What makes a shōnen anime different than others?

Shounen basically means "boy" in Japanese, therefore the best way to define it would be as anime geared towards boys. Generally, the plot features a male main character in his teens or younger and has themes that appeal primarily to male viewers.
From my own experience, there's usually less romance (compared to shoujo anime) and more fast-paced action, fighting/competing, and often times a main character whose goal is to become better at something he's passionate about.

in every shounen anime i've seen the main character all ways over come the odds with friendship or love and the MC never dies and if he does he comes back from the dead and half time there will be fillers or annoying side stories