Shónen can be translated to “boy” in English. This category is targeted towards a young male audience, typically between the ages of 8 to 18. These types of anime are action-packed and normally have a young male protagonist.
Although shónen animes with female protagonists have been acquiring more popularity, however, as said before, you will notice that the majority of shónen animes have a male protagonist.
It also usually portrays a male team, or a team that accompanies main characters or the main hero, like in Boku No Hero Academia. You will see as well the presence of attractive females and a fair amount of fanservice in some of them.
Another characteristic of shónen is that its main goal is to meet all the interests of young males, meaning that animes in this category will have tons of action, drama, fighting, adventure, comedy, martial arts, science fiction, horror, and sometimes even coming of age scenarios (Attack On Titan).
Even though shónen is targeted to a male audience, shónen anime can be enjoyed by all ages and genders.
