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Icons in shonen anime run the gamut from rivals to characters to even romances. The families that are formed, from found family to marriages, are memorable in many ways and instances.
From the found-family Straw Hat Crew in One Piece to the entire Joestar family line in Jojo's Bizarre Adventure, shonen anime families are all iconic. Fans are torn as to who is more iconic from time to time.
This article will list ten of the most iconic families in shonen anime, ranked from the most iconic to the least.
Note: Spoilers abound for all the anime discussed. This is just the author's opinion.
10 families in Shonen anime that made their mark
1) Son Goku's Family - Dragon Ball Z
Goku's entire family in the Dragon Ball Z franchise is arguably the most iconic to exist. They are present throughout the show, with a lot of focus on Goku and Gohan.
The shonen anime highlights how the family's existence and loss affects everyone involved, and not just Goku. For his part, Goku goes berserk against Goku Black/Zamasu after hearing that he killed Chi Chi and Goten.
Others like Pan are the mains of Dragon Ball GT, and Gohan was the protagonist in the Cell saga.
2) The Straw Hat Crew - One Piece
The Straw Hat Crew are a major found family in One Piece. Basically, the Straw Hats prove the old adage of "the blood of the covenant is thicker than the water of the womb." In other words, they are more family to each other than their biological relatives.
What makes the Straw Hats iconic as a shonen anime family? It is huge and diverse! The members include a cook that's a fugitive mafia member (Sanji), a thief (Nami), a reindeer medic (Chopper), a pirate hunter (Zoro), a compulsive liar (Usopp), and even a skeleton man by the name of Brook. All are outcasts and eccentric, but dedicated to each other.
3) The Uzumakis - Naruto/Boruto
The Uzumaki family's ranks consist of legends and outcasts in their own right. Naruto's parents were the Fourth Hokage and a rather loud and angry Jinchuriki carrying Kurama. Both are legends, with Minato being known for his speed and great feats of heroism and Kushina being known for her grand ideals, temper and warmth.
Naruto himself is one of the lead characters of the shonen anime Naruto. He is made an outcast because of Kurama being sealed inside of him. He is seen only as the Nine Tails' vessel. Hinata is ostracized for "being weak" as far as the Hyuga clan went, unable to keep up with the harsh training with her timid personality. The two find inspiration in each other, eventually forming a family.
4) The Joestar Family Line - Jojo's Bizarre Adventure
The Joestar family line is already iconic in shonen anime for being a family line that the audience follows, rather than just one person in that family. It started with Jonathan Joestar and the original line ends with Jolyne Kujo in Stone Ocean. The Joestars are all lead characters and have impressive Stands.
The Joestars are iconic for their poses, the various threats they have to fight, and the unorthodox ways they solve problems. It went from Hamon/Ripple using heat and breath control to channel energy as hot as the sun, to Stands psychically manifesting acts of healing, stopping time, and messing up an opponent so they die over and over.
5) The Yeager family - Attack on Titan
The Yeager family line in the shonen anime Attack on Titan is iconic because of their rebellious nature during the endless war between Eldia and Marley. Long story short, the Yeager family is made of Eldians who were treated like dirt by the nation of Marley, and Eren seems to represent their revenge.
Eren's dad Grisha witnessed his sister being killed by Marleyan soldiers just for watching blimps land outside their designated ghetto. This caused Grisha to rebel against Marley, ending with his death and him giving Eren access to the Attack Titan. Eren himself is one of the leads from Attack on Titan, and learning all the secrets his father hid makes him rebel against Marley and culminates in his genocidal "rumbling" plan so that Paradis can be left in peace.
6) The Elrics - Fullmetal Alchemist
The Elric brothers from the Fullmetal Alchemist franchise are more than just Edward and Alphonse. The death of their mother Trisha Elric, who was a kind and caring woman, is the catalyst for the brothers' journey to find a Philosopher's Stone after the failed human transmutation. Then there's Van Hohenheim, their estranged father.
Beyond the quest to get their normal bodies back, and demanding answers from their father, the duo cross paths with Winry Rockbell multiple times who help them repair their automail. Winry and Ed's relationship developed gradually over the course of the series, making it an iconic slow burn.
7) The Todoroki Family - My Hero Academia
If audiences want more angst in their lives, the Todoroki family in My Hero Academia should fill that need. Whilst Shoto is already the brunt of many Zuko from Avatar the Last Airbender jokes, Shoto's family situation improves with his father Endeavor as the story comes to a close.
The Todoroki family is already iconic because of Shoto, but Endeavor's addition makes it interesting. As an antagonistic hero and abusive father, he adds to the plot. Ice and fire are already an awesome combination of elements to have as powers, but the drama behind it makes the family special for fans.
8) The Zoldycks - Hunter x Hunter
The entire Zoldyck family in the shonen anime Hunter x Hunter are assassins that use their influence and abilities to continually stay atop the hunter world. They are by far the deadliest and most infamous assassin groups in the world.
The family also possesses a unique set of talents- resistance to almost all types of poison, the ability to tolerate high amounts of electricity and pain, and immense strength.
Killua, however, was tired of the life they were grooming him for and fled. He was recaptured, nearly drained and used by Illumi and his father Silva. However, Silva proved better than he appeared by letting Killua go free. How can feared assassins not be iconic?
9) The Zabi Family - Mobile Suit Gundam
Of all the families in the shonen anime/mecha franchise Mobile Suit Gundam, The Zabis are the worst because of their opportunistic mindset. They are the founders of the Zeon Principality, and are despotic and horrid, doing whatever it takes to reach their overall goal of complete dominance over mankind. They are iconic due to being one of the largest Gundam families.
This includes the assassination of Zeon Zum Deikun, father of the future Char Aznable, the first ever colony drop on Earth, and assassinating each other. If Char was a traitor responsible for "accidentally" killing several Zabi, the rest of the family either put other members on the front line or quietly betrayed each other via silent gunshots.
10) The Saotome Family - Ranma 1/2
The Saotome Family might be forgotten in this day and age, but they were iconic for old-school shonen anime fans. Why? Well, Ranma himself. To clarify, when training in martial arts, Ranma and his father got cursed from falling into cursed springs. Ranma was cursed to become a girl after exposure to cold water whilst his father was to turn into a panda.
The family is rather dysfunctional. Nodoka, Ranma's mother, wants him to prove his manliness. Genma, the father, is selfish and greedy despite preaching the opposite virtues.
