Shōnen Manga (少年漫画)

Shōnen manga are stories written primarily with an audience of teen boys in mind. While shōnen manga series cover the full range of genres, including fantasy, romance, comedy, sci-fi, horror, and more, there are several stylistic features that characterise this category. There is often a focus on action and plot development, with plots often following the basic structure of the hero's journey. Rivalry and friendship are common themes encountered in this category, as well as the notion of the 'outsider' protagonist. Visually, shōnen manga often employs sharper edges and distinctive silhouettes for its characters.

Updated July 8, 2024
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Wellington City Libraries Youth team at Wellington City Libraries
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Jujutsu kaisen. 1, Ryomen Sukuna
Akutami, Gege
Paper Book
To gain the power he needs to save his friend from a cursed spirit, Yuji Itadori swallows a piece of a demon, only to find himself caught in the midst of a horrific war of the supernatural! In a world where cursed spirits feed on unsuspecting humans, fragments of the legendary...
Case closed. Volume 1
Aoyama, Gosho
Paper Book
Can Detective Conan crack the case...while trapped in a kid's body? Jimmy Kudo, the son of a world-renowned mystery writer, is a high school detective who has cracked the most baffling of cases. One day while on a date with his childhood friend Rachel Moore, Jimmy observes a pair...
JoJo's bizarre adventure. Part I, Phantom blood, 01
Araki, Hirohiko
Paper Book
A multigenerational tale of the heroic Joestar family and their never-ending battle against evil! The legendary Shonen Jump series, now available in English for the first time, in a deluxe edition featuring color pages and newly drawn cover art! JoJo's Bizarre Adventure...
Alice in Borderland. Volume 1
Aso, Haro
Paper Book
An action-packed thriller and source of the hit Netflix drama where the only way to survive is to play the game! Eighteen-year-old Ryohei Arisu is sick of his life. School sucks, his love life is a joke, and his future feels like impending doom. As he struggles to exist in a...
Spy x family. 1
Endo?, Tatsuya
Paper Book
An action-packed comedy about a fake family that includes a spy, an assassin and a telepath! Master spy Twilight is unparalleled when it comes to going undercover on dangerous missions for the betterment of the world. But when he receives the ultimate assignment--to get married...
Chainsaw Man. 1, Dog and chainsaw
Fujimoto, Tatsuki
Paper Book
Broke young man + chainsaw demon = Chainsaw Man! Denji was a small-time devil hunter just trying to survive in a harsh world. After being killed on a job, he is revived by his pet devil Pochita and becomes something new and dangerous--Chainsaw Man! Denji's a...
Goodbye, Eri
Fujimoto, Tatsuki
Paper Book
An explosive story from the mad genius behind Chainsaw Man and Look Back! Young filmmaker Yuta contemplates suicide after the death of his mother, but a chance meeting with a mysterious girl will alter his life in an explosive way. From the mad genius...
Look back
Fujimoto, Tatsuki
Paper Book
A heart-wrenching single-volume story about the struggles of being an artist, from the creator of Chainsaw Man. The overly confident Fujino and the shut-in Kyomoto couldn't be more different, but a love of drawing manga brings these two small-town girls together. A...
Haikyu!! Volume 1, Hinata and Kageyama
Furudate, Haruichi
Paper Book
Shoyo Hinata is out to prove that in volleyball you don't need to be tall to fly! Ever since he saw the legendary player known as "the Little Giant" compete at the national volleyball finals, Shoyo Hinata has been aiming to be the best volleyball player ever! Who says you need to...
My hero academia : vigilantes. Volume 1
Furuhashi, Hideyuki
Paper Book
Not everyone needs a license to fight for justice! In a superpowered society, there is nothing ordinary about evil anymore. Heroes, trained and licensed to protect and defend the public against supervillains, stand above all the rest. Not everyone can be a hero, however, and...
Demon slayer = Kimetsu no yaiba. 1, Cruelty
Gotoge, Koyoharu
Paper Book
Tanjiro sets out on the path of the Demon Slayer to save his sister and avenge his family! In Taisho-era Japan, kindhearted Tanjiro Kamado makes a living selling charcoal. But his peaceful life is shattered when a demon slaughters his entire family. His little sister Nezuko is...
The legend of Zelda : Twilight princess. 1
Himekawa, Akira
Paper Book
Link must defeat evil at every turn in his perilous quest to help Princess Zelda! Once upon a time, wizards tried to conquer the Sacred Realm of Hyrule. The Spirits of Light sealed the wizards' power within the Shadow Crystal and banished them to the Twilight Realm beyond the...
My hero academia. Vol. 1, Izuku Midoriya: origin
Horikoshi, Ko?hei
Paper Book
Midoriya inherits the superpower of the world's greatest hero, but greatness won't come easy. What would the world be like if 80 percent of the population manifested superpowers called "Quirks"? Heroes and villains would be battling it out everywhere! Being a hero would mean...
Attack on Titan. 1
Isayama, Hajime
Paper Book
The megahit Attack on Titan anime is back! In this post-apocalyptic sci-fi story, humanity has been devastated by the bizarre, giant humanoids known as the Titans. Little is known about where they came from or why they are bent on consuming mankind. Seemingly unintelligent...
Beastars. Volume 1
Itagaki, Paru
Paper Book
At this high school, instead of jocks and nerds, the students are divided into predators and prey. At a high school where the students are literally divided into predators and prey, friendships maintain the fragile peace. Who among them will become a Beastar--a hero destined to...
Blue exorcist. Vol. 1
Kato?, Kazue
Paper Book
Rin and his exorcist classmates are caught in a secret war against the forces of darkness. Raised by Father Fujimoto, a famous exorcist, Rin Okumura never knew his real father. One day a fateful argument with Father Fujimoto forces Rin to face a terrible truth--the blood of the...
Naruto
Kishimoto, Masashi
Paper Book
The world's most popular ninja comic! Naruto is a young shinobi with an incorrigible knack for mischief. He's got a wild sense of humor, but Naruto is completely serious about his mission to be the world's greatest ninja! Twelve years ago the Village Hidden in the...
Boruto : Naruto next generations. Volume 1, Uzumaki Boruto!!
Kodachi, Ukyo
Paper Book
The ninja adventures continue with Naruto's son, Boruto! Naruto was a young shinobi with an incorrigible knack for mischief. He achieved his dream to become the greatest ninja in his village, and now his face sits atop the Hokage monument. But this is not his story... A new...
Bleach. Volume 1, Strawberry and the soul reaper
Kubo, Tite.
Paper Book
Part-time student, full-time Soul Reaper, Ichigo is one of the chosen few guardians of the afterlife. Ichigo Kurosaki never asked for the ability to see ghosts--he was born with the gift. When his family is attacked by a Hollow--a malevolent lost soul--Ichigo becomes a Soul...
Poke?mon : Black and White. Vol. 1
Kusaka, Hidenori.
Paper Book
New series in the super popular Pokémon franchise! Meet Pokémon Trainers Black and White! White has a burgeoning career as a Trainer of performing Pokémon. Black is about to embark on a training journey to explore the Unova region and fill a Pokédex for Professor Juniper. ...
Maximum Ride : the manga. 1
Lee, NaRae.
Paper Book
Fourteen-year-old Maximum Ride, better known as Max, knows what it's like to soar above the world. She and all the members of the "Flock"--Fang, Iggy, Nudge, Gasman and Angel--are just like ordinary kids--only they have wings and can fly. It may seem like a dream come true to some, but their lives...
Fairy tail
Mashima, Hiro
Paper Book
THE WICKED SIDE OF WIZARDRY Cute girl wizard Lucy wants to join the Fairy Tail, a club for the most powerful wizards. But instead, her ambitions land her in the clutches of a gang of unsavory pirates le by a devious magician. Her only hope is Natsu, a strange boy she happens to meet on...
Assassination classroom. 1, Time for assassination
Matsui, Yu?sei
Paper Book
When the misfits of Class 3-E get stuck with a smiley-faced, octopus-tentacled schoolteacher with bizarre superpowers, they discover they have a lot to learn... When the misfits of Class 3-E get stuck with a smiley-faced, octopus-tentacled schoolteacher with bizarre superpowers,...
Kaiju no. 8. 1
Matsumoto, Naoya
Paper Book
Kafka wants to clean up kaiju, but not literally! Will a sudden metamorphosis stand in the way of his dream? With the highest kaiju-emergence rates in the world, Japan is no stranger to attack by deadly monsters. Enter the Japan Defense Force, a military organization tasked with...
The girl from the other side : siúil, a rún. IV
Nagabe
Paper Book
ASHES TO ASHES Shiva has escaped, thanks to the king of the Inside's agonizing decision to betray his kingdom. Now, with locket in hand, Shiva has returned to the cottage to rejoin Teacher. What she discovers there will bring her to tears as an unimaginable truth comes to light....
One piece : east blue 1-2-3
Oda, Eiichiro?
Paper Book
Join Monkey D. Luffy and his swashbuckling crew in their search for the ultimate treasure, the One Piece. As a child, Monkey D. Luffy dreamed of becoming King of the Pirates. But his life changed when he accidentally ate the Gum-Gum Fruit, an enchanted Devil Fruit that gave him...
Komi can't communicate. Volume 1
Oda, Tomohito
Paper Book
The journey to 100 friends begins with a single conversation. Socially anxious high school student Shoko Komi's greatest dream is to make some friends, but everyone at school mistakes her crippling social anxiety for cool reserve! With the whole student body keeping their...
Bakuman. Volume 2, Chocolate and Akamaru
Ohba, Tsugumi
Paper Book
By the creators of Death Note! The mystery behind manga-making revealed! Average student Moritaka Mashiro enjoys drawing for fun. When his classmate and aspiring writer Akito Takagi discovers his talent, he begs Moritaka to team up with him as a manga-creating duo. But what...
Death Note. Vol. 1, Boredom
Ohba, Tsugumi
Paper Book
When Light Yagami finds a notebook giving him power over death, will he use it for good--or evil? Light Yagami is an ace student with great prospects--and he's bored out of his mind. But all that changes when he finds the Death Note, a notebook dropped by a rogue...
Mob psycho 100. Volume 1
ONE
Paper Book
Do you or someone you know need an exorcist who works cheap? Reigen's your guy! What's his secret to busting ghosts while keeping prices low? Well, first, he's a fraud, and second, he pays the guy who's got the real psychic power - his student assistant Shigeo - less than minimum wage. Shigeo is an...
The lake of tears
Rodda, Emily
Paper Book
Now joined by their unruly new companion Jasmine, Lief and Barda set off on a treacherous journey through the territory ruled by the monster sorceress Thaegan. But that is only the beginning. To recover the second gem, they must face the hideous guardian of the Lake of Tears!
A man & his cat. 1
Sakurai, Umi
Paper Book
The top manga launch in Japan in the first half of 2018, A Man and His Cat was also voted one of the top ten manga of 2018 by Japanese bookstore employees nationwide. Having won hearts and topped charts in Japan, this hotly anticipated series about an older gentleman and his unique, adorable cat is...
Cirque du Freak ; bk. 1
Shan, Darren
Paper Book
Life gets dangerous when a kid discovers a vampire at an illegal circus in this fast-paced and creepy-crawly tale from bestselling author and master of horror, Darren Shan. When Darren and his friends secretly score tickets to the terrifying Cirque Du Freak, they...
The promised Neverland. Volume 1, Grace Field House
Shirai, Kaiu
Paper Book
The children of the Grace Field House orphanage must escape a macabre fate before it's too late. Life at Grace Field House is good for Emma and her fellow orphans. While the daily studying and exams they have to take are tough, their loving caretaker provides them with delicious...
Black butler. 1
Toboso, Yana
Paper Book
When a terrible fire claims his parents, Ciel Phantomhive must step up as the head of his father's company and as Earl Phantomhive. It would be a lot for the young boy to handle were it not for his faithful butler, Sebastian. Ever at Ciel's side, it seems there's little Sebastian can...
Dragon Ball Z [1]
Toriyama, Akira
Paper Book
Change your perspective: get BIG After years of training and adventure, Goku has become Earth's ultimate warrior. And his son, Gohan, shows even greater promise. But the stakes are increasing as even deadlier enemies threaten the planet. DRAGON BALL Z is the...
Dragonball : 3-in-1 edition. 1
Toriyama, Akira
Paper Book
Akira Toriyama's groundbreaking, iconic, best-selling series now in an omnibus edition! Dragon Ball introduces a young monkey-tailed boy named Goku (a wry update of the classic Chinese "Monkey King" legend), whose quiet life changes when he meets a girl named Bulma who is...
Food wars! : shokugeki no Soma. Volume 1, Endless wilderness
Tsukuda, Yuto
Paper Book
An action-packed, saucy food comedy featuring one boy's determination to be top chef! Soma Yukihira's old man runs a small family restaurant in the less savory end of town.  Aiming to one day surpass his father's culinary prowess, Soma hones his skills day in and day out...
Frieren : Beyond Journey's End, Vol. 1
Yamada, Kanehito.
Paper Book
The adventure is over but life goes on for an elf mage just beginning to learn what living is all about. Elf mage Frieren and her courageous fellow adventurers have defeated the Demon King and brought peace to the land. But Frieren will long outlive the rest of her former party....

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