Naruto: Want to watch every single anime episode and movie in order? Here's how

We've ordered each chapter of Naruto, Naruto Shippuden, and the ten Naruto films for your binging pleasure

Image credit: Crunchyroll

How to by Grant DeArmitt Contributing writer

Additional contributions by Dion Dassanayake

Updated on Jan. 4, 2024

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Over 20 years after its TV debut, the Naruto anime saga remains a pillar of pop-culturedom. Even if you've never seen an episode of either show bearing the name, any trip to a comic convention has put you in proximity of a Naruto cosplayer, Naruto merchandise, or at the very least, Naruto's iconic headband. But say cultural osmosis isn't good enough for you - maybe 2024 is the year you decide you want more than to laugh at someone running with their hands way up behind their backs.

If so, we've got you covered. Welcome to Popverse's Naruto watch order.

We're going to take you through every one of Naruto's animated adventures, not just on the small screen, but the cinematic ones too. Before we do any of that, however, there's an important question we've got to answer for you.

What's the difference between Naruto and Naruto: Shippuden?

Naruto ran from 2002-2007, while Shippuden ran from 2007-2017. Like the series respective airings, the difference between the two shows is a matter of time - Naruto follows the main characters as children, Shippuden follows them as young adults.

With the timeline cleared up, we can go ahead and talk about...

How to watch Naruto in chronological order

Artwork showing different Naruto characters which celebrates the anime's 20th anniversary. — Image credit: Bandai Namco / Shueisha

With hundreds of hours of ninja-fightin', energy-blastin', katana-duelin' fun packed into both series, the best way to not miss out on any of the action is by organizing your binge by order of episodes. Call us biased, but the way we recommend doing that is in chronological order, in other words, tracking the Naruto universe by its historical events. You can do that with this order:

How to watch Naruto in release order

Image from the Naruto anime showing the main character charging up an attack. — Image credit: Crunchyroll, Pierrot

Be warned if you're embarking on this path: During its original run in Japan, some of the Naruto movies were released slightly out of sync with the events of the series. Because of that, the events taking place in the movies could be happening at a later or earlier point in the timeline than what the anime had got up to.

Still, if you wanted to have an experience with Naruto like the fans that were keeping up with it as it was airing, you can do so in this order:

How many Naruto episodes are there?

Just so you don't have to go through these lists and count them yourself (unless you're into that. In that case, go nuts!), there are 220 episodes of the original Naruto series and exactly 500 episodes of Shippuden, for a total of 720 Naruto episodes, plus ten films.

Better get watching.

Did Naruto stop airing?

Technically, the answer to this question is yes. Naruto stopped airing in 2007, and Naruto Shippuden stopped airing in 2017. As of now, there are no shows focused the titular ninja currently regularly producing new episodes. But does that mean Naruto isn't on TV at all?

Nope.

Boruto: Naruto Next Generations is a sequel/spinoff of the two Naruto shows, focused on another character but still featuring anime's most popular ninja, aged even older than he was in Shippuden.

We'll do a full Boruto watch order some time in the future, but for now, the best way to watch the continuation of Naruto's world is to start with Boruto: Naruto Next Generations episode one, which aired in 2017, and watch the others in their order of release.

Is Naruto coming back?

Yes! It was announced that, as part of the Naruto 20th anniversary celebrations, four brand new episodes would be released in September 2023. Unfortunately, those episodes have been pushed back to "further raise its quality," according to an announcement on the official Naruto website, with no further release date given.

Where can I watch Naruto?

Naruto, Naruto Shippuden and Boruto: Naruto Next Generations can all be watched on Crunchyroll, where the first seasons of all three shows can also be watched entirely for free.

Simply head to the Naruto Crunchyroll page, Naruto Shippuden Crunchyroll page or Boruto Next Generations Crunchyroll page and choose the first season. Then, click on the episode you want to watch. These episodes are available to watch for free with ads.

To watch every single Naruto episode you'll have to sign-up to a Crunchyroll Premium plan, which is available from $7.99 a month.

For more Naruto content find out what was said during the Naruto panel at the C2E2 2023. Or, for help getting into other popular animes visit our guides on the Demon Slayer watch order, Dragon Ball watch order, One Piece watch order and Sailor Moon watch order. And if you want to tune into one of the biggest anime releases of 2023 read up on everything we know about Demon Slayer season 3.