Long before Demon Slayer and Chainsaw Man were crushing it at the box office, plenty of other shonen anime movies flew under the radar. That's not to say that they were obscure releases, but the kind of global appeal and recognition we've seen from movies like Mugen Train, Infinity Castle, and Reze Arc just didn't happen 20-plus years ago.
The 2000s had some awesome shonen anime movies come out, with some of the heavy-hitters at the time putting out multiple solid entries. Here's a look at every year of the 2000s and which saho9nen anime movies stuck out.
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2000: Detective Conan: Captured In Her Eyes
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With close to 30 anime films, the Detective Conan franchise has had its fair share of great, solid, and mediocre anime movies. 2000's Captured in Her Eyes is one of the better movies in the franchise.
Captured In Her Eyes centers around Ran, who is caught up in a serial killer's spree, with the killer targeting police, and Ran dealing with memory loss following a botched murder attempt. It's a great set-up and a really fun mystery with high-stakes that make it one of the more engaging watches in the series.
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2001: Inuyasha the Movie: Affections Touching Across Time
Rumiko Takahashi is one of the most prolific mangaka in history, having found success with multiple series throughout her decades-long career. One of her later works, Inuyasha, remains one of her most popular, though it still has steep competition from the likes of Urusei Yatsura, Ranma 1/2, and Maison Ikkoku.
Affections Touching Across Time tells an original story not featured in the manga. It sees Inuyasha and Kagome encounter Menomaru Hyouga, a demon out to take revenge for his father and steal Inuyasha's sword, Tessaiga. The movie is the first of four Inuyahs films, and while they're all good in their own right, it's one of the better ones.
2002: Detective Conan: The Phantom of Baker Street
There are so many Detective Conan movies that it's hard not to bring up more than one when discussing the best shonen anime films of the 2000s. But 2002's The Phantom of Baker Street's inclusion is well deserved. It's considered to be one of the best movies in the franchise, even all these years later, and it's easy to see why.
When a group of children is trapped in a virtual world by a rogue AI, Conan and his friends set out to save them before the AI kills them all. Now stuck in a virtual version of Victorian London, Conan must solve the Jack the Ripper mystery if he hopes to beat the game and save everyone involved.
2003: One Piece: Dead End Adventure
The fourth One Piece movie, D ead End Adventure, is a really fun ride. It's a classic One Piece adventure, and if you're ever feeling nostalgic for some of that early One Piece magic, this movie has it all.
With the Straw Hats low on money, the crew decides to enter a race composed of various pirate crews called the Dead End Race. They encounter tons of powerful enemies, with the most dangerous being a former marine called Gasparde. Can Luffy and the crew defeat Gasparde and claim the prize money for themselves?
2004: Naruto: Ninja Clash in the Land of Snow
The very first Naruto movie, Ninja Clash in the Land of Snow isn't the best film the franchise has to offer, but it's still a fun watch. The movie was directed by Ninja Clash in the Land of Snow, who, before this, directed a couple of episodes of Evangelion and would go on to direct episodes of Soul Eater, Blue Exorcist, and The Seven Deadly Sins.
Ninja Clash in the Land of Snow takes place after episode 101 of the anime, with Team 7 tasked with escorting actress Yukie Fujikaze, who is set to film in the Land of Snow. But things aren't what they seem with Yukie, and Naruto and his friends must rise up to the occasion and protect her from evil forces.
2005: Fullmetal Alchemist the Movie: Conqueror of Shamballa
There's a debate among Fullmetal Alchemist fans on whether the original 2003 anime, which strayed from the source material at the request of mangaka Hiromu Arakawa, is better or if Brotherhood, a more faithful adaptation that covers the entire manga, is the better way to go. In all honesty, you can't go wrong with either, as both do a lot of things really well and offer a unique and worthwhile viewing experience.
Set within the 2003 series continuity, Conqueror of Shamballa is set following the events of the anime's finale. It follows Edward, who, now in Munich, seeks to return to his homeworld after being sent over through the Gate. It's a great conclusion to the 2003 series, having a completely different tone than the 2009 series.
2006: Bleach: Memories of Nobody
We've already had 2 of the 'Big 3' on this list, s o it was only a matter of time before Bleach showed up, too. Memories of Nobody tells a movie-original story and was written by Masashi Sogo rather than by series creator Tite Kubo.
Memories of Nobody has Ichigo and Ruika encounter "blanks", strange souls with no memories in Karakura Town. When they meet a mysterious Reaper named Senna, they set out to stop a group called The Dark Ones from destroying the human world and Soul Society while trying to figure out Senna's connection to the "blanks".
2007: JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Phantom Blood
This one is an interesting case. While most anime fans familiar with JoJo's Bizarre Adventure will associate it with the David Production adaptation, there's actually another, way more obscure adaptation of Part 1 of the manga. The reason why it's so obscure is that it's essentially lost media.
Studio A.P.P.P.'s 2007 adaptation of Phantom Blood was released in Japanese theaters for a limited time and never got any sort of home media release afterward. That means that most who saw the movie only saw it in theaters during its run. Thanks to an incredibly dedicated group of fans, we know a good bit about the movie due to their tracking down fan testimonials and unearthing things like a 16-minute workprint and various trailers. Some have even claimed to have downloaded and watched the movie when it supposedly leaked online, though that's tough to verify. From all that we know about it, the Phantom Blood movie seems like an interesting adaptation of the manga, and whatever scenes we do have from it that have found their way online look amazing. Maybe we'll get the full thing one day.
2008: Major: The Winning Shot of Friendship
Major is a fun but often overlooked sports series. The manga ran in Weekly Shonen Jump for nearly two decades from 1994 to 2010. And while the manga was still going strong, an anime adaptation aired from 2004 to 2010.
The Winning Shot of Friendship takes place right after season 4 of the anime. It follows Goro, who, returning from the U.S., heads towards his old stomping grounds in Fukuoka and meets with some familiar faces. It's a must-watch if you're planning to or are currently watching the anime series.
2009: One Piece Film: Strong World
Standing as the only movie in the series that had Oda come up with the story himself, One Piece Film: Strong World is as fun and true to the mainline series as you'd expect it to be.
The movie has Shiki take on the role of main antagonist, with the legendary pirate kidnapping Nami to make use of her navigational skills, and the rest of the Straw Hat crew scrambling to get her back. It might start off a little slow, but Strong Worldends up being a great watch and for many, is one of the stronger One Piece movies out there.