Shonen anime is quite easily the most popular anime series of all time. However, due to the nature of its audience, it can often be very lacking in terms of dark storylines. That said, very few shonen anime have taken a rather unique approach and tackled much darker themes throughout their incredible run. Dark shonen anime Since these series are mostly aimed at children, they are not as mainstream as they would like; However, there are definitely some shonen anime that set themselves apart by tackling some very dark themes.
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Attack on Titan
Attack on Titan One of the most popular shonen anime of all time. There is a huge misconception among thinking anime fans Attack on Titan is a seinen series, but in reality, it's just a shonen that tackles some very dark themes in its run. The fact that many fans mistake Attack on Titan for Sinen is a testament to the fact that the series is incredibly dark.
Attack on Titan follows the story of Irene Jaeger and her friends, whose lives are turned upside down after their home is breached by man-eating titans. Story Eren vows revenge on them as well as uncovers the deep and dark secrets behind these titans. With each major reveal, the story of Attack on Titan takes some very interesting twists and turns, as well as shedding light on some of the darkest plotlines in anime.
The Chainsaw Man
the story of The Chainsaw Man Written by Tatsuki Fujimoto, one of the most experienced mangaka of all time. The story takes place in Weekly Shonen Jump, but despite that, it takes a lot of liberties with the type of content it displays. Despite being a shonen manga, Chainsaw Man features some very dark themes and portrays the horrors of humanity through various devils. On the surface, Chainsaw Man may seem to address the idea of finding and hunting the devil, but in reality, this story addresses some of the deepest and most complex human emotions.
The main character Denji's life itself is incredibly dark, as he rises from a poor child and barely survives to eventually leading a normal life, dealing with a variety of human desires in a variety of ways. Fujimoto is a master of dark storytelling, despite the magazine he works for. He's definitely limited in terms of what he can show with his story, but he does an incredibly good job of incorporating some very dark themes into the story.
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Jujutsu Kaisen
Jujutsu Kaisen is a traditional shonen series that follows the story of magicians exorcising evil cursed spirits that are created from the negative emotions that leak from people. The main character, Yuji Itadori, is also a typical shonen protagonist. Despite this, Jujutsu Kaisen Very dark, as it shows many gruesome deaths. In fact, over the last few years, it can be said that Jujutsu Kaisen has featured some of the most gruesome deaths in all of shonen anime, and that's what sets it apart from the rest.
While the vast majority of shonen anime err on the side of caution when it comes to killing off their characters, Jujutsu Kaisen doesn't think twice. In fact, the story's writer, Gege Akutami, has said in the past that he doesn't want fans to rest on the fates of their favorite characters and aims to create an edge-of-your-seat story at all times. This is reflected very well in the plot of Jujutsu Kaisen, as no character is truly safe. On a very surface level, at least, Jujutsu Kaisen is pretty dark.
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Claymore
Claymore is a legendary series that, despite being shonen, features some of the darkest and scariest moments and character arcs in the entire anime medium. Claymore sees the introduction of evil entities known as Yoma who can change shape and feed on humans. This is pretty scary in itself, but the story takes a darker turn when human-Yoma hybrids are created, called Claymores.
This experiment adds a whole new level of dark and chaotic twist to the story. After these Claymores are born, their job is to destroy the Yoma. Over the course of the story, some incredible battles unfold, full of dark twists and turns, as well as some very shocking character deaths. Claymore is easily one of the darkest shonen series out there that any fan of the genre should give a watch.
The Promised Neverland
The Promised Neverland The manga was short-lived but incredibly popular, focusing on the story of children in an orphanage. Although the plot seems quite simple at first, it is later revealed that these children were only raised as fodder for monsters that prey on humans, and find children especially hungry. As such, a race for survival begins among the incredibly smart kids. At the same time, the complex relationship between these people and the flesh-eating monsters is also explored.
Not only is the basic concept of The Promised Neverland incredibly dark, but what unfolds in the story that unfolds throughout the story is also incredibly terrifying. Despite the fact that most fans did not like how the story was handled in later installments, The Promised Neverland remains an icon in the world of dark shonen anime.
a piece
a piece It's one of the longest running shonen series of all time and most fans don't think it's that dark on the surface. However, with its incredibly long run, a piece Resolved some dark themes throughout the anime and manga. The World of One Piece focuses heavily on the dark world of things like slavery, human trafficking, and genocide. In fact, some of the story's biggest plots revolve around oppression and redemption.
One Piece may appear to be the story of a young boy who just wants to be a carefree pirate at sea, but its deeper themes are incredibly dark. The main goal of wanting to claim a piece for themselves is also directly connected to a very dark, 100-year void that was completely erased from history by the World Government due to a mass destruction in the past. The world of One Piece is filled with evil and darkness that Oda does incredibly well to bring to life in his manga.
