What is the Work?
RWBY is an animated web series.
Who are the Candidates?
Yang Xiao Long is one of the four main protagonists of RWBY.
Jaune Arc is the deuteragonist of RWBY.
Yang Xiao Long
What Makes Her a Shonen Hero?
Heroic/Honorable: Alongside her teammates, she has saved many innocent people from Grimm and is one of the catalysts who evacuated people to Vacuo.
Courageous/Reckless: Yang is incredibly adventurous and is willing to protect those she cares for.
Energetic: Yang is a fun-loving person and likes to seek thrills out of boredom.
Stubborn: Yang refuses to listen to Raven's manipulative warnings about participating in a war against Salem.
Pursues a Big-End Goal: After being abandoned by her mother Raven Branwen shortly after her birth, Yang spends most of her life trying to look for her.
Optimistic: Despite her hardships, Yang maintains a cheerful position.
Possesses Plot Armor: Yang has suffered her share of injuries and near-death experiences throughout the series.
Unnatural Hairstyle: Yang has incredibly long hair.
Short-Tempered: Though she is usually a pleasant person, she can be quick to lose her temper, especially if someone touches her hair or mock her for her big breasts.
Has Mentors: She was mainly guided by Professor Ozpin and is taught martial arts by her father Taiyang.
Jaune Arc
What Makes Him a Shonen Hero?
Heroic/Honorable: Jaune saves many innocent lives from Grimm and is one of the Huntsmen who evacuated people to Vacuo for safety.
Courageous/Reckless: Despite his inexperience, Jaune is brave enough to protect the innocent.
Energetic: Though not as hyperactive as Ruby or Nora, Jaune has his excitable and childlike moments.
Stubborn: Jaune has no issue with breaking rules to do what is right.
Pursues a Big-End Goal: Jaune wants to be a heroic Huntsman like his grandfather.
Unintelligent: Due to never attending combat school before enrolling into Beacon Academy and thus cheated his transcripts to enter there, Jaune is less educated and skillful than most of his peers and is fairly book-dumb.
Hard-Working: Since he is less experienced in combat compared to his teammates and peers, Jaune has to train hard to keep up with them.
Optimistic: Though he can have moments of self-doubt, Jaune manages to see the positive things in his life.
Possesses Plot Armor: Jaune has his share of near-death experiences.
Oblivious to Love: Jaune was unaware of Pyrrha's romantic feelings for him until the end of Volume 3.
Spiky Hair: While his hair is generally messy, it wasn't particularly spiky until Volume 7.
Has Mentors: He was taught swordsmanship by Pyrrha.
Verdict?
I say yes to both Yang and Jaune.