Shonen anime is the most popular genre in this medium, featuring a wealth of amazing stories that have become popular for all the right reasons. While the realm of shonen has experimented with several settings, there's always something magical about the traditional battle shonen manga that has enraptured and captivated fans from all over the world time and time again.

That being said, some long-running battle shonen anime adaptations suffer from incorporating a silly amount of filler in their shows, which is pretty detrimental to the series' quality. Thankfully, the following anime don't suffer in this regard and let people sit through their entire runtime without having to skip through hours of boring filler.

Updated on October 9, 2023 by Ritwik Mitra: Shonen anime is one of the most mass-marketable forms of this medium that has become really popular. However, most shows in this genre end up being padded with meaningless filler that really bog down the experience. Thankfully, there are some shonen anime that focus more on telling a cohesive plot instead of adding a bunch of filler to drag things out unnecessarily.

17 Chainsaw Man

• Studio: MAPPA
• Manga Author: Tatsuki Fujimoto

MAPPA has been at the top of its game for quite some time now, producing hit after hit that has taken the world of anime by storm. While the reports surrounding the working conditions in this studio are far from positive, most people still can't get enough of the many high-quality anime shows released by this studio that have consistently pushed the standards of animation to new heights over and over again. However, even for the high bar they set with their shows time and time again, Chainsaw Man was in a league of its own.

Tatsuki Fujimoto is easily one of the best mangaka of all time, and it's great to see his shonen series get the love and adoration it deserves. The first season may have only been 12 episodes, but even this brief glimpse into this weird yet wonderful show has gone a long way in ensuring that more people know about Chainsaw Man and its wild concept. The animation is truly off the charts and makes for a great time as people learn about the many devils in the series and how they tie into the main narrative.

16 Assassination Classroom

• Studio: Lerche
• Manga Author: Yusei Matsui

There are many unique anime shows out there that tackle familiar tropes in an interesting manner, and one great candidate of the same is Assassination Classroom. Koro-sensei is easily one of the most fascinating characters in anime history, and slowly learning about his tragic nature and why the Earth being destroyed isn't really his fault in the first place.

The entire show revolves around this octopus-like being training a bunch of students in the way of combat and assassinations, leading to some tense, hilarious, and heartwarming moments as the members of the class 3-E slowly bond with each other and eventually get attached to a being that should be heinous in every way... but ends up being way more complex than anyone could've imagined.

15 Hajime No Ippo: Rising

• Studio: Madhouse/MAPPA
• Manga Author: George Morikawa

Sports anime are all the rage for a bevy of reasons, and viewers who want a lot of action to be present in these shows can definitely check out shows that focus more on combat sports. A great example of this is boxing, with Hajime no Ippo being the most popular recommendation in this regard that fans can check out. The series has received numerous adaptations, with the third one being a joint collaboration between two of the biggest anime studios around right now.

Both Madhouse and MAPPA are two of the biggest and most respected studios around, and their combined excellence can be seen in Hajime no Ippo: Rising. It continues the story of Ippo Makunouchi and how he defends his title while focusing on other characters as well. The animation is truly one-of-a-kind, with punches landing in a crunchy and satisfying manner.

14 Dragon Ball Z Kai

• Studio: Toei Animation
• Manga Author: Akira Toriyama

Dragon Ball Z is one of the greatest shonen anime of all time. However, the original run of the anime was lambasted for its incredible amount of filler, extended panning shots, and lengthened fighting sequences that served only to pad the runtime and nothing else.

Suffice it to say, Dragon Ball Z Kai is a godsend for people who want to experience this legendary anime for themselves without having to sit through copious amounts of filler. The show is an absolute blast, with its pacing being pretty great in its own right.

13 Mob Psycho 100

• Studio: Bones
• Manga Author: ONE

With the latest season of Mob Psycho 100 right around the corner, there's no better time for people to get into this brilliant anime. The creator of One-Punch Man has clearly put his heart and soul into creating this webcomic as well, with its anime adaptation being absolutely brilliant.

Watching Shigeo struggle with the act of not relying on his amazing psychic powers is quite entertaining. Of course, the battles between the many espers in the series are also quite engaging in their own right, with Mob's latent potential being a joy to witness every single time it's unleashed.

12 Soul Eater

• Studio: Bones
• Manga Author: Atsushi Ohkubo

Soul Eater is an anime that started off on the right foot indeed. Even its ending, labeled as controversial by many, still didn't technically have any filler from the anime's point of view.

However, people who want to see the proper storyline of the series as envisioned by the creator need to read the manga. Unless Soul Eater gets the Brotherhood treatment, it will always remain in the shadow of other battle shonen anime.

11 Fate/stay Night

• Studio: Studio Deen
• Manga Author: Datto Nishiwaki (Original visual novel by Type-Moon)

The Fate series is one of the most popular shonen works of all time. The Holy Grail War makes for a riveting setting where Shirou Emiya, Saber, and the rest of the characters get their time to shine.

The series is also completely devoid of any filler and has a bunch of other anime in the series that are great to witness in their own right. Fate/stay Night serves as a great entry point into this unique world that will hook many fans time and time again.

10 My Hero Academia

• Studio: Bones
• Manga Author: Kohei Horikoshi

While My Hero Academia isn't completely devoid of filler, the amount of anime-original content is so less that this won't be an issue at all. If anything, most people who love the show won't mind seeing a few extra episodes featuring their favorite characters!

The story of My Hero Academia is concise, and the animation is great too. It's a great show with excellent pacing that isn't hampered by unnecessary and unwanted filler arcs.

9 JoJo's Bizarre Adventure

• Studio: David Production
• Manga Author: Hirohiko Araki

JoJo's Bizarre Adventure is one of the best shonen manga of all time, but the series is pretty old. It was clear that adapting this series would be a major task, but David Production has done a great job with the same.

The fact that all seasons of JoJo's Bizarre Adventure feature absolutely no fillers does wonders for the show's pacing. It's a great series that any fan of over-the-top shonen anime will fall in love with.

8 Attack On Titan

• Studio: Wit Studio/MAPPA
• Manga Author: Hajime Isayama

The legendary statue of Attack on Titan is something that every fan is familiar with. The show has taken some wild twists and turns, transforming from a run-of-the-mill battle shonen anime into one of the deepest and most engrossing anime of all time.

The latest season is yet to end, but fans have already labeled Attack on Titan as one of the greatest anime ever made. Fans of shonen anime that don't meander around will have a great time binge-watching this show.

7 YuYu Hakusho

• Studio: Pierrot
• Manga Author: Yoshihiro Togashi

Given the time period in which Yu Yu Hakusho was released, it's genuinely surprising to see that this show is an anime with no filler! This is great since fans can enjoy one of the best shows around without having to skip certain episodes.

While Yu Yu Hakusho ends on a rather tepid note, the anime's arcs are still pretty great in their own right. It also features one of the greatest tournament arcs in battle shonen history, which is saying something, given how prevalent this kind of arc is in most anime.

6 Hunter X Hunter

• Studio: Nippon Animation/Madhouse
• Manga Author: Yoshihiro Togashi

Both Yu Yu Hakusho and Hunter X Hunter were written by Yoshihiro Togashi, one of the greatest mangaka of all time. The latter is still ongoing to this day and is one of the best battle shonen manga ever made.

The 2011 anime is one of the best ways to experience this masterpiece and catch up to the point where the series' hiatuses get too much to bear. The fact that this anime only has two recap episodes in a show that spans almost 150 episodes is a pretty massive achievement in itself.

5 Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood

• Studio: Bones
• Manga Author: Hiromu Arakawa

Fullmetal Alchemist is a manga so popular that it actually has two anime adaptations. The first one was pretty faithful to the manga until it caught up, following which it decided to pursue an original story instead of waiting for the manga to get ahead.

The second adaptation, Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood, is one of the greatest anime ever made. The brilliant animation, riveting story, and a total lack of filler truly place this anime in a class of its own.

4 Parasyte: The Maxim

• Studio: Madhouse
• Manga Author: Hitoshi Iwaaki

Just like JoJo's Bizarre Adventure, Parasyte: The Maxim is the adaptation of a manga that ended its run all the way back in the 90s. This adaptation was headed by the animation giant Madhouse, and the sheer quality of this show's animation proves why it's so great.

Parasyte: The Maxim has a fairly riveting story and some great character moments that make it well worth a watch. The show only spans 24 episodes and is completely devoid of any meaningless filler.

3 Jujutsu Kaisen

• Studio: MAPPA
• Manga Author: Gege Akutami

Jujutsu Kaisen absolutely burst onto the scene, courtesy of some amazing animation and great battle choreography. The show's take on Jujutsu Sorcerers, Curses, and the like is fairly simple to understand and pretty great as well.

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With a movie coming out sooner than later, it's clear that Jujutsu Kaisen will be around for quite some time. Only time will tell how this anime will develop over time, although the manga is in a pretty promising place already.

2 Demon Slayer

• Studio: Ufotable
• Manga Author: Koyoharu Gotouge

Speaking of new battle shonen anime with great animation, it would be downright criminal to not mention Demon Slayer in this conversation. The show's premise is fairly simple, but it's the amazing job that Ufotable has done with the adaptation that places it in a class of its own.

Demon Slayer features some of the smoothest battle scenes ever animated, with the adventures of Tanjiro and his friends making for a great time. The Entertainment District arc was another visual extravaganza, and fans can't wait to see the future arcs that Ufotable has in store for them.

1 One-Punch Man

• Studio: Madhouse/J.C. Staff
• Manga Author: One/Yusuke Murata

One-Punch Man was one of the most popular anime around when its first season was released. The quality of Madhouse's animation, coupled with the hilarious nature of the show, placed it in a class of its own.

The second season might've suffered a pretty major drop in its animation quality, but the story is still great. Unfortunately, the third season is yet to be announced, and fans can't wait to see how Saitama's legacy develops as the most powerful superhero of all time.

More: The Best Seinen Anime For Battle Shonen Fans