* **Jinwoo Sung,** ***Solo Leveling***. The man is a badass. He is a king. And he's not a typical underdog-who-rose-to-the-top protagonist. The man is a beast. He's well on his way to ruling the entire world, and nobody but us outside his world knows it yet.
* **Gojo Wakana,** ***My Dress-Up Darling***. He does get her all dressed up, but he doesn't disappear into the background like so many male leads in anime romances. He holds his own against a powerhouse as his opposite. He impresses me in a unique way.
* **Rintarou Tsumugi,** ***The Fragrant Flower Blooms with Dignity***. This dude was real: real is a rare thing for male protagonists in romance anime. He was a little unsure, a little uncomfortable, more than a little in love, and very, very human about it all.
* **Koinzell,** ***Ubel Blatt***. This dude wanted one thing: revenge. It dripped from his immense aura every episode. Small but powerful and full of rage, he was truly a dark (evil?) blade.
* **Rudo,** ***Gachiakuta***. This show made a lot of effort to either break the shounen mold or use it effectively, and Rudo was a great product of that. He was under-equipped but driven, his mind focused on his anger which we all shared.
* **Sakuta Azusagawa,** ***Rascal Does Not Dream of Santa Claus***. This guy is smart, cool, and loves his girlfriend completely, even if every other girl he meets seems just this close to crossing the line with him. He might be a damn pig boy, but he's a great pig.

The candidates for Best Boy in 2025 are: