Naruto is undoubtedly a magnum opus anime series that everyone should watch at least once in their life. So, if you are planning to binge-watch the Naruto series and want to know how to watch Naruto in the correct order or watch Naruto in order without fillers, we have you covered. We list every Naruto arc, including Naruto Shippuden, in the correct order.
Editor’s Note: updated on June 15, 2024 to convert the arcs into a list format and improve the readability
How to Watch Naruto and Naruto Shippuden in Order
To help you watch Naruto in the correct order, we have split this guide into two separate sections – Naruto (2002–2007) and Naruto Shippuden (2007–2017). We have arranged all the canon Naruto arcs in chronological order to make it easier for newbies to explore the ninja ways.
Anything apart from canon story arcs, including extras such as fillers, movies, and more are not mentioned in this guide. However, if you want to watch any entertaining filler episodes or movies, we suggest going through our in-depth guides, including the Naruto filler list, Naruto Shippuden filler list, and Naruto Movies in order.
Naruto Arcs in Order (2002–2007)
First, you start with the classic Naruto anime, which began streaming in 2002 and continued until 2007. Here is the watch order for the Naruto anime, including all its seasons:
- Land of Waves Arc (anime episodes: 1–19 & manga chapters: 1–33)
- Chūnin Exams Arc (anime episodes: 20–67 & manga chapters: 34–115)
- Konoha Crush Arc (anime episodes: 68–80 & manga chapters: 116–138)
- Search for Tsunade Arc (anime episodes: 81–100 & manga chapters: 139–171)
- Sasuke Recovery Mission Arc (anime episodes: 107–135 & manga chapters: 172–238)
Furthermore, even though the final episode is considered a filler, watch the final moments of this episode to gear up for the Naruto Shippuden anime.
Naruto Shippuden Arcs in Order (2007-2017)
Much like the original series, we have summarized all the Naruto Shippuden arcs below to bring you the correct watch order to complete the series:
- Kazekage Rescue Mission Arc (anime episodes: 1-32 & manga chapters: 245-281)
- Tenchi Bridge Reconnaissance Mission Arc (anime episodes: 33-56 & manga chapters: 282-310)
- Akatsuki Suppression Mission (anime episodes: 72-89 & manga chapters: 311-342)
- Itachi Pursuit Mission Arc Part One (anime episodes:113-118 & manga chapters: 343-367)
- Kakashi Gaiden Arc (anime episodes: 119-120 & manga chapters: 239-244)
- Itachi Pursuit Mission Arc Part Two (anime episodes: 121-126 & manga chapters: 343-367)
- Tale of Jiraiya the Gallant Arc (anime episodes: 127-133 & manga chapters: 368-383)
- Fated Battle Between Brothers Arc (anime episodes:134-143 & manga chapters: 384-412)
- Pain’s Assault Arc Part One (anime episodes: 152-169 & manga chapters: 413-453)
- Pain’s Assault Arc Part Two (anime episodes: 172-175 & manga chapters: 413-453)
- Five Kage Summit Arc (anime episodes: 197-214 & manga chapters: 454-483)
- Fourth Shinobi World War: Countdown Arc Part One (anime episodes: 215-222 & manga chapters: 484-515)
- Fourth Shinobi World War: Countdown Arc Part Two 243-256 (anime episodes) & 484-515 (manga chapters)
- Fourth Shinobi World War: Confrontation Part One 261-270 (anime episodes) & 516-559 (manga chapters)
- Fourth Shinobi World War: Confrontation Part Two (anime episodes: 272-278 & manga chapters: 516-559)
- Killer Bee (anime episodes: 282-283 & manga chapters: 540-544)
- Fourth Shinobi World War: Confrontation Part Three (anime episodes: 296-302 & (manga chapters: 516-559)
- Fourth Shinobi World War: Climax Arc Part One (anime episodes: 321-346 & manga chapters: 560-639)
- Fourth Shinobi World War: Climax Arc Part Two (anime episodes: 362-375 & manga chapters: 560-639)
- Birth of the Ten-Tails’ Jinchūriki Part One (anime episodes: 378-388 & manga chapters: 640-677)
- Birth of the Ten-Tails’ Jinchūriki Part Two (anime episodes: 391-393 & manga chapters: 640-677)
- Birth of the Ten-Tails’ Jinchūriki Part Three (anime episodes: 414-421 & manga chapters: 640-677)
- Birth of the Ten-Tails’ Jinchūriki Part Four (anime episodes: 424-431 & manga chapters: 640-677)
- Itachi Shinden Book: Light and Darkness Arc (anime episodes: 451-458)
- Kaguya Otsutsuki Strikes Arc (anime episodes: 451, 455, 458-468, 470-479 & manga chapters: 678-699)
- Sasuke Shinden: Book of Sunrise Arc (anime episodes: 484-488)
- Shikamaru Hiden: A Cloud Drifting in Silent Darkness Arc (anime episodes: 489-493)
- The Last: Naruto the Movie (manga chapter: Chapter 699.5, Must Watch Canon Movie)
- Konoha Hiden: The Perfect Day for a Wedding Arc (anime episodes: 494-500)
That marks the end of the Naruto & Naruto Shippuden series. If you are so interested in seeing what Naruto’s adult life and family looks like, you can watch the below :
- Boruto: Naruto The Movie (written by Masashi Kishimoto | Must watch canon movie)
- Boruto: Naruto Next Generations (anime episodes: 24, 106 & manga chapter: 700)
We hope this watch order list proves to be the north star, guiding you to make the most out of your Naruto binge-watching experience. Now, you can start streaming Naruto right away and not worry about the number of seasons. You’ll come across the strongest Uzumaki clan members and Uchiha clan members in Naruto. With that, let us know your favorite Naruto characters in the comments below.
You can easily skip all the episodes marked as fillers in our Naruto filler guide. But if you want to watch some entertaining fillers, we have marked them in our dedicated Naruto filler list that we have curated.
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 and has more seasons than the former. Naruto Shippuden is the sequel to Naruto.
No! If you skip the Naruto anime, you won’t be able to understand the characters, their goals, and their backstories, among a host of other things in Shippuden. So, you must watch Naruto and then follow it with Naruto Shippuden 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 how he becomes the Hokage (leader) in the best possible way.
Shashank Shakya
