Is ‘Death Note’ a Shonen Anime? Genre Explained

For almost all anime fans, there’s a preconceived notion that shonen anime is always about an underdog protagonist who must face obstacles, win fights, and succeed against all odds to become the best at something. For Naruto, it’s to become a Hokage. For Luffy, it’s to become the King of the Pirates. For Goku, it’s to become the best martial artist. But it might come as a total shock to some people that Death Note is also a shonen anime. 

What does “shonen” mean? 

Shonen is a label that means this piece of media was made with the intent of appealing to young boys. In Japanese, it literally means “young man”. However, due to the popularity of anime and manga like Naruto, One Piece, Dragon Ball Z, and Bleach, many fans have come to associate shonen media with action-filled plots. 

It’s true that these shonen anime and manga are incredibly successful, and you’d be hard-pressed to find an anime fan who at least hasn’t heard of Naruto. But an anime being shonen has nothing to do with its contents. 

The aforementioned animes are part of a sub-label of shonen called “battle shonen.” It might be news to some anime fans that Hunter x Hunter, Attack on Titan, and The Promised Neverland are all shonen anime. 

Shonen means that the target audience is young boys, typically middle-school-aged boys. This doesn’t mean that other demographics, like girls or adults, can’t enjoy shonen anime. An anime being labeled as shonen can be very subjective, and it’s just indicative of what the publishers think would appeal to young boys. 

What does “seinen” mean?

Seinen is media that was created with the intent of appealing to young men aged 18 years or older. Because seinen anime and manga are aimed at an older audience, they usually feature darker plotlines and more violence. 

The key word here is “usually” because seinen doesn’t truly say anything about the contents of an anime. Sure, we have classic dark seinen animes like Berserk, Hellsing, Vinland Saga, and Tokyo Ghoul, but there are light-hearted seinen animes too. 

Just a few playful seinen animes are Kaguya-sama: Love Is War, One Punch Man, and K-On! While not devoid of conflict, these animes are usually fun and easy to watch. 

Why shonen and seinen don’t describe the content of a show

If you need more convincing that seinen and shonen don’t denote how dark a show is, just look at Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure. The interesting thing about Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure is that it used to be a shonen up until part 7, but then switched to a seinen. 

Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure didn’t suddenly become darker after part 7. It has always had its dark and gory fights, and heartwarming and wholesome moments to contrast the darkness. This didn’t change after it became a seinen.

Why is Death Note a shonen anime?

Death Note is a shonen anime for the only reason that the manga was published in the Weekly Shonen Jump magazine. It’s true that Death Note is a psychological thriller and mystery anime, which are genres traditionally associated with seinen anime, but this is more of a generalization than a fact. 

There has been much debate about whether a shonen anime can be dark. Although the answer is an emphatic yes, fans continue to misuse the term. There are countless terms that are indicative of an anime’s contents, but when you use shonen to mean “action-adventure anime with an underdog protagonist who never gives up,” you’re misusing the term. 

Because of the success of the popular battle shonen, all shonen has been painted with the same brush. This is why people are so shocked when animes with dark themes, like Death Note, are considered shonen. 

Despite not having many physical fights, the battles in Death Note are psychological ones. This is why Death Note is sometimes called “the anime for people who don’t usually like anime”. It appeals to anime fans and non-anime fans alike. 

Death Note being a shonen doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy it if you’re not a little boy. There is a myriad of female and adult fans of Death Note, and the term “shonen” shouldn’t make anyone feel excluded from liking it. Now that you’re equipped with this knowledge enjoy all the shonen anime that you want! It doesn’t mean you’re immature for liking them, as this term isn’t meant to exclude you in any way. 

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