how to watch naruto anime in order

How to Watch the Naruto Anime in Order (Guide)

Naruto is undoubtedly a magnum opus anime series that everyone should watch at least once in their life. It’s an epic tale of a young boy named Naruto, as he battles his way through life’s challenges in an effort to become the next Hokage (village leader). This anime series is considered to be the epitome of inspiration, motivation, and much more. Moreover, it has helped many people during their darkest times, and as a result, the anime is recommended to everyone by anime fans. Naruto is an extremely popular anime and includes a large number of episodes, specials, and even movies. So, if you are planning to binge-watch the Naruto series and want to know how to watch the anime in the right order, we have you covered. Continue reading to start your ninja journey and learn about all of Naruto’s story arcs.

To help you watch Naruto in the best possible order, we have put together a comprehensive guide. We have arranged all the major canon arcs in chronological order, including Naruto’s filler arcs, movie releases, and even TV specials. So, let’s get right to it:

Note: Anything apart from the canon story, including all the extras such as fillers, movies, and more, are marked as Fillers/ Filler Arcs, Movie, and such in the lists below for your reference.

Naruto (2002-2007) Watching Order

Important Note: We have marked the fillers and movies respectively in the table below. However, if you want to watch any entertaining filler episodes or movies, we suggest going through our dedicated guides, including the Naruto filler list, Naruto Shippuden filler list, and all the Naruto Movies in order. You can use them wisely to elevate your fun time.

First, you have to start with the classic Naruto anime series, which began streaming in 2002 and continued until 2007. Here is the watch order of the original Naruto anime:

Episodes or Arcs TitleEpisode NumbersManga ChaptersCanon/ Filler/ Movie
Land of Waves Arc 1-191-33Canon
Chūnin Exams Arc20-6734-115Canon
Recap of first 25 episodes26Filler
Konoha Crush Arc68-80116-138Canon
Search for Tsunade Arc81-100139-171Canon
Kidnapped! Naruto’s Hot Spring Adventure! 97Filler
Gotta See! Gotta Know! Kakashi-Sensei’s True Face!101Filler
Naruto the Movie: Ninja Clash in the Land of SnowMovie
Land of Tea Escort Mission102-106Filler
Sasuke Recovery Mission Arc107-135172-238Canon
Land of Rice Fields Investigation Mission136-141Filler
Mizuki Tracking Mission142-147Filler
Bikōchū Search Mission148-151Filler
Kurosuki Family Removal Mission152-157Filler
Follow My Lead! The Great Survival Challenge158Filler
Gosunkugi Capture Mission159,160Filler
Naruto the Movie 2: Legend of the Stone of GelelMovie
The Appearance of Strange Visitors161Filler
Cursed Warrior Extermination Mission162-167Filler
Mix it, Stretch it, and Boil it Up! Burn Copper Pot, Burn!168Filler
Kaima Capture Mission169-173Filler
Impossible! Celebrity Ninja Art: Money Style Jutsu! 174Filler
Buried Gold Excavation Mission175,176Filler
Please, Mr. Postman!177Filler
Star Guard Mission178-183Filler
Kiba, Naruto, and Shino One-Off 184-186Filler
Peddlers Escort Mission187-191Filler
Ino, Rock Lee, and Daimyo’s Wife Search Mission One-Off Episodes192-194Filler
Third Great Beast Arc195-196Filler
Naruto the Movie 3: Guardians of the Crescent Moon KingdomMovie
Konoha Plans Recapture Mission197-201Filler
Recap of the Top 5 Ninja Battles202Filler
Yakumo Kurama Rescue Mission203-207Filler
The Weight of the Prized Artefact!208Filler
Gantetsu Escort Mission209-212Filler
Menma Memory Search Mission213-215Filler
Sunagakure Support Mission216-220Filler
Total Episodes220

Naruto Shippuden (2007-2017) Watching Order

As we did for the classic Naruto anime above, we have summarized all of the information about Naruto Shippuden (2007-2017) in a table below. Here is the watch order for Naruto Shippuden:

Episodes or Arcs TitleEpisode NumbersManga Chapter NumbersCanon/Filler/Movie
Kazekage Rescue Mission Arc1-32245-281Canon
Naruto Shippûden: The MovieMovie
Tenchi Bridge Reconnaissance Mission Arc 33-56282-310Canon
Twelve Guardian Ninja Arc57-71Filler
Naruto Shippuden: The Movie – BondsMovie
Akatsuki Suppression Mission72-89311-342Canon
Three-Tails Appearance90-112Filler
Itachi Pursuit Mission Arc Part-1113-118343-367Canon
Kakashi Gaiden Arc119,120239-244Canon
Itachi Pursuit Mission Arc Part-2121-126343-367Canon
Naruto Shippûden: The Movie 3: Inheritors of the Will of Fire Movie
Tale of Jiraiya the Gallant Arc127-133368-383Canon
Fated Battle Between Brothers Arc134-143384-412Canon
Naruto Shippûden: The Lost TowerMovie
Pain’s Assault Arc Part-1152-169413-453Canon
The Quest for the Fourth Hokage’s Legacy170,171Filler
Pain’s Assault Arc Part-2172-175413-453Canon
Past Arc: Locus of Konoha176-196Filler
Naruto Shippuden the Movie: Blood PrisonMovie
Five Kage Summit Arc197-214454-483Canon
Fourth Shinobi World War: Countdown Arc Part-1215-222484-515Canon
Paradise Life on a Boat 223-242Filler
Fourth Shinobi World War: Countdown Arc Part-2243-256484-515Canon
Road to Ninja – Naruto the MovieMovie
Sasuke and Naruto’s Flashbacks257-260Filler
Fourth Shinobi World War: Confrontation Part-1261-270 516-559Canon
Road to Sakura271Filler
Fourth Shinobi World War: Confrontation Part-2272-278516-559Canon
One-off episodes featuring Team Kurenai – Deidara and Konohomaru279-281Filler
Killer Bee Episodes282,283516-559Canon
Various One-Off Filler Episodes284-295Filler
Fourth Shinobi World War: Confrontation Part-3296-302516-559Canon
Various Filler Episodes303-320Filler
Fourth Shinobi World War: Climax Arc Part-1 321-346560-639Canon
Yahiko, Konan, and Nagato Flashback347-348Filler
Kakashi’s Anbu Arc: The Shinobi That Lives in the Darkness 349-361Filler
Fourth Shinobi World War: Climax Arc Part-2362-375560-639Canon
Naruto vs Mecha Naruto 376-377Filler
Birth of the Ten-Tails’ Jinchūriki Part-1378-388640-677Canon
Hinata and Hanabi Childhood389, 390Filler
Birth of the Ten-Tails’ Jinchūriki Part-2391-393640-677Canon
The New Chunin Exams
394-413Filler
Birth of the Ten-Tails’ Jinchūriki Part-3414-421640-677Canon
The Formation of Team Minato416,417Filler
Naruto and Konohomaru422,423Filler
Birth of the Ten-Tails’ Jinchūriki Part-4424-431640-677Canon
The Infinite Tsukuyomi432-450Filler
Itachi Shinden Book: Light and Darkness Arc451-458Based on NovelCanon
Kaguya Otsutsuki Strikes Arc451, 455, 458-468, 470-479678-699Canon
A Special Mission469Filler
Various One-Off Filler Episodes 480-483Filler
Sasuke Shinden: Book of Sunrise Arc484-488Based on NovelCanon
Shikamaru Hiden: A Cloud Drifting in Silent Darkness Arc489-493Based on NovelCanon
The Last: Naruto the Movie Canon Movie
Konoha Hiden: The Perfect Day for a Wedding Arc494-500Based on NovelCanon
Boruto: Naruto The MovieCanon Movie
Boruto Episodes24,106700Canon
Total Episodes502

That wraps up our guide on how to watch Naruto and that too in the right order. We hope this guide proves to be a north star, guiding you to make the most out of your Naruto binge-watching experience. Now, you can start streaming Naruto right away and learn about some of the most powerful ninjas in history. You will also discover the strongest Uzumaki clan members and Uchiha clan members in Naruto, post which we would for you to check our rankings. With that said, do let us know your favorite Naruto character in the comments below.

Frequently Asked Questions

What episodes to skip in Naruto?

You can easily skip all the episodes marked as fillers in our Naruto watching order guide. But if you want to watch some entertaining fillers, we have marked them in the dedicated filler list that we have curated carefully.

Are you supposed to watch Naruto or Naruto Shippuden first?

You should first start by watching Naruto (2002-2007), which focuses on the early childhood of the protagonist, and then watch the Naruto Shippuden (2007-2017) anime series, which focuses on his teen years. Naruto Shippuden is the sequel to Naruto.

Can I skip straight to Naruto Shippuden?

No! If you skip the classic Naruto anime, you won’t be able to understand the characters, their goals, and their backstories, among a host of other things. So, you must watch Naruto and Naruto Shippuden in order to witness the journey of a young ninja boy, as he is met with various struggles, how he gains the respect of the villagers, and becomes the Hokage (leader) in the best possible way.

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