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So does it have to be this way? Do action-oriented shounen stories have to fall victim to this vicious trap? The answer is absolutely not. But it depends greatly on how the authors craft their stories and manage the expectations of the readers.
Some of the high profile manga that manage to break through this trap are Fullmetal Alchemist, Hunter x Hunter, and recently, Demon Slayer. Edward, Gon, and Tanjiro are not the strongest characters in their own series. Sure, they may have a slight advantage over the other characters, but it is not enough to make them reign supreme.
Edward needs to work together with a bunch of other characters and use all kinds of tricks he has up his sleeve to fight against Pride, one of the homunculi. Tanjiro needs to fight alongside his friends, as well as a Hashira, just to barely defeat Daki and Gyutaro of the twelve Kizuki. The same thing can be said about Gon and how he has to sacrifice his life to defeat Neferpitou, one of the three generals in the Chimera Ant Arc. None of these main characters stand a chance of going one-on-one with the last boss. They would be obliterated.
These kinds of weakness, however, are what make these main characters so iconic, charismatic, and relatable. So how come these series manage to do that, while others fail? The answer is simply because fighting is not the main point of these stories.
Fullmetal Alchemist is about the journey of two brothers in search of a way to get their bodies back. Hunter x Hunter is a story about a boy who sets out on an adventure to find his dad, and meets with all kinds of interesting people along the way. Demon Slayer is a story about a brother who embarks on a difficult path in order to find a way to cure his sister and avenge his family. To these stories, fighting is just a means to an end.
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