# Best Shounen



## Chris Partlow (Aug 16, 2012)

of all time?

Full Metal Alchemist
Death Note
One Piece
Dragon Ball 
Hunter X Hunter
Yu Yu Hakusho
Beelzebub (yeah, even though its still pretty much in its early stages it's pretty darn good)


add on.


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## Malvingt2 (Aug 16, 2012)

ahh Death Note? Beelzebub has a long road ahead to be on the best.


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## ZenithXAbyss (Aug 17, 2012)

of all time?
probably JJBA.

current?
claymore and tower of god.


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## Samavarti (Aug 17, 2012)

JJBA, FMA and Touch.


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## MrCinos (Aug 17, 2012)

My favorites:

Gintama
Violinist of Hameln
One Piece
Magi
Shingeki no Kyoujin
Sket Dance
Rurouni Kenshin


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## EndlessStrategy (Aug 17, 2012)

I'd say Hunter x Hunter, closely followed by Jojo's Bizarre Adventure and One Piece.


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## 8 (Aug 17, 2012)

its hard to say. depends on your definition of "best"? anyway the ones i have enjoyed most are:

One Piece
Noblesse
Tower of God
Shingeki no Kyojin
Beelzebub
Full Metal Alchemist
Hikaru no Go
Slam Dunk
JoJo's Bizare Advanture 


Beelzebub. it has no plot. and it doesn't seem anything special at first glance. but its consistently hillarious. the most hilarious manga i've ever read. every chapter is fun. to me it belong in that list.

the first half of Death Note should be there. but i got very bored after L died.

Hunter x Hunter. i think its great. but it had some boring parts.

Claymore started out great. but i didn't like the last 20/30 chapters much.

Magi has the potential to enter that list. I'd recommend it to anyone who likes fantasy adventure.


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## David (Aug 17, 2012)

*Shingeki no Kyojin* is fucking awesome.  Is it a seinen though now?

*FMA* is, in my opinion, the most consistently awesome completed manga I've read.  From beginning to end, I found it amazing.

*Death Note* was good until L died.

*HxH*'s in its last run (before the hiatus) overshadowed pretty much all the other running shounen I was reading at the time, though much of the art sucks.

*One Piece* ranges from border-suckish to fucking amazing, but Oda keeps the standard consistently high.  Best of the HST.  Current arc is awesome.

I enjoyed the beginning of Dragon Ball when it was funny, before Goku met Raditz and the whole thing became a loop of powerups.  I'd put it below the above listed though, honestly.

Honestly as manly as it is, a lot of JJBA sucks balls; I've read up to the end of Part 4.  Some of it is good and I've had a fair amount of enjoyment from reading it, but I don't understand quite why people here treat it like the best thing ever written.

And I honestly found Yu Yu Hakusho meh for the most part.


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## EndlessStrategy (Aug 17, 2012)

David said:


> *FMA* is, in my opinion, the most consistently awesome completed manga I've read.  From beginning to end, I found it amazing.



Right, I forgot about that one. I still put it behind Hunter x Hunter though.



> *Death Note* was good until L died.



Agreed.


> *HxH*'s in its last run (before the hiatus) overshadowed pretty much all the other running shounen I was reading at the time, though much of the art sucks.



Funny, I honestly thought that was it's worst arc since the Hunter Exam. Still, even that arc is head-and-shoulders above most Shonen.As for the art... I know that it's terrible, but since it's corrected for the Tankobon releases I don't hold it against it very much.


> I enjoyed the beginning of Dragon Ball when it was funny, before Goku met Raditz and the whole thing became a loop of powerups.  I'd put it below the above listed though, honestly.



Once again, I agree.



> Honestly as manly as it is, a lot of JJBA sucks balls; I've read up to the end of Part 4.  Some of it is good and I've had a fair amount of enjoyment from reading it, but I don't understand quite why people here treat it like the best thing ever written.



This I disagree with (honestly, I'm one of the people who so revere it). Part of the reason I like it so much is because I acknowledge that it is very flawed. With that out of the way I can sit back and enjoy the fights, which are by far the most well designed and creative fights in all of Shonen. And honestly, I value creativity more than most else in a story. I can accept a work full of flaws if it brings new ideas to the table and does all it can with them.



> And I honestly found Yu Yu Hakusho meh for the most part.



I think the anime was a big improvement over the manga, probably the best adaptation I've ever seen. As for the manga... while good, it did have several problems, especially after the Chapter Black arc.


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## Moon (Aug 17, 2012)

Fullmetal Alchemist
Lucifer and the Biscuit Hammer
Shingeki no Kyojin

Are generally my top 3, but that's mainly a favorites list. First two are completed, Shingeki is just amazing. All three are in some ways a little darker than regular shounen, Shingeki the big outlier. 

Soul Eater through the first 60 chapters is also amazing as a pure shounen, but it's gone a bit downhill of late. Rave is also solid and very underrated due to the mangaka's current work.


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## stream (Aug 17, 2012)

Urusei Yatsura


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## Malvingt2 (Aug 17, 2012)

8 said:


> its hard to say. depends on your definition of "best"? anyway the ones i have enjoyed most are:
> 
> One Piece
> Noblesse
> ...


 I agree, The Manga potential is insane but we have to be real we need that extra swag to include it in the list don't we?

My problem with Beelzebub is that it has serious flaw that people are overlooking. I like that manga a lot and it is one of my Favorited right now but the mangaka pacing, the plot and the main character are really annoying sometimes.. It is a good manga right now with good potential to be great in the future.. 

Shingeki no Kyojin is great even with the low amount of chapters.. It is mind blowing.

I love Claymore too.


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## Akatora (Aug 17, 2012)

sales say One Piece
Opinion says not sure perhaps Full Metal Panic.

THis is basically another thread of asking people for their favorite series


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## Blunt (Aug 17, 2012)

FMA and Shaman King. The only Shounen with authors talented enough to come up with good endings without having to resort to their main characters being the most powerful uber strong hero the world has ever known.


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## Golden Witch (Aug 17, 2012)

David said:


> *Shingeki no Kyojin* is fucking awesome.  Is it a seinen though now?



Borderline really, though officially Shounen.

Anyway, it's the best currently.
Of all time?
Not gonna get into a debate about that.


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## Rica_Patin (Aug 18, 2012)

Hunter x Hunter
One Piece
JoJo's Bizarre Adventure
Gash Bell


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## Killerqueen (Aug 18, 2012)

Hunter x Hunter 
Jojo's Bizarre adventure
Claymore


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## Torpedo Titz (Aug 18, 2012)

Best? Well, this is still ultimately my opinion, but I'd have to say Fullmetal Alchemist.

Unlike a lot of Shonen, it was engaging throughout with a spectacular finale on top. The consistency allowed elements and characters from the beginning of the story to be relevant near the end. Nothing ever felt contrived.

If the art were perhaps better and characters like Solf weren't defeated in such a disappointing way, it would perhaps be my favourite Shonen overall.

Claymore doesn't cover many bases as a story, but those it _does _cover - it excels at. The series has some of the best fight choreography I've ever seen.


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## Hatifnatten (Aug 18, 2012)

Bleach

/   **


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## TasteTheDifference (Aug 18, 2012)

Slam Dunk only on one list?


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## Kensei (Aug 18, 2012)

Bleach
Bitter Virgin
Beelzebub
Gintama


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## Black Leg Sanji (Aug 18, 2012)

FMA
Fist of The North Star
One Piece
HunterXHunter
Toriko


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## Jay Kay (Aug 19, 2012)

I still think Beck might be the best shonen I ever read.
Slam Dunk would be n?2, and FMA n?3.

Otherwise, Dragon Ball, Eyeshield 21, and some parts of hxh, One Piece and Naruto are cool as well.

Shingeki no Kyojin is the rising star that coul be FMA-tier if it keeps up its quality or improves.


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## Atlantic Storm (Aug 19, 2012)

1. _Full Metal Alchemist_ - unlike many manga, the plot was engaging and consistently good throughout, with a beautiful and spectacular ending. The plot was fantastic, and perfectly blended in suspense, serious themes and comedy with a meritorious amount of detail woven in. The entire cast was likeable and awesome (King Bradley, Roy Mustang, Scar, Lin, Scar and Alex being among the best), and while the art wasn't the greatest to begin with, towards the end it was of pretty good quality.

2. _Lucifer and the Biscuit Hammer _- another great manga. The plot was really good, and the whole concept was very, very interesting. Like _Full Metal Alchemist_, it featured a great roster of characters. The only thing that let it down was the art, which wasn't really to my taste. Wasn't a huge fan of the ending either.

3. _Dragon Ball _[*part I*] - maybe it's just nostalgia speaking, but I actually found Part I _Dragon Ball_ to be fantastic. Sure, the plot wasn't quite as intricate as mangas like _Full Metal Alchemist_, or _Lucifer and the Biscuit Hammer_, but that's fair, since it was a light hearted manga to begin with, and was basically the 'father' of all shonen manga, so to speak. The art wasn't great, I'll admit, but it was easy on the eyes.​4. _One Piece - _plot ranges from slightly below average (I'm looking at you, Fishermen arc) to very good, but generally the story is well written and Oda pays a lot of detail to things. Though, what _really _grips me about the story aren't the designs, the plots or even the excellent world building - it's the backstories of characters and Oda's ability to make tear jerking stories/moments consistently without it looking cheap.​


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## KidTony (Aug 19, 2012)

For me it's gotta be FMA.

Though something has to be said for One Piece being consistently good to great for such a long time, and only being about halfway done as we speak.


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## Teach (Aug 19, 2012)

From currently running.

One Piece
HxH
Toriko


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## Kirito (Aug 19, 2012)

About FMA, it's not one of my favorites, as I read the manga first instead of heightening my experience with Brotherhood (well sue me, I read it as soon as the first anime was announced) for I found it very generic (kid goes with brother on a quest, has no parents, government is against them, childhood friend is a girl and tries to cope on her own, plus the whole steampunk-y theme of the manga and the utter "seriousness" so to speak) but in a writer's POV, one of the best written manga ever, using cliches to the fullest without feeling forced or contrived. I'm even kinda happy it didn't run in JUMP, for it didn't extend its life with forced plot just like most manga (Bleach, looking at you).


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## roguenin94 (Aug 20, 2012)

I haven't read too many manga series but the best I've read so far is rurouni kenshin. I just loved everything about it the characters, the plot, the villians. Fma and one piece are also in my top 3.


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## Hakan Erkan (Aug 20, 2012)

going with One Piss and Hiatus x Hiatus.(currently running)


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## Patrick (Aug 20, 2012)

I've read too many to name an absolute best.

Some of the best are:
Slam Dunk
Eyeshield 21
One Piece
the first half of Naruto
Full Metal Alchemist

Toriko, Beelzebub and Magi are really close to making the list. Kuroko no Basket is also a personal favourite of mine.


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## Monna (Aug 20, 2012)

Jojo's is the correct answer.


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## ISeeVoices (Aug 20, 2012)

By category and in no particular order :

Comedy:
*Spoiler*: __ 




GTO - +30 answers and no one mentioned GTO.... disappointed. I remmember i was captivated when i discovered the manga 5-6 years ago. 


             Beelzebub  - imo the best comedy manga from the present time. 



Story:
*Spoiler*: __ 





FMA - What can i see... it has it all :action / comedy/ story..., but since i liked the journey of this manga i've put it into the story category



Fighting :
*Spoiler*: __ 






ToG - Has potential to be in the long run , but not sure if you can consider it a shounen (beeing a webtoon)


Hunter X Hunter - although many would disagree with me puting HxH into the fighting category, but for the moment i seem to lack remembering good fighting mangas ( to bad Veritas / The breaker and so many others are Seinen)




Sport : 

*Spoiler*: __ 





Slam Dunk - best basketball manga... what can i say, i really enjoied reading it


-Real -I highly recommend reading it. this manga has changed my point of view on life .


- Eyeshield 21 - I don't enjoy american football but this manga captivated me with it's comic atmosphere)
I would have mentioned Hajime no Ippoo if i wouldn't be so disappointed in the last 300+ chapters



"Brain" :
*Spoiler*: __ 





Death Note - really liked the idea of the manga and was very good for the most part.


Code Geass - only saw the anime (didn't realize until now) and i highly recommend it to anyone



"You are limited to using 10 images so please go back and correct the problem and then continue again." sooooooo... no picture for the last one




Liar Game - It's got one of the most scintillating story i have ever read. I can't possibly imagine how the author has come out with the ideas of the games that are so complex... and make it work ! 




Posible update of the list , I'm not much of a shounen fan though...


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## SAFFF (Aug 21, 2012)

For me its FMA, Hiatus X Hiatus, Kenshin and Bastard!!

Best Shounen anime would be Gintama, YYH, Kenshin, FMA and the 1999 HXH series.


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## Rax (Aug 21, 2012)

*Spoiler*: __ 










*Spoiler*: __ 










*Spoiler*: __ 










*Spoiler*: __


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## Styles (Aug 21, 2012)

One Piece is definitely my number 1. Quality just continues to get better. The whole Save Ace saga was just incredibly well written and put together, and since then it has taken my number 1 spot and remained there.

Dragonball is my number 2 and first love. While it doesn't have the best plot, it has too many badass/coool/epic moments to make up for it. As well as the amazing characters and setting.

Naruto is my third. My former number 1. Not surprised it hasn't been mentioned in this thread, and while I agree it was dropped in quality as of late, it still has a lot of greatness through out. And to be honest I still look forward to it on a weekly basis, while most other manga I am currently keeping up with i tend to forget to even check for them and end up bulk reading every once and a while.

FMA and Gintama round up my top 5.


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## Donquixote Doflamingo (Aug 21, 2012)

Cinnabar Star said:


> *Spoiler*: __
> 
> 
> 
> ...



Zatch Bell should not be on that list, Rave Master>>>>Fairy tail and it does not deserve to be on that list either. 

Toriko does though.


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## Awesome (Aug 21, 2012)

FMA. To this day I have yet to find a manga that impressed me as much as this one. Completely amazing all around.

Death Note - note: Before the Mellow / Near plot. It was so fantastic  before then and then there was a huge drop in quality. I was not amused.

Wan Piss - Pretty sure most of you know the quality of this manga. It definitely has its flaws though, some that annoy me more than others. Notably the art style and comedic value, but nothing too severe. Damn Oda makes things too cluttered sometimes. It's good most of the time, but not when I can't understand the damn panel 

Part 1 Naruto: Part 1 Naruto was simply fantastic, no nostalgia goggles needed. Part 2 is still good, but not fantastic.


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## Donquixote Doflamingo (Aug 21, 2012)

Should I read death note? 

I watched the anime and I love it but it does not seem like the type of manga I can read, I can't read case closed either but I can watch it im just weird I guess lol.

Basically I guess my question is how much better is the manga then the anime?


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## Awesome (Aug 21, 2012)

You're better off just watching it TBH. The mellow arc was even worse in the manga than it was in the anime. At least the anime made it short and sweet while still being shit instead of being dragged on shit like in the manga.

If only it ended when L died


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## Kirito (Aug 21, 2012)

ISeeVoices said:


> By category and in no particular order :
> 
> Comedy:
> *Spoiler*: __
> ...



Beelze shouldn't be on that list. It isn't that funny when you realize the gags are just hangers with coats on them. Comedy is something like Gintama or Sket.


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## Hakan Erkan (Aug 21, 2012)

S.A.F said:


> For me its FMA, Hiatus X Hiatus, Kenshin and *Bastard!!*
> 
> Best Shounen anime would be Gintama, YYH, Kenshin, FMA and the 1999 HXH series.



I thought Bastard!! is a seinen Manga?


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## God Movement (Aug 21, 2012)

Dragon Ball
One Piece
JJBA

Cut above the rest.


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## Malvingt2 (Aug 21, 2012)

Naruto? seriously? let me move on from that..

Anyway guys I am shocked that no one has yet to say this one;


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## Powerful Lord (Sep 4, 2012)

One Piece
Dragon Ball
Hunter X Hunter
Urusei Yatsura

In least from the ones i watched and read, UY certainly deserves to be ranked among the best.


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## Imagine (Sep 4, 2012)

Malvingt2 said:


> Naruto? seriously? let me move on from that..
> 
> Anyway guys I am shocked that no one has yet to say this one;



Fuck yeah, SDK is amazing.

Mine:
Dragon ball/Z
Yu Yu Hakusho
One Piece
Rurouni Kenshin
Full Meta Alchemist 
JoJo's Bizarre Adventure
Hunter X Hunter
Toriko
Samurai Deeper Kyo
Claymore

Honorable Mentions:
Witch Hunter (One of my faves but is really underrated)
Magi
D.Grayman (Current chapters have been from bad to decent, but still a good series imo)


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## Basilikos (Sep 4, 2012)

My list of quality shounen (no particular order):

Jojo's Bizarre Adventure
Project ARMS
The Guyver
Pokemon Special
Negima
Dragonball/Z
Yu Yu Hakusho (moreso the anime)
Samurai Deeper Kyo
Fullmetal Alchemist
Houshin Engi
Claymore
Toriko
Saint Seiya
Naruto (part 1)
Scryed (moreso the anime)
Rurouni Kenshin (it's alright, I don't like nearly as much as I did years back)


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## VanzZz (Sep 4, 2012)

Black Dynamite
Boondocks
Galactik Football
Ironman Armored Adventures
Streetfootball


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## firefist (Sep 4, 2012)

Gintama
Great Teacher Onizuka
Slam Dunk
JJBA 
DB


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## Hebe (Sep 4, 2012)

My choice for the best shounen is also Fullmetal Alchemist.

I enjoy these ones as well, (although I liked FMA better): Death Note (unlike many other opinions, I liked this one as a whole; even after L's death, I found the manga very good), Claymore, Cage of Eden, Eyeshield 21.


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## Badalight (Sep 4, 2012)

*Battle Manga*

Jojos's Bizarre Adventure
Toriko
One Piece
HXH (Though you should try out the anime, it's great)

*
Sports*

Rookies
Rokudenashi Blues
Slam Dunk

Rookies and Rokudenashi Blues are VERY underrated. There's zero reason you shouldn't read them, sports fan or not. That's how fantastically written they are.


*Psychological/Horror*

Shingeki No Kyojin


A very weak genre, since most manga of this type fall into the seinen category. Hell, I have a very hard time considering Shingeki as a shounen.


*Gag*

This certainly is not my genre, so my opinion here might not be the best.

Gintama - Pretty much the most popular gag manga around

Assassination Classroom - Not sure what to consider this manga, but I'll call it a gag manga for now. It's very new, but already incredibly hillarious. Check it out sometime.


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## ?Sharingan Squid? (Sep 4, 2012)

FMA, One Piece and Toriko for me.
I gotta say History's Strongest Disciple Kenichi is pretty damn good aswell.


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## B Rabbit (Sep 4, 2012)

This is an opinion thread, but through the millions of manga fan these are the shounen that are on the can't ignore list to people who love Shounen.

GTO
One Piece
Naruto
YYH
Dragon Ball
RK

By hundreds of millions of fans out there, these are the shounens that have the most.

However if you want to look at shounens who are shounen at it's prime

One Piece
FMA
JJBA
Dragon Ball
HxH
No other shounen compare to these.


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## The World (Sep 4, 2012)

Malvingt2 said:


> Naruto? seriously? let me move on from that..
> 
> Anyway guys I am shocked that no one has yet to say this one;



That's because it's terrible


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## Dragon D. Luffy (Sep 4, 2012)

One Piece

/closethread


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## Raidou Kuzunoha (Sep 4, 2012)




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## Huntring (Sep 4, 2012)

JJBA is best for me.


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## Impact (Sep 4, 2012)

One piece
Gintama 
HxH
Fullmetal alchemist
Beelzebub
Toriko(not that far)
Naruto
Bleach
KHR


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## Blunt (Sep 4, 2012)

Magi is not a Shounen but it's funny enough to be on any list. Dem laughs


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## Dr. White (Sep 4, 2012)

Awesome said:


> You're better off just watching it TBH. The mellow arc was even worse in the manga than it was in the anime. At least the anime made it short and sweet while still being shit instead of being dragged on shit like in the manga.
> 
> If only it ended when L died



The manga death of Light made up every bit for the lack of death. The anime completely screwed that scene up


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## EndlessStrategy (Sep 4, 2012)

Dr. White said:


> The manga death of Light made up every bit for the lack of death. The anime completely screwed that scene up




*Spoiler*: __ 



Yeah, it was like "Lets ignore real world physics and have Mikami's blood splurt out like a fountain, then let's have Light escape the warehouse although he shouldn't be able to move at this point. Then let's have Mello let him go in spite of the fact that he wants to capture him and all of his efforts will be for naught if Light happens to have an extra piece of the notebook. Then, after all that we'll have him die immediately, making all of the changes completely pointless."


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## OS (Sep 4, 2012)

Malvingt2 said:


> Naruto? seriously? let me move on from that..
> 
> Anyway guys I am shocked that no one has yet to say this one;



ehhhh....

Also, The Breaker. If it is shounen.


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## Malvingt2 (Sep 4, 2012)

The World said:


> That's because it's terrible



How dare you?



I respect your opinion World but SDK is the best shonen/samurai theme Manga that I have ever read.


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## OS (Sep 4, 2012)

Malvingt2 said:


> How dare you?
> 
> 
> 
> I respect your opinion World but SDK is the best shonen/samurai theme Manga that I have ever read.



Well...I guess in that genre. Most samurai genre's are seinen due to how manly it's supposed to be.


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## Lord Hirako (Sep 4, 2012)

this are the ones i found really good and enjoyable 


Bleach(Curently My Fav and its alot better reading several chaps)
D grayman(pre monhtly)
Naruto 
One Piece
Rave Master
Shaman King
Toriko
Houshin Engi
Yuyu Hakusho
Hunter X Hunter
Zatch bell
Pokemon
Fairy Tail
Soul Eater


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## Danchou (Sep 5, 2012)

Hunter x Hunter


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## Babby (Sep 5, 2012)

One Piece takes the gold.


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## Luffyfangirl24 (Sep 5, 2012)

Should Dragon Ball still be on the list? Its old school days.
It was good back when it was out and was a good manga but I'm not going to count it.
For me, its One Piece I just love every thing about it, action/characters/fights/every thing about it. Naruto would have been my second choice after todays chapter its so low on my list, just sad.


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## Rica_Patin (Sep 5, 2012)

My opinions
Hunter x Hunter
JoJo's Bizarre Adventure (although it's borderline seinen)
Magi
Shaman King
Gash Bell
One Piece
Yu Yu Hakusho
and I guess Dragon Ball for the impact it had on modern day shonen.


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## x5exotic (Sep 5, 2012)

Best: Hunter x Hunter 9.5/10
Shingeki no Kyojin 9.5
Fullmetal Alchemist 9.5 so far
Death Note 10

Fun shounen
Magi 8
OP/Naruto 6-7 depending on the arc, atm 6 
Tower of God, not really manga 


Damn my list sucks ass, need more recommendations T.T
was gonna try JJBA but f*** it the anime is on the way so it just makes it easier, looks very interesting.


*69 reference*


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## SoloBlack (Sep 5, 2012)

We need more *Soul Eater* fans...


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## taydev (Sep 5, 2012)

SoloBlack said:


> We need more *Soul Eater* fans...



Your sig got me ROFL


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## OmniOmega (Sep 5, 2012)

JoJo's Bizarre Adventure(If its still considered a Shounen) and Slam Dunk


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## Badalight (Sep 6, 2012)

Jojos parts 1-6 are all shounen. The first 23 chapters of part 7 are also shounen, but then it switched to the seinen magazine and has been considered seinen ever since.

But a LARGE majority of it fell into the shounen category.


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## Applejack (Sep 7, 2012)

I'll go classic and Cowboy Bepop and Berserk. They are the best out there.


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## Rica_Patin (Sep 7, 2012)

Applejack said:


> I'll go classic and Cowboy Bepop and Berserk. They are the best out there.



...I don't think you know what shonen is...


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## OS (Sep 7, 2012)

Applejack said:


> I'll go classic and Cowboy Bepop and Berserk. They are the best out there.



Those are seinen, which are usually superior to shounen.


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## Trunkz Jr (Sep 7, 2012)

Hunter X Hunter is by far my fav ^^  it's too bad it gets overshadowed by the big ones.


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## Imagine (Sep 7, 2012)

^HxH is a very popular and successful Shounen, it doesn't get overshadowed at all.


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## Rica_Patin (Sep 7, 2012)

ImagineBreakr said:


> ^HxH is a very popular and successful Shounen, it doesn't get overshadowed at all.



LOLWUT? Maybe in Japan or in Otaku groups like these on the internet but literally nobody has heard of it in the states.


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## Rica_Patin (Sep 7, 2012)

Original Sin said:


> Those are seinen, which are usually superior to shounen.



In your opinion


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## Jotarokujo (Sep 7, 2012)

Jojos's Bizarre Adventure
Toriko
One Piece
HXH
And Witch Hunter for me


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## Black Mirror (Sep 7, 2012)

One Piece <-  always delivers
Death Note <- each chapter filled with entertainment but the series could be longer. not sure why shonen.
FMA <- I prefer the first anime. Not sure why shounen.
Inuyasha <- manga art is meh but anime fixed this and the plot is interesting. Would be more interesting without the shoujo part.
Code Geass <- anime only. Interesting.

Other shonen I don't like much but that are good:
D.Gray-Man
HxH
Toriko
Hitman reborn
forgot the others XD

Seinen:
VAGABOND <-  but lazy mangaka
Vinland Saga <-  was lame lately but now I have a damn lot of awesome expectations
Hellsing <-  
Berserk <- was awesome but now it's fucking raping my patience... Also the mangaka is damn lazy, playing MMO games or sth like that .-.

something is missing... hm well whatever 

Also "Until Death do us apart" good beginning but is getting lame. published by square enix.

Awesome manga but better not to read if you want to avoid a hella lot a butthurt and imaginary trollfaces:

Naruto
Bleach
Fairy Tail

or don't expect anything from the plot, just focus on the fights and you might enjoy it.


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## ISeeVoices (Sep 7, 2012)

Nensense said:


> LOLWUT? Maybe in Japan or in Otaku groups like these on the internet but literally nobody has heard of it in the states.



If you start reading manga and want to find something new to read other then the famous ones ( DB/naruto/bleach/OP) , you are bound to hear about HxH
Don't know what you find in the States if you are searching something other than the big 3 , but in Eastern Europe (at least with my colegues + some that are studying abroad) you will find out that they know about it. Not necesarly read it , but heard about it nevertheless.


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## noonealive (Sep 7, 2012)

HxH isn't well known in the US at all. Naruto and Bleach are the rulers..HxH never gets any sort of recognition here.


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## Badalight (Sep 8, 2012)

Applejack said:


> I'll go classic and Cowboy Bepop and Berserk. They are the best out there.



You like Berserk AJ? :amazed


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## hisoga (Sep 8, 2012)

Original Sin said:


> Those are seinen, which are usually superior to shounen.



good writing does not get determined by demographic whether a seinen or shonen or etc..
demographic determine contents of the plot, writing style, art styles and the target audiences..

good writing exist in every demographics.


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## Mizura (Sep 8, 2012)

hisoga said:


> good writing does not get determined by demographic whether a seinen or shonen or etc..


No, but big magazines catering to certain demographics may encourage certain styles and stereotypes that would turn away some otherwise brilliant writing. 

Like all these bratty kid protagonists we end up with, ugh. (not all progatonists in Shounen are loud bratty kids, but an annoyingly high proportion are)

The problem is worse in Shoujo, so those wanting to write serious and more or less realistic female-oriented stories for example often just categorize their work as Josei instead.


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## Furious George (Sep 8, 2012)

One Piece. 

Followed closely by Furious George.


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## Gilgamesh (Sep 8, 2012)

One Piece
Toriko
FMA
JJBA


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## ZenithXAbyss (Sep 8, 2012)

Black Mirror said:


> One Piece <-  always delivers
> Death Note <- each chapter filled with entertainment but the series could be longer. not sure why shonen.
> FMA <- I prefer the first anime. Not sure why shounen.
> Inuyasha <- manga art is meh but anime fixed this and the plot is interesting. Would be more interesting without the shoujo part.
> ...


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## Nikushimi (Sep 8, 2012)

"Shounen" isn't really a specific genre...

But just to name a few good series that fit under that umbrella:

Fullmetal Alchemist
JoJo's Bizarre Adventure
Rurouni Kenshin
Death Note
Fist of the North Star


I've heard great things about Toriko, but I'm not far enough into it yet.


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## Forces (Sep 8, 2012)

Actually the other two should have been bolded. Naruto is good enough, only haters of a dumb hivemind believe Naruto to be bad


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## hisoga (Sep 8, 2012)

Mizura said:


> No, but big magazines catering to certain demographics may encourage certain styles and stereotypes that would turn away some otherwise brilliant writing.


so what is that have to do with "good writing only exist in seinen but not shonen"(this is hyperbole)?
that is just "business".. catering to the majority.. whats popular.. good writing is far and greater than all of that.. thats why it is rare.. "good writing" have nothing to do with all of that.. 

you must be confusing "good writing" with "type of plot" or what kind of theme that you can write depending on the demographic. a good writer can take a simple, childish theme and write a freaking/flawless story with it.

what big company or big title magazine style of doing business have nothing to do with good writing at all. it just them striving for money and popularity.
writing a story is by the writer.. it is up to the writer whether he/she want to write high or low quality of a story.

and if you have some free time you can make a list of how many good and bad shonen and seinen titles.. based on my experience, it is freaking rare to find a high quality title either form shonen or seinen.. 
maybe it just me.. i don't have mindset of seinen>shonen because from where i come, there is no such thing as that. manga is just another type of comics..



> Like all these bratty kid protagonists we end up with, ugh. (not all progatonists in Shounen are loud bratty kids, but an annoyingly high proportion are)



seriously, read some old shonen manga.. all those what people right called typical/cliche type of shonen protagonists are the result of Dragonball. it was made popular by DB. 

and what is the relation between your "taste" with a good writing?
"loud bratty kids" is just another type of characterization. you dont like it, its your choice. when it come to writing a good character, there is no actual limit of characterizations. whether readers like it or not its a different story..





> The problem is worse in Shoujo, so those wanting to write serious and more or less realistic female-oriented stories for example often just categorize their work as Josei instead.


this is again have nothing to do with good writing. it is most of the time is the results of those big company business practice. there is no such thing like if you want to write in shonen/shoujo magazine you must write a bad story..


i agree with what you said but because of different things. i mean for example if we are discussing about the bad effect of those big magazine style of business practice to the quality of the mangas, how it limit so many themes and plots and writing style, type of main characters, yes i agree with you..

it is super hard to write and to find a high quality writing and story but its never only exist in certain type of demographics.


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## lucid1 (Sep 8, 2012)

H2
Kenshin
Slam Dunk
Hajime no Ippo (up to a point)

i wonder if kochikame is any good


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## Malvingt2 (Sep 8, 2012)

SuperVegetto said:


> Actually the other two should have been bolded. Naruto is good enough, only haters of a dumb hivemind believe Naruto to be bad


 Naruto is decent......was Good in one point and great long time ago..


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## steveht93 (Sep 8, 2012)

Best shounen: naruto (part 1) damn,at the time naruto destroyed in my opinion the competition. It was my first manga as well.

Part 2 is good but really depends on the arc 

Close but not the best: 

Soul eater 
Hunter x hunter
Magi(this manga has a lot of potential)

Honorable mentions: 
One piece 
Bleach 
Fairy tail


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## Black Mirror (Sep 8, 2012)

steveht93 said:


> *Best shounen: naruto (part 1) damn,at the time naruto destroyed in my opinion the competition. It was my first manga as well.*
> 
> Part 2 is good but really depends on the arc
> 
> ...



Put your neg shield on, a horrible storm is coming for you.


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## 8 (Sep 8, 2012)

Black Mirror said:


> Put your neg shield on, a horrible storm is coming for you.


i agree with him. naruto part one is one of my favorites. but part 2 is horrible and it keeps getting worse.


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## Imagine (Sep 8, 2012)

Part 1 Naruto was amazing. Part 2.. eh, not so much.

Magi has alot of fucking potential.


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## 8 (Sep 8, 2012)

ImagineBreakr said:


> Part 1 Naruto was amazing. Part 2.. eh, not so much.
> 
> Magi has alot of fucking potential.


lets hope magi doesn't suffer the same fate as naruto. back when naruto had as much chapters as current magi it was in part one and had a lot of potential.


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## steveht93 (Sep 8, 2012)

8 said:


> lets hope magi doesn't suffer the same fate as naruto. back when naruto had as much chapters as current magi it was in part one and had a lot of potential.



It really depends on the characters. Sasuke and naruto fucked up the series sadly.  They are the primary reason why naruto isn't as enjoyable as before. 

On magi's side the only character that might go down the sasuke road is haku,but hopefully not.


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## Blunt (Sep 8, 2012)

8 said:


> lets hope magi doesn't suffer the same fate as naruto. back when naruto had as much chapters as current magi it was in part one and had a lot of potential.



How dare you use Naruto and Magi in the same sentence!


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## Imagine (Sep 8, 2012)

Sasuke will never be the man Hakuryuu is though.


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## 8 (Sep 8, 2012)

steveht93 said:


> It really depends on the characters. Sasuke and naruto fucked up the series sadly.  They are the primary reason why naruto isn't as enjoyable as before.
> 
> On magi's side the only character that might go down the sasuke road is haku,but hopefully not.


a friend turning evil, former friends become rivals. it don't has to ruin the series.  its all about the execution. for example berserk does it right with guts and griffith.



White Silver King said:


> How dare you use Naruto and Magi in the same sentence!


i'll take that back!


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## steveht93 (Sep 8, 2012)

ImagineBreakr said:


> Sasuke will never be the man Hakuryuu is though.



Both suck and pale infront of sinbad king of the seven seas 

@ 8 I meant that kishi concentrated on those two and forgot about the more interesting side characters. The nine rookies ,I.E lee and neji ,had so much potential.


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## 8 (Sep 8, 2012)

steveht93 said:


> @ 8 I meant that kishi concentrated on those two and forgot about the more interesting side characters. The nine rookies ,I.E lee and neji ,had so much potential.


right. i feel the same about that.


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## Black Mirror (Sep 8, 2012)

Guys, seriously fuck you XD If Magi gets me depressed like Nardo and Fairy Fail or fucking Bleach, I will fuckin blame you for making me read the manga if it has the same fate as those 3. But hey, Magi reminds me of Goku, bulma and yamuha at the beginning... just me pbbly


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## Reyes (Sep 8, 2012)

My favorite Shounen series are.........

One piece
HunterxHunter
FMA
Bakuman

I would add Gintama and Jojo but I need to read them more.


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## Donquixote Doflamingo (Sep 8, 2012)

Whats so great about a Sports Manga/Anime?

The only one i have read is bowling King and its ok, only because of the comedy. I just can't bring myself to read a manga about Basket Ball, the only reason i read bowling king is because my friend would not shut up intil i did.

Also i plan on readings JoJo's soon but im not sure where to start are all the different ones connected or are the story's and characters different?


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## Wolfgang Grimmer (Sep 8, 2012)

that's not a valid criticism at all


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## Donquixote Doflamingo (Sep 8, 2012)

projectcapsule said:


> that's not a valid criticism at all



Are you talking to me?

If so i was not criticizing anything i never read Slam Dunk or any sports manga besides Bowling king, so how can i say if its good or bad.


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## Kirito (Sep 8, 2012)

Donquixote Doflamingo said:


> Whats so great about a Sports Manga/Anime?



For my part, it's great because it's something I can relate with. I've tried different sports (except kart racing) and they're enjoyable, and I get the same thrill from the manga series that cover the sports. Some examples I remember:

American Football: Eyeshield 21
Basketball: Slam Dunk, Kuroko no Basket
Boxing: Hajime no Ippo
Baseball: Cross Game
Football/Soccer: Hungry Heart Wild Striker, Giant Killing
Tennis: Prince of Tennis
Go: Hikaru no Go (I must admit I've only played this once and barely understood anything )

And some others I forgot.


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## Donquixote Doflamingo (Sep 8, 2012)

Kirito said:


> For my part, it's great because it's something I can relate with. I've tried different sports (except kart racing) and they're enjoyable, and I get the same thrill from the manga series that cover the sports. Some examples I remember:
> 
> American Football: Eyeshield 21
> Basketball: Slam Dunk, Kuroko no Basket
> ...



Fair enough, I couldn't care less about sports so its just a preference thing. 

 Hikaru no Go is some kind of Japanese(Or Oriental) Board/Chess Game right, with a spirit/ghost dude that helps the main character. I might be thinking of something else completely different though.


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## Kirito (Sep 8, 2012)

Donquixote Doflamingo said:


> Fair enough, I couldn't care less about sports so its just a preference thing.
> 
> Hikaru no Go is some kind of Japanese(Or Oriental) Board/Chess Game right, with a spirit/ghost dude that helps the main character. I might be thinking of something else completely different though.



Yep, completely right.


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## Danielle (Sep 8, 2012)

I haven't enjoyed watching/reading a shonen more than when I watched Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood. 

I cannot count how many characters I liked and enjoyed sub plots involving them. The plot had the right amount of mystery and drive and I found myself absolutely addicted the more I went on. The action scenes were interesting and I liked the powers (alchemy or otherwise) more than most fighting skill sets of over Shounens. The fights were not overly long and didn't overshadow the plot. 

Either way, I was incredibly sad to finish the series in the end.


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## Badalight (Sep 8, 2012)

Donquixote Doflamingo said:


> Whats so great about a Sports Manga/Anime?
> 
> The only one i have read is bowling King and its ok, only because of the comedy. I just can't bring myself to read a manga about Basket Ball, the only reason i read bowling king is because my friend would not shut up intil i did.
> 
> Also i plan on readings JoJo's soon but im not sure where to start are all the different ones connected or are the story's and characters different?



Rookies is my favorite manga of all time, and it's a sports manga about baseball. I'm not a huge sports fan, and I give 0 shits about baseball. It's all about the execution.

As for your jojos questions, they are all self contained parts that take place in the same universe. Technically you could skip around, but honestly it's better to go from start to finish. You definitely get the most out of it that way. While each part is a self contained adventure, there's always references to things that happened in previous parts and older characters showing up from time to time. For instance, Jotaro shows up in parts 3, 4, 5, and 6. If you jumped straight into part 6 you'd be like "wtf"?

So I'd say start from the beginning. The good thing about ii being split into parts though is that you can take breaks. Parts 1 and 2 are about 50 chapters long, and all the other parts float around the 150 mark. Finish a part, and come back later to read the next (unless you just can't stop like with me).


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## Rax (Sep 9, 2012)

Fairy Tail:33


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## Shrike (Sep 9, 2012)

Comparing long running series such as OP and Naruto to Magi is unfair, especially at this point.

But whatever, I'll list them.

-Jojo
-FMA
-HxH (has an awesome battle system, which for me, is very important)
-OP
-Naruto (again, great battle system, although manga might be a pile of shit now, but the basic setup and most of part 1 and some parts of of part 2 were pretty good)
-Death Note

People may be surprised that I mention Naruto. You may see me spitting all over Naruto's plot in my every post, but it's pretty simple actually why is Naruto superior to many series. Let me explain.

I love FMA, possibly my favorite Shounen, but see this : Alchemy fighting system is hardly explained right and is pretty iffy when it comes to logic. Chakra system (or Nen system in HxH) is more advanced, and has it's own set of good rules. Use too much chakra, you lose consciousness. Lose more and you die. Chakra is someone's stamina (it was good before all this war bullshit, don't let me start on that), so, pretty simple concept. Different techniques require different amount of stamina, etc. FMA, for example, doesn't have that. You can spam alchemy to your heart's content. OP has Haki, but OP's fighting system is pretty basic beside that.

So, see what I mean. Naruto is good because it has a great battle system. It's another story that it's plot is a pile of garbage for the last few years.


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## Rica_Patin (Sep 9, 2012)

Spike_Shrike said:


> Comparing long running series such as OP and Naruto to Magi is unfair, especially at this point.
> 
> But whatever, I'll list them.
> 
> ...



I don't understand, it's good because it stole HxH's battle system? And then pretty much throws it out the window whenever Kishi decides it won't work with whatever asspull he's shitting out at the time?


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## EndlessStrategy (Sep 9, 2012)

Nensense said:


> I don't understand, it's good because it stole HxH's battle system? And then pretty much throws it out the window whenever Kishi decides it won't work with whatever asspull he's shitting out at the time?



It's as if the concept of handsigns was thrown completely out the window.


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## Powerful Lord (Sep 9, 2012)

Nensense said:


> I don't understand, it's good because it stole HxH's battle system? And then pretty much throws it out the window whenever Kishi decides it won't work with whatever asspull he's shitting out at the time?



Naruto didn't copy HXH's battle system that much, it took some inspiration but gave it's oun twist, the only thing it completelly and chameless copied was the uchiha clan massacre and the sharingan, but they did make the eye a tool for battle and brought some cool possibilities for the plot and the battles. Even if Kishi kind of milked it until the overuse of sharingan and uchihas became kind of annoying.

Naruto's plot right now isn't that bad, just let Kishi explain it, it's in least more exciting than the begining of the war. Here's the way the plot of the big three go:



It really doesn't make Naruto or Bleach bad, they each have something entertaining in their oun way.


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## EndlessStrategy (Sep 9, 2012)

Powerful Lord said:


> Naruto didn't copy HXH's battle system that much, it took some inspiration but gave it's oun twist, the only thing it completelly and chameless copied was the uchiha clan massacre and the sharingan, but they did make the eye a tool for battle and brought some cool possibilities for the plot and the battles. Even if Kishi kind of milked it until the overuse of sharingan and uchihas became kind of annoying.



I fail to see how Naruto copied Hunter x Hunter at all. Their battle systems are so completely different beyond the most basic level.



That chart never fails to amuse me.


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## Hoshigaki Kisame (Sep 9, 2012)

Katekyo Hitman Reborn
Shaman King


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## SoloBlack (Sep 10, 2012)

taydev said:


> Your sig got me ROFL



Thank you...


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## Sesha (Sep 11, 2012)

Phoenix is shonen, so that. Everything else, regardless of quality, are like the works of dirty cavemen by putting scratches on the walls.


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## Dream Brother (Sep 11, 2012)

My favourites:

_Slam Dunk_ is good when I want a light, casual read. It doesn't have anywhere near as much substance as some of Inoue's other work, but it's enjoyable. 

_Ahiru no Sora_ is interesting so far. It has more of an emphasis on drama and character than sport. 

_Hajime no Ippo_, in its early days, was a great blend of humour and drama. It slowly degraded as the years passed, but the early part of the manga is still definitely worth reading.

_Touch_ is also worth a mention -- it has quite a delicate, understated style.

_Shingeki no Kyojin_ is impressive at the moment. 

I've noticed that some people are mentioning _The Lucifer and Biscuit Hammer_...isn't that actually a seinen? I looked around online, and it was apparently serialised in Young King OURs, a seinen magazine.


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## Bilaal (Sep 11, 2012)

Sesha said:


> Phoenix is shonen, so that. Everything else, regardless of quality, are like the works of dirty cavemen by putting scratches on the walls.



i can't really think of any shounen better so yeah


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