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The simplest first-watch order is: watch Naruto episodes 1–220, then Naruto: Shippuden episodes 1–493, watch The Last: Naruto the Movie, and finish Shippuden episodes 494–500. The other films are optional side stories. If you continue into the next generation, watch Boruto episodes 1–50, then choose either Boruto: Naruto the Movie or the expanded television version in episodes 51–66.
This guide uses episode numbers rather than streaming-service season labels, lists all 11 theatrical films, explains their approximate spoiler-safe positions, and gives both a complete route and a filler-skipping route. The official Naruto anime hub treats Naruto, Naruto: Shippuden, and Boruto: Naruto Next Generations as separate series.
How many Naruto episodes and movies are there?
The original Naruto anime has 220 episodes. Naruto: Shippuden has 500, bringing Naruto’s two main television series to 720 episodes—the figure used in the official Naruto site’s 72 Series promotion. The completed first part of Boruto: Naruto Next Generations ends at episode 293, according to the official episode listing.
There are 11 theatrical feature films:
- Three released during the original Naruto series.
- Seven released under the Naruto: Shippuden name.
- One Boruto film.
There are also OVAs, Jump Festa shorts, anniversary animations, and promotional specials. They are not required for the television storyline, so they are listed separately near the end rather than mixed into the main order.
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The best first-watch order, including every movie
The placements below are practical, spoiler-safe viewing points, not official episode-to-film coordinates. Most of the movies were designed as self-contained theatrical adventures made on a different production schedule from the television anime. As a result, some films cannot fit the timeline perfectly because of character availability, abilities, relationships, or major events.
For a first viewing, use the order below. If you do not care about the optional films, simply continue with the episode ranges and watch The Last at its indicated point.
| Order | What to watch | Why this position works |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Naruto, episodes 1–101 | Introduces Team 7 and establishes the early world and character relationships. |
| 2 | Naruto the Movie: Ninja Clash in the Land of Snow | A safe early placement for the first Team 7 film. Optional anime-original adventure. |
| 3 | Naruto, episodes 102–160 | Continue the original series. |
| 4 | Naruto the Movie 2: Legend of the Stone of Gelel | A commonly used safe point. Exact placement varies among guides. |
| 5 | Naruto, episodes 161–196 | Continue the original series. |
| 6 | Naruto the Movie 3: Guardians of the Crescent Moon Kingdom | Late in the original series, when its character lineup and abilities are less likely to feel premature. |
| 7 | Naruto, episodes 197–220 | Finish the original anime. Episode 220 provides an important transition into Naruto’s training journey. |
| 8 | Naruto: Shippuden, episodes 1–32 | Establishes the early Shippuden cast and status quo. |
| 9 | Naruto Shippuden the Movie | Optional side story; this placement avoids early Shippuden spoilers. |
| 10 | Shippuden, episodes 33–71 | Continue the early Shippuden arcs. |
| 11 | Naruto Shippuden the Movie: Bonds | Practical placement after episode 71. |
| 12 | Shippuden, episodes 72–126 | Continue the main series. |
| 13 | Naruto Shippuden the Movie: The Will of Fire | A safe late-enough point. Some guides place it after episode 121 or 143 instead. |
| 14 | Shippuden, episodes 127–143 | Continue the main series. |
| 15 | Naruto Shippuden the Movie: The Lost Tower | Its time-travel premise makes exact chronology impossible; after episode 143 is a practical spoiler threshold. |
| 16 | Shippuden, episodes 144–196 | Continue the main series. |
| 17 | Naruto Shippuden the Movie: Blood Prison | Use the later placement to avoid revealing character abilities or developments too early. |
| 18 | Shippuden, episodes 197–251 | Continue through the lead-in to the Fourth Shinobi World War. |
| 19 | Road to Ninja: Naruto the Movie | An alternate-universe story. After episode 251 is a commonly used safe position, but it is not a literal main-timeline chapter. |
| 20 | Shippuden, episodes 252–493 | Finish the war and final-battle material. |
| 21 | The Last: Naruto the Movie | Watch after episode 493 and before episodes 494–500. It functions as Naruto’s post-war epilogue. |
| 22 | Shippuden, episodes 494–500 | Finish the wedding-period epilogue material. |
| 23 | Boruto: Naruto Next Generations, episodes 1–50 | Introduces Boruto’s generation before the Chūnin Exams story. |
| 24 | Boruto: Naruto the Movie or Boruto, episodes 51–66 | Choose one for a first viewing. The television arc retells and expands the film’s central story. |
| 25 | Boruto, episodes 67–293 | Continue the television anime if you want the rest of Part One. |
These positions broadly follow the practical sequence used by consolidated watch-order coverage such as GamesRadar’s Naruto guide, while allowing for the fact that other guides move several films by a few episodes.
What is essential, and what can be skipped?
| Film | Recommendation | Reason |
|---|---|---|
| The Last: Naruto the Movie | Essential for a complete Naruto story | It is the post-war epilogue and the one film most directly integrated with the central story. VIZ describes it as the final chapter of Naruto’s story, and the Japanese Film Database credits Masashi Kishimoto with the original story and character design. |
| Boruto: Naruto the Movie | Optional but significant for the next generation | Kishimoto is credited with the original story and screenplay, but the film’s events were later adapted and expanded in the Boruto manga and television anime. |
| The other nine films | Optional | They are best approached as anime-original side adventures. They are not needed to follow the manga-derived main plot. |
Calling a film “optional” does not mean it is bad or unimportant to every viewer. It means that skipping it will not leave a necessary gap in the main television storyline. Likewise, Kishimoto’s involvement does not automatically make a film identical to manga continuity; the franchise has several overlapping formats and occasional continuity tensions.
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The three original Naruto films
| Film | Japanese theatrical release | Safe viewing point | Continuity guidance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Naruto the Movie: Ninja Clash in the Land of Snow | August 21, 2004 | After Naruto episode 101 | Optional anime-original side story. It is a gentle first film because it uses the early Team 7 lineup. |
| Naruto the Movie 2: Legend of the Stone of Gelel | August 6, 2005 | After Naruto episode 160 | Optional anime-original side story. Some guides place it earlier, but the later slot is safer for abilities and character dynamics. |
| Naruto the Movie 3: Guardians of the Crescent Moon Kingdom | August 5, 2006 | After Naruto episode 196 | Optional anime-original side story. It can also be postponed until after episode 220 without harming the main story. |
VIZ’s Naruto movie catalog is the useful reference for the English titles and official availability links.
The seven Shippuden films
| Film | Japanese theatrical release | Safe viewing point | Continuity guidance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Naruto Shippuden the Movie | August 4, 2007 | After episode 32 | Optional side story. |
| Naruto Shippuden the Movie: Bonds | August 2, 2008 | After episode 71 | Optional side story. |
| Naruto Shippuden the Movie: The Will of Fire | August 1, 2009 | After episode 126 | Optional side story. Guides also use episode 121 or 143, which illustrates why this is a spoiler-management slot rather than an exact canonical insertion. |
| Naruto Shippuden the Movie: The Lost Tower | July 31, 2010 | After episode 143 | Optional side story with a time-travel premise; strict chronology is not possible. |
| Naruto Shippuden the Movie: Blood Prison | July 30, 2011 | After episode 196 | Optional side story. |
| Road to Ninja: Naruto the Movie | July 28, 2012 | After episode 251, or later on a release-order rewatch | Alternate-universe story. Kishimoto contributed story and character ideas, but it should not be treated as a straightforward main-timeline chapter. |
| The Last: Naruto the Movie | December 6, 2014 | After episode 493 and before episodes 494–500 | Essential epilogue for a complete Naruto viewing experience. |
See VIZ’s Shippuden movie catalog for the official English listings. The Japanese Film Database entry for The Last records Kishimoto’s original-story and character-design credit.
The Boruto film
| Film | Japanese theatrical release | Safe viewing point | Continuity guidance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Boruto: Naruto the Movie | August 7, 2015 | After Shippuden episode 500, or after Boruto episodes 1–50 and before episodes 51–66 | Creator-written bridge story that was later retold and expanded in the Boruto manga and television anime. Choose the film or the TV arc for a first pass. |
The Japanese Film Database credits Kishimoto with the original story and screenplay. VIZ lists the film as a separate 95-minute movie on its official title page.
Naruto filler: what to skip and what not to skip
Filler means material created for the anime rather than directly adapted from the original manga. It does not mean “bad.” Some anime-original episodes provide comedy, character time, or world-building that a viewer may enjoy. Peacock’s explanation of Naruto filler makes the same important distinction.
Classification is not perfectly standardized. Different guides disagree about recap episodes, mixed episodes, anime-original material, and novel adaptations. The safest policy is:
- Watch manga-derived and mixed episodes.
- Skip only episodes identified as pure filler by the guide you are using.
- Optional means anime-original material that may be worthwhile if you want the fuller television experience.
The official Naruto site numbers and summarizes episodes but does not publish one universal manga-canon/filler taxonomy. The ranges below follow a commonly used current filler reference; check the linked Naruto and Shippuden guides if you want episode-by-episode classifications.
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Original Naruto: pure-filler ranges commonly skipped
| Episodes | Recommendation | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 26, second half | Skip | Recap material. The first part of episode 26 is treated differently by some guides. |
| 97 | Skip | Standalone anime-original mission. |
| 101–106 | Optional or skip | Mostly anime-original material. Episode 101 is a popular comedy episode, but it is not needed for the main plot. |
| 136–140 | Skip | Beginning of the long post-manga anime-original run. |
| 143–219 | Skip or optional | Predominantly anime-original missions and arcs. Some viewers enjoy them for supporting-character material. |
A compact main-story route is Naruto episodes 1–135, then episode 220. Do not skip episode 220 automatically: its ending is the emotional handoff to Naruto’s training and the sequel series. If you want every manga-derived or mixed moment rather than the shortest route, consult the episode-by-episode classifications instead of treating the entire late run as worthless.
Shippuden: commonly skipped pure-filler ranges
The following is a practical skip list, not a claim that every guide classifies every episode identically. If your chosen guide marks an episode as mixed, watch it.
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One free scan finds every outdated or missing driver and matches the right update for your exact hardware.Free scan · exact hardware match| Episodes | Broad material | Recommendation |
|---|---|---|
| 57–71 | Twelve Guardian Ninja material | Skip on a manga-focused route; optional on a complete anime route. |
| 91–112 | Three-Tails-related anime-original material | Skip or watch as an optional side arc. |
| 144–151 | Six-Tails-related anime-original material | Skip on a main-story route. |
| 170–171 | Standalone side stories | Skip or watch optionally. |
| 176–196 | Past Arc: The Locus of Konoha | Skip on a fast route; it contains character-focused and retrospective material. |
| 223–242 | Ship-based anime-original missions | Skip on a main-story route. |
| 257–260 | Recap and retrospective material | Skip if you do not need a refresher. |
| 271 | Standalone episode | Skip or watch optionally. |
| 279–281 | War-period side stories | Skip on a manga-focused route. |
| 284–295 | War-period anime-original material | Skip or watch optionally; verify mixed classifications in your guide. |
| 303–320 | War-period side stories | Skip on a fast route. |
| 347–361 | Kakashi’s ANBU backstory arc | Optional. It is not required for the main plot, but many viewers value its character material. |
| 376–377 | Standalone war-era material | Skip or watch optionally. |
| 388–390 | Side-story material | Skip on a main-story route. |
| 394–413 | Anime-original Chūnin Exams arc | Skip or watch optionally. |
| 416–417 | Side-story material | Skip or watch optionally. |
| 422–423 | Side-story material | Skip or watch optionally. |
| 427–450 | Infinite Tsukuyomi dream stories and the Jiraiya Shinobi Handbook material | Skip on a main-story route. |
| 464–469 | Expanded ancient-history material | Classification varies; check whether your guide marks individual episodes mixed or anime-original. |
| 480–483 | Childhood-focused short stories | Skip on a fast route. |
A practical Shippuden main-story route
If you want to avoid the ranges above while retaining the episodes generally treated as manga-derived or mixed, watch:
1–56, 72–90, 113–143, 152–169, 172–175, 197–222, 243–256, 261–270, 272–278, 282–283, 296–302, 321–346, 362–375, 378–387, 391–393, 414–415, 418–421, 424–426, 451–463, 470–479, and 484–500.
For the complete story order, break the final range at episode 493: watch Shippuden 484–493, then The Last, then episodes 494–500. This route is shorter, but it is not necessarily the best route for someone who enjoys side characters, comedy, or anime-original world-building. Filler percentages also depend on classification method; one current guide estimates roughly 41% filler for both Naruto and Shippuden, but that number changes when mixed, recap, and anime-canon episodes are counted differently.
Boruto: should you watch the movie or the anime arc?
This is the point where many watch-order lists create unnecessary duplication.
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If you only want to finish Naruto’s story
Stop after Shippuden episode 500. You do not need Boruto to complete Naruto’s original story. If you want Naruto’s post-war epilogue before stopping, place The Last between episodes 493 and 494.
If you want the next-generation story but prefer a movie
- Finish Shippuden episodes 1–500.
- Watch Boruto: Naruto the Movie.
This gives you a compact introduction to the Chūnin Exams and Momoshiki conflict, although it begins the next-generation story rather than closing Naruto’s own arc.
If you want the more expansive version
- Finish Shippuden episodes 1–500.
- Watch Boruto episodes 1–50.
- Continue with Boruto episodes 51–66.
Episodes 51–66 retell and expand the film’s central story. They add television setup and character material, so this is usually the better first-watch choice if you intend to continue through Boruto.
If you want to compare both adaptations
- Watch Boruto episodes 1–50.
- Watch Boruto: Naruto the Movie.
- Watch episodes 51–66.
Do this only if you are interested in comparing adaptations. The movie and TV arc are not two unrelated chronological events; they are overlapping versions of the same broad story.
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The official episode 66 listing identifies the end of this Chūnin Exams-era material. The television anime’s first part ends at episode 293, but that does not mean every later Boruto manga development has an aired anime adaptation.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Release order versus practical first-watch order
Release order means watching the episodes as they originally aired and inserting films around their theatrical release windows. It is a good choice for a rewatch or for viewers who want to experience the franchise as longtime audiences did.
Practical story order moves each movie to a point where its cast, powers, and references are less likely to spoil the television series. That is the better choice for a first-time viewer.
Neither should be presented as an official exact chronological order. Films such as The Lost Tower and Road to Ninja make literal chronology especially unhelpful, while the other anime-original films often contain details that do not align neatly with the manga-derived timeline. Use terms such as safe viewing point and approximate placement, not official exact insertion point.
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These are outside the main order and are not required to understand the three television anime or the feature films. Scope matters: a truly complete animated-media list would include many shorts beyond the 11 theatrical movies.
Early Naruto specials
- Find the Four-Leaf Red Clover!
- Mission: Protect the Waterfall Village!
- Hidden Leaf Village Grand Sports Festival!
- Finally a Clash! Jōnin vs. Genin!!
Shippuden-era and promotional shorts
- Naruto Shippuden: Shippu! Konoha Gakuen Den!
- Naruto: The Cross Roads
- Naruto x UT
- Naruto, the Genie, and the Three Wishes, Believe It!
- Chūnin Exam on Fire! Naruto vs. Konohamaru!
- The Day Naruto Became Hokage
Later retrospective material
- Road of Naruto
- Other anniversary and promotional shorts.
Watch these whenever you want after becoming familiar with the relevant characters. Do not interrupt the main episode order to chase every promotional animation unless your goal is franchise completion rather than story comprehension.
Where to watch Naruto legally
Availability changes by country, subscription tier, language track, and licensing period. A service that carries the television series may not carry all 11 films, and dubbed and subtitled versions may not be offered in the same place.
For viewers in the United States, use the live title pages rather than relying on a permanent platform list:
- VIZ’s Naruto catalog provides official viewing, purchase, and physical-media links where available.
- The official Naruto anime hub provides series information and region-dependent service links.
- Crunchyroll’s Naruto page is a current official series listing; check its audio and subtitle options for your account and region.
- Use JustWatch’s U.S. Naruto listing and its Boruto listing for a live availability snapshot.
Do not assume that Netflix, Hulu, Crunchyroll, Prime Video, or an ad-supported service has the same catalog in every country. Also do not use a platform’s “season” number as an episode reference: services divide long anime into different seasons, collections, or parts. Episode numbers in this guide are the reliable universal reference.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I skip all the Naruto movies?
You can skip the nine anime-original side-story films without losing the main manga-derived plot. Do not casually skip The Last: Naruto the Movie if you want the complete Naruto story; it is the post-war epilogue. Boruto: Naruto the Movie is optional if you plan to watch the corresponding Boruto television arc.
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Is The Last: Naruto the Movie canon?
The word canon is used inconsistently by Naruto fans. The safer description is that The Last is the essential, creator-supervised epilogue: Masashi Kishimoto is credited with the original story and character design, and VIZ presents it as the final chapter of Naruto’s story. Watch it after Shippuden episode 493 and before episodes 494–500.
Is Boruto: Naruto the Movie repeated in the anime?
Yes. Boruto episodes 51–66 retell and expand the movie’s Chūnin Exams and Momoshiki story. For a first viewing, choose the film for a shorter version or episodes 1–50 followed by 51–66 for the more expansive television adaptation.
Should I watch The Last before or after Shippuden episode 500?
Watch it after episode 493 and before episodes 494–500. That is the safest spoiler-free placement because the film is a post-war epilogue and the final episodes cover the wedding-period material.
Can I skip all filler in Naruto?
You can skip episodes classified as pure filler, but do not blindly skip mixed episodes because they combine manga-derived and anime-original material. In the original series, watch episode 220 even if you skip the long late filler run; its ending transitions into Naruto’s training journey.
Is Naruto episode 220 important?
Yes, especially for a shortened viewing route. Although much of the original series’ late run is anime-original, episode 220 provides the departure and transition into the time-skip-era story. Watch it before beginning Shippuden.
Do I need to watch Boruto to finish Naruto’s story?
No. Naruto’s original story concludes with Shippuden episodes 494–500, with The Last placed before them. Boruto is the optional next-generation continuation.
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Are the Naruto films in exact chronological order?
No. The episode placements in watch guides are practical spoiler-safe slots. Most films were self-contained theatrical stories produced separately from the television timeline, and some contain contradictions involving powers, character availability, or major events.
Why do Netflix and Crunchyroll show different Naruto season numbers?
Streaming services divide long series into their own seasons, collections, or parts. Those labels are not standardized. Use the episode numbers—1–220 for Naruto and 1–500 for Shippuden—when following a watch order.
Are the OVAs and specials required?
No. OVAs, Jump Festa shorts, anniversary animations, and promotional specials are supplemental. Watch them after the relevant series or whenever you want; they are not necessary to understand the main television story or the 11 feature films.
Should I watch the Boruto movie or the television version of the Momoshiki story?
Choose the movie for a shorter standalone experience. Choose Boruto episodes 1–50 and 51–66 for the expanded version with more setup and character material. Watch both only if you want to compare adaptations.
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Dub availability depends on country, service, title, and licensing date. Start with VIZ’s official catalogs, the official Naruto anime hub, and the relevant streaming title page. Check the audio selector before subscribing because a service may offer Japanese audio and subtitles without the English dub, or may carry the series but not the films.
The Bottom Line
For the cleanest first viewing: watch Naruto 1–220, Shippuden 1–493, The Last: Naruto the Movie, and Shippuden 494–500. Add the other films only at the approximate spoiler-safe points in the table. For Boruto, choose between the film and the expanded TV retelling in episodes 51–66 rather than assuming both are required.
Quick Recap
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