Shonen Protagonist



A shonen hero is a hero/protagonist that is typically found in shonen manga and anime.

Why This Trope Rocks

 * 1) Unlike superheroes in western comics, many shonen heroes have to work hard to improve their capabilities.
 * 2) Many shonen heroes have grit, as they do not always win and have to push beyond their limits.
 * 3) No matter how many odds are against them, they refuse to give up.
 * 4) They fight for altruistic reasons, mostly notably to protect their friends.
 * 5) They grow not only in terms of abilities, but also in terms of strength of character.

Bad Qualities

 * 1) Many shonen heroes are known for being dimwitted, naive, reckless and/or impulsive.
 * 2) Most shonen heroes can be rebellious, mischievous, unruly and/or temperamental.

Anime/Manga

 * 1) Various Shonen Jump Heroes
 * 2) *Asta (Black Clover)
 * 3) *Ichigo Kurosaki (Bleach) (Bleach)
 * 4) *Denji (Chainsaw Man)
 * 5) *Son Goku (Dragon Ball series) [being the trope's codifier]
 * 6) *Allen Walker (D-Gray Man)
 * 7) *Tanjiro Kamado (Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba)
 * 8) *Gon Freecss (Hunter X Hunter)
 * 9) * Joestar Family (JoJo's Bizarre Adventure)
 * 10) **Jotaro Kujo (Part 3: Stardust Crusaders)
 * 11) *Yuji Itadori (Jujutsu Kaisen)
 * 12) *Kinnikuman (Kinnikuman)
 * 13) *Izuku Midoriya (My Hero Academia)
 * 14) *Naruto Uzumaki (Naruto)
 * 15) **Boruto Uzumaki (Boruto: Naruto Next Generations)
 * 16) *Monkey D. Luffy (One Piece)
 * 17) *Himura Kenshin (Rurouni Kenshin)
 * 18) *Yusuke Urameshi (Yu Yu Hakusho)
 * 19) Natsu Dragneel (Fairy Tail)
 * 20) Saitama (One Punch Man)
 * 21) Inuyasha (Inuyasha)

Cartoons and Comics

 * 1) Finn Mertens (Adventure Time)
 * 2) Avatar Aang (Avatar: the Last Airbender)
 * 3) *Avatar Korra (The Legend of Korra)
 * 4) Ben Tennyson (Ben 10 series)
 * 5) Lightning McQueen (Cars)
 * 6) Danny Fenton/Danny Phantom (Danny Phantom)
 * 7) Wonder Woman (DC Comics)
 * 8) Jimmy Neutron (Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius/The Adventures of Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius)
 * 9) Kim Possible (Kim Possible)
 * 10) Ron Stoppable (Kim Possible)
 * 11) Po Ping (Kung Fu Panda)
 * 12) Peter Parker/Spider-Man (Marvel Comics)
 * 13) Jenny Wakeman (My Life as a Teenage Robot)
 * 14) SpongeBob SquarePants (SpongeBob SquarePants)
 * 15) Steven Universe (Steven Universe)
 * 16) Jim Lake Jr. (Tales of Arcadia)
 * 17) The Turtles (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles)

Literature

 * 1) Harry Potter (Harry Potter series)
 * 2) Percy Jackson (Camp Half-Blood/Percy Jackson)

Live-Action Television and Film

 * 1) Buffy Summers (Buffy the Vampire Slayer)
 * 2) Henry Hart/Kid Danger (Henry Danger|Danger Force)
 * 3) Peter Petrelli (Heroes)
 * 4) Lab Rats protagonists (Lab Rats)
 * 5) *Adam Davenport
 * 6) *Bree Davenport
 * 7) *Chase Davenport
 * 8) *Leo Dooley
 * 9) Kaz and Oliver (Mighty Med)
 * 10) Luke Skywalker (Star Wars)

Video Games

 * 1) Crash Bandicoot (Crash Bandicoot)
 * 2) Sora (Kingdom Hearts)
 * 3) Kirby (Kirby)
 * 4) Pac-Man (Pac-Man)
 * 5) Sonic the Hedgehog (Sonic the Hedgehog)
 * 6) Spyro the Dragon (Spyro the Dragon)
 * 7) Mario (Super Mario)
 * 8) Tak (Tak and the Power of Juju)

Web Animation
Ruby Rose (RWBY)