizen

[13:50] overall like demon slayer i call this a

[13:52] middle-of-the-road show that's

[13:53] infinitely elevated my production

[13:54] quality but it's got a lot of great

[13:56] moments to remember it for almost

[13:58] everything gojo does a lot of the fights

[14:00] in the kyoto goodwill arc the main

[14:01] character's personal highlights like

[14:03] megumi's moment in the last few episodes

[14:05] it's a show that's very accessible for

[14:07] everyone and there's a lot to like and

[14:08] at the end of the day if you're gonna

[14:10] ask a casual watcher or someone looking

[14:11] to get into the medium that's what

[14:13] matters the most for showed an anime

[14:14] right

[14:16] sixth place is one piece the biggest

[14:18] action shonen in japan

[14:21] [Music]

[14:33] one piece to me is the show that

[14:35] represents endless possibilities just as

[14:37] it has a setting tailor made for the

[14:39] series to go on indefinitely one piece

[14:41] is the action shonen that is made to be

[14:43] full of surprises there's just so much

[14:44] that can be done in the world of one

[14:46] piece and through several arcs and

[14:47] adventures that luffy and the group have

[14:49] gone through i found myself cherishing a

[14:51] lot of them those excited cheers of

[14:52] triumph in the heat of epic battles

[14:54] those dramatic moments that pull both

[14:56] mind and the characters hearts and the

[14:58] sheer anticipation of what comes next

[15:00] i'll never forget them watching it all

[15:02] can be a daunting task but i promise

[15:03] that the journey is worth it when you

[15:05] get to the key moments make sure to let

[15:07] it all sink in and be amazed at how

[15:09] powerful a title that looks so cartoony

[15:11] can be in touching the hearts of

[15:13] millions of people in the world oh and

[15:15] trust me if this was a manga list it

[15:17] would have been a lot higher

[15:18] unfortunately like some other

[15:20] long-running anime on this list it

[15:21] suffers from inconsistent animation and

[15:23] pacing issues due to the addition of in

[15:25] canon fillers that's why i recommend you

[15:27] watch the one pace version which will

[15:29] save up a lot of your time

[15:31] my fifth best action shonen is none

[15:33] other than jojo

[15:38] jojo is an anime that's been helped by

[15:40] the internet i mean the series has

[15:42] become quite ubiquitous with meme

[15:44] culture and the internet side of the

[15:45] anime fandom without the help of those i

[15:47] doubt the franchise would have exploded

[15:48] the way it did but i am very thankful

[15:50] for that because for all the craziness

[15:52] and the over-the-top elements that's in

[15:53] it jojo is a well thought out battle

[15:55] shonen the way the seasons connect with

[15:57] each other and take us through

[15:58] generations of characters is something

[16:00] that amazed me when i first stumbled

[16:01] upon it it's also the poster child for

[16:04] wild dumb fun in the world of anime

[16:06] almost nothing indicates that the series

[16:08] takes itself seriously but it's what

[16:10] makes it special and allows it to

[16:11] deliver some of the most memorable

[16:12] moments in anime such as the seven page

[16:14] mudder amongst others

[16:24] rank number four is gintama

[16:29] gintama i can say is the master of

[16:31] multiple genres fans love it for its

[16:33] very intense and dramatic moments but

[16:35] they also love how it can go all in on

[16:37] the comedic and parody aspects i say

[16:39] that's the big appeal of gintama it's

[16:40] propensity in switching gears and giving

[16:42] you the best of the two ends of the

[16:44] spectrum all without inducing mood

[16:46] whiplash one moment you'll be laughing

[16:48] along within toki and the gang and the

[16:49] next moment you'll be at the edge of

[16:51] your seat while watching an extremely

[16:52] gripping segment helped by great sound

[16:54] and art direction one that's evolved

[16:56] alongside the years it also helps the

[16:58] gintama has some of my favorite villains

[16:59] and side characters and actions shown in

[17:01] bonus points for finishing the story in

[17:03] one of the best possible ways a banger

[17:05] of a movie featuring some of the most

[17:07] epic fights the series has to offer on

[17:09] another note it's not an anime i'd

[17:10] recommend to someone who's new to the

[17:12] world of anime as it's got a lot of

[17:13] references and parodies of other anime

[17:15] which a newcomer might not be familiar

[17:17] with the honor of being the third best

[17:20] action shonen goes to full metal

[17:22] alchemist

[17:25] here's another classic for you fma has

[17:27] been recommended to death by people it's

[17:29] just that good it's a series rife with

[17:32] action but also filled with a lot of

[17:33] story lines that make you ponder it's

[17:35] quite the profound shown and that deals

[17:36] a lot with morality and the like all

[17:38] while packaging the whole thing

[17:39] excellently in an exciting series full

[17:41] of epic fights and adventures it didn't

[17:43] quite penetrate the normie consciousness

[17:45] the same level as the bigger battle

[17:47] shown and animated that's more to do

[17:48] with the fact that this is a show that's

[17:50] not as easy to consume things move a

[17:52] slow burn at times much to the benefit

[17:54] of its themes and messages that's

[17:56] certainly a reason this show is still

[17:58] getting recommended by people this 2022

[18:00] compared to a lot of the more popcorn

[18:02] entertainment peers in terms of writing

[18:04] and thematic meaning and shown in anime

[18:06] it's hard to trump fma in second place

[18:09] is the 2013 sensation attack on titan

[18:16] yeah i know what you're thinking attack

[18:18] on titan at first glance looks nothing

[18:20] like a showdown manga turned anime heck

[18:22] even after watching it and seeing the

[18:23] violence the convoluted plot lines the

[18:25] depth of characterization of

[18:27] relationships as well as the social

[18:28] commentaries you wouldn't think that

[18:30] it's something that belongs with the

[18:31] likes of fairy tale but it is indeed

[18:33] published in a shonen magazine and

[18:35] that's beautiful it's something like

[18:36] death note in that the heaviness of the

[18:38] subject matter creates a fake out

[18:40] overall attack on titan is worth the

[18:42] hype it starts off catching everyone's

[18:44] attention by giving us a thrilling setup

[18:46] of humans fighting for survival one

[18:48] that's devoid of the usual shonen plot

[18:50] armor or other usual tropes giving us

[18:52] something that looks so unique in the

[18:53] world of anime for its time back in 2013

[18:56] then once it's gone our attention it

[18:58] starts talking to us showing us the

[19:00] depth of humanity's derangement and a

[19:01] lot of other social problems we face all

[19:04] while not letting go of the action as

[19:05] some of the epic moments in the latter

[19:07] seasons like levi fights or the

[19:08] cinematic clash at the end of season

[19:10] three prove finally i have hunter hunter

[19:13] as my best action shown in anime

[19:18] ah hunter hunter there's just a lot of

[19:21] ways to express why this is my favorite

[19:23] shown in anime and why i think it

[19:24] deserves recognition for being one of

[19:26] the best ones out there a lot of people

[19:28] lord hunter hunter for his generalist

[19:29] appeal and lack of reliance on shonen

[19:31] tropes it's not as in your face

[19:33] subversive as attack on titan tribes can

[19:35] be but it doesn't need to be it shreds

[19:37] the standard shown in fear while

[19:38] integrating some dark and mature moments

[19:40] that truly showcases the power of the

[19:42] medium despite having the appearance of

[19:44] a simplistic shonen for young people it

[19:46] gets rather unorthodox in its approach

[19:48] to battle powerups character arcs and

[19:50] such and people eventually realize that

[19:52] there's much to this show than

[19:53] appearances first suggest truly a

[19:55] masterpiece in the realm of shonen

[19:57] storytelling hunter hunter deserves all

[19:59] the acclaim it's been getting the memes

[20:00] about the mangas hiatus have

[20:02] overshadowed the actual content at times

[20:04] but the fact that people still eagerly

[20:05] await the series even after two decades

[20:08] is proof of how much it touched the

[20:10] hearts of millions worldwide

[20:13] and that wraps it up this has been one

[20:16] of my longest videos so far and i hope

[20:18] that you enjoyed this new format i'd

[20:20] love to know your top 20 or top 10

[20:22] favorite shonen so please feel free to

[20:24] comment down below if you're up for some

[20:25] more interaction with the community you

[20:27] can catch the vini tube team on our

[20:28] discord instagram or patreon links will

[20:30] be provided in the description box like

[20:32] subscribe and hit the share button if

[20:34] you enjoyed the video and i'm looking

[20:35] forward to seeing you next time see ya