Shōnen is one of the most popular genres in anime. It’s a genre targeting boys and young men, featuring amazing fights, awesome world-building, and some of the best friendships around. While it might not seem so,friendships are huge in shōnen anime.Most protagonists have a best friend they can rely on, helping to push them to new heights. Some of the best friendships in shōnen aren’t between the protagonist, but between two other characters who have each other’s backs no matter what.
To be a good friendship in shōnen,the two characters need to trust each other completely.They need to be able to rely on each other, and they also need to be able to push each other. A good friend knows their friend’s limit, but also believes in them enough to help them surpass their limits too.
Gurren Lagann is a cult classic. It’s one of the mostpopular mecha animesand it also featuresa phenomenal friendship between Simon and Kamina.Simon and Kamina are two young men living underground at the start of the series. Kamina’s father lived on the surface and Kamina had enough memories to want to get out. Eventually, thanks to Kamina’s determination and his belief in Simon, the pair escape and live a life of adventure on the surface.
Simon and Kamina are two sides of the same coin.While their personalities are almost the exact opposite, it works perfectly for their friendship as they compliment each other in surprising ways. Simon is a quiet, shy boy who would rather put his head down than fight, but around Kamina, he becomes a hero. Kamina sees the best in Simon, and like a true friend, helps Simon see the best in himself too.
Saitama’s friendship with King is one of the funniest side storiesinOne-Punch Man.King is supposedly one of the strongest characters in the series, but he isn’t really. In reality, he’s just a normal video game lover who somehow finds himself in ridiculous scenarios that other people give him credit for. Saitama is his exact opposite.Saitamareally isthe strongest character inOne-Punch Man, but nobody else, bar Genos and King, knows it.
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As two characters who don’t really care about what others think of them, Saitama and King get along well. They like to hang out and play video games together, and King is almost always the victor. While Saitama has a good friendship with Genos, their relationship is closer to a master-student relationship than a real friendship. A real friend is someone who’llbeat you at video games 30 times in a row before apologizing.
One Piece
The Straw Hats are the closest friend group inOne Piece.While some of the members bicker with each other, like Sanji and Zoro, that’s part of the charm. Even though they’re at each other’s necks sometimes,there’s not a single Straw Hat that wouldn’t sacrifice themselves for another, and that’s exactly the crew Luffy wants. He’s the best friend of the group to everyone. Nobody believes in his crew more than Monkey D. Luffy, and because of that, his crew is able to believe in themselves too.
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One of the best moments inOne Piecehappens early in the series when Luffy finds out that Nami is in debt to Arlong. While Nami hasn’t exactly been honest with the crew about her intentions, Luffy still sees the best in her. When she finally breaks down and asks for his help, Luffy goes on a rampage against a truly tough opponent. It doesn’t matter how strong Arlong was,Luffy would fight anyone for his crew.
Thorfinn and Einar have a unique friendship inVinland Saga.When the two meet, Thorfinn has already been a slave on Ketil’s Farm for a number of years, and he’s completely lost hope. After Askeladd’s death, Thorfinn realized he was completely empty inside. He had nobody left to hate, and no real purpose to guide him. Einar finds him and begins to rehabilitate his friend, making him get his lust for life back.
There aren’t many moments cooler in the series than when Einar finally sees who Thorfinn really is. In one of thebest fights inVinland Saga, Thorfinn takes on Snake unarmed, even though Snake has a dagger. Thorfinn bobs and weaves expertly, and Einar is impressed by his friend. Together, they can put their anger aside and worktogether towards their common goal of a world filled with peace.
Demon Slayer
Tanjiro, Inosuke, and Zenitsu are an unlikely group of friends. Tanjiro is quiet and humble, Inosuke is loud and rash, and Zenitsu is a coward most of the time. Together, they’re the three strongest Demon Slayers of their generation, even able to take out the Upper Rank Six demons, Daki and Gyutaro.Zenitsu was even able to teach Tanjiro his Thunder Breathing technique, giving him the boost of speed he needed to finish the Upper Rank Four demon, Hantengu.
Inosuke is the fire starter of the group. He’s the person to give Tanjiro and Zenitsu the metaphorical kick-in-the-butt they need to stop feeling bad and go after their enemies. While the trio started their friendship at a rough point,they’ve grown much closer throughout the series,relying on each other during key moments. In theupcomingDemon Slayer:Infinity Castle movie trilogy, they’re going to have to rely on each other if they want to get past Muzan and his army of demons.
Naruto
Naruto and Sasuke might seem to only be rivals,but their relationship is closer to a genuine friendship.Sasuke and Naruto are both orphans, they both care about their village more than most, and towards the end of the series, they become two ofthe strongest characters inNaruto.They’re closer to gods than ninja at the end ofShippuden,and they can really only relate to each other. Sasuke has a lot of trauma in his life, so he isn’t willing to get close with anyone.
Naruto won’t let Sasuke be alone, however, and he’s the exact friend the last of the Uchiha needs.Sasuke deserves a good friend like Naruto.They’ve both been through a lot, together and against each other, but are always willing to see past their differences. Once they can agree on a mutal goal, the pair are nearly unstoppable.
Dragon Ball
While many might thinkVegeta is Goku’s best friend, they’d be wrong. Vegeta is a great rival to Goku, pushing him to always be stronger, butnobody has had the Saiyan’s back from day one like Krillin.They’re both students of the Turtle School, wear the same Turtle School outfit, and have been best friends since the originalDragon Ball.When Goku is hot-headed, Krillin is there to cool him down.
When Krillin died on Namek, his death rocked Goku to his core. Goku is no stranger to seeing his friends die in front of him, but Krilli’s death sent him over the edge.It was the catalyst he needed to become a Super Saiyan, finally defeating Frieza on Namek. Unfortunately for Krillin, it’s not his first death in the series, and it wouldn’t be his last, as Krillin getting beat down is one of thebest memes inDragon Ball.
Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure
What’s a JoJo without a Speedwagon or a Zeppeli next to them?Caesar Antonio Zeppeli and Jonathan Joestar are the closest friends in the entireJoJo’s Bizarre Adventurefranchise by far. They’re in their late teens during the events ofBattle Tendencyand are both trained by Lisa Lisa in an attempt to get strong enough to defeat the Pillar Men. They initially didn’t get along, as Caesar saw Joseph as an irresponsible person.
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After their training, and their fights against the Pillar Men,the two grew much closer.Caesar even sacrifices himself to get Joseph the antidote he’s looking for. His death was brutal for Joseph. Joseph finds Caeser’s iconic headband and wears it for his remaining battles. When he defeats the Pillar Men, he says it’s because Caesar has been with him the whole time.
Jujutsu Kaisen
Itadori and Todo’s friendship is not only one of the funniest parts ofJujutsu Kaisen,but it’s incredibly heart-warming. Todo believes in Itadori more than almost everyone, andhe’s the first person to help his friend back upafter Itadori goes through a hard time. When Mahito rocks Itadori’s psyche bykilling Nobara and Nanaminback-to-back, Todo is there to get him back on his feet.
Todo basically forced Itadori into their friendship when he heard of Itadori’s perfect type of woman. Since then, the two are inseparable every time they’re together, and they’re a force to be reckoned with when they’re fighting. Thanks to Todo’s Boogie Woogie technique, Itadori can take down just about anyone,so long as he has his brother alongside him.They’ve fought Mahito, Hanami, and even the Kyoto Jujutsu High School students to defend their friendship.
Hunter X Hunter
Gon and Killua are the closest friends in anime.They connected the second they metand only grew closer as the series progressed. They’re two ofthe strongest characters inHunter x Hunterat an early age, showing off their insane abilities everywhere they go. Gon is a naive, fun-loving kid who just wants to find his dad. Killua was raised in a pretty brutal environment, so while he lacks Gon’s childlike whimsy, it draws Killua to Gon.
They have each other’s backs no matter the situation. When Killua is back at the Zoldyck mansion, Gon breaks in, in an attempt to get his friend back. He doesn’t care about the guards or Killua’s family,he just wants his friend back.When Gon sacrificed his future to gain the strength needed to kill Neferpitou, Killua was there to calm him down and make him come back to reality.
