Shōnen

Shōnen (少年?), shonen, or shounen, is a Kanji word literally meaning few years and generally referring to a typical boy, from elementary school through grade school age. It is used in everyday conversation when referring to the period of youth, including in legal wording referencing youth, without regard to gender. Shōnen manga is a popular demographic of Japanese comics, the most popular genre of which is battle manga which is generally about action/fighting but often contains a sense of humor and strong growing friendship-bonds between the characters.