10 Best Anime of the 2000s, Ranked

It’s a real challenge to make a top 10 list of best Anime for the 2000s, more so than the ‘80s and ’90s.

Although there were lots of releases each decade, quality entertainment always rose to the top of most popular. However, the 2000s introduced a plethora of phenomenal anime, and narrowing them down to 10 is much more difficult. The genre found its winning formula by the ’90s, and during the ’00s, everyone attempted to replicate or flip that formula on its head, to much success.

Thanks to shows like Neon Genesis Evangelion, mecha anime learned it could be more than a space opera and appeal to broader audiences by incorporating different subgenres. At the same time, creators learned audiences could handle more complex plots, as we got more well-developed characters and abstract concepts that made shows more engaging. Not to mention, animation drastically improved during this time, and anime’s international appeal was full steam ahead.

Check out our list of the best anime from the 2000s and leave your opinion below.

10
9
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1