The year 2000 had some of the most iconic shonen anime that fans still love today. Series like Naruto, One Piece, Bleach and Fullmetal Alchemist defined the decade along with other notable hits. But they can't all be hits.
For as many great shonen titles as there were in the 2000s, you also had some mediocre series along with some real stinkers. This is the most boring or worse, downright awful shonen anime the decade has to offer.
The 7 Most Unwatched Shonen Anime of the 2000s, Ranked
You're better off watching other 2000s anime than these.
2000: Boys Be…
The year 2000 was flooded with rom-coms, and while there were some good ones, most of them just weren't that interesting. Guys be… is an anthology series that follows various teenage romances and focuses on the romantic adventures of Kyoichi, Makoto, and Yoshihiko.
The series suffers from some not-so-great animation quality, and while it initially starts out as a fresh take on the genre, it gets stale pretty quickly. It's a shorter series, so you don't feel like everyone gets their time to develop. If you really want to watch this series, the manga would be better.
2001: Babel II: Beyond Infinity
A modern take on Mitsuteru Yokoyama's classic 1970s manga, Babel II: Beyond Infinity is an example of why some series just don't need modern adaptations. When Kouichi discovers that he is the reincarnation of an alien guardian of Earth, he is forced to take up the mantle. Along with the other three protectors, Kouichi sets out to defend Earth from danger.
Babel II: Beyond Infinity it can be a fun action series at times, but it doesn't really offer much more to the audience. It looks good for its time, but nothing remarkable happens in terms of story progression or character development.
2002: Barom 1
Another modern adaptation of the 1970s manga, Barum 1 follows close friends Takeshi Kido and Kentaro Shiratori. When they are attacked by a strange creature, they hear a voice telling them that they have inherited a mysterious power. When the two combine, they transform into Barom One, an incredibly powerful monster that allows the boys to protect those around them from harm.
The series does some interesting things, mainly the two-in-one transformation that Takeshi and Kentaro go through. But it looks and feels like a low-budget series, and with only 13 episodes, it doesn't do enough to impress. Tokusatsu fans might enjoy the series, and that's about it.
2003: The World of Narue
While The world of Narue it's not necessarily terrible, it just doesn't do anything remotely interesting or noteworthy. The series follows Kazuto Izuku, who is rescued by his classmate Narue after being attacked by an alien monster. The surprises don't end there, as Kazuto discovers that Nanue herself is an alien.
The series is a fairly light-hearted watch with typical 2000s swashbuckling antics and some light romance. Narue is a fun character at times, but she and Kazuto just aren't interesting enough to lead the series.
2004: Hanaukyo Maid Team: La Verite
A remake of the 2001 series, The Hanaukyo Maid Team, La Verita is your standard early 2000s shonen fare. The series was created due to the shortening of the original anime due to production issues. But even the second time, the team in Dauma did not get too rough.
After his mother's death, Taro is sent to live with his grandfather. But when he gets there, he learns that his grandfather has retired and left him his fortune, leaving Taro alone with countless beautiful maids waiting for him. This is a pretty standard, clichéd harem setup, with all the over-the-top fanservice and mediocre animation that make Hanaukyo Maid Team: La Verite just another mediocre entry in the sea of 2000s harems.
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2005: Jinki: Extend
If you're a mecha fan looking for something new to try, there are plenty of options better than Jinki: Extend. The series follows Aoba, a model robot enthusiast who is kidnapped one day and taken to a secret base where she discovers a real giant robot. The robots are used to fight things called Ancient-Jinki, though the reason for this remains a mystery to Aoba. With his dream right in front of him, Aoba sets out to pilot his own mecha.
The biggest problem with Jinki: Extend is its inconsistent quality. It's an interesting series, but over the course of 13 episodes, it can't really sustain such a dynamic. Things kind of fall apart in the last installment of the series, and overall it just feels like a rushed, incomplete product that isn't worth your time.
2006: Tonagura!
For 10 years, Kazuki has been impatiently waiting for her old neighbors, especially her childhood crush Yuji, to move back in. But when Yuji and his family move back in, Kazuki is shocked to discover that Yuji is a huge lecher. As the two try to reconnect and attend the same school, things don't turn out exactly as Kazuki thought they would.
Tonagura! it won't blow you away with its premise, but it can be a fun guilty pleasure at times. The problem is that the series is incredibly repetitive, the gags and Yuji's antics get old pretty quickly. The 90s and 2000s had a lot of ecchi comedies and some were good but Tonagura! does not stand out.
2007: Nagasarete Airantou
After an argument with his father, Ikuto boards a ship and runs away from home. But when Ikuto is thrown overboard, he miraculously finds himself on a tropical island full of girls. The island's male population has been wiped out by the wave, and Ikuto quickly becomes the target of girls' affections.
Nagasarete Airantou is just another 2000s harem comedy that relies on overused tropes and recycled jokes. It may be a pleasant enough watch for fans of the genre, but it doesn't deviate in any way from a number of other similar series.
2008: To Love Ru
Rito Yuuki's life is turned upside down when an escaped alien princess named Lala Satalin Deviluke bursts into his house and decides to stay. To stay on Earth and avoid returning home, Lala announces that she will marry Rito. The only problem is that Rito already has someone he likes, and Lala's antics and unwanted affection introduce a constant stream of chaos into Rito's uneventful life.
If this setting sounds familiar, you're probably a fan of Rumiko Takahashi and enjoy Urusei Yatsura. Love Ru not the worst harem anime of the 2000s, but there were many better animes in 2008. Soul Eater, Black Butler, Aria the Originationand Major S4 are just some of the better options that 2008 had to offer. The series utilizes all the classic harem tropes while being notorious for putting a strain on fans. It's a true 'guilty pleasure' anime, with some fun moments that don't do much to save it from being a mediocre manga adaptation.
2009: Samurai Harem
After spending his entire life training in the mountains with his father, Yoichi is sent to a city dojo to continue his training in hopes of improving his skills and learning more about modern society after a lifetime of isolation. The problem is that Yoichi only knows how to act like a samurai. When Yoichi decides to live with the Ikaruga sisters at the dojo, he sets out to understand the modern world while going through various misunderstandings.
Samurai harem the name tells you all you need to know about it. The series is nothing special, and if you've seen one grotesque harem, you'll probably be familiar with many samurai harem has to offer. It has some moments and the setting isn't too bad, but there's just better anime out there.
