Polygon highlights several less-obvious shonen anime it considers exceptional, arguing that the genre’s strongest stories can move beyond familiar themes of perseverance and friendship. The selections are praised for using shonen conventions in distinctive ways, from strategic combat to folklore-inspired world-building and Gothic tragedy.

– World Trigger: a tactical series in which equalised power levels make teamwork, positioning and planning decisive.
– Magi: The Labyrinth of Magic: a dungeon adventure drawing on One Thousand and One Nights while exploring corruption, ambition and moral ambiguity.
– D.Gray-man: a Gothic, alternate-19th-century story about exorcists, tragedy and questions of humanity.