Dark Shonen That Give Off Strong H.P. Lovecraft Vibes

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Horror has many names and spans many forms of fiction, including anime. While it’s typical to see classic horror influences in horror anime, it’s done intriguingly well when mixed with shonen story elements. One could say it’s an odd combination that wouldn’t be expected to succeed, like grape jelly and leftover pizza. That’s especially the case for anime with themes or messages that can be correlated with the ones found in Lovecraftian horror or existential horror.

There’s even a subgenre of shonen anime that fans have begun acknowledging more recently as dark shonen. The three series considered by many to be the “dark trio” of shonen are Jujutsu Kaisen, Chainsaw Man, and Hell’s Paradise. While these series are certainly darker than most, there are three others that embody Lovecraftian horror more closely. Those are Claymore, Full Metal Alchemist Brotherhood, and The Promised Neverland.

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Dark Shonen is a subgenre that doesn’t have many series in its rotation compared to more popular subgenres. Hardcore fans could pick a shonen series out of a haystack just from one look at the protagonist or a quick peek at the synopsis, but dark shonen is less straightforward.

Essentially, dark shonen is a subgenre of shonen with stories that have a much darker subject or tone than their more-traditional counterparts. For example, My Hero Academia is a traditional shonen, while Jujutsu Kaisen is a dark shonen. Dark shonen takes familiar shonen elements and tops it off with a dash of “edge”.

H.P. Lovecraft is recognized by many to be one of the most influential horror writers of all time. Most of Lovecraft’s work, especially his more popular stories, defined the genre of both cosmic horror and existential