The Problem with Shonen Anime and Manga: Part One

Art by Uyhe

I love me some Shonen anime. Dragon Ball Z, Bleach, Fairy Tail, Yu Yu Hakusho, Yu-Gi-Oh!. Those are some of my favorite anime and they’re all Shonen. Most, if not all of them, have some big problems, though with one being very common: a lack of character development. A lot of the main protagonists go through what is called horizontal growth; Goku achieving Super Saiyan, Ichigo getting Bankai, etc. However, they tend to not do as much vertical growth. They don’t grow as characters, they just get stronger so that the plot can move forward. Some of the characters will have some vertical development, but it’s greatly outweighed by how much horizontal growth is thrown in.

I would have loved at some point in Bleach to have Ichigo not be able to bash his way to victory but have more moments similar to when he finally goes and talks with his dad about everything. Then, you have those moments define Ichigo later on and have those insights directly influence his ability to win. I felt that even in the end, all Ichigo could do was fight according to his instincts in order to win. Maybe it would’ve been nicer to have Ichigo reach out to the Quincy after learning the truth about his parents and use that new knowledge and his relationship with Ishida to show that Shinigami and Quincy aren’t enemies. Yeah, there’d still be that epic fight at the end because there would be a lot of Quincy that would hold on to the grudge, but it would’ve been a great moment for Ichigo to show that he’s growing and the plot progresses because of character growth instead of being according to the arbitrary will of Kubo Tite.

A great example of growth in Shonen anime is Elizabeth from The Seven Deadly Sins. In the beginning, that girl is trying to be brave, but is still scared and thinks that things will only work out if she gives in to whatever the threat is. However, by the end of the first season, she’s learned that she can do more and even though she’s not a demon or soldier, maybe she can still fight back. She learns from the countless times that Meliodas and the gang save her so that she is finally able to have strong moments of her own instead of weakly deciding that the only way to save her friends is to give herself up. When she stands up to Hendrickson, she’s a new character that has truly learned from the past.

This is in no way to say that these anime and manga aren’t good. I love a lot of these shows and that’s why so many enjoy One Punch Man, which satirizes this glaring problem. I hope that we see some more vertical development for these already great characters.