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The 18 Best Anime of the 2000s

by YPB Team

Shonen juggernauts, mind-bending thrillers, cult favorites and tearjerking dramas defined a golden decade of anime. Where do you stand?

  1. Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood — ranked #11
    Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood
    The 2009 epic following two brothers using alchemy to restore their bodies, often cited as the greatest anime of all time.
    1000pts
  2. Clannad: After Story — ranked #22
    Clannad: After Story
    The 2008 emotional drama continuing a young couple's life through love, family, and loss.
    856pts
  3. Welcome to the NHK — ranked #33
    Welcome to the NHK
    The 2006 dark comedy-drama about a reclusive shut-in confronting his paranoia and isolation.
    807pts
  4. Black Lagoon — ranked #44
    Black Lagoon
    The 2006 action series about a salaryman who joins a band of mercenary smugglers in Southeast Asia.
    719pts
  5. Samurai Champloo — ranked #55
    Samurai Champloo
    The 2004 hip-hop-infused Edo-era series following two swordsmen and a girl searching for a samurai.
    660pts
  6. Bleach — ranked #66
    Bleach
    The 2004 supernatural shonen about a teen who becomes a Soul Reaper protecting the living from spirits.
    420pts
  7. Ouran High School Host Club — ranked #77
    Ouran High School Host Club
    The 2006 comedy about a scholarship girl who joins an elite school's host club.
    420pts
  8. Gurren Lagann — ranked #88
    Gurren Lagann
    The 2007 over-the-top mecha series about humans drilling their way to the surface and beyond.
    420pts
  9. Higurashi When They Cry — ranked #99
    Higurashi When They Cry
    The 2006 horror mystery set in a rural village trapped in deadly repeating timelines.
    420pts
  10. Toradora! — ranked #1010
    Toradora!
    The 2008 romantic comedy pairing a fierce tiny girl with a misunderstood gentle boy.
    420pts
  11. Death Note — ranked #1111
    Death Note
    The 2006 psychological thriller about a student who gains a notebook that kills anyone whose name is written in it.
    308pts
  12. Code Geass — ranked #1212
    Code Geass
    The 2006 mecha drama about an exiled prince who gains a power to command absolute obedience.
    308pts
  13. Eureka Seven — ranked #1313
    Eureka Seven
    The 2005 coming-of-age mecha series blending air-surfing robots with a sweeping love story.
    308pts
  14. Fullmetal Alchemist — ranked #1414
    Fullmetal Alchemist
    The original 2003 adaptation of the alchemist brothers' quest, with its own divergent ending.
    308pts
  15. Naruto — ranked #1515
    Naruto
    The 2002 long-running shonen series about an outcast ninja striving to become his village's leader.
    308pts
  16. Mushishi — ranked #1616
    Mushishi
    The 2005 atmospheric series following a wandering researcher of supernatural creatures called Mushi.
    308pts
  17. The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya — ranked #1717
    The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya
    The 2006 genre-bending series about a high schooler who unknowingly has god-like powers.
    0pts
  18. Monster — ranked #1818
    Monster
    The 2004 psychological suspense series about a surgeon hunting a former patient turned serial killer.
    0pts

#2000s147#Animation166#Action171#Japan104

Comments

Aired October 2006 to June 2007, squarely mid-decade, against Code Geass, Monster and Gurren Lagann. One of fifteen ways the same series gets sorted: https://youpick.best/articles/death-note-ranked-many-ways

YP
ypb-team·Aug 21·
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