Violent Content in Manga/Anime and Adolescent Aggression: A Systematic Review

The growing popularity of manga/anime has drawn increasing attention to their potential influence on adolescent behaviour, particularly through its portrayal of aggression. Despite the well‐known symbolic modelling or social learning of aggression, no systematic review has examined the violent content in manga/anime and its association with adolescents′ aggression. This review fills this gap. Systematic searches of eight databases identified eight studies, comprising four qualitative and four quantitative research design. Data collection followed PRISMA guidelines, data coding adhered to COSMIN requirements. Quality assessment was conducted using three recommended tools. Our review revealed five themes: (i) adolescents′ perceptions of violent content, (ii) the frequency of violent content, (iii) violent content in manga/anime, (iv) association between violent content and aggressive behaviour and (v) gender differences in responses. Our findings showed that shonen genres often feature aggressive content, strongly linked to increased physical aggression in males, who prefer action‐packed narratives. Females lean towards emotionally driven stories. Many adolescents distinguish between fiction and reality, understanding that anime′s aggression does not justify real‐life actions. Critical media literacy and ethical media creation are necessary to promote healthy adolescent media consumption and protect their mental health. Trial Registration ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: CRD42024546583