Best Action Manga of 2001

For as long as he can remember, high school student Ichigo Kurosaki has been able to see the spirits of the dead, but that has not stopped him from leading an ordinary life. One day, Ichigo returns home to find an intruder in his room who introduces herself as Rukia Kuchiki, a Soul Reaper tasked with helping souls pass over. Suddenly, the two are jolted from their conversation when a Hollow—an evil spirit known for consuming souls—attacks. As Ichigo makes a brash attempt to stop the Hollow, Rukia steps in and shields him from a counterattack. Injured and unable to keep fighting, Rukia suggests a risky plan—transfer half of her Soul Reaper powers to Ichigo. He accepts and, to Rukia's surprise, ends up absorbing her powers entirely, allowing him to easily dispatch the Hollow. Now a Soul Reaper himself, Ichigo must take up Rukia's duties of exterminating Hollows and protecting spirits, both living and dead. Along with his friends Orihime Inoue and Yasutora Sado—who later discover spiritual abilities of their own—Ichigo soon learns that the consequences of becoming a Soul Reaper and dealing with the world of spirits are far greater than he ever imagined.

Alchemists are knowledgeable and naturally talented individuals who can manipulate and modify matter due to their art. Yet despite the wide range of possibilities, alchemy is not as all-powerful as most would believe. Human transmutation is strictly forbidden, and whoever attempts it risks severe consequences. Even so, siblings Edward and Alphonse Elric decide to ignore this great taboo and bring their mother back to life. Unfortunately, not only do they fail in resurrecting her, they also pay an extremely high price for their arrogance: Edward loses his left leg and Alphonse his entire body. Furthermore, Edward also gives up his right arm in order to seal his brother's soul into a suit of armor. Years later, the young alchemists travel across the country looking for the Philosopher's Stone, in the hopes of recovering their old bodies with its power. However, their quest for the fated stone also leads them to unravel far darker secrets than they could ever imagine.

It is the Middle Ages, and the remnants of mankind are plagued by paranoia and death. Spoken in fearful whispers, the word "Yoma" cuts a clear image into the minds of all: monstrous beings with an insatiable hunger for human flesh. But fear of their gruesome appetite is dwarfed by that of their ability to shapeshift and steal the memories of their last meal. Forever vulnerable to attack, humans live in unease, even among family. There are few means to kill a Yoma. The Organization, informally known as "Claymore," is humanity's only line of defense, dispatching half-human, half-Yoma female warriors to purify villages of Yoma. A lonely and dangerous existence, death for these warriors comes with each new assignment. What time is found between trying battles and long, arduous travels is spent in ever-intensifying struggle to resist their Yoma blood and maintain their humanity. Villagers, knowing of this, pay for their security reluctantly and have only loathsome regard for their protectors. Claymore follows the stoic and low-ranking member Clare in her daunting trek as she searches for personal vengeance. Along the way, she encounters many unexpected things about the world, from the camaraderie and hope held fast by her sisters-in-arms to the sinister truth behind the Claymore Organization.

Kiyomaro Takamine, genius middle schooler, is greeted one morning by Gash Bell, a boy with a mysterious red book. Tasked by his father to decipher it, Kiyomaro soon learns Gash is no ordinary boy. Able to shoot lightning from his mouth at the chant of a word, Gash is a demon child—one a part of a war that takes place every 1000 years to decide the Demon King. With Kiyomaro being the only one who can read Gash's book, the duty of partner is thrust on him in this exciting tale of friendship, determination, and melons...?

In Jushin, there once lived secret government agents called the amen osa (or angyō onshi in the Japanese version), who traveled the countryside in disguise. They were charged by the king with finding and punishing corrupt government officials, and bringing justice to the country's citizens.

Freesia is set in an alternative Japanese society that is at war, and has passed a law legalizing retaliatory killings. If somebody kills your loved one, you are legally sanctioned to kill, or hire someone to kill, the victimizer. The manga is set around a character who works for a firm that specializes in these retaliatory killings.

Natsu Iwashimizu's last memory of her family is eating her favorite meals with them. Unfortunately, she wakes up from her dream only to find herself in a sinking ship, being rescued by three strangers: Arashi Aota, whose kind-hearted personality does not match his quick temper; Semimaru Asai, who enjoys ridiculing Natsu's meek nature; and Botan Saotome, a skillful woman seemingly aware of their situation. Following the four's successful escape, they sail to a deserted island. Unbeknownst to them, the mysterious island is Japan. After a meteorite landed on Earth, humanity was wiped out and the environment changed drastically. To repopulate the country, the government initiated the "7 Seeds" project, consisting of five groups—Spring, Summer A, Summer B, Autumn, and Winter—each with seven young healthy individuals and a guide. Natsu and the others were put into team Summer B, whose members are considered failures by society. To get more supplies, the group must find one of the seven shelters built by the government. In a hostile, unfamiliar world with no loved ones to depend on, the quartet must learn to cooperate with each other to ensure their survival.

After being killed in an explosion set by Desty Nova, Gally is brought back to life in the city of Tiphares by the resourceful yet devious scientist. She learns that the floating city is caught in a chaotic civil war over the public revelation of brain biochips, the Tipharean substitution to the organic human brain. To have any chance at stopping the bloodshed, Gally joins Nova’s newly-formed entourage, which includes his assistants Elf and Zwölf, the battle android Sechs, and the repair robot Deckman 100. Tiphares and its conflict is just one small piece to an unknown star system that Gally has yet to discover. In hopes of finding more answers to her forgotten past, she and the other group members venture into the vastness of space, beginning an adventure that is set to alter the course of humanity.

Zeon ace pilot, Commander Char Aznable, thought he could foil the Federation's plan to build a mobile suit by attacking their research base on colony Side 7. He was wrong. With a prototype already active, the besieged Federation forces strike back using their new weapon, the mobile suit Gundam, with devastating consequences. Amidst the fighting, young electronics wizard Amuro Ray is determined not to let his friends and family die in the crossfire. But what can one boy do to repel a squad of mobile suit-clad invaders?

The Ravages of Time is an adaptation of Romance of the Three Kingdoms, showing the fortunes of Liu Bei, Cao Cao, the Sun family, and the Sima family. The Simas are a successful and rich merchant family, led by the young Sima Yi, who has shown a flair for spotting profitable business venture ever since a young age. The Sima family, however, possesses a sinister side as they command the Handicapped Warriors, a group of mercenary assassins reputed to be infallible.

The story takes place in an era similar to that of ancient Rome in a country called Chronos. It follows a group known as the Temple Mercenaries. In particular, the manhwa is about Ares, Michael and Baroona, three young warriors with mysterious pasts and surpassing skills...

Hana Tsukishima is a country boy that recently moved to city. He is a good guy, ingenuous and honest, but he is also very strong. His goal is to become the "strongest student" of a school of thugs led by clan-logic, strength hierarchy and fights.

Ueki no Housoku tells the story of the Battle of the Supernatural Powers, a tournament to decide who will be the next King of the Celestial World. Each candidate (100 in total) is required to choose a junior high school student to act as their fighter. Each student is given a unique power—the power to change one thing into something else. The winning King of the Celestial World Candidate will become King of the Celestial World and the winning student will receive the Blank Talent, a talent that can be anything they choose.

Satoyama Katsuki and his best friend Kawakami Kyouta, both age 15, enrolls in Mizutani Boxing Gym to get close to their tomboyish crush, Mizutani Katsuki, whose father owns it. However, Satoyama soon finds out that she is distant from her father. Worse, it turns out that she hates boxing. In a sparring match, everyone including Mizutani soon discovers Satoyama's hidden yet unpolished skill in boxing. Satoyama soon learns that Mizutani is really in love with boxing, but disdains it because its a man's sport of which she cannot join. Mizutani then takes it upon herself to be Satoyama's trainer/manager to reach the championship belt. Satoyama complies to be closer to his crush. As the story progresses, we soon find out that Satoyama has a hidden past and lineage, one that would give him the necessary skill and talent to be a legendary oriental pro-boxing champion.

Makoto Kubota wandered through life, not taking things too seriously or looking too deep within himself. His job as the head of the Izumo Group's youth gang kept him pleasantly occupied with yakuza wars, mahjong and assassinations... Until the day he stumbled upon a strange drug called Wild Adapter that produces bizarre side-effects—including death. Forever changed, Kubota becomes entangled with a drifter named Minoru Tokito, and the two form an unlikely companionship that draws them deeper into the mystery of Wild Adapter...

A mysterious man known as "the King of Death" roams the streets of pre-war Shanghai in this action-packed prequel to Fist of the North Star. Shanghai in the 1930s is a dangerous place. Foreign governments and Chinese factions have carved the city into different quarters, each with its own laws and government, and all rife with corruption. As the major powers vie for political control, the streets are left to local gangs. Life is cheap, and death is always near. In days past, one man walked these mean streets battling the forces of evil. He was known only as Yan Wang, "the King of Death." Few knew who he really was, but many knew that he was a master of Hokuto Shinken - Fist of the North Star - a lethal martial art. He disappeared years ago after dispatching the city's worst gangsters, and is now rumored to be in Japan. Various people have come to Japan in search of him, but who will find him first?