If you want to start with a shounen series, you can't do better than BLEACH, one of the most popular manga and anime series in Japan and America for good reason, the series begins with a not-so-average highschooler named Ichigo (which means Strawberry, a pun on the lead's bright hair but as written can also mean 'he who protects'. Ichigo can see ghosts, and while he pretends to put on an aloof detached persona, in the first episode of the anime we see him giving the ghost of a dead girl flowers, and here we can see the appeal of the lead in this action-adventure-comedy series, Ichigo fights to protect his friends, he is never engaged in battle for personal gain.

The creator of BLEACH, Tite Kubo is a mangaka who begins his stories with character design, and a desire to make each character appear not as they seem, the first of his characters was Rukia, the female lead who is also a Shinigami, or Death God, who passes her power over to Ichigo so he can protect his family. BLEACH is known for having a large cast, in both the 'real world' and the world of the dead named 'Soul Society' and it is the interaction between characters, often comedic in nature that engages the audience through a battle every episode.
The manga is know for its high detail and excellent action sequences, the anime is beautiful, with the addition of an eerie soundtrack, and excellent voice work by both the Japanese and English dub cast.
BLEACH has its own wiki online, and there are plently of places to view the manga and anime, so give this one a try.