Shonen anime is quite easily the most popular anime series of all time. However, due to the nature of the audience, it can often be quite lacking when it comes to dark stories. That said, quite a few Shonen anime have taken a rather unique approach and tackled much darker themes during their incredible run. Dark Shonen anime are not as common as one would like them to be, given that these series are mostly aimed at children; But there are certainly quite a few Shonen anime that set themselves apart by tackling some very dark themes.
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Attack on Titan
Attack on Titan is one of the most popular shonen anime of all time. There is a big misconception among anime fans who think Attack on Titan is a seinen series, but in reality it's just a shonen that tackles some very dark themes throughout its run. That most fans mistake Attack on Titan for a seinen itself is proof that the series is incredibly dark.
Attack on Titan follows the story of Eren Jaeger and his friends, whose lives are turned upside down after their home is breached by man-eating titans. The story begins with Eren swearing revenge on them, as well as wanting to find the deep and dark secrets behind these titans. With each major reveal, the story of Attack on Titan takes some very exciting turns, as well as shedding light on some of the darkest storylines in anime ever.
Chainsaw man
The story of Chainsaw man is written by Tatsuki Fujimoto, one of the most seasoned mangaka of all time. This story runs in Weekly Shonen Jump, but even so, it takes a lot of liberties with the type of content it showcases. Despite being a shonen manga, Chainsaw Man has some very dark themes and portrays the horrors of humanity incredibly well through various devils. On the surface it may seem like Chainsaw Man is simply dealing with the idea of finding and hunting demons, but in reality this story addresses some of the deepest and most complex human emotions.
The main character Denji's life itself is incredibly dark, as he rises from being an impoverished kid scavenging and barely surviving to finally starting to live a normal life, only to deal with different types of human desires in different ways. Fujimoto is a master of dark storytelling, despite the newspaper he works for. He's certainly limited in what he can show with his story, but he does an amazing job of incorporating some very dark themes into the plot.
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Jujutsu Kaisen
Jujutsu Kaisen is a traditional Shonen series that follows the story of sorcerers who exorcise evil cursed spirits that are created by negative emotions oozing from humans. The main character, Yuji Itadori, is also a typical Shonen main character. Despite that, Jujutsu Kaisen is quite dark, as it contains quite a few gruesome deaths. In fact, over the past few years, Jujutsu Kaisen has arguably featured some of the most gruesome deaths in all of Shonen anime, and that's what sets it apart from the rest.
While the vast majority of Shonen anime are careful when it comes to killing off their characters, Jujutsu Kaisen doesn't think twice. In fact, the writer of the story, Gege Akutami, has previously said that he doesn't want fans to be relaxed about the fate of their favorite characters at all and aims to create a story where they are on the edge of their seats throughout. That is reflected very well in the plot of Jujutsu Kaisen, as no character is truly safe. At the very surface level, Jujutsu Kaisen is at least quite dark.
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Claymore
Claymore is a legendary series that, despite being a shonen, contains some of the darkest and most gruesome moments and character arcs in the entire anime medium. Claymore sees the introduction of evil creatures known as Yoma that can change shape and feed on humans. This in itself is pretty gruesome, but the story takes an even darker turn when human-Yoma hybrids are created, known as Claymores.
This experiment gives the story a whole new level of dark and chaotic twist. When these Claymores are born, their job is to exterminate the Yoma. Throughout the course of the story, some of the most incredible battles take place, filled with dark twists, as well as some very shocking character deaths. Claymore is easily one of the darkest shonen series out there that any fan of the genre should give a watch.
The never promised land
The never promised land was a fairly short-lived manga but an incredibly popular one that focused on the story of children in orphanages. Although the plot looked quite simple at first, it was then revealed that these children were only raised as food material for demons who prey on humans, and especially found children appetizing. As such, a race for survival begins among incredibly smart children. At the same time, the complex relationship between these humans and flesh-eating demons is also explored.
Just the basic concept of The Promised Neverland is incredibly dark, but what unfolds throughout the story as the plot expands is also incredibly gruesome. Despite the fact that most fans don't like how the story was handled in the later installments, The Promised Neverland remains an icon in the world of dark Shonen anime.
One Piece
One Piece is one of the longest running shonen series of all time and something that most fans don't consider to be that dark on the surface. But with its incredibly long maturity, One Piece tackled some of the darkest themes in all of anime and manga. The world of One Piece puts a lot of focus on the dark world of slavery, human trafficking, and even things like genocide. In fact, some of the biggest plot points in the story surround oppression and liberation.
One Piece may appear to be the story of a young boy who simply wants to be a carefree pirate at sea, but its deeper themes are incredibly dark. Even the main goal of wanting to claim One Piece itself is directly connected to a very dark, 100-year void that was completely erased from history by the World Government due to a mass extinction that took place in the past. The world of One Piece is full of evil and darkness that Oda does an amazing job of bringing to life in his manga.
