Best Sci-Fi Anime of 2000

In Vandread, the men come from Mars and the women from Venus—well, not exactly. Humanity's colonization of the entire Milky Way galaxy has led to a star system where men and women inhabit two separate planets: Taraak and Mejere. A fierce, literal gender war rages, to the point where neither side even considers the other the same species anymore. Hibiki Tokai, a male third-class laborer from Taraak, finds himself stranded on a battleship after a failed attempt to steal a robot. When female pirates capture the Taraakian Vanguard, things seem as bad as they can get for Hibiki. Unfortunately, they only get worse: as the male crew of the Vanguard desperately fire on their own captured vessel, they create a massive wormhole that swallows both the Vanguard and the Mejeran pirate ships. Now stranded far from their home planets, these men and women must learn to cooperate if they hope to ever return.

In the 21st century, extraterrestrials have come to Earth and coexist with humanity. In the quiet town of Enohana, the impoverished student Chigasaki Mayuko shares a home with NieA, an alien of the low-status "Under Seven" class. While Mayuko works hard to get by, NieA appears utterly indifferent to the impact of her behavior. As this mismatched pair generates the anticipated friction, the damaged alien spaceship remains visible overhead.

After three years apart since their previous interstellar journey, Lafiel Abriel and Jinto Linn are reunited; Lafiel now commands the attack ship Basroil and Jinto serves as her supply officer. The renewed war between the Abh Empire and the Triple Alliance thrusts the inexperienced pair into the forefront of the deadly conflict. As the catastrophic battle between pure humankind and their greatest creation, the Abh, rages on, both parties recognize that their struggle is not merely over territory but about settling the inherent differences between themselves.

Computer expert Saotome Kazuya is threatened by his friend Nanbara with a computer virus. In his attempt to stop the virus, Kazuya accidentally places a special order. Minutes later, a cyberdoll named May arrives at his door, standing only one-sixth the size of a normal person, which creates many awkward situations. Additionally, Kazuya cannot even afford to keep May. Cyberdyne, unhappy with his non-payments, will do anything to reclaim the CBD May.

The 21st century was meant to herald humanity's golden era of space exploration. But those dreams are cast aside when Earth is suddenly assaulted by alien beings. These colossal invaders crush everything in their path, leaving only ruin and death behind. Having lost loved ones to the attack, Takuto Kaneshiro takes up arms against the extraterrestrial threat. Driven by a desire for revenge, the embittered young man must search for potential allies, though the boundary between ally and enemy is dangerously blurred. As old powers collapse and new chances emerge, many are eager to exploit the turmoil. Takuto soon discovers that the aliens might be the least puzzling aspect of the deeper truth behind the catastrophic invasion.

In the 1920s, Japan faces invasion from demonic forces. To counter this threat, the government has developed sturdy, steam-powered mecha suits, but only young women possessing the right blend of virtue and spirit can pilot them effectively. Into this situation comes Sakura, a girl from the countryside who arrives in the Imperial Capital to join the Imperial Flower Combat Troop. She has the necessary qualifications to become a skilled mecha pilot, but she is shocked to discover that this secret defense unit operates under the guise of a musical theater troupe—and they take their cover role extremely seriously. Between costumes, memorizing lines, and battling demons in giant robots, Sakura must learn the ropes, perfect her stage performance, and do her part to save the nation.

Miyu, a girl in eighth grade, has parents who are recruited by NASA and move to America, leaving her in the care of Mr. Saionji. After a while, Mr. Saionji decides to travel to India for a full year, which leaves Miyu alone with his son Kanata. Things get more complicated when an alien infant and its babysitter pet crash-land in their home. To add to the trouble, the alien baby begins calling Miyu and Kanata "Mom" and "Dad," while also demonstrating ESP abilities and floating around.

In the future, humanity has expanded and established colonies on other planets. However, an alien race known as the Victim attacks these human settlements, leaving only the planet Zion untouched. To prevent Victim from destroying their last stronghold, a training academy called GOA is established. Its purpose is to gather boys from the Zion colonies and train them to pilot the Ingrids—also referred to as the Goddesses—five battle robots that defend Zion. To qualify, the boys must possess a rare blood type, EO, and a special ability known as EX. Zero, designated Candidate 88, has just arrived at GOA when he accidentally falls into the cockpit of the Ingrid named Eeva-Leena. The synchronization between pilot and Ingrid is extremely delicate, and everyone believes the Goddess will kill Zero in the attempt to link. Just before Zero loses consciousness, he achieves a full synchronization with the Goddess. Before he can learn more about this incident, his pilot training begins.

In 1969, Tokyo is at the peak of technological, scientific, and industrial advancement—truly an exciting time to be alive. Yet a quiet menace lurks everywhere: Invaders have infiltrated the population, and no one knows their true identity or purpose. Only the top-secret agency AEGIS is aware of their existence, and their covert operations aim to fight the enemy. However, true victory requires the ability to open "Gates" to another world. Within AEGIS, a specialized task force called the Gate Keepers consists of extraordinary individuals with diverse Gate-related powers. They are humanity's only hope against the vicious Invaders. Shun Ukiya is an ordinary high school student living with his widowed mother and little sister. One day on his way home, he encounters a group of Invaders heading toward his house. In a desperate attempt to save his family, Shun discovers his own ability to open a Gate, allowing him to harness immense energy. This exposure catches the attention of AEGIS, and especially one of its Gate Keepers—Shun's childhood friend Ruriko Ikusawa.

The sequel to the renowned Medabots franchise continues the adventures of Ikki and Metabee. After facing a mysterious adversary named Jinkai and the so-called Death Medabots, Ikki, Metabee, Nae, and Erica team up to overcome these foes.

In the realm of Mushrambo, humanity has nearly vanished. After a lethal virus drove mankind to the brink of extinction, a new species known as the Enterrans was crafted to sustain life on Earth. But peace between the Enterrans and their human creators did not endure. A conflict erupted, pitting the Enterrans against humans and their mechanical allies. The Enterrans emerged victorious, renaming Earth as Enterra in celebration of their triumph. Before humanity's final collapse, one of the last scientists sealed his daughter, Yakumo Shindou, inside a cryogenic chamber. His hope was that she would eventually awaken and discover the human refuge called Shinzo, thereby reviving humanity and bringing harmony back between humans and Enterrans. Centuries after the war, Yakumo stirs from her slumber and meets an Enterran named Mashura, who vows to aid her journey. Joined by fellow Enterrans Sago and Kutal, the group must track down Yakumo's missing memories and locate Shinzo. Yet not all Enterrans are friendly; some will stop at nothing to ensure humanity never returns.

Marin is a cheerful junior high school girl living with a caring adoptive family. Her ordinary life is shattered when a strange mirage appears in the sky above the entire planet. Deadly androids known as Monomakia descend from this sky formation, called Brigadoon, and begin to pursue Marin. While fleeing, she discovers a blue bottle in a shrine, and from it emerges a protector: an alien named Melan Blue, who wields a sword and a gun. Together, they must save Earth while facing family troubles, prejudice at school, and the police, all while uncovering the truth about Marin's past and Melan Blue's mysterious mission—and learning to trust each other. Set in 1969 Japan, the story features a colorful cast of friends and enemies.

Following Gutsy Galaxy Guard's triumph over the Zonder Empire and the 31 Primevals, a fresh menace emerges on Earth. GGG—led by Guy Shishio and the newly-built GaoFighGar—joins forces with their French counterpart, Chasseur, to fight the evil organization BioNet. Among Chasseur's soldiers is Renais Cardiff Shishioh, a former BioNet cyborg driven by a relentless need to destroy those who stole her humanity. But as GGG and Chasseur clash with BioNet, GGG's bases across the globe come under sudden attack, and the recently-found "Q-Parts" plus the original Gao Machines are taken by Mamoru Amami, who has been kidnapped and cloned by an even greater threat called the "Eleven Kings of Sol." Forced off Earth by the United Nations, GGG must travel to the farthest reaches of the galaxy to fight the Eleven Kings of Sol and rescue Mamoru before time runs out.

The brilliant robotics scientist Dr. Komyoji constructs Kikaider, a humanoid robot designed to safeguard his son and daughter. Equipped with a conscience circuit, Kikaider gains the ability to simulate genuine emotions, enabling it to tell right from wrong. Can Kikaider successfully protect Dr. Komyoji's children while confronting the malicious Dr. Gill and his army of androids? The struggle to prevent global conquest rests squarely on Kikaider's shoulders.

Harry is far from a typical American teen; he perfectly embodies the "alienated youth" archetype—no friends at school, exceptionally odd, and so anxious he borders on paranoia. A random event leads Harry to begin displaying what seem to be psychic abilities, but he neither accepts their existence nor has any conscious control over them. Meanwhile, sinister forces are active that do believe in Harry and try to exploit him in frightening and dangerous ways.

Milk-chan is a slobbering, foul-mouthed baby sharing an apartment with Tetsuko the outdated robot, Hanage the slug, and an uncontrollable pet named Robodog. When the President calls, Milk-chan and the crew dash to the scene to handle any issue—whether it's putting a stop to a money forger who craves Belgian waffles or providing therapy to a school of drunk fish. Meanwhile, they must dodge a persistent landlord, since they're six months behind on rent.

Gigatron commands his Destronger army to Earth, aiming to plunder the planet's abundant energy supplies to fuel their ongoing conflict with the Autobots. A victory for the Destrongers would shift the balance of power in their favor, allowing them to destroy the Autobots and expand their conquest across the universe. To support this objective, they abduct Dr. Ohnishi, a top Earth scientist specializing in energy and natural resources. Koji, the son of Dr. Ohnishi, is approached by Fire Convoy, who assigns him a mission to save his father. Despite the valiant efforts of Fire Convoy and the Autobots, they fail to extract the doctor from the Destrongers' grasp. Consequently, it falls to Koji and the Autobots to rescue Dr. Ohnishi while defending Earth and its resources from Gigatron and his forces.

Set in a future where the malevolent mechanical alien empire Garufa launches its war machines against Earth, the planet’s survival depends on GEAR (Guard Earth and Advanced Reconnaissance), a defensive organization established to combat the invasion. Their ultimate weapon is the GEAR Fighter Dendoh, a powerful war mecha piloted by two elementary school students, Kusanagi Hokuto and Izumo Ginga. As they face the Garufa threat, the bond of friendship between Hokuto and Ginga becomes crucial, potentially unlocking the Dendoh’s full power to defend their world.

Kananase Yu is a typical high school student who is unexpectedly recruited by the International Military Organization due to his enigmatic expertise in mecha piloting. He is slated to serve as a test pilot for a new mobile armor, but he faces stiff competition from other young recruits his age, including a classmate who has also been selected for the same role. Consequently, Yu must demonstrate that he is the superior candidate to secure the position.

In the Edo period, three mysterious space capsules descended to Earth. Fearing that they would bring chaos, the humans of that time buried these three objects underground and entrusted a descriptive map to the Kamui family. Today, these three objects are awakening one by one. The first to awaken is Tri-Zenon, one of the Zenon Guardians, now piloted by the descendant of the Kamui family, Akira Kamui, alongside his brother Ai Kamui and his friend Kanna. Aliens descending to Earth with a purpose must now confront Tri-Zenon.

More Time Bokan adventures.