Shonen anime are quite easily the most popular anime series of all time. However, due to the nature of its audience, it can often be quite lacking in dark storylines. That said, quite a few Shonen anime have taken a rather unique approach and dealt with much darker themes throughout their incredible run. Dark shonen anime they are not as common as one would like, given that these series are mostly aimed at children; however, there are definitely a few Shonen anime that stand out by tackling some very dark themes.
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Attack on Titan
Attack on Titan is one of the most popular shonen anime of all time. There is a big misconception among thinking anime fans Attack on Titan is a seinen series, but it's really just a shonen that deals with some very dark themes during its run. The fact that most fans mistake Attack on Titan for a seinen in itself is proof that the series is incredibly dark.
Attack on Titan follows the story of Eren Jaeger and his friends, whose lives are turned upside down after their homes are invaded by man-eating Titans. The story begins with Eren swearing revenge on them while also wanting to find the deep and dark secrets behind these Titans. With each major reveal, Attack on Titan's story takes some very interesting twists and turns, while shedding light on some of the darkest plots in anime of all time.
A man with a chainsaw
The story of A man with a chainsaw written by Tatsuki Fujimoto, one of the most seasoned mangakas of all time. This story runs in Weekly Shonen Jump, but despite that it takes quite a bit of leeway with the type of content it showcases. Despite being a shonen manga, Chainsaw Man contains some very dark themes and portrays the horrors of humanity incredibly well through various devils. On the surface, it may seem like Chainsaw Man simply deals with the idea of finding and hunting demons, but in fact, this story deals with some of the deepest and most complex human emotions.
The protagonist Denji's life is incredibly dark in itself as he rises from a poor boy barely surviving to finally start living a normal life, only to deal with different kinds of human desires in different ways. Fujimoto is a master of dark storytelling, despite the magazine he works for. It's certainly limited in what it can show with its story, but it does an incredibly good job of incorporating some very dark themes into the plot.
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Jujutsu Kaisen
Jujutsu Kaisen is a traditional Shonen series that follows the story of wizards exorcising evil cursed spirits that are created from the negative emotions that seep out of people. The protagonist Yuji Itadori is also a typical Shonen protagonist. in spite of Jujutsu Kaisen it is quite dark as it contains quite a lot of gruesome deaths. In fact, over the past few years, Jujutsu Kaisen has featured some of the scariest 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, story writer Gege Akutami has stated in the past that he doesn't want fans to be left in the dark about the fate of their favorite characters at all, and aims to create a story that keeps them on the edge of their seats the entire time. This is very well reflected 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, contains 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 that can shapeshift and feed on humans. That alone is scary enough, but the story takes an even darker turn when human-Yoma hybrids known as Claymores are created.
This experimentation adds a whole new level of dark and chaotic twist to the story. When these Claymores are born, their job is to exterminate the Yomas. Some of the most incredible battles take place throughout the story, full of dark twists and some very shocking character deaths. Claymore is easily one of the darkest shonen series that every fan of the genre should watch.
The Promised Land of No Land
The Promised Land of No Land was a rather short-lived but incredibly popular manga that focused on the stories of children in orphanages. While the plot seemed pretty simple at first, it was then revealed that these children were only being raised as fodder for demons who preyed on humans and found children in particular tasty. As such, a race for survival begins between the incredibly smart kids. At the same time, the complex relationship between these humans and carnivorous demons is explored.
Just the basic concept of Promised Land is incredibly dark, but what happens throughout the story as the plot expands is also incredibly gruesome. Despite most fans not liking how the story was handled in recent installments, The Promised Neverland remains an icon in the world of dark Shonen anime.
One piece
One piece is one of the longest-running shonen series of all time, and something that most fans don't consider as dark on the surface. However, with an incredibly long time One piece tackled some of the darkest themes in all of anime and manga. The world of One Piece focuses a lot on the dark world of slavery, human trafficking, and even things like genocide. In fact, some of the biggest plots in the story surround oppression and liberation.
One Piece may seem like a story about a young boy who simply wants to become a carefree pirate on the high seas, but its deeper themes are incredibly dark. Even the main goal of wanting to claim One Piece itself is directly connected to a very dark, 100-year-old void that was completely erased from history by the World Government due to the mass extermination that occurred in the past. The world of One Piece is full of evil and darkness, which Oda brings to life incredibly well in his manga.
