Seinen

Seinen (Japanese for "young man" or "young men") is a demographic designation of Anime and Manga targeted at male audiences aged 18 to 40. It is the older counterpart of Shonen and effectively makes for the majority of anime in the older demographic, since major Josei manga titles rarely get adapted on screen. Compared to shonen, seinen caters to a much smaller viewing crowd, since younger audiences have much more time to spare on anime, which makes them a more attractive target, and thus is slightly less known.

Thanks to the older target audience, seinen shows tend to be much more sophisticated and mature than their shonen counterparts. While sharing many of the same sub-genres and themes, they are commonly more psychological, satirical, violent, and sexual. Much more attention is paid to the plot and the interaction between characters than to action and fights, which are the main attraction for the younger viewers, and the characters are well fleshed out. The latter trait often leads to confusion of seinen with Shojo but the key difference is that seinen does not idealize romance, instead opting for more realistic and pragmatic approach to relationships. Realism is indeed the calling card of seinen shows, commonly earning them the acclaim for their depth and maturity and Multiple Demographic Appeal. On the other hand, one shouldn't forget that the vast majority of Hentai except Yaoi is aimed at older male viewers as well. This is the other side of the realism coin.

A typical seinen protagonist can be of any gender and age (in stark contrast to shonen, whose protagonists are almost exclusively young and male). Romance-wise, anything goes, from Romantic Two Girl Friendship to obscure examples of Boys Love. In fact, Schoolgirl Lesbians are a distinctive trait of seinen, rarely if ever present in shonen shows. Relationships are portrayed in a less idealistic light than in shojo, with many grays and uncertainties like in Real Life, and don't tend to indulge the shonen over-simplification of "which heroine will be hooked up with the hero". There is a reverse side to this, too: ironically, seinen is most infamous for its sub-category of Improbably Female Cast and Harem Series that rely heavily on cutesy Moe Fan Service (again, juxtaposed to plain sex appeal of female characters in shonen; see Hot Shounen Mom, for example) to attract viewers.

Recently, there has been a considerable influx of Shojo fans into the Seinen demographic, thanks to the latter's traditional thoroughness in relationships and, more importantly, general retraction from blatant Fan Service. This migration was particularly paved by such Gateway Series as Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha, Kanon, Clannad, and AIR.

Most of the anime stuff shown on Adult Swim is seinen, EXCLUDING the likes of Inuyasha, Bleach, Fullmetal Alchemist, Kekkaishi, and (taking only the anime as reference) Neon Genesis Evangelion which are shonen.

Compare Josei, which is aimed at females of the same age.

=== '''Before adding a new title, please double check your sources. A Seinen manga has to be published in a Seinen magazine for it truly be part of the demographic. For an anime, go check its usually late night time slot in Japan, or any slot if it airs in a satelite channel (again in Japan). Also check if it obviously has glaring mature imagery; especially if the anime is based from a Shonen work, the animation must be way more mature than its source material.''' ===

Titles:


 * Zero Zero Nine One
 * Twentieth Century Boys
 * Sazan Eyes
 * A Channel
 * Abenobashi Mahou Shoutengai
 * Afro Samurai
 * Ah My Goddess
 * Aiki
 * Airmaster
 * Ai Yori Aoshi
 * Akagi
 * Akira. The film is often credited with being the anime to bring adult-oriented anime to the Western world.
 * Aki Sora
 * Alien Nine
 * All Rounder Meguru
 * Arpeggio of Blue Steel
 * Asatte no Houkou
 * Axis Powers Hetalia (the published manga)
 * B Gata H Kei
 * Baccano - while the original source material was targeted to a somewhat younger demographic like most other Light Novels, the anime is very graphic in its violence and aired on a satellite channel (WOWOW) best known for airing seinen and shows with adult themes and content.
 * Bartender
 * Battle Royale
 * Berserk
 * The Big O
 * Binbou Shimai Monogatari
 * Biomega
 * Bitter Virgin
 * Black Lagoon
 * Blade of the Immortal
 * Blame
 * Blaster Knuckle
 * Blood Lad
 * Blood Plus
 * Bokurano
 * Brocken Blood
 * Btooom
 * Bubblegum Crisis
 * Canaan
 * Captain Tsubasa: It began as Shonen (it was even published in Shonen Jump!) and remained as such for two decades, but from Road to 2002 and all other sequels on, it qualifies as seinen. (Makes sense, many of the actual readers are adult men who grew with it, alongside some adult women as well.)
 * Casshern Sins
 * Cencoroll
 * Chibisan Date
 * Chirality
 * Chi's Sweet Home
 * Chobits
 * Chu-Bra
 * Club 9
 * Code Geass - Anime only due to the first season's very late time slot in Japan and a few suggestive scenes; all manga adaptations are either Shounen or Shoujo.
 * Cowboy Bebop - anime only, for some reason the manga adaptations are all Shoujo.
 * Dance in The Vampire Bund
 * Darker Than Black
 * Desert Punk
 * Detroit Metal City
 * Devilman Lady
 * Dorohedoro
 * Eden: It's an Endless World!
 * Elfen Lied
 * Emerging
 * Emma: A Victorian Romance
 * Excel Saga
 * Fate Stay Night
 * Fate Zero
 * Fist of the Blue Sky
 * FLCL - some can argue about the anime, but the manga it's genuine for it ran in a Seinen magazine.
 * Fourteen
 * Futari Ecchi
 * Gangsta
 * Gantz
 * Gankutsuou
 * Genshiken
 * Ghost in The Shell (manga)
 * Ghost in The Shell (anime films)
 * Ghost in The Shell Stand Alone Complex
 * Gingitsune
 * Golden Boy
 * Golgo 13
 * Glass no Megami
 * Gunka no Balzer
 * Gunjo
 * Gunnm
 * Gunsmith Cats
 * Gyo
 * Hellsing
 * Hidamari Sketch
 * Hidan no Aria
 * Higanbana no Saku Yoru Ni
 * Higurashi no Naku Koro Ni (aka Higurashi -- When They Cry)
 * Hirohira
 * Historie
 * Holyland
 * Homunculus
 * Hozuki-san Chi no Aneki
 * House of Five Leaves
 * I Am a Hero
 * Ichi the Killer
 * Ichigeki Sacchu Hoihoi-san
 * Ikigami the Ultimate Limit
 * Ikki Tousen
 * Imouto wa Shishunki
 * Initial D
 * Iketeru Futari
 * Iris Zero
 * Jackals
 * Jin-Roh: The Wolf Brigade
 * Jiraishin
 * Jormungand
 * Karano Kyoukai
 * Karate Shoukoushi Kohinata Minoru
 * All Key Visual Arts productions, including:
 * AIR
 * Clannad
 * Kanon
 * King of Thorn
 * Kinnikuman Nisei
 * Koe De Oshigoto, not particularly mature, but not suitable for kids either.
 * Koihime Musou
 * K-On!
 * Kono S wo Mi Yo
 * The Kurosagi Corpse Delivery Service
 * Lady Snowblood (a.k.a Shurayuki-hime)
 * The Legend of Koizumi
 * Lone Wolf and Cub (a.k.a Kozure Okami)
 * Liar Game
 * Liar Game Roots of A, (the prequel)
 * Little House With an Orange Roof
 * Living Game
 * Love Lucky
 * Love Roma
 * The Lucifer and Biscuit Hammer
 * Lupin III
 * Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha - The Magical Girl show that appeals to men, turning into something out of Super Robot Wars at some point.
 * Mad Bull 34
 * Maison Ikkoku - possibly the only Rumiko Takahashi series to not run in a shonen magazine.
 * Manyu Hikencho
 * Maria Holic
 * Master Keaton
 * Me and The Devil Blues (aka Ore to Akuma no Buruuzu)
 * Millennium Actress
 * Minami-ke
 * Mnemosyne
 * Mokke
 * Mononoke
 * Monster
 * Mouse
 * MPD Psycho - oddly enough, emphasis on legendary kind of odd, the series began its serialization in a monthly Shonen magazine (Shonen Ace) and stayed on it for years, then it rightfuly moved to Comic Charge and later to Young Ace, both genuine Seinen magazines.
 * Murder Princess
 * Mushishi
 * Muv Luv - The manga adaptations of Extra, Alternative and Total Eclipse. Unlimited was classified as shounen.
 * My Balls
 * My Girl
 * Nana to Kaoru
 * Narutaru
 * Natsuiro Kiseki manga.
 * NEEDLESS
 * Neon Genesis Evangelion - original manga only, since 2009 due moving from Shounen Ace to Young Ace.


 * Nicoichi
 * Noir
 * Not Simple
 * Nozoki Ana
 * Oldboy
 * Otome wa Boku Ni Koishiteru
 * Otome Youkai Zakuro
 * Otoyomegatari
 * Ookami no Kuchi Wolfsmund
 * Ookiku Furikabutte (aka Big Windup!)
 * Otogi Matsuri
 * Outlaw Star
 * Oyasumi Punpun
 * Panty and Stocking With Garterbelt
 * Papa no Iukoto o Kikinasai
 * Paprika
 * Paranoia Agent
 * Parasyte
 * Perfect Blue
 * Poor Poor Lips
 * Porco Rosso
 * Princess Mononoke
 * Psycho Staff
 * Puella Magi Madoka Magica
 * Rainbow Nisha Rokubou no Shichinin
 * Read or Die
 * Red Garden
 * Region
 * Reversible School Life
 * Riki Oh
 * Rozen Maiden
 * RRR
 * Saint Young Men
 * Saki
 * Saikano
 * Sanctuary
 * Sekirei
 * Sengoku Youko
 * Serial Experiments Lain
 * SEX
 * Shamo
 * Shin Chan
 * Shin Angyo Onshi
 * Shion no Ou
 * Shut Hell
 * Sketchbook
 * The Sky Crawlers
 * Snakes and Earrings
 * Speed Grapher
 * Steel Ball Run, though note that all previous parts of Jo Jos Bizarre Adventure are shonen
 * Sundome
 * Sun Ken Rock
 * Tekkon Kinkreet
 * Tenjho Tenge
 * Tentai Senshi Sunred
 * Teppu
 * Texhnolyze
 * Tokyo Godfathers
 * Tomie
 * Twin Spica
 * This Ugly Yet Beautiful World
 * Tiger and Bunny
 * Tokyo Tribe
 * Trigun: was a Shonen series until the original magazine folded. It became a Seinen series about a quarter of the way through. You can tell when it became a seinen where the tone changes.
 * Umi no Misaki
 * Umineko no Naku Koro Ni
 * Underdog
 * Until Death Do Us Part
 * Uzumaki
 * Uwakoi
 * Vagabond
 * Vampire Hunter D
 * Velvet Kiss
 * Vinland Saga like Steel Ball Run and Trigun, originally started off as a shounen series and then switched publication to become a monthly seinen.
 * Violence Jack: The anime adaptation and the later run of the manga; Shin Violence Jack, however, is a genuine article.
 * Wandering Son
 * Wangan Midnight
 * Wife and Wife
 * Wild Adapter
 * Wings of Vendemiaire
 * Witch Hunter Robin
 * Wolf Guy Wolfen Crest
 * Wolfs Rain
 * Working
 * Xxx HO Li C
 * Yami to Boushi To Hon no Tabibito
 * Yokohama Kaidashi Kikou
 * Yomeiro Choice: Only the first collected Volume, as all the chapters contained in it where published Champion RED Ichigo, later the series got popular and it was moved to Champion RED, a well known Shounen magazine for serializing series usually mistaken for Seinen, as most series is filled of what could only be considered as adult content.
 * Yumekui Merry
 * Yuria 100 Shiki
 * Zero no Tsukaima (aka Familiar of Zero): Manga adaptations only.
 * Zetman


 * One can be tempted to lump all horror manga into seinen, but that would be wrong; just for a start, there's the Dark Shojo genre, which can get messed up as hell.


 * Also anything written or directed by Katsuhiro Otomo or his late protege, Satoshi Kon

Series sometimes mistaken for seinen

 *  Akumetsu, a series which runs on heavy, yet well constructed, critics against a corrupt Japanese government, protagonized by basically a young terrorist dead set on killing as many corrupt politicians as he can find. Yes, all of it ran in a shonen magazine from start to finish.
 * Apocalypse Zero, in spite of its infamously graphic violence, was published in Shonen Champion, which (if it weren't already obvious) is the sister magazine to Champion Red. The manga is actually more violent than the OVAs. Perhaps unsurprisingly, it's also by the author of Shigurui.
 *  Barefoot Gen, a semi-autobiographical manga famous for its harrowing depiction of the nuclear attack on Hiroshima, originally ran in Shonen Jump.
 * Beck has many realistic aspects found in seinen, but it ran in Monthly Shonen Magazine.
 * Change 123, it runs on the famous Champion RED magazine, so yeah, it features a lot of mature content like nudity, extreme violence, and lots of Fan Service.
 * Claymore: Despite its dark tone, violent content, and superficial resemblance to Berserk, it runs in Shonen Jump.
 * Deadman Wonderland - It has a dark storyline and some glaring Gorn, it runs on many a Trauma Conga Line, yet it runs in a shonen magazine.
 * Death Note: Due to being a largely cynical crime story with a Villain Protagonist and What Do You Mean Its for Kids, it just has Multiple Demographic Appeal. It ran in Shonen Jump.
 * Sorta brought up in Bakuman｡, a manga written by the same author. Most of the main mangaka characters in Bakuman seem to support the idea of running seinen-like stories in shonen magazines.
 * Fist of the North Star due to its violent content. Also ran in Shonen Jump. Fist of the Blue Sky, Jibo no Hoshi, and Hōkō no Kumo, among others are genuine seinen.
 * Franken Fran: Another horror manga that ran in a shonen magazine, despite having a lot of elements that appear seinen.
 * Fullmetal Alchemist contains a more complex plot and is less focused on fight scenes than typical shonen, and as such is occasionally mistaken for a seinen series; however, it ran in a shonen magazine and, at its core, still embodies most of the typical shonen elements.
 *  Gunslinger Girl is a violent series with a dark, realistic tone and themes of child abuse and terrorism... that runs in a shonen magazine.
 * Inuyasha: ran in Shonen Sunday, like nearly all of Takahashi's works.
 *  Lucky Star: Like Azumanga Daioh, they both ran in shonen magazines. The anime ran rather late at night, though.
 * Mai-HiME and Mai-Otome both ran in Shonen Champion.
 * Mermaid Saga: Despite having tons of Gorn, Family Unfriendly Violence, and Nightmare Fuel, it ran in Shonen Sunday.
 * Neon Genesis Evangelion, due to its increasingly adult tone and graphic content, is typically associated with the seinen demographic, but originally it ran during an afterschool timeslot and was by the creators' own admission intended for youth audiences. If that seems hard to swallow, don't worry - Japanese parents, sponsors, and media watchdogs felt the same way. Ironically, the show was relatively unsuccessful during its initial airing, and didn't become a megahit until it was discovered by adult audiences and aired during a late-night timeslot.
 * Red Eyes is shock full of Family Unfriendly Violence, the setting is all about war with many, many cases of Info Dump and All There in the Manual which is huge set off for younger readers or the general public who just don't like to read too much into the story to understand what's going on; the art is very realistic, no cases of Generic Cuteness and Fan Service to be seen here. All in all this series just screams it was made for mature readers, and yet it runs in a Shounen magazine.
 *  Rosario to Vampire Season 2 at least after a few chapters. Despite gratuitous fanservice and increasingly dark plot elements, it ran in a shonen magazine.
 *  Rurouni Kenshin is darker and more violent than most Shonen Jump series, but still unmistakably shonen. The OVAs, however, are seinen.
 *  Shigurui, violent, horrific and containing exclusively adult themes and situations. It ran on Champion Red, a shonen magazine (In Name Only), the magazine that also runs Franken Fran. No, seriously.
 * Welcome to The NHK, a wretched take on concepts of being a hikikomori, anime otaku, and having most of the characters experience intense feelings of depression and loneliness. The original novel and manga adaptation ran in a Shonen magazine, while it's hard to indicate where the anime adaptation should be placed, it derived from two Shonen works so it can't be seen as any different.
 * Yomeiro Choice, only the first few chapters were genuine Seinen as it was published in a fitting magazine, but the majority of the series (basically 5/6 of it) ran in a Shounen magazine till the very end, and yet the contents shown in the first chapters didn't change at all, actually it got more risque as it went along, stuff like extreme nudity, sexual innuendos, strong content abound.
 * Yotsuba&!: Like Azumanga Daioh, it runs in a shounen mangazine.