Summary
Shonen mangais a genre aimed at adolescent boys, so naturally, the demographic is dominated by male writers. That said,plenty of women have contributed to the genre, creating works that have become iconic and, sometimes, even more successful than the ones authored by their male contemporaries. This fact proves that manga demographic labels are merely nominal. These series can be enjoyed by all genders, and they have played a big role in breaking gender barriers in shonen manga for female artists.
Some of these mangaka make shonen manga exclusively. For others, their foray into the demographic was a one-time thing. Either way, these are the finest contributions women have made to the shonen landscape.
10Blue Exorcist
MyAnimeList Score: 7.89
Created byKazue Kato,Blue Exorcisttells the story of Rin Okumura, who finds out he and his brother are the sons of Satan. After his demonic powers emerge, Rin vows to become an exorcist to defeat his father. He enrolls at a specialized exorcist’s school called the True Cross Academy to join the True Cross Order, an organization of exorcists controlled by the Vatican.
Inspired by the 2005 filmThe Brothers Grimm,Blue Exorcisthas been praised by critics forblending Japanese and European culture, as well as Kato’s detailed art style.
9Inuyasha
MyAnimeList Score: 7.86
Rumiko Takahashihas created several iconic shonen manga, butInuyashais perhaps her most well-known title. A fifteen-year-old girl named Kagome Higurashi gets dragged into a well by a demonic centipede. Sent 500 years into the past, she discovers the demon is after the Shikon Jewel, which has somehow manifested in her body.
After accidentally shattering the jewel, she must team up with a half-demon named Inuyasha to get the fragments back. As one of the best-selling manga of all time,Inuyashahas been adapted into several different media, and its legacy even inspired an anime sequel namedYashahime: Princess Half-Demon.
8Noragami
MyAnimeList Score: 8.39
Noragamiwas written and illustrated by the female mangaka duoAdachitoka.Delivery God Yato has no shrine, so he decides to take up any job he can to save up and buy himself one. One day, when chasing after a cat, he gets saved from an oncoming bus by a girl named Hiyori Iki, whose body gets separated from her soul in the process.
Now being able to slip in and out of two parallel worlds, Hiyori demands that Yato return her to normal, which he promises to do. Along with a living weapon named Yukine, the trio go on many fantastical adventures between the spirit world and the human world.
7Black Butler
MyAnimeList Score: 8.41
Written and illustrated byYana Toboso,Black Butlerfollows Ciel Phantomhive, the 12-year-old son of the Earl of Phantomhive in Victorian-era England. One day, he discovers his parents' lifeless bodies, and he assumes the role of the new Earl. He then enters into a contract with a demon who takes the form of a butler named Sebastian, to help him in solving and avenging his parents' murders.
Despite its flowery Victorian setting,Black Butleris an incredibly violent and brutal series, withseveral morally ambiguous characters, and protagonists whose sense of justice becomes more warped as the manga goes on.
6Tsubasa: Reservoir Chronicle
MyAnimeList Score: 8.30
Tsubasa: Reservoir Chronicleran in a shonen magazine, even though it’s a sister series toxxxHolic, and is a crossover between all ofCLAMP’sother manga, most being shojo titles. The manga follows Syaoran and Sakura fromCardcaptor Sakura, as they travel to various worlds in the CLAMP-verse to piece together Sakura’s lost memories.
Tsubasa: Reservoir Chroniclehas won several awards and can be considered the shonen version ofCardcaptor Sakura. Whilethe anime adaptation disappointed many fans, the manga holds up very well and is considered to be one of CLAMP’s best series.
5Beastars
MyAnimeList Score: 8.25
Written byParu Itagaki,Beastarsis set in a world of anthropomorphic animals, one where there is a noticeable divide between the carnivore and herbivore populations. Legoshi, a timid gray wolf, is a member of his high school’s drama club and runs into a white rabbit named Haru one day. Despite his carnivorous instincts, he finds himself drawn to her.
Pursuing his feelings proves to be difficult, however, given herbivores like Haru live in fear of carnivores like Legoshi every day.Beastarseffortlessly blends a variety of genresand has received numerous nominations and awards.
4Magi: The Labyrinth Of Magic
MyAnimeList: 8.27
Magi: The Labyrinth of MagicisShinobu Ohtaka’sreimagining ofArabian Nightswith shonen elements. It follows a boy named Aladdin and his journey to uncover the mysteries of the Dungeons, magical labyrinths filled with treasures. He befriends a young man named Alibaba, and together they go on many adventures.
This action-packed fantasy series seems to have been tailor-made for fans of video games likePrince of Persiaand shonen fans alike. It still manages to make it onto “Top Manga of All Time” lists, a whole decade after its serialization ended.
3Dorohedoro
MyAnimeList Score: 8.68
Dorohedorowas first serialized in a seinen publication, but it was later transferred to Monthly Shonen Sunday after the original magazine folded.Set in a post-apocalyptic future, a man named Caiman wakes up in a grimy city named Hole. Finding himself with a reptilian head and no memories, he embarks on a quest to avenge the sorcerer who cast the spell on him.
Created byQ Hayashida, the series has received critical acclaim for its detailed art style (often compared to Kentaro Miura’s), and its dark sense of humor.
2D.Gray-Man
MyAnimeList Score: 8.28
D.Gray-manis one of Shonen Jump’s bestselling manga and has often been compared toBatman. Allen Walker, a young exorcist, has the ability to see Akuma - evil forces created by a mysterious being known as the Millennium Earl. He joins forces with other exorcists to defeat this evil and put a stop to the Earl.
The series, written byKatsura Hoshino, is set in an alternate universe version of 19th-century Europe and has several references to the Bible, including but not limited to the Great Flood, Noah’s Ark, and the Twelve Apostles. Critics have praised the series for its themes of grief and identity, as well as its character designs.
1Fullmetal Alchemist
MyAnimeList Score: 9.03
Possibly one of the most well-known and beloved shonen series of all time,Fullmetal Alchemistis about two brothers, Edward and Alphonse Elric, who use alchemy to resurrect their mother and suffer terrible consequences as a result. Edward loses an arm, while Alphonse loses his entire body. Together, they embark on a journey to find the Philosopher’s Stone and restore their bodies.
Every volume of the manga has sold over a million copies in Japan, and the series has been acclaimed for itscomplex characters, politics, world-building, andHiromu Arakawa’sdistinct character designs.
