Best 2000s Anime

While the early 2000s may seem like a lifetime ago for some, the period between 2000 and 2009 is full of anime gold. The 90s may have been one golden period for animation, but the 2000s continued that trend. Series that can grip viewers’ heartstrings, intense amounts of action, and comedic gold can all be found in this era.

Many of these series are still popular to this day, with loyal fanbases. Some have even been receiving reboots and sequels in recent years. With so many popular 2000s anime to go through, newer audiences have plenty of great starting points.

Updated March 13, 2025 by Mark Sammut: The 2000s was such a great era for anime, arguably the best of all time. Consequently, two more of the best 2000s anime have been added as recommendations: Higurashi and Spice and Wolf.

Here are the criteria for this article:

• Only anime that debuted in the 2000s will be considered. The only exception is One Piece since it aired fewer than 10 episodes in the 90s and more than 400 in the 2000s.
• If a series started in the 2000s but ended in 2010, it will be considered.
• No movies.
• MyAnimeList scores are included, but they do not determine the rankings.
• As these shows cover a wide range of genres, the rankings are fairly loose since they cannot be directly compared.

34

Bleach

MyAnimeList: 7.96

Bleach is a very well-known and highly popular shonen anime, from the 2000s. The series follows Ichigo Kurosaki after he obtains the powers of a Soul Reaper. As he learns to master these newfound powers, he discovers many of his friends have powers of their own. Though the series starts with a lighter tone, things take a shift when Rukia (the Soul Reaper who shared her power with Ichigo) is sentenced to be executed. Ichigo and his friends go on a mission to infiltrate the Soul Society to save her and are thrown into an even bigger plot.

Bleach is full of action and takes sword fights to a new level. Anime fans looking for a lengthy action series will want to check out the anime adaptation of Tite Kubo’s manga. While some of the filler arcs are notoriously exhausting to get through, at its peak, Bleach features all-time great fight sequences, along with one of battle shonen’s best-paced storylines in the Soul Society arc. The original series spans 366 episodes, although an even better sequel debuted in 2022.

33

Inuyasha

MyAnimeList: 7.87

With the release of its sequel Yashahime: Princess Half-Demon and the hundreds of TikToks reminiscing about love triangles and waking up to that iconic closing theme, it is no wonder Inuyasha is a 2000s classic. Shonen and romance anime fans who may not have seen the original series will want to check it out, even if only to understand all the memes.

The series is full of characters that are loveable and some that are almost unredeemable. Inuyasha revolves around the protagonists’ Kagome (a human from modern-day Tokyo) and Inuyasha (a half-dog demon in the Feudal era), as they attempt to retrieve the shattered Shikon Jewel shards. Throughout their journey, they meet a variety of allies with their motives for seeking out the jewel shards. They also face plenty of powerful enemies along the way, most notably the scheming Naraku and his incarnations.

Inuyasha showcases Rumiko Takahashi’s incredible talent for crafting likable characters who are equally apt at humor and drama, with this particular series balancing the two incredibly well.

32

Kaiji: Ultimate Survivor

MyAnimeList: 8.26

Arguably the greatest gambling anime of all time, Kaiji is relentless. The story follows the eponymous character as he is dragged into the underworld due to a debt, showing the lengths he has to go to try and regain control of his life. Beyond Kaiji’s desperation and slow-building addiction, the anime reveals an organization that uses people like him as not only revenue but also entertainment.

Most gambling anime are about geniuses who rarely ever come close to losing, and these types of stories are satisfying. However, Kaiji differs due to following a “normal” protagonist who is consistently over his head and can fail at any given moment. No outcome is guaranteed, which makes every situation extremely intense.

As awesome as this 2000s anime is, the second season aired in 2011, so it cannot fully be counted for this discussion. The first season is overall superior to the sequel, although the latter’s opening arc is stronger than anything in the former.

31

The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya

MyAnimeList: 7.82 (Season 1)

The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya is a pretty important anime, and its success might have inspired more studios to turn to light novels rather than manga for adaptations. The ED’s Hare Hare Yukai dance was inescapable for a while, and the anime helped make otaku culture more mainstream (with the help of Lucky Star, which debuted the following year). Haruhi Suzumiya’s mix of slice of life comedy, philosophical musings, and mystery was very novel in 2006, even if this blend might not seem that fresh when viewed through a modern lens.

Haruhi Suzumiya is difficult to rank. Season 1 is good with moments of greatness, despite the convoluted release order. The eponymous girl is purposefully obnoxious, and her antics involving Mikuru can be off-putting. However, Kyon is a fantastic male lead, and the rest of the characters are generally fascinating. Season 2 has the ambitious but polarizing Endless Eight arc, which did seem to derail the show’s momentum. Finally, The Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya is a masterpiece, but that film came out in 2010 and requires sitting through both seasons to fully appreciate.

30

Naruto & Naruto Shippuden

MyAnimeList: 7.99 (Naruto)

Naruto is one of the most well-known shonen anime, the series has everything fans of the genre could hope for. The series revolves around the adventures of Naruto a mischievous young ninja outcast. Naruto seeks recognition from the members of his village, as well as dreams of becoming the next Hokage. Naruto finds friends and rivals along the way and discovers that he is the host of a powerful fox, which was responsible for attacking the village in the past.

Arguably the most popular 2000s anime, Naruto was inescapable throughout the decade, even more so than Bleach or One Piece. While Shippuden mostly aired after 2010, its predecessor’s canon arcs are contenders for the best in the series, delivering consistently great action, comedy, and world-building.

29

Skip Beat!

MyAnimeList: 8.07

If there is one big criticism that can be thrown at Skip Beat!, it would have to be the anime’s length. The adaptation barely scratches the manga’s surface, which has over 50 volumes and has been going on for more than two decades. Still, the anime serves as a good entry point into this story, beautifully introducing the three main characters, along with showcasing the mangaka’s incredible talent for blending humor and drama.

After learning that her boyfriend was using her as a doormat while he pursued fame, Kyouko decides to become a superstar herself in the name of revenge. Before long, she ends up in the middle of a love triangle with her ex and another famous actor who she initially dislikes. Skip Beat! works mainly due to Kyouko, who is just an all-round delight.

28

Higurashi: When They Cry

MyAnimeList: 7.87 (Season 1)

Anime and horror do not go together all that often, but the industry has produced a few memorable scary stories over the decades. Except for maybe Another and Elfen Lied, Higurashi is arguably the most famous horror anime of all time, and it is considerably scarier than either of those two shows.

While the franchise became convoluted with its more modern releases, the original season and Kai hold up incredibly well, offering 50 episodes filled with dread, gore, shocking reveals, and the most terrifying girls in anime. Higurashi is a must-watch for pretty much any horror fan who is also into anime, but it is harder to recommend to people who are not into the genre. Still, it also works well as a mystery story and a psychological thriller.

27

Paranoia Agent

MyAnimeList: 7.66

Satoshi Kon should need no introduction to anime fans. The creative force behind Perfect Blue, Paprika, and a few other brilliant movies, the director is primarily associated with his cinematic output; however, Kon’s dip into TV should not be ignored. Directing all 13 episodes, Paranoia Agent is a thriller that utilizes a supernatural element to dive deep into a range of characters’ psyches, telling a captivating and cerebral story that lingers in a viewer’s mind long after the credits roll.

The basic premise involves a mysterious teenager who goes around smacking people with a bat, and these attacks have strange effects on the victims’ lives. While the full series is great, episode 3 is a masterpiece and one of the best anime episodes of the 2000s, if not just straight-up the best.

26

Toradora!

MyAnimeList: 8.05

One of the most influential romance anime of the 2000s, Toradora is still pretty popular as a gateway option to not just this genre but also the medium in general. That said, the series seems to get a bit more criticism nowadays, with Taiga’s tsundere antics being particularly divisive. Still, as long as someone is fine with some over-the-top slapstick, they will find a cute story that starts comedic and gradually ramps up the drama, culminating in a mostly satisfying finale.

Toradora primarily revolves around the budding relationship between Ryuji and Taiga, two people who could not be more different. Initially, they are essentially just using each other to further their other romantic interests; however, they steadily become closer, and their journey is quite lovely.

25

Beck: Mongolian Chop Squad

MyAnimeList: 8.29

Anime has a couple of standout stories revolving around music, with Bocchi the Rock being probably the most famous recent example. While that show might conjure up flashbacks of K-On!, it arguably has more in common with 2004’s Beck, at least in the sense that both of them prioritize music and try to provide a relatively realistic look at the industry. Out of the two series, Beck is the more grounded one, and it follows a group of boys who form a band as they try to make in-rounds into a cutthroat industry.

This journey is primarily framed from Koyuki’s point of view, a teenager who discovers his love for playing the guitar and jumps head first into the music world. Beck dives pretty deep into the instrument learning process, all the while creating tangible goals for the band and the protagonist. While visually dated to an extent, the anime has aged incredibly well overall.

24

Natsume’s Book of Friends

MyAnimeList: 8.30 (Season 1)

Natsume’s Book of Friends has been quietly producing iyashikei supernatural magic for the best part of two decades, with season seven airing as part of the Fall 2024 lineup. Technically, only the first two cours were released in the 2000s, so it does not feel 100% accurate to say the anime belongs to that decade. More importantly, Natsume’s Book of Friends has a timelessness that transcends era, and the seasons flow seamlessly despite being spread over roughly 15 years.

Natsume inherits a book of youkai names from his grandmother, which gives him control over the spirits. Rather than use this power, he decides to give all these names back to their owners, as long as they visit him and request it. He is also accompanied by Madara, a powerful youkai who mostly takes the form of an adorable cat.

Beautiful, relaxing, and frequently touching, Natsume’s Book of Friends is incredible.

23

Black Lagoon

MyAnimeList: 8.03 (Season 1)

Black Lagoon is just cool. The characters are cool, the action is cool, the setting is cool, and the sprinkling of philosophy is cool. Terminator-like anime maids are cool, town-wide brawls are cool, and psychotic twins with dark backstories are, well, captivating rather than cool. But, that still works.

Madhouse was on a roll throughout the 2000s, and while not its crowning achievement, Black Lagoon is among the studio’s most accessible and long-lasting shows. The basic concept revolves around a Japanese businessman who becomes a mercenary/pirate after realizing his company cares nothing about him. He ends up joining the crew that initially kidnapped him, introducing him to a high-octane life that gradually brings out the best (and worst) in him.

In some ways, Black Lagoon is an escapist fantasy similar to isekai, albeit with far more bullets and an overly long trip back to Japan. The anime is packed with fantastic and varied action sequences, each of which showcases the main group’s unique talents. Admittedly, Revy tends to take the spotlight, which is fine since she is one of the best female characters of the 2000s. It is just a shame Black Lagoon only received two seasons and an OVA.

22

One Outs

MyAnimeList: 8.32

One of the most unusual sports anime, One Outs has more in common with Kaiju and Akagi than Ace of Diamond or Major. After defeating the Saitama Lycaons’ best batter in a 1v1 street match, Toa Tokuchi is recruited as the team’s new pitcher. However, he has little interest in the sport and is primarily driven by a passion for gambling, an itch he scratches by getting into an absurd bet with the Lycaons’ owner where he gains money for every out and loses way more for every run he surrenders. From this point on, Toa gets into constant mind-games with every opposing player, psyching them out as he seems to destroy them mentally.

Toa is a fascinating character who remains enigmatic throughout the anime, despite technically being the protagonist. Most of the episodes are told from the perspective of other characters trying to figure out Toa’s strategies, turning One Outs into almost a mystery story. With an awesome protagonist and constant tension, Madhouse’s 2008 gem deserves to be watched by everyone, even by people who do not like sports anime.

21

Ouran High School Host Club

MyAnimeList: 8.16

Ouran High School Host Club is a romantic comedy that is full of satire and cliches found in the shojo genre. The series follows the misadventures of Haruhi and the other host club members. Haruhi is a scholarship student at Ouran High, a school primarily for the stereotypical rich kids. After accidentally breaking a very expensive vase belonging to the host club, Haruhi has to join the club to help pay off the debt.

The first episode centers around the members of the club all slowly realizing that, despite her appearance, Haruhi is a girl. The rest of the series involves them all trying to keep Haruhi’s identity a secret. The over-the-top use of satire is one of the reasons many fans still enjoy going back and watching the series, and Ouran High School Host Club is pretty comfortably among the funniest 2000s anime.

20

Aria

MyAnimeList: 7.67 (Season 1)

While the most popular 2000s anime were packed with action, the decade produced plenty of tension-free slice of life and iyashikei masterpieces. Arguably one of the more polarizing series, Aria is famously slow-paced, to the point that the first few episodes can be difficult to get through. Essentially, the story is set in a future world inspired by Venice (literally called Neo Venezia) and follows a group of gondoliers as they slowly guide people through the watery streets.

Aria is in no rush to get anywhere, with the focus being squarely on creating an immersive escapist fantasy. Despite taking a while to find its feet, Aria is a beautiful and therapeutic experience. Each season is better than the last, and the characters gradually blossom into endearing personalities who share charming relationships.

19

Spice and Wolf

MyAnimeList: 8.21 (Season 1)

In 2024, Passione released Spice and Wolf: Merchant Meets the Wise Wolf, a new adaptation of Isuna Hasekura’s masterful light novel. The reboot is fantastic and will be receiving a sequel season, making it the perfect entry point for newcomers (who do not want to read the light novel or manga). That said, its existence should not render the 2008 original obsolete, as Spice and Wolf still holds up as one of the best fantasy romance anime of all time, if not just straight-up the best.

After having a peculiar meet-cute, Kraft, a merchant, and Holo, a wolf goddess, decide to travel together, with the end goal being the latter’s home country. While they initially do not get along perfectly, they quickly start to form a bond born out of mutual respect for not only each other but also their different life experiences. Blending romance, drama, world-building, and even humor, Spice and Wolf is a well-rounded adventure with arguably one of the 2000s’ best female protagonists.

18

Baccano!

MyAnimeList: 8.35

Baccano! is a wild and incomplete journey that is simultaneously one of the best 2000s anime and one of the hardest to recommend. Barely scratching the surface of Ryogo Narita’s light novel series, the adaptation chronicles three storylines set in different years and connected through not-so-obvious means. The result is a purposefully messy and haphazard structure that seems almost like a commentary on storytelling in general, albeit one that still finds the time to explore larger-than-life characters stuck in ridiculous situations that might or might not be of their own doing.

Initially, Baccano! can be exhausting. The first few episodes throw so much information and personalities at viewers that the whole thing can start to seem pointless; however, things do start to click after a while, making the overall experience worthy of pushing through some growing pains.

17

Azumanga Daioh: The Animation

MyAnimeList: 8.04

Arguably one of the most influential anime of the early 2000s, Azumanga Daioh cast a shadow that defined the cute girls doing cute things genre, paving the way for future greats like Lucky Star and School Rumble. However, despite essentially popularizing CGDCT, Azumanga Daioh exists separately from the shows that would follow, offering humor, realism, and emotional subtlety that is wholly unique to itself. Many anime followed and still follow in its footsteps, but Azumanga Daioh is a singular experience with no direct peers.

The complex and timeless characters (mostly) avoid succumbing to tropes, instead being three-dimensional figures who all feel grounded in a sort of reality. Except for a male teacher’s antics, the humor has largely aged well, especially anything related to Ayumu, Chiyo, and Sakaki (who are just brilliant all-around characters). While mostly a slice of life, Azumanga Daioh still incorporates a sense of growth and forward momentum, culminating in a low-key but touching finale.

16

Welcome to the N.H.K.

MyAnimeList: 8.31

The best 2000s anime transcend the decade, to the point that they could have feasibly been released at any point during the last 30 years and they would not have seemed out of place. Welcome to the N.H.K. is a prime example of a story that manages to be timeless despite incorporating cultural elements synonymous with the 2000s. Putting aside all those aspects, this series ultimately tells a relatable story about depression, isolation, and potentially toxic relationships.

Some humorous moments aside, Welcome to the N.H.K. is a drama that takes a host of mostly likable characters and strips them down to their core, refusing to allow them to wallow in their self-pity without consequences. Even if it is not constantly entertaining, this anime is always captivating, well-written, and challenging.

15

Nana

MyAnimeList: 8.56

Based on Ai Yazawa’s manga, Nana centers around the friendship between two women with the same name. They meet en route to Tokyo and end up sharing an apartment, setting things up for a heartwarming and powerful dynamic. Grounded in reality, Nana explores unhealthy relationships, the burden of ambition, and other themes that many young adults might relate to.

Unfortunately, the anime is not a full adaptation of the available manga and does not provide much closure. Despite that, Nana is still among the best 2000s anime and holds up better than most drama and romance stories from this era.