I want to be great! The battle cry of shonen manga

Most good manga start out with the simple premise and goal: A dumb, socially inept kid suddenly fixates on a highly impossible goal and declares to the world, "I want to be a great ___________!" (fill in the blank)

Naruto. "I want to be a great ninja!"
Slam Dunk. "I want to be a great basketball player!"
Great Teacher Onizuka. "I want to be a great teacher!"

The character is always male and almost always has blondish hair. He's lacking in most of the qualities that make these goals attainable. However, he does have:

1. Great raw power or insane amounts of energy
2. Obsessive drive
3. A way of seeing a situation that earns the respect (eventually) of those around him

These kinds of stories fascinate me, but not because of the character's external goal. It's the wild and wacky journey that the character takes, and the friends and villians that he meets along the way that makes me eagerly await the next installment in a series.

Who has never wanted to be something great? This driving need within everyone takes our emotions on a roller coaster ride every time one of these characters meet up with great adversity, or great triumphs.