10 Best Anime of the 2000s, Ranked

In a medium that is constantly trying to revamp the winning formula or perfect what it’s already introduced, there has to be a series specifically made to joke and parody that formula, and in the anime world, it’s Gintama. Set in Edo, which has been conquered by aliens named Amanto, the plot follows life from the point of view of samurai Gintoki Sakata, who works as a freelancer alongside his friends Shinpachi Shimura and Kagura to pay the monthly rent. Sorachi added the science fiction setting to develop characters to his liking after his editor suggested doing a historical series. Despite its penchant for comedy, the plot carries it through a multitude of genres and posesses serious or tense moments. But it’s also not afraid to cut through the latter by dressing Gintoki as Golgo 13.

The series is bizarre and surreal, with heavy symbolic content, a rather unusual plot, and a memorable soundtrack composed by the Japanese band The Pillows. Its experimental nature has also been noted, which includes an entire scene made in the cutout animation style of the animated American series South Park or The Matrix-like camera rotation tricks. It covers every range of emotion imaginable in its short, six-episode run, but that makes it all the more fitting, given its chaoticness ultimately centers on a coming-of-age tale. FLCL is a story following Naota Nandaba, a twelve-year-old boy whose suburban life is disturbed by the arrival of the mysterious Haruko Haruhara. Even if you cannot fully grasp the plot in its entirety (due to its frenetic pace) or catch all of its intricate themes, it’s still fun to watch from an animation perspective.

The gap between anime and hip hop didn’t always bridge, but animation blocks like Toonami, Adult Swim (which featured music bumps from producer/director Flying Lotus), and the airings of Samurai Champloo were definitely the building blocks. With a hip-hop-infused soundtrack helmed by the late great Nujabes, a great English dub, and fantastically animated fights helped capture a broader audience in the West. Samurai Champloo follows three strangers during the Tokugawa era in Japan: Fuu, a waitress, is harassed by a band of samurai but saved by a rouge named Mugen and a ronin named Jin. She hires the two men to help her look for another man who smells of sunflowers. Its short length, relatively simple plot, and serialized storytelling make it easy to jump into, and in many ways, it shares the exact synergy of atmosphere and genre music as its sister anime, Cowboy Bebop.

Inuyasha, much like JuJutsu Kaisen, has a large dual fanbase of both men and women (for different, luster reasons, despite both plots revolving around demons). Men were there for the battles and typical ecchi moments, but the women were there for the love triangle of the titular character, Kagome from Tokyo, and Kikyo, her previous incarnation from the feudal era. The will they/won’t they fueled the majority of our cast of characters’ arcs, as well as their mission to restore the Shikon Jewel and defeat Niraku, a half-spider demon using it to gain immense power for evil. Perfectly mixing the Shounen adventure aspect of the genre alongside elements of Shoujo romance made it an offering rarely seen at the time.

Spirited Away follows Chihiro Ogino, a ten-year-old who enters a spirit world after her parents are transformed into pigs by the witch Yubaba. She takes a job at Yubaba’s bathhouse to rescue her family and return to the human world. Hayao Miyazaki wrote the screenplay inspired by his friend’s daughter. Production started in 2000 with a $19 million budget. It was released in Japan in 2001, received universal acclaim, and became the highest-grossing Japanese film until 2020 when Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba – The Movie: Mugen Train surpassed it. Spirited Away is regarded by many as the greatest animated film of all time. It won the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature at the 75th Academy Awards, making it the first and, to date, only hand-drawn and non-English-language animated film to win the award. Its legacy only helped further cement Studio Ghibli as the powerhouse animation studio it’s known to be.

Gurren Lagann stands as an iconic masterpiece of the 2000s anime era. With its jaw-dropping mecha battles, unforgettable characters, and an epic journey that defies the boundaries of possibility, this series captures viewers’ hearts with its characters’ boundless spirit and unyielding determination. It also has a twist in the early half that took the anime world by storm, as it subvert an expectation so commonly established by similar shows that no one saw it coming. It’s no wonder that Gurren Lagann remains a timeless gem, forever etched into the annals of anime history. The plot focuses on two teenagers, Simon and Kamina, who live in a subterranean village and wish to go to the surface. Using a mecha known as Lagann, Simon and Kamina reach the surface and start fighting alongside other humans against Lordgenome’s forces before fighting the forces of their true enemy.

Code Geass, much like Death Note, represents an era of time in which society was intrigued by antiheroes doing the right thing in very bad ways, in line with the world’s unjust nature. It follows the exiled prince Lelouch vi Britannia, who obtains the “power of absolute obedience” from a mysterious woman named C.C. Using this supernatural power, known as Geass, he leads a rebellion against the rule of the Holy Britannian Empire, commanding a series of mecha battles. Code Geass achieved immense popularity and critical acclaim due to its broad appeal, complex characters, fast-paced story, and skilled direction by Goro Taniguchi. It also resonates with yaoi-buying female fans with its attractive, slightly flawed heroes. Anime News Network commends the series for its melodramatic charm and adept handling of Lelouch’s plans, and intense mecha combat.

Naruto is Gen Z’s Dragon Ball Z and became one of the Big 3 Shonen alongside One Piece and Bleach, each of which partly exists because of author Akira Toriyama and his seminal work. Naruto took what made the shonen genre special and introduced a unique ninja culture on top of it, which lends itself to the stellar worldbuilding of the series. Although we prefer Part I more than the Naruto Shippuden sequel, it is very much built upon the impact of the original, and its influence on the West knows no bounds. Geeky kids to full-fledged gangster rappers all know and love Naruto. The series follows Naruto Uzumaki, a young ninja who seeks recognition from his peers and dreams of becoming the Hokage, the leader of his village.

Death Note is a cerebral psychological story centered around Light’s subsequent attempts to use the titular notebook to carry out a worldwide massacre of individuals whom he deems immoral to create a crime-free society. He takes on the alias of a god-like vigilante named “Kira” and the subsequent efforts of an elite Japanese police task force, led by enigmatic detective L, to apprehend him. Death Note went on to define a new generation of anime fans, ones who had been craving something less centered on punching, for one focused on cat-and-mouse games, clever plans, and outsmarting opponents. It’s gone on to become a pop culture phenomenon, big enough that even The Simpsons has parodied it. 

Full Metal Alchemist is a manga-accurate depiction of brothers Edward and Alphonse Elric on a quest to restore their bodies after failing to resurrect their dead mother. The two join the military, hoping to find the Philosopher’s Stone, which could return their lost bodies. It has been praised for its faithfulness to the original source material (unlike its 2003 predecessor) and is often regarded as one of the greatest anime series of all time. With complex themes about humanity, governments, power, and more, this shounen distills the genre’s troupe masterfully while also subverting its expectations. The English dub is also universally praised and further emphasizes the relationship between its focal characters.