When it comes to manga, no genre is more recognized than shonen. The genre is typically geared towards younger male audiences, but they have appealed to a much wider audience as the decades have continued. The genre's tropes of bombastic action, teamwork and perseverance have created inspirational and teachable moments thanks to franchises like Akira Toriyama's Dragon Ball and Masashi Kishimoto's Naruto. Shonen's action-packed core has also created nearly perfect video games for almost every franchise.
The mystery surrounding how a genre can create such amazing and faithful games isn't speculated often but deserves attention. One of the most obvious points lies in the story. Manga like Eiichiro Oda's One Piece features an enormous world of islands that boast a new gimmick each time. This can include a giant casino island or an island made up entirely of fish men. Because the manga and anime offer one perspective, the set pieces found in the games are designed to expand on these locations and make the world feel more alive.
The creators of these try not to leave things to waste, including their characters. Rather than focus on a small cast, most manga feature a massive list of characters, each with their own dreams, abilities and motivations. This is perfect for video games, as each character with abilities can be a new addition. Bandai Namco Entertainment's Naruto Ultimate Ninja Storm franchise is a 3D arena fighter that follows this logic and includes almost every character and their variations from the entire series.
A benefit of having so many characters and variations is the opportunity to reenact some of the best moments in a manga or anime. Dragon Ball FighterZ pits the strongest characters from the franchise against each other and even includes their entire moveset. That can mean that players who want to reenact Goku and Vegeta's iconic battles can do so through the lens of the game and control the full extent of their powers. But, fighting games aren't the only way to feel a character's full power.
Musou games are arena hack and slash games like Dynasty Warriors, where players take on hordes of enemies at once. While it can look comical, there is a satisfaction to mopping the floor with enemies. One Piece Pirate Warriors 4 utilizes this genre so players can use the abilities of their favorite characters in a similar fashion. Characters like Monkey D. Luffy stretch and punch dozens of enemies at once, while swordsman Roronoa Zoro is like an arrow that eliminates large groups in one direction. Shonen characters almost always have devastating power, and the musou genre allows players to use them without consequence.
Shonen manga is all about teaching the protagonist the responsibilities that they have with immense power. It's easy to let go and devastate everything in their wake, but what makes the character a hero is what they do when they have the option to. That could also be why shonen stories translate so well into video games. Rather than being forced to hold back, players can see the full extent of their favorite characters' power and use said power against opponents or the game itself. It offers a freedom that can't be felt when reading, and so long as the titles are faithfully developed, fans will keep coming back.
