Award-Winning Manga 3: Shonen Category
Looking for more manga recommendations? It can be difficult to sort through the multitude of titles available in search of a new series to enjoy. Luckily, multiple award organizations have sifted through hundreds of titles in search of ones they felt were extraordinary or exemplary, which makes things so much easier! Here we have gathered a list of award-winning Shōnen manga to make finding your next favorite read that much easier.
What is Shōnen? In short, Shōnen manga are Japanese comic books aimed at a young male audience. If you are looking for stories about adventure, friendship, and action, then you’re in luck! Teenagers are typically the target demographic, but really these titles are accessible to anyone. For more information, check out A Beginner's Guide to Manga.
This list is by no means exhaustive as these are just the titles available within our catalog, however, it does cover the most well-known manga award winners out there. So please dive in and see what all the fuss is about!
Looking for more award-winning manga? Check out Award-Winning Manga: General Category and Award-Winning Manga: Shojo Category. Fan of the classics? Check out A Beginner's Guide to Manga Classics
Award-Winning Manga: Shōnen Category
Chainsaw Man story & art, Tatsuki Fujimoto; translation, Amanda Haley; touch-up art & lettering, Sabrina Heep.
Shogakukan Manga Award Shōnen Category 2020
Manga Taishō Nominee 2020
Broke young man + chainsaw dog demon = Chainsaw Man! Denji was a small-time devil hunter just trying to survive in a harsh world. After being killed on a job, he is revived by his pet devil-dog Pochita and becomes something new and dangerous--Chainsaw Man! Denji's a poor young man who'll do anything for money, even hunting down devils with his pet devil-dog Pochita. He's a simple man with simple dreams, drowning under a mountain of debt. But his sad life gets turned upside down one day when he's betrayed by someone he trusts. Now with the power of a devil inside him, Denji's become a whole new man--Chainsaw Man!
To Your Eternity by Yoshitoki Oima; translation, Steven LeCroy; lettering, Darren Smith.
Kodansha Manga Award General Category 2019
An orb was cast unto the earth. After metamorphosing into a wolf, it joins a boy on his bleak journey to find his tribe. It learns and evolves, transcending death, even when those around it cannot...
Beastars story & art by Paru Itagaki ; translation, Tomoko Kimura ; English adaptation, Annette Roman; Touch-up & lettering, Susan Daigle-Leach.
Tezuka Osamu Cultural New Creator Prize 2018
Manga Taishō Winner 2018
Kodansha Manga Award Shonen Category 2018
At a high school where the students are literally divided into predators and prey, it's personal relationships that maintain the fragile peace. Who among them is a Beastar, an academic and social role model destined to become a leader in a society naturally rife with mistrust?
Dr. Stone story, Riichiro Inagaki; art, Boichi; translation, Caleb Cook; touch-up art & lettering, Stephen Dutro.
Shogakukan Manga Award Shonen Category 2018
Several millennia after humans were petrified by a flash of light, high schoolers Taiju and his friend Senku awaken and begin working on how to use science to reawaken human civilization.
The Promised Neverland story by Kaiu Shirai; art by Posuka Demizu; translation, Satsuki Yamashita.
Shogakukan Manga Award Shonen Category 2017
Emma, Norman and Ray are the brightest kids at the Grace Field House orphanage. And under the care of the woman they refer to as 'Mom,' all the kids have enjoyed a comfortable life. Good food, clean clothes and the perfect environment to learn—what more could an orphan ask for? One day, though, Emma and Norman uncover the dark truth of the outside world they are forbidden from seeing.
Mob Psycho 100 by ONE ; translated by Kumar Sivasubramanian; lettering and retouch by John Clark.
Shogakukan Manga Award Shonen Category 2016
What's his secret to busting ghosts while keeping prices low? Well, first, he's a fraud, and second, he pays the guy who's got the real psychic power—his student assistant Shigeo—less than minimum wage. Shigeo is an awkward but kind boy whose urge to help others and get along with them is bound up with the mental safety locks he's placed on his own emotions. Reigen knows he needs to exploit Shigeo to stay in business, yet for better or worse he's also his mentor and counselor. And he also knows whenever the normally repressed kid's emotions reach level 100, it may unleash more psychic energy than either of them can handle!
Haikyu!! story and art by Haruichi Furudate ; translation, Adrienne Beck ; touch-up art & lettering, Erika Terriquez.
Shogakukan Manga Award Shonen Category 2015
Ever since he saw the legendary player known as 'the Little Giant' compete at the national volleyball finals, Shoyo Hinata has been aiming to be the best volleyball player ever! Who says you need to be tall to play volleyball when you can jump higher than anyone else? After losing his first and last volleyball match against Tobio Kageyama, 'the King of the Court,' Shoyo Hinata swears to become his rival after graduating middle school. But what happens when the guy he wants to defeat ends up being his teammate?!
The Seven Deadly Sins by Nakaba Suzuki ; translator, Christine Dashiell ; lettering, James Dashiell
Kodansha Manga Award Shōnen Category 2015
When they were accused of trying to overthrow the monarchy, the feared warriors the Seven Deadly Sins were sent into exile. Princess Elizabeth discovers the truth—the Sins were framed by the king's guard, the Holy Knights—too late to prevent them from assassinating her father and seizing the throne! Now the princess is on the run, seeking the Sins to help her reclaim the kingdom. But the first Sin she meets, Meliodas, is a little innkeeper with a talking pig. He doesn't even have a real sword! Have the legends of the Sins' strength been exaggerated ...?
One Piece story and art by Eiichiro Oda; English adaptation Lance Caselman; translation by Andy Nakatani.
Top-selling manga in Japan from 2007 to 2018
Japan Cartoonists Association Award Grand Prize 2012
Guinness World Record for "the most copies published for the same comic book series by a single author” 2014
Join Monkey D. Luffy and his swashbuckling crew in their search for the ultimate treasure, One Piece! As a child, Monkey D. Luffy dreamed of becoming King of the Pirates. But his life changed when he accidentally gained the power to stretch like rubber…at the cost of never being able to swim again! Years, later, Luffy sets off in search of the “One Piece,” said to be the greatest treasure in the world…
Silver Spoon by Hiromu Arakawa ; translation, Amanda Haley ; lettering, Abigail Blackman.
Manga Taishō 2012
Shogakukan Manga Award Shonen Category 2012
Time for a change of pace. Yuugo Hachiken flees the hustle and bustle of city life to enroll at Oezo Agricultural High School. At first he's just trying to outrun his problems, but instead he finds a place for himself in this quaint rural community. Between the classrooms and cowpatties, the boy becomes a man.
Attack on Titan by Hajime Isayama; translated and adapted by Sheldon Drzka; lettered by Steve Wands.
Kodansha Manga Award Shōnen Category 2011
Harvey Awards Best American Edition of Foreign Material 2014
For the past century, what's left of mankind has hidden in a giant, three-walled city, trapped in fear of the bizarre, giant humanoids known as the Titans. Little is known about where they came from or why they are bent on consuming human-kind, but the sudden appearance of an enormous Titan is about to change everything.
A Silent Voice by Yoshitoki Oima; [translation, lettering, Steven LeCroy].
Tezuka Osamu Cultural New Creator Prize 2011
Shoya is a bully. When Shoko, a girl who can't hear, enters his elementary school class, she becomes their favorite target, and Shoya and his friends goad each other into devising new tortures for her. But the children's cruelty goes too far. Shoko is forced to leave the school, and Shoya ends up shouldering all the blame. Six years later, the two meet again. Can Shoya make up for his past mistakes, or is it too late?
Cross Game story and art by Mitsuru Adachi ; [translation, Ralph Yamada, Lillian Olsen ; touch-up art & lettering, Jim O'Keefe, Mark McMurray].
Shogakukan Manga Award Shonen Category 2008
Cross Game is a moving drama that is heartfelt and true, yet in the brilliant hands of manga artist Mitsuru Adachi, delightfully flows with a light and amusing touch. The series centers around a boy named Ko, the family of four sisters who live down the street and the game of baseball. This poignant coming-of-age will change your perception of what shonen-manga can be.
Bleach story and art by Tite Kubo; English adaptation, Lance Caselman; translation, Joe Yamazaki.
Shogakukan Manga Award Shonen Category 2004
Ichigo's recent battles with the Arrancars have proven that if he wants to protect his friends he must get stronger, and the only way to do that is to control his inner Hollow. Ichigo turns to the Vizoreds, ex-Soul Reapers who have been Hollowfied, to teach him. But before his training begins, Ichigo must do battle against his Hollow self—winner takes his soul.
Fullmetal Alchemist story and art by Hiromu Arakawa ; translation, Akira Watanabe ; English adaptation, Jake Forbes, Egan Loo ; touch-up art & lettering, Steve Dutro.
Shogakukan Manga Award Shonen Category 2003
Tezuka Osamu Cultural New Artist Prize 2011
Seiun Award for best science fiction comic in 2011
Alchemy tore the Elric brothers' bodies apart. Can their bond make them whole again? This gorgeous hardcover edition presents the timeless dark adventures of the Elric brothers as they were truly meant to be seen. Includes brand-new cover art, color inserts and behind-the-scenes character sketches from author Hiromu Arakawa! In an alchemical ritual gone wrong, Edward Elric lost his arm and his leg, and his brother Alphonse became nothing but a soul in a suit of armor. Equipped with mechanical "auto-mail" limbs, Edward becomes a state alchemist, seeking the one thing that can restore his and his brother's bodies...the legendary Philosopher's Stone!
Case Closed story and art by Gosho Aoyama ; [English adaptation, Naoko Amemiya ; translator, Joe Yamazaki ; touch-up art & lettering, Walden Wong].
Shogakukan Manga Award Shonen Category 2000
High school student Jimmy Kudo solves cases the police can't crack. While chasing a suspect, Jimmy is attacked and given a chemical that changes him into a grade schooler. Adopting the name Conan Edogawa, he searches for the culprits and a cure, but that doesn't stop him from tackling mysteries.
Hikaru No Go story by Yumi Hotta ; art by Takeshi Obata ; supervised by Yukari Umezawa (5 dan).
Shogakukan Manga Award Shonen Category 1999
Tezuka Osamu Cultural Creative Award 2003
Hikaru Shindo is like any sixth-grader in Japan: a pretty normal school boy with a two-tone head of hair and a penchant for antics. One day, he finds an old bloodstained Go board in his grandfather's attic—and that's when things get really interesting. Trapped inside the Go board is Fujiwara-no-Sai, the ghost of an ancient Go master who taught the strategically complex board game to the Emperor of Japan many centuries ago.
YuYu Hakusho story and art by Yoshihiro Togashi ; [English adaptation by Gary Leach ; translation, Lillian Olsen].
Shogakukan Manga Award Shonen Category 1993
A delinquent teen who died during his one selfless act is allowed a second chance, and returns from the afterlife as a ghost who performs good deeds at the behest of Botan, the spirits guide of the dead, and Koenma, her boss.
Urusei Yatsura story & art by Rumiko Takahashi ; translation and English adaptation/Camellia Nieh; lettering/Erika Terriquez.
Shogakukan Manga Award Shonen Category 1980
Beautiful space alien princess Lum invades Earth on her UFO, and unlucky Ataru Moroboshi's world gets turned upside down! Will Lum become Earth's electrifying new leader? Or will Ataru somehow miraculously save Earth from space alien onslaught?
Staff picks are chosen by NYPL staff members and are not intended to be comprehensive lists. We'd love to hear your ideas too, so leave a comment and tell us what you’d recommend. And check out our Staff Picks browse tool for more recommendations!
Summaries provided via NYPL’s catalog, which draws from multiple sources. Click through to each book’s title for more.