Shonen It's been one of the most popular anime genres, and for good reason. People love watching a character work hard and go from undesirable to undeniable, and that's often the focus of shōnen anime. No shōnen protagonist gets very far without a good mentor.

Mentors in shōnen anime help leaders reach the next level and often provide necessary parental guidance that would otherwise be lacking at home. For this reason, many mentors are often older characters. Some series take this to another level by making the mentor character much older than everyone else in the series. The older they are, the more they have to teach their protégés.

10 Genkai taught Yusuke to put in 100% effort in whatever he did.

Genkai appears over 70 years old and appears in Yu Yu Hakusho

Genkai makes his introduction shortly after Yusuke finishes his first case. Koenma asks him to train with Genkai to become a better Spirit Detective, once she reveals her willingness to train a student. However, Genkai only agrees to teach Yusuke after he wins a tournament involving dozens of other candidates, including the monstrous Rando. Training with Genkai, Yusuke is able to learn her Spirit Wave techniques and becomes capable of using his Spirit Gun more than once a day.

Unlike many mentors, Genkai was distant more powerful than Yusuke at the beginning, which is why she was able to participate in the Dark Tournament alongside him and serve as the group's secret weapon. She even had one of the best fights in the Dark Tournament. This is also why Yusuke trained with Genkai several times in the first half of Yu Yu Hakusho, becoming a better and sharper fighter each time. She also taught him the importance of self-care, with her rigorous training teaching him to put in 100% in everything he did.

9 Gran Torino was an even better mentor than anyone could have

Gran Torino is over 70 years old and appears in My Hero Academia

Gran Torino served as a mentor not only to My Hero Academialeader of Izuku Midoriya, but also for Midoriya to have mentor, All Might. He made his full appearance shortly after Deku and his friends finished the Sports Festival, offering Izuku an internship. While he initially pretended to be senile, this quickly became a ruse before he revealed his true self.

As much as Deku learned from All Might, it was nothing compared to his experience with Gran Torino. Although Deku spent months trying to learn how to use his powers without harming himself, it was Torino who finally showed him a better method. Deku learned a lot from Torino, including Full Cowl, which allowed him to harness a much smaller percentage of One For All for brief periods of time.

8 Silvers Rayleigh is a master of Haki

Silvers Rayleigh is 78 years old and appears in One Piece

The former first mate of Gol D. Roger himself, Rayleigh, is a legend from a bygone era. Spending years working with the Roger Pirates, Rayleigh eventually retired and became a simple coating mechanic. At one point, incredibly powerful, Rayleigh's advanced age caught up with him, making it difficult for him to keep up with powerful figures still in their prime.

That said, Rayleigh is still a powerful master of all three types of Haki. During the time skip, Rayleigh helped Luffy learn about the different types of Haki, teaching him the basics. Of course, while Luffy has mastered the basics, he still doesn't come close to Rayleigh's advanced techniques.

7 Hayato Furinji is a master of masters (the greatest disciple in history, Kenichi)

Hayato Furinji is over 90 years old and appears in history's greatest disciple, Kenichi

Kenichi The Ryozanpaku dojo is already full of superheroes pretending to be martial artists, but Hayato Furinji takes it to another level. At the top of his game, Hayato is described even within the dojo as the "Invincible Superman." In all his time fighting and training, he has supposedly never been defeated, making him quite confident in his abilities. Although Kenichi didn't train much with him at first, Hayato took him under his wing to help him figure out how to defeat his rival, Ryuto.

Hayato's age is virtually unknown, though guidebooks describe him as a man in his 90s. However, Hayato has stated that he has been fighting since the Sengoku period, that is, the mid-15th century. It would be impossible for most, but Hayato's feats in KenichiThe anime and manga have shown that nothing is impossible for him. He even single-handedly defeated an entire American base full of soldiers.

6 Kisuke Urahara revolutionized several training methods

Kisuke Urahara is over 110 years old and appears in Bleach

Like most Shinigami, Urahara is immortal, and his exact age is unclear. He was an adult and a member of Soul Society over 110 years ago. Former Squad 12 captain Kisuke Urahara was forced to return to the human world after being stripped of his powers by Central 46. In the human world, he was able to focus more on his inventions, which proved to be a huge help to Ichigo Kurosaki.

Urahara's varied training methods allowed Ichigo to advance decades in his training. Thanks to his training, Ichigo was able to leap from a basic understanding of his powers to near-lieutenant-class powers. Urahara was also responsible for many of the training devices Ichigo would use to learn Bankai, though he was not present during the process.

5 Master Roshi taught Goku his most iconic technique

Master Roshi turns 350 and appears in Dragon Ball

Goku's second teacher after Gohan, Master Roshi is responsible for teaching Goku many of his advanced martial arts. It is under Roshi's guidance that Goku learns the Kamehameha wave, which is also his most iconic wave. and Most frequently used special attack. A technique that Roshi took decades to master, Goku admitted after watching Roshi once. Still, it was Roshi's training that helped Goku become the runner-up in the 21st World Martial Arts Tournament.

Master Roshi's advanced age comes from consuming the Paradise Herb. This herb can increase a person's lifespan several times over and also appears to allow them to maintain their current vitality. Although Roshi looking old, he can access a specific “Max Power” mode that increases his muscles and makes him stronger than people think, even in the Tournament of Power.

4 Kagero gained immortality by saving his son

Kagero is 420 years old and appears in Flame of Recca

Also known as Kagehoushi, Kagero was originally the wife of Oka, the head of the Hokage Clan in Flame of ReccaWhen the Hokage clan was attacked by Oda Nobunaga, the entire clan was nearly destroyed. Fortunately, Kagero was able to save her son Recca by using a cursed time technique to send him to the future. Using the technique, however, left Kagero forever trapped at the same age, so she waited 400 years to see her son again.

Initially, Kagero served as Recca's antagonist, manipulating him and his allies when necessary. Once her true identity was revealed, she became Recca's guide, helping him learn to master the flame powers within him. She also served as his guide and his friends during the Ura Batou Satsujin tournament, teaching them various magical ninja tools.

3 Elias Ainsworth wields his power and talents to solve a mystery

Elias is centuries old and appears in The Ancient Magus' Bride

A half-human/half-Fae hybrid, Elias Ainsworth has been alive for several centuries. During this time, he has wielded incredible power as a mage and the experience to use it wisely. His specialty is shadow magic, but he has also demonstrated a talent for shapeshifting, and his centuries of knowledge have made him a skilled herbologist..

Elias uses these talents to help train his pupil, Chise Hatori. After purchasing Chise at an auction, his goal is to teach her magic, but he also has a secondary objective. Chise is a unique being known as a Sleigh Beggy, meaning she is constantly absorbing magic… but her body can't handle the strain. One of Elias's goals is to find a way to help Chise with this so she doesn't burn out at a young age.

2 Frieren acts as a reluctant mentor

Frieren is over 1000 years old and appears in Frieren: Beyond Journey's End

An immortal elf who once saved the world, Frieren travels the world seeking to gain more knowledge and hone her magical skills. After training with a powerful wizard, Frieren became legendary in her own right. She possesses impressive levels of mana, can dispel spells cast in her presence, and is a master at analyzing other spells. Wandering the planet has allowed her to learn a wide variety of spells, from the powerful to the esoteric.

Although she initially planned to travel the world alone, she was tricked into taking on a young apprentice, Fern. Although Fern initially had decent magical talent, training with Frieren transformed her into a powerful mage after only a few years. Although Fern is capable, she continues to travel with Frieren and learn more alongside her.

1 Whis has trained some of the most powerful beings in the universe

Whis is millions of years old and appears in Dragon Ball Super

While Beerus may be the God of Destruction, even his power pales in comparison to that of his Attendant Angel, Whis. That said, because he is unable to directly participate in mortal affairs and has to work with Whis, his powers are rarely seen. Still, he was able to easily dodge Broly's blows, and is one of the strongest characters in the Dragon Ball manga and anime.

Although Goku originally attempted to train with Beerus, he and Vegeta actually trained with Whis. Whis's power allows him to train Goku and Vegeta simultaneously, easily dodging or deflecting their attacks no matter how strong they become. He can also analyze their weaknesses and where they can improve, helping them become stronger warriors. Training with Whis, Goku began to develop mastery of Ultra Instinct, one of the techniques of the gods.