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.
 * 6) They can be relatable characters, as they represent the fact that all people have their own goals in life, deal with obstacles and find ways to overcome them.
 * 7) *Their stories show that the destination is not what matters, but the journey and the experiences that gained from it.

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
Various Shonen Jump Heroes
 * 1) Asta (Black Clover)
 * 2) Ichigo Kurosaki (Bleach)
 * 3) Denji (Chainsaw Man)
 * 4) Son Goku (Dragon Ball series) [being the trope's codifier]
 * 5) Vegeta (Dragon Ball series) [Despite being the codifier of the Stock Shonen Rival trope]
 * 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) *Jonathan Joestar (Part 1: Phantom Blood)
 * 11) *Joseph Joestar (Part 2: Battle Tendency)
 * 12) *Jotaro Kujo (Part 3: Stardust Crusaders)
 * 13) *Josuke Higashikata (Part 4: Diamond is Unbreakable)
 * 14) *Giorno Giovanna (Part 5: Golden Wind)
 * 15) *Jolyne Kujo (Part 6: Stone Ocean)
 * 16) Yuji Itadori (Jujutsu Kaisen)
 * 17) Kinnikuman (Kinnikuman)
 * 18) All Might (My Hero Academia)
 * 19) Izuku Midoriya (My Hero Academia)
 * 20) Naruto Uzumaki (Naruto)
 * 21) *Boruto Uzumaki (Boruto: Naruto Next Generations)
 * 22) Monkey D. Luffy (One Piece)
 * 23) Himura Kenshin (Rurouni Kenshin)
 * 24) Yusuke Urameshi (Yu Yu Hakusho)

Others
 * 1) Astro Boy (Astro Boy)
 * 2) Natsu Dragneel (Fairy Tail)
 * 3) Saitama (One Punch Man)
 * 4) Inuyasha (Inuyasha)

Cartoons and Comics

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

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) Link (The Legend of Zelda)
 * 5) Mega Man (Mega Man)
 * 6) Tracer (Overwatch)
 * 7) Pac-Man (Pac-Man)
 * 8) Makoto Yūki (Persona 3)
 * 9) Aigis (Persona 3: The Answer)
 * 10) Yu Narukami (Persona 4)
 * 11) Ren Amamiya/Joker (Persona 5)
 * 12) Sonic the Hedgehog (Sonic the Hedgehog)
 * 13) Spyro the Dragon (Spyro the Dragon)
 * 14) Mario (Super Mario)
 * 15) Tak (Tak and the Power of Juju)

Web Animation
Ruby Rose (RWBY)