How To Watch The Naruto Franchise In Order

When it comes to popular anime series, few can hold a candle to "Naruto." Based on Masashi Kishimoto's manga series of the same name, "Naruto" centers on Naruto Uzumaki and his ninja brethren as they defend the Hidden Leaf Village. Similarly to "Dragon Ball Z" and "Sailor Moon," the popularity of "Naruto" in the west has spread beyond niche circles, with the Kumogakure cloud and memorable "Naruto run" becoming easily recognizable pop culture staples beyond anime circles. Since the anime's debut in 2002, "Naruto" has branched out into a full franchise, with multiple series, films, and the spin-off "Boruto: Naruto Next Generations."

Considered one of the big three shonen anime series alongside "One Piece" and "Bleach," it seems essential to watch "Naruto." However, with such an established and utterly massive world of anime (there's hundreds of episodes!), trying to figure out how to consume it all seems like an impossible task. Fortunately, we've done some heavy lifting for you, and have the ultimate guide to watching "Naruto." For ease, we've isolated out the filler/mixed canon episodes in case you want to skip them. For those unaware, filler episodes are exactly what they sound like — any content that cannot be found in the original source material. This includes new scenes, episodes, and sometimes entire story arcs. But don't think this means those episodes are "bad," or anything. They're just simply not mandatory viewing.  

With all that said, grab a bowl of ramen, and get ready to binge watch, because here's how you can watch all of "Naruto" in order, and which filler episodes you can skip, if you want to, of course.

Given its popularity, "Naruto" can be watched in a number of ways. If you're someone that prefers watching the English dub, all of "Naruto" is available on Hulu, Peacock, Tubi, PlutoTV, and Amazon Prime — this means all 220 episodes of the "Naruto" original anime series, all 500 episodes of "Naruto Shippuden" and every episode of "Boruto: Naruto Next Generations," including the new episodes as they release. Keep in mind that not every episode of "Naruto Shippuden" has an English dub available, and the app will automatically shift to Japanese with English subtitles. (For what it's worth, the English dub of the series is pretty fantastic.) 

Hulu does offer the show in its original Japanese with English subtitles, as does the service Crunchyroll. However, if you're looking for the "Naruto" movies, things get a little more complicated. Here's where you can find the movies.

• "Naruto The Movie: Ninja Clash in the Land of Snow" – Available on Netflix and Crunchyroll
• "Naruto The Movie: Legend of the Stone of Gelel" – Available on Netflix and Crunchyroll
• "Naruto The Movie: Guardians of the Crescent Moon Kingdom" – Available on Netflix and Crunchyroll
• "Naruto Shippuden The Movie" – Available on Netflix
• "Naruto Shippuden The Movie: Bonds" – Available on Netflix
• "Naruto Shippuden The Movie: The Will of Fire" – Available on Netflix and Funimation
• "Naruto Shippuden The Movie: The Lost Tower" – Available on Netflix and Funimation
• "Naruto Shippuden The Movie: Blood Prison" – Available on Netflix and Funimation
• "Naruto Shippuden The Movie: Road to Ninja" – Available on Funimation
• "The Last: Naruto the Movie" – Available on Funimation
• "Boruto: Naruto the Movie" – Rent from Vudu, Apple TV+, YouTube, Google Play, or Amazon Prime Video

The original 220 episode run of "Naruto" is pretty easy to follow, but includes three movies and a whopping 90 episodes of filler. Here's your plan of attack.

• "Naruto" episodes 1-101
• Watch "Naruto The Movie: Ninja Clash in the Land of Snow"
• "Naruto" episodes 102-160
• Watch "Naruto The Movie: Legend of the Stone of Gelel"
• "Naruto" episodes 161-196
• Watch "Naruto The Movie: Guardians of the Crescent Moon Kingdom"
• "Naruto" episode 197-220

Mixed canon/filler episodes: 7, 9, 14-16, 18-21, 23-24, 27-30, 37-41, 43-47, 49, 52-60, 63, 66, 69-72, 74, 83, 98, 100, 112-114, 126-127, 130-131, 141-142, 220

Undeniable filler episodes: 26, 97, 101-106, 136-140, 143-219

Now that you have a rough idea about which episodes are considered filler and mixed canon, let us try and understand which filler episodes still emerge as meaningful to the central story. The first three seasons of "Naruto" are mostly filler-free, but the few that are wedged between the canon arcs are largely tongue-in-cheek and serve to characterize those like Kakashi or Tsunade in a more semi-serious light.

As for seasons 4 and 5, arcs like the Third Great Beast and Konoha Plans Recapture Mission flesh out the geopolitics of Konoha in painstaking detail. Meanwhile, the Bikochu Search Mission arc helps us understand Naruto as more than just a silly little kid burdened by the power of the Nine-Tails, as these episodes explore his hidden rage when pushed to the limits. Although none of these arcs directly weave into the primary narrative, they offer interesting enough snippets worth experiencing, allowing tertiary characters to shine and underlining the diverse definitions of what a deadly shinobi might amount to. Moreover, episodes 209-219 — although considered pure filler — help us transition into "Naruto: Shippuden," forming a necessary bridge to a brand new story that feels much more high-stakes and urgent than its predecessor. That being said, it is best to rely on your discretion, as watching every filler episode will only help you garner a holistic appreciation for "Naruto" and its beautiful, nostalgic story arcs.

"Naruto Shippuden" ran for a whopping 500 episodes, with 201 episodes serving as filler. With roughly 40% of the show existing as filler, it sounds like a lot, but this is actually considered to be a moderate amount of filler. Set two-and-a-half years after the Sasuke Uchiha defection, "Naruto Shippuden" picks up where "Naruto" left off. His powers are getting stronger, and now he will stop at nothing to ensure the safety of his village, his friends, and to defeat the evil organization known as the Akatsuki. Seven movies were made over the course of the series, and some of the filler (like the Three-Tails' Appearance arc of episodes 89-112) are definitely worth watching. Here's how to make sure you're on the right track.

• "Naruto Shippuden" episodes 1-23
• Watch "Naruto Shippuden the Movie"
• "Naruto Shippuden" episodes 23-70
• Watch "Naruto Shippuden the Movie: Bonds"
• "Naruto Shippuden" episodes 70 – 121
• Watch "Naruto Shippuden the Movie: Inheritors of the Will of Fire"
• "Naruto Shippuden" episodes 121-169
• Watch "Naruto Shippuden the Movie: The Lost Tower"
• "Naruto Shippuden" episodes 169-221
• Watch "Naruto Shippuden the Movie: Blood Prison"
• "Naruto Shippuden" episodes 221-271
• Watch "Naruto Shippuden the Movie: Road to Ninja"
• "Naruto Shippuden" episodes 271 – 493
• Watch "The Last: Naruto the Movie"
• "Naruto Shippuden" episodes 493 – 500

Mixed canon/filler episodes: 1-19, 24-25, 45, 49-50, 54, 56, 71, 89-90, 112, 115, 127-128, 213, 254, 296, 324, 327-328, 330-331, 338, 346, 362, 385-386, 415, 419, 426, 451-458, 460-462, 469, 471-472, 478-479

Undeniable filler episodes: 57-70, 91-111, 144-151, 170-171, 176-196, 223-242, 257-260, 271, 279-281, 284-295, 303-320, 347-361, 376-377, 388-390, 394-413, 416-417, 422-423, 427-450, 464-468, 480-483

Although this is a massive list of episodes to go through, especially if you're planning to watch "Shippuden" without discriminating between filler and mixed canon, the ending is worth witnessing, as it marks the culmination of a long, momentous journey. The final string of episodes ends with Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura, along with the rest, going on adventures together; it's technically filler territory, but it's best not to skip these concluding arcs anyway, as they allow us to walk down memory lane one last time before the next generation takes over.

Rather than focusing on our titular hero, the continuation of the "Naruto" story follows his similarly named son, Boruto. Just like Naruto's journey, Boruto's arc has been split into two parts: Part 1, "Boruto: Naruto's Next Generations," and Part 2, "Boruto: Two Blue Vortex." Episode 293, the final episode in Part 1, aired on March 26, 2023, while Part 2 is currently under development, as Kishimoto is in the process of penning the manga (whose story takes place after a time skip). Here's the watch order for "Boruto: Next Generations," with the second part yet to be announced:

• "Boruto: Naruto Next Generations" episodes 1-51

• "Boruto: Naruto the Movie"

• "Boruto: Naruto Next Generations" episodes 52-293 (Part 1 completed)

Mixed Canon/Filler Episodes: 1, 18, 24, 59, 93-95, 127, 157, 192, 210-211

Undeniable filler episodes: 16-17, 40-41, 48-50, 67-69, 96-97, 112-119, 138-140, 152-156, 231-232, 256-258

Episode 293, titled "Farewell," features some heavy themes revolving around grief and sacrifice, which underline how dark the sequel series became over time despite starting as a tonally lighter counterpart to "Naruto." The Code Assault Arc comes to a finish, and all hope seems lost for some time until Naruto's (and our) fears are dispelled. Part 1 ends with a determined Boruto, mirroring the best aspects of his father, as he too, must fight against fate and disprove a prophecy that weighs heavy on his shoulders.

As for the latest development in the "Two Blue Vortex" manga series, Chapter 14 has been officially announced for publication in V Jump and is set to be released on September 21, 2024. The anime counterpart of Part 2 will most likely drop after the manga progresses by a significant chunk, leaving us with no choice but to wait patiently for the final stretch of Boruto's journey.