Hello, my fellow Otaku. The fact that you're here means you want to experience the nostalgic flavour of anime from the 2000s in India. You're in the right place. Even if you just started watching anime, these shows could be perfect ones to start with. So without further delay, let's hop into the list.
1) Digimon Adventures
I still remember the days I used to come home from my school, and watch Digimon at 4:30 pm on cartoon network. I mean who doesn't? The plot is about 7 kids who find devices called Digivices which transports them into a digital world, where they befriend Digimons i.e Digital monsters, however, a monster is just a word and those beings are very adorable until they Digivolve that is. Together those children and Digimons go on tales for saving both the Digiworld and our human world. Digimon is a very underrated show on this list. Somehow Pokémon overshadowed Digimon, but when it comes to awesomeness both are equal rivals in my opinion. There is a rebooted version of this show which premiered in April 2020 in Japan. We already gave a review of that show. You can watch it on our website.
2) Beyblade
When I say Beyblade I mean the real deal, Beyblade, V force and G revolution. Tyson, Kai, Max, Rei and Kenny they all make a group called the blade breakers, and battle other teams with their Beyblades. Since no anime is that simple, Beyblade too has its surprises. Every Beyblade has a beast within the blade that comes out on command of its owner. And we just can't stop ourselves loving those beasts once we're hooked on the show. With a really catchy opening theme and an awesome set of soundtracks, Mind-blowing battles and many many heart-touching moments, Beyblade was at one time everyone's favourite anime. I still remember I used to buy Beyblades and battle my friends. Imagine a group of kids shouting "Dragooonnnn Dranzerrrr Driggerrr Drasillll". It was chaotic but it was the definition of cool at that time!
3) Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel masters
Yugi is a smart kid with great heart but finds himself in trouble every now and then, Only until he solves millennium puzzle that is. After which he gains powers of a mysterious spirit. Yugi uses these powers to protect his friends and the world. Eventually, he gets to know the spirit inside him much better and helps him in regaining its memories. Sounds simple, doesn't it? But hell no!!!! Yu-Gi-Oh is one of the best animes ever made. There are few emotional moments in the show, and the opening themes are cool too, we can relate to most of the characters and fall in love with Yugi ultimately. But the battles are the ones that carry this show to the top. Each battle is in unique in its own way!
PS: Yugi has one of the best hairstyles in Anime
4) Hunter X Hunter
I never knew that tales of two 12-year-old kids can get so dark and so awesome at the same time until I came across Hunter X Hunter, I watched the 2011 version of it and it was really great. Hunter X Hunter is awesome right from the beginning to the very end. It is a short-lived series but is just as awesome as any other big anime. This show is about Gon and Killua, their friendship, their hard work to get stronger, their reasons to get stronger, their usage of power called 'Nen' and many more things. This show has the second most badass villain organization called phantom troupe aka spiders. This show has very few arcs, that end very fast without many fillers yet still you can feel the characters development. The opening theme isn't the best one, but you can still sing along and enjoy. The end of this show was very heartbreaking, not because it ended, but because they could've made more of this show and it would still be an iconic tv show!! We have a complete review of this show on our website that you can check out.
5) Inazuma Eleven
There are many Anime based on sports but this one stands out for Indian weebs completely. It is because it was aired in India right when people were getting used to anime. Many kids like me started watching anime around this juncture and they would know why this show is on the list. Endou Mamoru is a very talented goalkeeper who wants to save and rebuild his football team. His school football team Raimon initially plays against other schools from Japan, but the show progresses exponentially to a point where they face off against people from heaven and hell. Just like other anime Inazuma eleven has its characters that keep getting stronger with time, there are inter-team rivalry, betrayals and bonds, everything you could ask for and much more. I even joined my school football team after getting motivated by the show. I highly recommend this one.
6) Transformers
If you thought we'd forget about this classic then you're wrong. I was just saving the good-good ones for the last. When I say transformers here, I don't include the one that got released in 2007 or the movies, the actual Anime, that's from Armada series to Robots in disguise. Yes, I agree the VFX then wasn't that great, but I still wonder how those people managed to produce something far better the ones that are available now. Transformers is about robots coming down to earth from their home planet Cybertron, there are two kinds of robots Autobots and Decepticons. Autobots are the one's that get friendly with humans and try to save earth from Decepticons, the evil ones that want the earth for themselves and humans as slaves. Autobots are lead by Optimus prime and Decepticons by Megatron. This is the basic plot. Unlike other Anime, the plot for transformers isn't that simple. There are many drifts and turns ( an automobile pun) many emotional moments that left my heartbroken for months. There are too many adorable and lovable characters. We’re currently working on a review of this franchise, so stay tuned on our website.
7) Pokémon
I will be the very best like no one ever was, to catch them is my real test, to train them is my cause. You guessed it right. It is one of the most iconic anime of our time. Pokémon is all about an 11-year-old kid, Ash Ketchum, travelling around the world with his Pikachu and other friends, catching new pokemon and train them for battles while saving the world from Team Rocket. Sounds very interesting journey right? You bet it is. And I personally think the prime of this show was from Indigo league to Master's quest. Because our generation grew up at this point and couldn't keep up with other seasons. The show was made carefully and made sure we'd connect, by assigning background stories for pokemon that are caught by Ash. I was 11 years old when I watched Ash start his journey and now I'm 23. We Indians showered Pokémon with love. Be it when Pikachu was injured, or when Ash was dead in the battle against Mewtwo, or when they played Gastly haunter and Gengar, we all loved the show to the core. Heck, we even became Pokemon trainers in Pokemon games.
8) Naruto
Yes, this show had to be on the list. Naruto is the most complex anime I've watched. It is about Naruto a boy with a demon fox inside his body, hated and resented by his village, aims to be the strongest ninja and Hokage(Leader) of that village while winning friends. Doesn't sound complex when I put it like this right? Wait until his best friend leaves the village to get revenge against his brother for killing his parents and own clan members, sounds fun yet? And then it's found that there are five other countries like our hero's and they're constantly at war with each other. And each nation contains a beast of their own that they can use as a weapon. Sound complex yet? What if I told you, you would actually relate to villains more than heroes? Naruto starts with things like catching a cat and ends with killing an actual god. You can imagine the character development here! Before watching Naruto I was one-track-minded, I used to support heroes all the time, but during Naruto, I was like "Wait, this villain guy makes more sense" but somehow managed to be with hero's side. This show is highly recommended by every one of us.
9) Sonic X
Sonic is the Tv show that introduced me to time travel, robots and a parallel universe. Sonic a blue hedgehog that can run super-fast, along with his friends, gets thrown into a parallel dimension while fighting an evil doctor. They befriend a human family that tries to help Sonic and his friends to get back to his world. However, the evil doctor tries to take over the human world and constantly builds and sends robots to create chaos and Sonic and his friends fight against him. As complex as it seems, it is quite easy to understand, and very fun to watch. I've played sonic video games for countless hours. Sonic X opening theme is cool and the battles are very interesting to watch. At some point, the human friend of Sonic, Chris, makes a machine to go and join sonic in his quests in their world. Imagine the excitement of a 15 years old kid when all his favourite characters got together to party again!!
10) Dragon Ball Z
Dragon Ball Z is the most iconic anime in India! Anyone other fanbase doesn't come half close to dragon ball Z fanbase. Goku and the Z fighters protect the earth from villains while collecting Dragon balls from all over the Earth. The plot is as simple as that. But the character development is so good that it brought the show fandom that is so everlasting. Even the weakest of characters were made to be pretty strong by the end of Z. Although super took the characters to the other level and made our favourite heroes gods, Z had something that super lacks. Goku, Gohan, Vegeta and Trunks, the Saiyans and their growth with each battle they fought, and their powers, the ability to shoot lasers from hands, the power-ups, the transformations and most importantly, the shouting, Everything about this show was so magical to a 10-year-old me who wanted to turn super Saiyan! Akira Toriyama unknowingly created something so powerful. Goku doesn't only get stronger and fights his enemies, he inspires people around the world to always work and Never Ever give up, No matter what!!
These are the 10 nostalgic animes that we watched on TV. Please let us know if we missed any. For more top 10 lists, stay tuned on our website every Tuesday. For more content and news about anime, stay tuned on otakuintown.com.
I can soo relate to it. Watching these anime was so much fun. I loved this list ❤