10 best underrated Shonen anime series you shouldn’t miss

❘ Published: 2023-08-24T15:36:54

characters from Blue Lock, Hajime No Ippo and Vinland Saga

Crunchyroll and IMDb

Are you sure you have watched every Shonen anime series? We bet you haven’t because there are so many out there that have flown under the radar. Not because they aren’t worth watching but because they haven’t received the viewership they deserve.

Undoubtedly, the Shonen genre brings the most enjoyable content as per anime fans, and the majority of beginners start with this category.

There are some highly popular entries out there, including Attack on Titan, Jujutsu Kaisen, Fullmetal Alchemist, and many more.

However, there are a number of underrated series that should definitely be watched by the community. So, we’ve listed the 10 best underrated anime series that, according to us, should definitely be watched by every anime fan.

10. Rent-a-Girlfriend

Rent-a-Girlfriend follows Kazuya, who, after getting dumped by his girlfriend, Mami Nanami, finds a rented girlfriend named Chizuru. He then starts renting her on every occasion so that he can show off to his family how happy his life is. Meanwhile, Kazuya keeps getting stuck in some really awkward situations when his former girlfriends starts showing up all of a sudden.

Rent-a-Girlfriend is one such anime series that deserves appreciation as it comes with the most adorable cast and a lighthearted romance-centered story.

9. Radiant

Radiant takes place in a world that’s ruled by demons known as Nemesis. The ones who encounter a Nemesis don’t survive, but there are several humans who remain alive after their encounter with the demons, and these humans are known as the sorcerers. The anime introduces us to a young sorcerer named Seth, who has to find and destroy Radiant, the nesting ground of the monsters that are a threat to the world.

Unfortunately, Radiant didn’t draw in huge viewership numbers due to the slow-paced storyline. Besides that, everything else the anime offers is really great. For instance, it comes with a fresh and unique art style, and every character boasts a unique design. However, if the story was a little faster, then this anime would have taken its share of popularity for sure.

8. Nobunagun

Nobunagun’s story takes place in a world that is ruled by aliens, and to fight with them, several E-Gene holders are created by the Defense Organization. These E-Gene holders are basically reincarnations of several influential personalities. For instance, the main protagonist of the series, Sio Ogura, is seen as one of the E-Gene holders, and she is the reincarnation of one of the leaders of the Sengoku Era.

Despite facing some critical reviews, the animation quality and the entertaining aspect make it worth a shot.

7. D. Gray Man

D. Gray Man is set in a parallel world where several exorcists work under an organization, Blue Order, and their sole mission is to stop the evil Millennium Earl from taking over the World and destroying humanity.

When it comes to the Shonen genre, the series that showcases a dark narrative and action sequences are the ones to accumulate a huge fandom. And that’s what makes D. Gray Man a perfect Shonen anime series that’s worth a watch.

6. Soul Eater

Soul Eater revolves around some students of a school where human weapons are made so that they can fight the evils around them. The main protagonist, Evans, seems to be a chilled-out student who doesn’t care about anything. However, soon he realizes his mission and starts working towards it.

On his journey, the carefree Evans gets help from a two-star meister, Maka Albarn. Watching Evans go from being an immature person to being someone who gives it all to protect his city is a story you should definitely check out.

5. Blue Lock

Blue Lock follows a boy named Isagi, who gets chosen by Japan’s Soccer Federation for their Blue Lock program along with 300 football strikers from Japan. He has to go through several trials to improve his ranking on the premises of Blue Lock.

If you are a football fan and love to watch your favorite sport-centered animes, but you haven’t watched Blue Lock yet, you are definitely missing out on something huge.

After Haikyu, Blue Lock is the series that has caught every football lover’s attention. Season 1 of the anime can’t be said to be an entirely underrated one, but you could argue it does not get the viewership it deserves.

4. Hajime No Ippo

Hajime No Ippo revolves around an introverted high schooler, Ippo, who never had any friends because of his shy nature. Instead, he being targeted by bullies who cause him emotional and physical trauma. But this all changes when Ippo is approached by someone who helps him become one of the most skilled boxers in the nation.

Hajime no Ippo is the series that popularized boxing-centered animes, so if you haven’t watched it, you should definitely give it a try.

3. Dororo

Dororo is a great Shonen anime series that follows a disfigured ronin named Hyakkimaru, who gets to live his life in a new way after he’s magically healed by a doctor. After, Hyakkimaru starts hunting demons, and one day he comes across Dororo, a thief who gets along with him on his journey.

Proceeding further, the story reveals something shocking about Dororo that makes the series a lot more interesting. Besides that, it comes with an art style that deserves your attention.

2. World Trigger

In this series, humans are terrorized by creatures who have arrived from another world. Even though a special organization deals with them, humanity remains unsafe as the creatures are hard to deal with.

The series features several scenes that will give you chills, and the animation is done by none other than Toei Animation, the studio behind One Piece and Dragon Ball. That’s one of the many reasons why you should consider watching World Trigger.

1. Vinland Saga

Vinland Saga tells us the story of Thorfinn, a warrior who lived his young age dreaming of taking revenge on his father’s murderer. However, the culprit is murdered by someone else, and when Thorfinn attacks the person who took away his sole motive for living, he’s sent far away to spend his remaining life as a slave.

Vinland Saga manga started as Shonen but was later shifted to Seinen magazine. As a Shonen series, the first season was produced by WIT Studio, which is behind the animation of the first three seasons of Attack on Titan.

In Vinland Saga, we witness the hardships the main protagonist has to go through, and the complexities of the storyline are worth praising. Moreover, it gives us the most well-choreographed action scenes that every loyal Vinland Saga fan never gets tired of talking about.

The second season of the anime was produced by the powerhouse animation studio MAPPA, which has given us shows like Jujutsu Kaisen and Chainsaw Man.

How to watch Crunchyroll from outside your location in 2023

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If you’re abroad, here’s what you need to do to access Crunchyroll’s full selection – and it really is this simple:

Sign up for ExpressVPN, which has ultra-fast servers and offers a secure, private connection wherever you are in the world
Connect to a location anywhere in the US; Express VPN allows you to choose from 24 different spots, from New Jersey to Santa Monica
Visit Crunchyroll online and start streaming all of your favorite animes – and perhaps some you’ve never watched

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Accessing Crunchyroll’s US roster makes a difference. For example, Hong Kong users only have access to less than 100 titles, while the US has nearly 1,000 movies and TV shows.

You can also stream anime on Crunchyroll for free with an ad-supported plan. Or you can pay for a subscription – there’s even a 14-day free trial if you can’t quite make up your mind.

In the meantime, check out our other anime coverage below:

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