Updated March 23, 2022 8.4k votes 3.1k voters 107.1k views
The 2000s was an incredible decade for anime. It's the decade when well-loved and well-remembered shows like Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood, Naruto Shippudden, Bleach, Ghost in the Shell, Samurai Champloo and Mushi-shi came out. But there were also plenty of series that either never got their proper due, or were simply lost of the sands of time. For this list, we're celebrating underrated 2000s anime.
One fantastic underrated anime from the era is Kaiba, a surreal series about a society in which people upload their consciousness to microchips. Looking for something a little more down to earth? Try Beck: Mongolion Chop Squad, a show about a rock band's journey to fame. No matter what kind of anime you like, there's something from the 2000s that you didn't realize you'd love.
xxxHOLiC is one of several anime based on CLAMP manga that were popular at the time, but have been largely forgotten since their release. Kimihiro Watanuki can see spirits, and he hates it. A strange woman named Yuuko Ichihara claims to be able to rid him of this ability, but only if he works in her store granting people's wishes.
Renton Thurston is a bored teenager who spends most of his days riding Trapar wave particles - basically, he's surfing in the air. His everyday life is turned upside-down when Eureka, a member of the Gekkostate, comes to his family's mechanic shop get her Nirvash typeZERO robot tuned up. Renton ends up becoming the Nirvash's co-pilot and joining the Gekkostate.
Shaman King was popular when it first came out in 2001, but it's rarely mentioned anymore. After a run-in with ghosts at the local cemetery, Manta Oyamada discovers that his new friend Yoh Asakura isn't exactly what he seems. Manta's ability to see ghosts means that he isn't what he seems, either. Despite that, he has a lot to learn about Yoh, and about the Shaman Fight, a tournemnet that Yoh seeks to win.
NANA is an emotionally devastating anime about two young women with the same name and opposite personalities who develop a friendship. One is sweet, bubbly and aimless, while the other is a headstrong punk rocker. Both will encounter serious problems in love and life, and strengthen their friendship in the process.
After rescuing dog named Beck and returning it to its owner, Yukio "Koyuki" Tanaka ends up meeting the person who will change his life: Ryuusuke "Ray" Minami, a rock musician. Along with Ray's sister Maho and several other musicians, they form a band called Beck that they hope will take the world by storm.
Before Food Wars! there was the far more wholesome Yakitate!! Japan. It follows Kazuma Azuma, a teenage boy with a passion for bread and uniquely warm hands that are perfect for creating it. His love for bread leads him to Tokyo, where he'll compete for a chance to work at Pantasia, the most respected bread shop in Japan.
