5 Best Action Anime From the 2000s, Ranked

The 2000s were a defining decade for some of the great action anime, with series like Bleach, Black Lagoon, Claymore, and Soul Eater proving just how differently the genre could approach combat. Some leaned into supernatural abilities and sprawling power systems, while others built their identity around brutal gunfights, stylish swordplay, or wildly imaginative worlds. What made the era especially memorable was how studios increasingly treated action as more than spectacle, using choreography, animation, character development, and visual direction to give battles their own personality.

Among the decade’s many contenders, five series stand out for the way they pushed action anime in distinctly different directions. But where each one lands depends on more than simply how explosive its biggest fights were.

5 Hellsing Is One of the 2000s’ Most Brutal Action Anime

Premiering on Fuji TV in October 2001, Hellsing was produced by Gonzo as a 13-episode adaptation of Kouta Hirano’s manga. The series follows Sir Integra Hellsing, head of the Royal Order of Protestant Knights, and her terrifying trump card, the vampire Alucard. Former police officer Seras Victoria soon joins them after being transformed into a vampire.

Alucard’s supernatural regeneration, monstrous transformations, and oversized firearms make conventional gunplay feel almost comically lethal, while Seras gradually develops her own identity as a combatant. The clash with Alexander Anderson is particularly memorable because it pits two radically different kinds of monsters against each other. Hellsing earns #5 because its action has an unmistakable visual personality, even if its 13-episode television run is less expansive than the longer series above it.

4 Gurren Lagann Took Mecha Action to Insane New Heights

Gurren Lagann premiered on TV Tokyo in April 2007 and ran for 27 episodes, with Hiroyuki Imaishi directing and Gainax handling animation production. It begins underground with Simon and Kamina, two brothers-in-spirit who discover the small Gunmen known as Lagann before breaking onto the surface and eventually confronting increasingly enormous threats.

Battles that begin with fists and drills eventually become gigantic clashes where the scale itself becomes part of the spectacle. Simon’s Spiral Power gives the series a clever thematic foundation for that constant growth, while Imaishi’s exaggerated poses, speed lines, impact frames, and elastic movement make the machines feel almost alive. The Japan Media Arts Festival recognized the series with an Excellence Award, specifically praising its animation expression and forward-looking technique. That combination of animation philosophy and outrageous mechanical spectacle puts Gurren Lagann at #4.

3 Samurai Champloo Blended Swordplay With Hip-Hop Style

Shinichirō Watanabe’s Samurai Champloo premiered on Fuji TV on May 20, 2004, becoming the first television anime produced by Manglobe. Its 26 episodes follow Fuu, Mugen, and Jin as they travel through a stylized Edo-period Japan searching for the mysterious “samurai who smells of sunflowers.” Mugen’s rough, breakdance-like movements contrast with Jin’s precise traditional technique, while the direction, editing, sound design, and hip-hop soundtrack create fights that almost function like music videos.

Nujabes’ production on the soundtrack is particularly important to the show’s identity, with “Battlecry” establishing the series’ musical language from the opening. Samurai Champloo earns #3 because its action is not merely well choreographed. It has a distinct audiovisual grammar. Plus, Netflix has confirmed a Samurai Champloo live-action.

2 Naruto Turned Its Ninja Battles Into 2000s Action Gold

Pierrot’s original Naruto anime began airing in Japan on October 3, 2002, eventually running for 220 episodes through February 2007. It follows Naruto Uzumaki, Sasuke Uchiha, Sakura Haruno, and their teacher Kakashi as they progress from inexperienced young ninja into increasingly capable fighters.

Naruto’s shadow clones and later Rasengan techniques reflect his growth, while Sasuke’s Sharingan turns battles into contests of observation and adaptation. The Chunin Exams, Rock Lee’s fight with Gaara, Naruto versus Sasuke, and Kakashi’s personal and inner battles demonstrate how strategy, personality, abilities, and emotional stakes can all collide inside a single fight. The original series also helped make ninja terminology, hand signs, chakra techniques, and rival-driven battle storytelling familiar to a huge international audience. Its combination of inventive abilities and emotional stakes earns Naruto #2.

1 Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood Made Alchemy-Fueled Action Unforgettable

Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood began broadcasting in Japan on April 5, 2009, with Bones adapting Hiromu Arakawa’s manga under director Yasuhiro Irie. It ultimately ran for 64 episodes, concluding in July 2010. Edward and Alphonse Elric’s search for the Philosopher’s Stone gives the story its emotional core, but Brotherhood’s action stands out because its power system is fundamentally tactical.

Alchemists reshape matter by understanding its composition, meaning fighters must constantly read their surroundings and find ways to manipulate them. Edward’s transmuted weapons, Roy Mustang’s flame alchemy, Scar’s destructive alchemy, and King Bradley’s extraordinary swordsmanship therefore feel radically different without breaking the world’s internal rules. Even better, Brotherhood makes battles advance the story rather than interrupt it. That combination of tactical combat, inventive abilities, character stakes, animation, and narrative payoff makes Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood the #1 action anime on this list.

Which 2000s action anime still deserves the spotlight?