# The 18 Best Anime of the 2000s

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

*By YPB Team · Published June 21, 2026 · https://youpick.best/ranking/the-18-best-anime-of-the-2000s*

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## Current results (3 votes)

1. **Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood** — 33.33% (1 votes · score 1000/1000)
   The 2009 epic following two brothers using alchemy to restore their bodies, often cited as the greatest anime of all time.
2. **Clannad: After Story** — 33.33% (1 votes · score 856/1000)
   The 2008 emotional drama continuing a young couple's life through love, family, and loss.
3. **Welcome to the NHK** — 33.33% (1 votes · score 807/1000)
   The 2006 dark comedy-drama about a reclusive shut-in confronting his paranoia and isolation.
4. **Black Lagoon** — 0% (0 votes · score 719/1000)
   The 2006 action series about a salaryman who joins a band of mercenary smugglers in Southeast Asia.
5. **Samurai Champloo** — 0% (0 votes · score 660/1000)
   The 2004 hip-hop-infused Edo-era series following two swordsmen and a girl searching for a samurai.
6. **Bleach** — 0% (0 votes · score 420/1000)
   The 2004 supernatural shonen about a teen who becomes a Soul Reaper protecting the living from spirits.
7. **Ouran High School Host Club** — 0% (0 votes · score 420/1000)
   The 2006 comedy about a scholarship girl who joins an elite school's host club.
8. **Gurren Lagann** — 0% (0 votes · score 420/1000)
   The 2007 over-the-top mecha series about humans drilling their way to the surface and beyond.
9. **Higurashi When They Cry** — 0% (0 votes · score 420/1000)
   The 2006 horror mystery set in a rural village trapped in deadly repeating timelines.
10. **Toradora!** — 0% (0 votes · score 420/1000)
   The 2008 romantic comedy pairing a fierce tiny girl with a misunderstood gentle boy.
11. **Death Note** — 0% (0 votes · score 308/1000)
   The 2006 psychological thriller about a student who gains a notebook that kills anyone whose name is written in it.
12. **Code Geass** — 0% (0 votes · score 308/1000)
   The 2006 mecha drama about an exiled prince who gains a power to command absolute obedience.
13. **Eureka Seven** — 0% (0 votes · score 308/1000)
   The 2005 coming-of-age mecha series blending air-surfing robots with a sweeping love story.
14. **Fullmetal Alchemist** — 0% (0 votes · score 308/1000)
   The original 2003 adaptation of the alchemist brothers' quest, with its own divergent ending.
15. **Naruto** — 0% (0 votes · score 308/1000)
   The 2002 long-running shonen series about an outcast ninja striving to become his village's leader.
16. **Mushishi** — 0% (0 votes · score 308/1000)
   The 2005 atmospheric series following a wandering researcher of supernatural creatures called Mushi.
17. **The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya** — 0% (0 votes · score 171/1000)
   The 2006 genre-bending series about a high schooler who unknowingly has god-like powers.
18. **Monster** — 0% (0 votes · score 171/1000)
   The 2004 psychological suspense series about a surgeon hunting a former patient turned serial killer.

Tags: 2000s, animation, action, japan