The best shōnen anime of the decade (2015–2025)
The decade from 2015 to 2025 was the strongest run shōnen has ever had — the genre went from a niche export to the thing the global box office and streaming charts revolve around. If you want the short list: My Hero Academia, Demon Slayer, Jujutsu Kaisen, and Chainsaw Man define it, with Attack on Titan's finale capping the era. Below is my full ranking with a line on why each mattered — and a deep-dive quiz for every one, so you can test how well you actually remember them.
This is an opinionated list from someone who built an anime quiz site and reads a lot of what fans argue about. Reasonable people will reorder it. The deep-dive links let you settle the argument the only honest way: a quiz.
What changed in shōnen this decade
Two shifts. First, production caught up to ambition — a handful of studios started animating action at a level that made set-piece episodes into cultural events rather than just good television. Second, the simulcast era meant a hit landed worldwide the same week it aired, so a new series could go from unknown to everywhere in a single season. The result: shōnen stopped being a genre you grew out of and became the genre everyone was watching at once.
The ranking
Attack on Titan · 2013–2023
Technically a 2013 debut, but its back half — and one of the most-discussed finales in the medium — landed squarely in this decade. The series that proved a shōnen-adjacent action story could carry genuinely heavy political and moral weight. Test yourself on Attack on Titan →
Demon Slayer · 2019
The one that broke the box office. Gorgeous, emotionally direct, and the series that pulled a huge wave of new fans into anime — its film became a record-setter. Simpler story than its peers, executed close to flawlessly. Test yourself on Demon Slayer →
Jujutsu Kaisen · 2020
The cool, modern successor to the big three — sharp power system, a beloved cast, and action episodes that became instant talking points. The defining shōnen of the early 2020s. Test yourself on Jujutsu Kaisen →
My Hero Academia · 2016
The decade's great long-runner. A superhero-school premise that gave it the deepest bench of characters of any series here, and the consistency to anchor the genre for years. Its question bank is the biggest on AniQuiz for exactly that reason. Test yourself on My Hero Academia →
Chainsaw Man · 2022
The genre's punk edge — chaotic, funny, and willing to break its own rules. Proof that shōnen had room for something weirder and more cinematic without losing its audience. Test yourself on Chainsaw Man →
Dr. Stone · 2019
The smart outlier — a science-survival shōnen that made “rebuild civilisation from scratch” thrilling. Proof the genre's formula stretches well beyond fighting. Test yourself on Dr. Stone →
Spy × Family · 2022
The crowd-pleaser — a fake-family comedy that became a phenomenon on charm alone. It widened who shōnen is for, pulling in viewers who'd never touch a battle series. Test yourself on Spy × Family →
Test your shōnen knowledge
Reading a ranking is easy; proving you know these shows is the fun part. Run the shōnen pack for a broad sweep across the genre, or open any deep-dive above for a single-series gauntlet. If you want to broaden out, the quiz-by-genre guide covers seinen and shōjo too, and the best anime quizzes of 2026 guide ranks every format worth playing.
AniQuiz is a free anime trivia site — a shōnen pack plus single-series deep-dives for every title above, across 24 game modes and 1,200+ anime. No signup needed for solo play.