Within the Shonen Jump catalogue are recent series that put a special emphasis on their protagonists. In the pages of Chainsaw Man and Mashle readers see their defining traits; protagonists Denji and Mash are simpletons. Wait but Shonen and Jump series already have idiot protagonists; Goku, Luffy, Asta, and a lot more. What makes these guys so different? For that matter what makes them trending unlike the more intelligent Shonen protagonists; people like Midoriya and Senku. It probably has to do with their short-term goals in life.
The Archetypical Shonen Jump Protagonist
Before we go into what makes the above characters and more so trendworthy, let’s look at the guy who starts everything. Wouldn’t you know it but it all comes back to Dragon Ball and Son Goku. Some of Goku’s defining characteristics are his absurd power and strength, his big appetite, and his simple naïveté; he’s a child-at-heart who is willing to show mercy to his enemies. Sometimes that’s to his detriment when it comes to a few of his pure evil enemies. But at Goku’s core is his continuous desire for self-improvement, even if it is mostly physical. For Goku getting stronger doesn’t mean being the strongest or a paragon, but meeting people who will push him to new limits.
Commodification
With the advent of Goku, succeeding series in Shonen Jump and other magazines try to recreate that success. In series like Naruto are the need to be the best in order to succeed after a life in social isolation. One Piece in the meantime puts a long emphasis on the journey over the destination of being the best. Unfortunately they also share a bit of Dragon Ball’s shortcomings; the focus on long-term goals cause arcs to go on for extensive periods. This often results in fights that go on for way too long and short-term goals that have little to do with the main goal. Because when you have dummies who often solve problems with brute force and use up their developments the world starts to overshadow them. Which unfortunately means making stuff up as they go.
Reactionary Shonen Jump Protagonists
So with this status quo there comes two successive outcomes; these being the phases of genre from an earlier post: parody and deconstruction. Following that are diverging phases: creating a new classic and reconstruction.
Parody and Deconstructive Parody
Enter the simple web mangaka ONE; his simplistic art style belies his amazing storytelling abilities. This comes especially regards to the simplicity of his protagonists. In his first success, One-Punch Man the character Saitama already has the power and developments of Shonen heroes. Unfortunately he finds his own exploits to be rather boring and if the situations were framed differently so would the reader. While Saitama does want a good fight, he isn’t a Blood Knight addicted to battle or staying the strongest. Instead he lives a simple life and does heroism as a moral responsibility. Bouncing Saitama off the greater world and how he interacts with other characters is what makes him and the world so interesting.
In ONE’s other web manga Mob Psycho 100, the titular character Shigeo Kageyama has to restrain his great power. Because of how easily his psychic power can hurt others it’s understandable. Even his younger brother is a little scared of “Mob” after one encounter. But with how his powers are tied to his emotions like the adrenaline pumping anger, holding this in leaves Mob a little stunted. Fortunately the few people he bounces off of makes Mob interesting with his character. He is still a rather regular teenager trying to find his way in life.
A New Classic
With all of these above series come less of the brute force Shonen Jump protagonists and more intellectuals. The poster boy for this is Midoriya Izuku of My Hero Academia; the poster girl meanwhile is Emma of The Promised Neverland. While these characters share their predecessors’ tenacity, they favor strategy over firepower. This leads to arguably more interesting battles where when things go wrong they have work around their plans’ flaws. Also their long-term plans are still the focus of their stories; every arc is less of an obstacle and more of a short-term step towards that goal.
Reconstruction
Finally there comes the current trend in protagonists, the simpletons. Leading this charge is Denji, the titular Chainsaw Man and Mash of Magic and Muscle. These two characters share two crucial similarities with Goku; their power and simplemindedness. Both Denji and Mash were raised away from society, this makes them naive and socially stunted. In that time they instead develop their bodies to physical robustness to survive. Their lives in poverty force them to prioritize getting through the day. But when they get the opportunity to turn their lives around, they often take it for other people’s sake. For Denji this was so he doesn’t waste his second chance at life and Mash wants to protect his father.
What really makes these characters so compelling is how their simple lifestyles keep them grounded. Since Denji and Mash don’t have much in formal education, this gives them room to discover themselves. Overtime, both characters find what they like and dislike and how they want to change their lives. Doing so is a short-term goal bringing them closer to complete self-awareness. Unlike the many villains or success-driven rivals who push themselves so much they commodify everything around them. Such simple journeys call back to Dragon Ball’s theme of self-improvement. No matter the education, talent, or lack-of anyone who applies themselves and bounce off others find meaning.
Shonen Jump Protagonists of Truth
Within the pages of Shonen Jump are stories for the everyman. Not everyone has the ability to achieve high success with enough effort. When everything comes down to it, that’s not really an issue. Who cares about success when the journey to bettering oneself is its own reward? Just remember to keep every step a personal short-term goal. Sometimes the simplest setups and characters lead to big developments. That way there are less distractions trying to steal the show.