8 Best Shonen Jump Manga of the 2000s, Ranked

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Shonen anime and manga are incredibly popular around the world, attracting fans of all kinds. While Japan has many magazines publishing these series, Shueisha’s Weekly Shonen Jump is by far the most successful.

Weekly Shonen Jump is a legendary manga magazine that’s been published for almost 60 years. It’s famous for launching hugely popular series like Dragon Ball, Yu Yu Hakusho, JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure, Naruto, and Slam Dunk. While One Piece remains a major hit for them, the magazine is finding it challenging to create new successes to follow up titles like Jujutsu Kaisen and My Hero Academia. However, Weekly Shonen Jump consistently delivers quality manga, and the 2000s were a particularly strong period for the magazine. This list will focus on the best Weekly Shonen Jump manga that started in the 2000s, so classics like One Piece and Naruto won’t be included.

Honorable Mention: Steel Ball Run

Fans are eagerly awaiting the continuation of the Steel Ball Run anime. While we wait, revisiting what many consider Araki’s greatest work could be a good idea. Interestingly, Steel Ball Run moved from Weekly Shonen Jump to Ultra Jump magazine, ending JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure’s long run in WSJ after almost 20 years.

Watching it unfold chapter by chapter in the magazine, I think Steel Ball Run would have easily been named the best Weekly Shonen Jump manga of the 2000s. A lot of fans consider it the high point of the entire JoJo series, and honestly, even if you didn’t know JoJo, it’s still one of the best manga I’ve read in years – maybe even of the century.

Beelzebub

Though it began publishing towards the end of the 2000s, Ryuhei Tamura’s Beelzebub is considered one of the best manga from Weekly Shonen Jump that decade. The story centers around Tatsumi Oga, a troublemaking teen who unexpectedly becomes the caretaker of the infant Demon Lord, along with the child’s caretaker, Hilda. Tatsumi isn’t thrilled with his new responsibilities and attempts to pass Beelzebub off to the toughest students at school, but it proves more difficult than he thought.

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Beelzebub was a standout action comedy from Jump during the 2000s and 2010s, successfully blending humor and exciting fights. The heartwarming bond between Tatsumi and Beel gives the story emotional depth, preventing it from becoming repetitive or relying solely on jokes and battles.

Kuroko’s Basketball

Weekly Shonen Jump is famous for its action-packed battle manga, but it’s also published some fantastic sports manga. Kuroko’s Basketball was a popular series from the late 2000s to the mid-2010s, and it was adapted into both an anime series and several anime movies.

The story centers around Taiga Kagami and Tetsuya Kuroko, a seemingly ordinary player who was actually the hidden sixth member of a legendary middle school basketball team known as the ‘Generation of Miracles.’ After the team broke up as its members went to different high schools, Taiga and Tetsuya join Seirin High and work together to become the top team in Japan, challenging their former teammates and other powerful opponents along the way.

To Love Ru

Weekly Shonen Jump is known for its engaging romantic stories, and in the 2000s, Saki Hasemi and Kentaro Yabuki created one of the most talked-about: To Love Ru. It’s a classic harem anime with many familiar tropes, but it’s probably best known for its excessive fan service. While the anime adaptation isn’t particularly strong, Yabuki’s artwork is a highlight. Despite being a bit repetitive, To Love Ru can be an enjoyable read for fans of lighthearted, romantic comedies with suggestive themes.

Yuki Rito is a pretty average high school student who always seems to find himself in trouble. His life gets completely chaotic when an alien princess named Lala literally falls into his bath! To make things even more complicated, Yuki already has a crush on someone. He now has to juggle Lala’s feelings for him, try to work up the courage to tell his crush how he feels, and somehow navigate a surprising number of admirers – all at the same time!

Eyeshield 21

While many popular sports manga center around basketball or baseball, Eyeshield 21 is unique for its focus on American football. This series helped launch Riichiro Inagaki’s career and demonstrated his skill as a manga artist, years before he became globally known for Dr. Stone.

I watched as Sena Kobayakawa’s life changed when the football team captain, Youichi Hiruma, spotted him running from bullies and realized just how fast he was. Before long, Sena was recruited to play, becoming a key player for the team. He not only discovered a passion for football, but also built some really strong friendships with his teammates.

Medaka Box

Despite being a truly unique action manga, Medaka Box remains surprisingly underrated compared to other popular shonen battle series of its time. Created by Nisio Isin, known for the Monogatari series, and illustrated by Akira Akatsuki, the story cleverly breaks down common tropes of the genre. It features an exceptionally talented main character alongside a remarkably average, yet well-developed, supporting character, and the series excels at exploring the fascinating relationship between them.

The story centers on Medaka Kurokami and Zenkichi Hitoyoshi, two childhood friends who are also members of their school’s Student Council. They tackle problems submitted by students through a suggestion box nicknamed the ‘Medaka Box’. Medaka is exceptionally talented and seemingly perfect at everything she does, but as they address more issues, she and Zenkichi find themselves facing greater and greater danger.

Death Note

When talking about iconic Jump manga from the 2000s, Death Note absolutely deserves recognition. Created by Tsugumi Ohba and Takeshi Obata, this gripping psychological thriller has captivated readers for years. While the anime helped boost its popularity, the manga itself remains a standout title of its time.

Light is a compelling main character, demonstrating how easily power can corrupt someone. The intense rivalry between him and L creates a lot of thrilling scenes, and despite his flaws, watching his story unfold is consistently engaging.

Bleach

Bleach is a standout anime from the early 2000s, unlike the other two major series of its kind. Created by Tite Kubo, it quickly became famous for its exciting supernatural battles and put a fresh, creative twist on classic anime themes.

Bleach is popular again, largely due to the new anime adaptation of the Thousand-Year Blood War arc. While the series did lose some steam towards the end of its original run, it still delivered many memorable and iconic moments for fans. This recent resurgence confirms Bleach’s place as a defining manga of the 2000s.

Gintama

While it didn’t achieve the same international fame as the ‘Big 3’ manga, Gintama is still considered a highlight of Weekly Shonen Jump from the 2000s. With over 70 million copies sold, it’s become one of the most popular manga ever created, and it’s been adapted into a long-running anime series, several anime movies, and a couple of live-action films.

Watching Gintama, I was really impressed by how well it balances humor and action. It’s hilarious, constantly delivering jokes and gags, but it also knows when to get serious. That’s what makes Gintoki, Kagura, and Shinpachi’s story so special. While it mostly aims to make you laugh, it also throws in surprisingly well-written, intense battles and character development – it’s one of the most exciting action-packed anime I’ve seen.

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2026-04-19 15:40