Best Action Anime of 2001

The Hellsing organization, which specializes in handling supernatural threats, is summoned to Cheddar where a vampire has been turning villagers into ghouls. To stop this, the organization's head, Sir Integra Fairbrook Wingates Hellsing, deploys her most powerful weapon: a mighty vampire named Alucard. With nothing more than a single handgun, Alucard unleashes destruction upon the monsters terrorizing Cheddar. But a young policewoman, Seras Victoria, gets drawn into the conflict and ends up fatally injured. Feeling sympathy for her, Alucard offers Seras an ultimatum: perish as a human or continue existing as a vampire. She chooses the latter and starts a new chapter as part of Hellsing. Even though it was her own choice, Seras finds it hard to accept that she is no longer human. However, she must quickly come to terms with her new nature if she intends to endure on the battlefield of the war between mankind and the supernatural.

A battle is set to unfold in Tokyo: the Shaman Fight, a tournament occurring once every five hundred years where shamans—individuals who can command spirits—face off against each other. The winner becomes the Shaman King, the only person capable of contacting and controlling the Great Spirit, allowing them to reshape the world as they desire with its immense power. While taking a late-night stroll, Manta Oyamada encounters his carefree classmate, You Asakura, who invites him to stargaze with some friends. To Manta's horror, these friends turn out to be ghosts from a nearby cemetery! Yet Manta's rare sixth sense, which lets him see these spirits, endears him to You. When You learns that his new friend was beaten up by a local gang, he decides to get revenge with the help of Amidamaru, a samurai ghost whose tomb was broken by the gang leader. Soon, Manta discovers more about the spirit world, including the Shaman Fight, which his new friend You aims to win.

One quiet afternoon at her Paris apartment, professional assassin Mireille Bouquet gets a strange email from Kirika Yuumura, a Japanese schoolgirl, who proposes they "make a pilgrimage to the past" together. At first, Mireille dismisses the message as nonsense, but she changes her mind when it starts playing a song she remembers from her childhood. When the two meet in person for the first time, they are suddenly attacked by armed men. Mireille handles the assault skillfully, but she is surprised to find Kirika is also highly capable in combat, taking down several gunmen on her own. Despite her deadly efficiency, Kirika admits she feels no remorse for the people she kills. She also has no memory of how she learned these skills or even her true identity. Sensing a connection between their pasts, Mireille agrees to work with Kirika. Together, they set out to uncover the secrets of their histories. Using the code name "Noir," the pair's fragile partnership is put to the test as they take on jobs, each mission bringing them closer to discovering who they really are.

Fifty years ago, the sinister stones called Dark Brings triggered the "Overdrive," a catastrophic event that wiped out a tenth of the planet. In the present, the evil group Demon Card seeks the power of the Dark Brings for their less-than-innocent purposes. Haru Glory, a silver-haired teenager who wields a sword, inherits the title of Rave Master: the one who holds the power of the legendary Rave Stones, artifacts that can destroy the Dark Brings. But the many Rave Stones were scattered worldwide after the Overdrive, letting Demon Card continue their wrongdoing. Groove Adventure Rave follows Haru, his odd dog Plue, the fiery blonde Ellie, and the infamous thief Musica, as they set off on a grand journey around the vast world, searching for the Rave Stones that will finally put an end to Demon Card's tyranny.

In the conflict between the Dragons of Heaven and the Dragons of Earth, the dream seer Princess Hinoto foresees humanity's end. The key figure, 15-year-old Kamui Shirou, must decide whether to side with the Dragons of Earth, destroying civilization to safeguard the planet, or with the Dragons of Heaven to save humankind. Following his mother's dying wish, Kamui returns to Tokyo after six years away. He attempts to steal the Sacred Sword from a temple guarded by Kyougo Monou, the father of his childhood friends Fuuma and Kotori. When Kamui's effort fails, a mysterious figure obtains the sword instead. Believing Kamui matches her prophecy, Hinoto dispatches the Dragons of Heaven to recruit him. Though Kamui initially rejects his fate, the relentless attacks by the Dragons of Earth on those he cares about force him to choose between his friends' lives and the Earth's fate, ultimately compelling him to pick a side.

A strange environmental event 22 years ago in the Kanazawa prefecture caused the land to split and rise upward to unprecedented heights, creating an isolated area known as the Lost Ground. Kazuma is a young mercenary living in the Lost Ground, taking any work he can find to survive in the harsh environment. He is one of the few people gifted with the Alter ability, which allows him to coat his right arm and torso with a metallic alloy. When this mercenary encounters HOLY, an organization whose mission is to suppress and capture what they call Native Alter Users, and one of HOLY's elite members, Ryuho, an epic rivalry begins.

Years earlier, an interdimensional gateway opened, unleashing two monsters into the skies above the Sea of Japan, visible to every nation along the coast. After destroying the naval fleet sent to investigate, the two creatures turned on each other. Watching the battle from Japan, researchers Joe and Marie Hayakawa were pulled into the portal. When they returned to Earth, they compiled and published their journey's findings in a legendary book titled "Day of Succession." Twelve years later, they attempted a second expedition into that other dimension—and never came back. Twins Ai and Yu Hayakawa decide to set out in search of their parents and the mysterious Wonderland they studied. At the ruins of an abandoned subway station, they wait for a train that will take them to the other world. Onboard, they meet Lisa Pacifist, who quickly resolves to help them find their missing family. Can the three of them succeed in locating Joe and Marie?

A small pink space creature named Kirby crash-lands into Dream Land. After becoming familiar with the residents of Cappy Town, he starts protecting the town from the monsters that King Dedede, the self-proclaimed ruler of Cappy Town, commissions from the evil Nightmare Enterprises.

Skull, the malevolent head of the terrorist group Black Ghost, commands nine formidable cyborgs. However, Dr. Isaac Gilmore, the organization’s cybernetics expert, chooses to betray his employers. He aids the cyborgs in rising up against Skull and his nefarious syndicate. Black Ghost aims to ignite a new global conflict by saturating the market with weapons of mass destruction. With the organization resolute in its mission to eliminate the nine cyborgs, the heroes face a daunting challenge in stopping the impending war.

Since the rapidly expanding fleet of the Bebaus brothers leaves few ambassadors for newly subjugated worlds, Lafiel is appointed Territorial Ambassador of the planet Lobnas II. Upon arriving, Jinto and Lafiel discover that United Mankind used the world as a prison planet; its only inhabited island now holds a million inmates. The prisoners are separated into three sectors: the western block houses women, the eastern block houses men, and the central block is mixed, with all inhabitants sterilized. The women of the western sector want to emigrate out of fear of the men, and when they begin to leave, the men in the east rebel, overthrow the guards, and capture Jinto to halt the women's departure. At the same time, an enemy fleet heads toward the system, compelling Lafiel to abandon Jinto.

Louie is a muscular student at the mages' guild who is grudgingly taken in by three young women—Merrill the thief, Genie the fighter, and Melissa the priestess—to join their adventuring party. Together, the group explores ancient ruins, battles dark creatures, and forms new friendships, all while slowly uncovering a dangerous conspiracy lurking within the kingdom.

George Kodama arrives in the small town of Kimujuku while searching for Araki Genzo. He quickly discovers that he is not welcome and is advised to depart without delay. With two rival syndicates controlling the streets and a violent hidden history, Kimujuku is not what it seems. George confronts the town to expose its dark concealed past and uncover the truth.

Najica Hiiragi, a perfumer and secret agent, undertakes multiple recovery missions to capture rogue humaritts—androids with combat capabilities. Najica is given a humaritt partner named Lila, whom Najica must train as an agent and receive help from during missions. As Najica gradually comes to trust Lila, each new assignment uncovers more about the skills and hidden past of the humaritts.

A young boy suffers a severe arm injury during a kindergarten accident, yet doctors miraculously manage to save it. Years later, that same arm becomes the center of bizarre incidents, revealing itself to be far more than an ordinary limb. At the same time, a clandestine organization is hunting him down to seize the power he holds.

The creator of AA! Megami Sama, Kosuke Fujishima, returns for the second season of Taiho Schihauzo (You're Under Arrest). The same cast features two policewomen—the gentle Miyuki and the wild Natsumi—who partner up in the traffic division of Bokuto police station. Other characters include Kenichi, a motorcycle cop with feelings for Miyuki; Yoriko, who loves gossip; and Aoi, a transvestite. Together, they are prepared to deal with harmless criminals and costumed weirdos. You think you can find a better police station?

At Daimon High School, students settle their conflicts through official duels held in the school's K-Fight battle arena. Ryoko Mitsurugi, the undefeated K-Fight champion and a samurai girl, is summoned by a mysterious Priestess to defend Earth from an invasion originating from the alternate universe of Solvania. She must confront battles that challenge her skills, her friendships, and her emotions, all to uncover her true power as a samurai warrior.

The narrative centers on Kintaro, who was once the head of a biker gang that was both feared and respected. He resolves to leave that life behind and become a 'salaryman' after the death of his wife, leaving him responsible for raising his young son.

In the second chapter, Ryo Takatsuki and his allies press onward in their search to uncover the mystery of the strange A.R.M.S. each of them wields, and to understand what fate has in store for them. They have discovered where the answers are hidden, but reaching them means engaging in a desperate struggle for survival against a powerful military corporation that will do anything to seize their secrets.

The protracted conflict between Earth and the machine men has concluded, but the resulting peace tilts heavily in favor of the machine men rather than humanity. Warrius Zero lost his family to the machine men during the war, yet he remains part of the Earth fleet, now forced to cooperate with its former enemies. His vessel, crewed by both humans and machine men, is assigned an almost impossible mission: to apprehend the space pirate Captain Harlock. As Zero struggles to fulfill this duty, clues emerge suggesting that the peace between machine men and Earth may be hiding a darker truth.

Kouichi, a young student, discovers his life is far from ordinary when he learns he is the reincarnation of an alien protector. Tasked with the mantle of Earth's defender, he joins forces with three super-powered alien companions to fight the dark forces led by an evil cult leader. This struggle to save humanity transports Babel from the deserts of southern Asia and the Upper East Side of Manhattan to a final confrontation with "the master" in a hidden Swiss Alps base. The action is intense and lethal, as the world's fate depends on this brave youth mastering his latent psychic abilities to vanquish the enemies of mankind.

The Daichis are a family on the verge of collapse. Dissatisfied and obsessed with money, mother Seiko has handed divorce papers to her meek, otaku father Mamoru. Daughter Nozomi, who has always been burdened with all the household chores, feels pained by everyone taking advantage of her. The youngest member, Dai, despite being the most foul-mouthed, is forced to watch as everything falls apart. But when the Galaxy Federation recruits the Daichis to fight alien threats to Earth's safety, it becomes a chance for the family to save the world—and possibly themselves.

Combining footage from the original SEGA Dreamcast game along with newly created scenes, Shenmue: the Movie recounts the story of the first game. After Ryo's father is killed and a mysterious mirror is stolen, Ryo embarks on a journey of vengeance.

At the close of the 21st century, a meteor strike brought Earth to an apocalyptic state, forcing the survivors to split into two distinct paths: the aristocratic Dobias fled into space, while the earthy Shioru retreated underground. Centuries later, both groups have resurfaced and are now locked in a struggle for planetary dominance—when they aren't battling a new breed of predators called Creatures. Amid this turmoil, an elite squad of five soldiers known as Geisters shields humanity from both the Creatures and each other. Though aligned with the Dobias, the Geisters have recently admitted a soldier of Shioru origin, and her assertive demeanor leaves the rest of the team questioning her loyalty and value. As political friction between Dobias and Shioru intensifies, Creatures run wild, and a dangerous new weapon is secretly developed, the Geisters must preserve harmony within their ranks and across society.

Ginya Otonashi, a college dropout, takes part-time jobs at a pachislot publishing firm while harboring dreams of becoming a novelist. His life changes when he encounters a clandestine group and is drawn into a contest to claim the top spot in "Pachi Battle," a tournament that serves as the final stage of the Slotseum pachislot competition.

In a distant future, the Earth has transformed into an arid wasteland, with only a few remaining rivers and lakes inhabited by villains and perilous creatures. Water has emerged as the planet's most precious resource, and whoever holds power over it will dominate the world.

Possessing the ability to travel through time, Captain Fatz and his comrades set out on a quest filled with battles and adventure to collect the eight scattered stone fragments—Light, Darkness, Fire, Water, Air, Earth, Wood, and Metal—that were shattered by the lord of destruction, aiming to restore peace to the chaotic world.