10 Iconic Anime That Perfectly Capture Anime Fandom in the 2000s

Each decade of the anime industry felt like its own era or phase, with a certain vibe being built around what the popular genres, titles, and creators of the day were. Fans are familiar with the texture of today's anime landscape, such as action-oriented titles like Solo Leveling, but anime fans had plenty else to enjoy before Solo Leveling ever existed. The 2000s, for example, are a nostalgic decade for many Millennial and younger Gen X anime fans to think back on.

The 2000s, arguably, is when the anime industry truly hit its stride in the West. Gone were the days of rare and poor quality bootleg VHS tapes of anime, and Toonami had already done some work to make anime more mainstream for Millennial viewers with TOM's help. The 2000s were when anime was truly global, and an impressive array of legendary, excellent titles were there to make the 2000s a great time to be an anime lover. A full list of good anime from the time would be hundreds of items long, but anime fans can cut it down to a subjective top 10 to represent the decade fairly.

10 Yu-Gi-Oh! Was a Multimedia Franchise Fans Could Both Watch and Play

Anime fans can also point to the Pokémon franchise as another key part of the 2000s-era anime landscape, but there has to be room for Yu-Gi-Oh!, too. What is more, the Pokémon craze started in the late 1990s, so fans can say it's a '90s anime at heart, while Yu-Gi-Oh! is firmly in 2000s territory. The franchise is alive and kicking today, yet longtime fans may agree that the best years were all in the 2000s.

Yu-Gi-Oh! was an anime cornerstone of its day, entertaining fans with not just its cool anime, but also the real-life card game and video games to immerse fans further. Anyone who enjoyed watching Yugi Muto and Kaiba dueling with fantasy cards could do the same in real life, either emulating anime battles or just playing with custom decks. For many of the same reasons as Pokémon franchise, the Yu-Gi-Oh! franchise started off with a bang thanks to having a hand in multiple popular media types.

9 Fullmetal Alchemist Introduced Anime Fans to the World of Alchemy and Homunculi

Both ends of the 2000s had Fullmetal Alchemist offerings for anime fans, allowing this franchise to play a major role in defining the 2000s. First, in 2003, the Fullmetal Alchemist anime introduced anime-only consumers to the story of Edward Elric and the Philosopher's Stone. That version deviated from the manga, but anime fans still loved what it had to offer, including a new endgame villain in Dante.

Then, in 2009, the definitive anime experience arrived with Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood. To this day, the series is hailed as the best shonen anime of all, and arguably the best anime of any kind. It allowed the 2000s to end on an incredibly strong note, though the anime tie-ins aren't quite as strong by comparison. Even today, fans will never forget the astonishing character arcs, action, themes, and drama in Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood.

8 One Piece Hit its Stride in the 2000s as Luffy's Adventures Continued

The One Piece manga and anime actually began in the late 1990s, but it was in the 2000s when both versions became a force to be reckoned with in the shonen anime world. While One Piece was never bad or even mediocre, the Romance Dawn Arc was a modest start, and only at the end did the East Blue Saga become more than animated pirate fun. Then, as the 2000s marched on, One Piece established itself as a powerhouse.

In that decade, the outstanding Alabasta Saga launched, Luffy's first serious foray into the islands of the Grand Line, and the heroes even started battling the Warlords of the Sea and the World Government more directly. The Straw Hat crew also rapidly expanded later in the 2000s as Chopper, Nico Robin, Franky, and Brook joined Luffy's crew. By the time the 2000s ended, One Piece was building its way toward the Summit War Saga's climax, allowing the 2010s to begin on a strong note thanks to One Piece.

7 Soul Eater is an Underrated 2000s Gem From the Same Creator as Fire Force

Today's anime fans are mostly focusing on Fire Force as the best and most relevant work from creator Atsushi Okubo, but longtime anime devotees know there's another Okubo title to enjoy: Soul Eater. Fans may note that the anime version of Soul Eater didn't do the original manga justice all the way, but it was still a fine taste of what the story was like.

Soul Eater was popular in the 2000s for many of the same reasons Fire Force is such a big hit now. The Soul Eater anime features Akubo's flair for cartoony comedy, the power of courage and friendship, and visually iconic worldbuilding and character designs. Rather than focus on fire, though, Soul Eater has more of a Halloween vibe to it with Maka Albarn's scythe, the witch girl Blair, and of course, the eerie crescent moon smiling high above.

6 Naruto Featured One of the Best Combat Systems of the 2000s in Anime

All three members of the original shonen "big three" either launched or picked up serious momentum in the 2000s in manga and/or anime form. One of them was Masashi Kishimoto's Naruto, which is arguably the most popular and prominent of the big three, even if One Piece has stronger sales. Fans couldn't get enough of this smartly written and visually distinctive ninja adventure where shuriken and chakra rule the day.

Naruto's glory days were definitely in the 2000s, even if the climax of the Naruto Shippuden anime arrived in the 2010s as the Fourth Great Shinobi War reached its endgame. In the 2000s, fans saw the Chunin Exam Arc, some iconic talk jutsu moments, and, of course, the tragic showdown between Naruto and Sasuke in the Valley of the End. Naruto was a shonen anime juggernaut right out of the gate, and even if its momentum slowed in later decades, fans still respect Naruto as a shonen anime legend, both then and now.

5 Samurai Champloo Stood Out as a Wacky and Idiosyncratic Historical Anime

Newer anime fans might not be aware of the half-hidden gem that is Samurai Champloo, but anime fans of the time almost definitely saw it or at least heard of it from the community. At no point was Samurai Champloo an epic juggernaut or the face of shonen anime or seinen anime, but it still had a beloved place in every anime fan's heart. Samurai Champloo had some cool action, but above all, it had vibes and a personality to make it such a unique classic.

Samurai Champloo had to be seen to be believed as a dream-like, memorable adventure where samurai action and hip-hop somehow converged. This is an anime that's not afraid to be its weird self, and its goofy confidence is infectious as people in 1800s Japan beatbox while the credits music plays hip-hop beats. In fact, Samurai Champloo's actual story is almost an afterthought, with the sheer feel of this anime being the real draw.

4 Bleach Joined the Big Three With Stories of Zanpakuto and Scary Spirits

Tite Kubo's Bleach arrived in the 2000s in both manga and anime form, completing the big three alongside Naruto and One Piece. Shonen anime titles at the time, like Hunter x Hunter and Fullmetal Alchemist, were big too, but Bleach had no hiatuses, and its anime was a faithful adaptation from the start. So, it edged out those other titles as a major 2000-era icon.

Bleach carved out a niche for itself as a shonen anime giant focused on black-robed Soul Reapers and transforming swords, along with evil spirits like Hollows. Bleach blended the real world with supernatural realms, making it feel like more than the sum of its parts with some pseudo-isekai elements. Above all, Bleach became an essential part of the 2000s-era anime landscape thanks to its iconic Soul Society Arc.

3 Gurren Lagann Became Better Than the Genre it Was Making Fun Of

The mecha genre of anime dates back to the 1970s with franchises like Gundam, but at some point, the anime industry needed to poke fun at it. That's why the 2000s treated anime fans to the gentle, well-meaning parody anime Gurren Lagann, which doubled as an enthusiastic love letter to mecha anime. Fans might even say Gurren Lagann outperformed the anime it made fun of on most levels.

The key part is how Gurren Lagann fully owned the fact that it was an absurdly over-the-top mecha anime where going way too big is to be expected. All the rules of power scaling were humorously tossed aside as Simon's mechs and drills eventually became bigger than the universe itself thanks to willpower and Spiral energy. It's not all fun and games, though, since Gurren Lagann also features hard-hitting emotional moments and some of the best space battles anime fans have ever seen, either in the 2000s or today.

2 Death Note Intrigued Shonen Anime Fans With its Dark Battle of Wits

Anime fans often associate shonen anime with action and sports, but the 2000s-era anime Death Note changed all that. Death Note was huge in its time, both in good and bad ways, as the fandom watched in fascination as Light Yagami the genius battled L the detective with his cunning tricks. Looking back, Death Note has some iffy moments and some contrivances, but no one will deny how much fun it is to watch.

Death Note entertained, challenged, and even horrified fans with moments of creative genius and controversy as Light Yagami used his notebook to kill people while becoming the new god of justice. The fuss has since died down, but fans of anime at the time have never forgotten what a memorable breath of fresh, if dark, air Death Note's anime and manga were at the time.

1 Code Geass Helped Make the 2000s a Strong Decade For Science Fiction

When anime fans think back on the era-defining anime of the 200s, the shonen big three and the likes of Death Note and Yu-Gi-Oh! will always come to mind. Then there's Code Geass, which never quite reached the same level of prominence but still has a robust fanbase. This is another anime franchise that has partially faded into obscurity today, but anyone who loved anime in the 2000s respects it immensely.

Code Geass did have a maze-like plot and outstanding sci-fi action to keep it going, but protagonist Lelouch Lamperouge was the real heart of Code Geass. Like Death Note's Light Yagami, Lelouch wowed anime fans as a highly driven yet scary genius who treated the plot like a chess game he proudly refused to lose. Lelouch captured every fan's attention in the 2000s as he twisted the boundary between hero and villain, concluding with his memorable sacrifice at the very end.