There is no one shonen plot to rule them all, but there is a plot that has basically become a “gold standard” for shonen manga targeted at young adult males. This plot is an outgrowth of the philosophy that has evolved among the producers of such manga and been passed down to each generation of creator through the editorial staff and by reading the work of the previous generations. It is a plot which works time and again for the audiences of manga, and if creators are in need of a plot to wrap t...