Greeting’s Elite Cosplay Citizens! It is I, GentlemanOtoku, back from my mission of diffusing the Reality Bomb! You may or may not know this, but Superman’s 75th birthday just passed. In honor my personal favorite superhero, I thought I’d discuss some of my all-time favorite Shonen heroes.
Haru Glory
Haru’s one of my favorite Shonen heroes because his book, Rave Master, was the first manga I ever read from start to finish. While his story is defiantly not the greatest, you really can’t help but like Haru. Like Superman, Haru is friendly, helpful, and actively heroic. Plus, his dog is a mini-snow man.
Monkey D. Luffy
Luffy from One Piece is a great character for one important reason; he made the power of stretching cool. Mr. Fantastic, Plastic Man, Elongated Man, none of these guys hold a candle to boy who would be Pirate King. His story isn’t over yet, so I guess he’ll just have to settle for being the current King of Shonen Manga.
Kenichi Shirahama
The protagonist of Kenichi: The Mightiest Disciple may be your quintessential Shonen protagonist. Kenichi starts off with absolutely zero knowledge or skills in martial arts, but through dedication and extremely hard work, he’s able to become an amazing fighter. This by itself is admirable, but his story become a little more great when you remember that he’s essentially doing all this to win the heart of the Dojo’s daughter.
Rurouni Kenshin
Rurouni Kenshin is an interesting figure in Shonen manga, because he doesn’t really fit the mold of a popular Shonen character. Kenshin’s rather small, very humble, and looks kinda pretty. He’s also quite older than most protagonists. But therein lies his appeal. Kenshin’s story isn’t about looking to the future; it’s about letting go of the past. Kenshin’s tale of redemption makes him one of the more complex and sympathetic characters out there. Not to mention that his sword technique is awesome!
Son Goku
Yeah. I know. But come on. How else would it be? His simple personality coupled with his love of fighting and insane power levels have made him a global star. Plus, there’s just something about an alien that crash landed on Earth only to become its greatest defender that appeals to me for some reason.
Special Note: Erza Scarlet from Fairy Tail (because she’s a Bad-Ass)