

Anime series/mangas like One Punch Man share many characteristics: they are
about heroes, there is an association or group of heroes, there are heroes
rankings, heroes have fandoms, their counteparts are villains and monsters,
etc. These characteristics make them very similar between them, and though
they might be categorized as "superpower", they are different to other shows
where superpowers come from spiritual or magical sources such as Dragon Ball
or Saint Seiya. Therefore I'd like to know, is there a specific anime category
for shows like One Punch Man and My Hero Academia, which would make it easier
to find others anime alike, or this is a new trend and there isnt?


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2019-04-17T13:35:50.987
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2019-04-23T10:13:20.003
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my-hero-academia one-punch-man
Is there a specific anime category for shows like One Punch Man and My Hero Academia?


I would have to agree with @AkiTanaka with this one. I think these anime can
simply be classed as 'superhero' that is like a counterpart to Western
superhero comics, like in DC or Marvel. What sets the 'superhero' genre apart
is that there is a recurring theme of the 'good side', consisting of people
referred by normal citizens as heroes or superheroes dedicated to fighting the
'bad side', consisting of what people would refer to as villains or monsters.

You might argue that since Gatchaman is categorized as superhero, this
invalidates @AkiTanaka's point. If I understand correctly, _Gatchaman
characters do not have any powers comparable to that of Boku no Hero Academia
or One Punch Man characters_.

But, if you look at the definitions of what is a superhero, **characters do
not require actual superhuman powers or phenomena to be deemed superheroes**.
From [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Superhero),

> ...the longstanding Merriam-Webster dictionary gives the definition as "a
> fictional hero having extraordinary or superhuman powers; **also: an
> exceptionally skillful or successful person** "

Hence the reason why Gatchaman is also classed as 'superhero' and why I think
BNHA and OPM can be classed as the same.


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