Shounen is a Japanese word that could translate to "young boy", referring to boys of the age 15 and below. Though generally the word "shounen" originally means "few years" and can refer to both boy and girl of the age 15 and below, when talking about "shounen" manga or "shounen" anime, it usually only refers to "boy", being the term "shoujo" is used instead to refer to girl. Hence, shounen manga or anime are generally manga and anime targeting young boys of the age 15 and below, though it can also have readers and viewers older than 15 years of age, sometimes even young adults of the age 20 up to 28.

As to how Shounen anime like Naruto, Bleach, One Piece, and many more manage to hook up older viewers, it may be for their actions (for those who love actions cooler than Hollywood's) as well as their storyline (depths of story as well as characters development). Shounen anime usually bring viewers into a whole new world different than ours, allowing viewers to engage in a journey of their own as they follow the story. If you still need to catch up with what Shounen anime is all about, try anime episodes download, watch your first Shounen anime right away, and form your opinions about them yourself.

How good a Shounen anime could be, it usually won't escape the cliche's that most Shounen anime holds. If you are not familiar with Shounen anime, these are what to expect in most Shounen anime you were to watch;

1.) The main character is either loud, dumb, uncool, rejects, probably perceived weak by others in the beginning of the story.

2.) The main character is not popular with girls, but with one girl character secretly in love with him.

3.) The same main character above will then progress to become one of the strongest (or the strongest) in the story.

4.) One of the main character's motivations in battles (some probably in life) is to protect his comrades.

5.) Excessive use of the word "nakama" (means "comrades" or "friends") and "mamoru" (means "protect") throughout the story.

6.) There will be a rival who is a total opposite of what the main character is (if main character is loud and uncool, his rival must be collected and cool, vice versa).

7.) The main character has some dark childhood memories/tragedy.

8.) There will be one female character with big breasts channeling her attention to the main character.