Guide to Watching Naruto in Chronological Order in 2023 (Episodes, Films & OVAs)
Naruto is one of the most renowned anime series in the entire world; it’s so beloved that nearly everyone suggests it as an initial choice for new anime enthusiasts. It’s well-liked and one of the finest anime programs out there, unquestionably, but it’s also rather lengthy, which is why I have crafted this Naruto watch sequence guide to assist you in comprehending the series better!
The complete series of Naruto ran for a stunning 720 episodes, and then there were films, specials, and OVAs for die-hard fans.
Due to the tremendous number of episodes, the series was able to concentrate on multiple characters and their development throughout the events of the series and not only the main character; in addition, it allowed the show to explore various storylines in great detail and not skimp on crucial plot points.
However, due to the copious number of episodes, it also had a ton of filler episodes that essentially added no value to the main storyline!
That’s one of the reasons why I chose to create this guide and inform you precisely how to watch Naruto in sequence. It’s one of the lengthiest and highest-grossing shonen anime series out there, and if you’ve got the time and dedication to view the show, it’s absolutely worth it!
And I can assure you that once you endure a few of the earlier story arcs in the series, you will be hooked, and you’ll want to know what happens next!
How to Watch Naruto In Order?
The complete show is divided into two parts containing multiple story arcs. The first part is entitled Naruto, comprising 220 episodes, while the second part is entitled Naruto Shippuden and has 500 episodes in total.
And then there’s the Boruto series as well, but that’s not really important right now.
So, what’s the optimal order to watch the Naruto series? Let’s examine!
1. Release Order
- Naruto (2002-07)
- Naruto: Shippuden (2007-17)
- Boruto: Naruto Next Generations (2017)
2. Naruto Movies In Order
- Naruto Movie 1: Ninja Clash in the Land of Snow (2004)
- Naruto Movie 2: Legend of the Stone of Gelel (2005)
- Naruto Movie 3: Guardians of the Crescent Moon Kingdom (2006)
- Naruto Shippuden Movie 1 (2007)
- Naruto Shippuden Movie 2: Bonds (2008)
- Naruto Shippuden Movie 3: The Will of Fire (2009)
- Naruto Shippuden Movie 4: The Lost Tower (2010)
- Naruto Shippuden Movie 5: Blood Prison (2011)
- Naruto Shippuden Movie 6: Road to Ninja (2012)
- The Last: Naruto the Movie (2014)
- Boruto: Naruto the Movie (2015)
3. Naruto Specials
- Naruto: Find the Crimson Four-leaf Clover! (2003)
- Naruto: The Lost Story – Mission: Protect the Waterfall Village (2003)
- Hidden Leaf Village Grand Sports Festival (2004)
- Naruto: The Cross Roads (2009)
- Naruto: Shippuden – Sunny Side Battle (2013)
- Boruto: Naruto the Movie – The Day Naruto Became the Hokage (2016)
- Boruto: Jump Festa 2016 Special (2016)
4. OVAs
- Naruto Narutimate Hero 3: Tsuini Gekitotsu! Jounin vs. Genin!! Musabetsu Dairansen Taikai Kaisai!! (2005)
- Naruto x UT (2011)
5. Spin-Offs
- NARUTO Spin-Off: Rock Lee & His Ninja Pals (2012)
These are all the episodes, movies, specials, OVAs, and spin-offs that comprise the entire Naruto series. If you want to watch them as is, you can go ahead without wasting a moment.
I personally recommend you to watch the main storyline, which is Naruto, followed by Naruto Shippuden. Then, you can take your time watching the movies or specials because they don’t contribute anything significant to the main story.
However, if you want to go the hard way and watch the Naruto series in chronological order, I’ve got you covered there as well. Check out the below section, and you can go through the series according to the chronology of events taking place.
How to Watch the Naruto Series in Chronological Order?
The number of episodes you’ll have to watch is insane, but it’s pretty straightforward with no confusing story arcs. Once you start watching the show, you’ll be hooked because the author introduces plot points that will intrigue you, and you’ll want to watch more to discover what happens next. And ultimately, you’ll want to know how the story ends.
So, if you want to watch every title – movies, specials, and spin-offs included – in the franchise, here’s the ultimate Naruto watch order guide for you!
Naruto (2002-2007)
- Episodes 1-5
- Find the Four-Leaf Red Clover! (OVA)
- Episodes 6-19
- Naruto: The Cross Roads (OVA)
- Episodes 20-101
- Mission: Protect the Waterfall Village! (OVA)
- Naruto the Movie: Ninja Clash in the Land of Snow (Movie)
- Episodes 102-160
- Naruto the Movie: The Legend of the Stone of Gelel (Movie)
- Episodes 161-196
- Naruto the Movie: Guardians of the Crescent Moon Kingdom (Movie)
- Episodes 197-220
Naruto Shippuden (2007-2017)
- Episodes 1-32
- Naruto Shippuden the Movie (Movie)
- Episodes 32-71
- Naruto Shippuden the Movie: Bonds (Movie)
- Episodes 72-126
- Naruto Shippuden the Movie: The Will of Fire (Movie)
- Episodes 127-143
- Naruto Shippuden the Movie: The Lost Tower (Movie)
- Episodes 144-196
- Naruto the Movie: Blood Prison (Movie)
- Episodes 197-219
- Chunin Exam on Fire! Naruto vs. Konohamaru! (OVA)
- Episode 220-251
- Road to Ninja: Naruto the Movie (Movie)
- Sunny Side Battle (OVA)
- Ninja Escapades (OVA)
- Episodes 252-493
- The Last: Naruto the Movie (Movie)
- Episodes 494-500
- The Day Naruto Became Hokage (OVA)
- Boruto: Naruto the Movie (Movie)
Naruto Watch Order: Should You Watch the OVAs and Specials?
There are several OVAs and Specials released while the show was on air, but these OVAs feature side stories. They don’t feature anything from the main storyline, but at times, their events have a certain impact on the main story, so it’s a good idea to watch them.
However, if you aren’t interested in watching any OVAs or Specials, that’s okay, too, because you won’t miss anything in the main story.
The only OVA I would recommend you to watch is The Day Naruto Became the Hokage (2016) because this is the moment we all have been waiting for. As much as I hate what happened to Naruto Uzumaki on the most important day of his life in this OVA, and I hate the author for doing that, I do recommend you to watch and form your own opinions on it!
Naruto Filler Episodes – Should You Watch Them?
One of the biggest issues of a long-running anime show is that it’s littered with filler episodes. These episodes feature a story that has nothing to do with the main story, and they often are released while crucial events are taking place in the anime.
This happens when the events in anime catch up to the events in the manga, so the anime starts releasing filler episodes to allow the manga to go ahead in the story.
So, if you were watching the show while it was airing, you had no choice but to watch the filler episodes, but that’s not the case right now.
The Naruto series has concluded, and you can completely ignore the filler episodes and binge-watch the canon episodes without breaking the flow of the main storyline!
As part of the Naruto watch order guide, I have listed all the filler episodes in both the parts that you can skip without remorse:
Naruto (2002) – Episodes 26, 97, 99, 101-106, 136-219
Naruto Shippuden (2007) – Episodes 57-71, 90-112, 144-151, 170-171, 176-196, 223-242, 257-260, 271, 279-281, 284-295, 303-320, 347-361, 376-377, 389-390, 394-413, 416, 422-423, 427-450, 464-469, 480-483
What’s Next?
Once you finish all the 720 episodes and all the Naruto movies, you will feel either satisfied with the epic journey and the incredible adventure you just witnessed, or you will crave more action in the world of shinobis!
If it’s the latter and you want to watch more of the world of ninjas, you can start watching Boruto: Naruto Next Generations, which focuses on the next generation of ninjas, i.e., the children of the cast of the Naruto series.
Of course, you won’t see Naruto much in this particular show, but he makes several appearances in significant events.
I personally prefer reading the Boruto manga over watching the anime because the story in the manga is pretty straightforward. Obviously, it’s not as good as Naruto manga, but it’s still better than what’s shown in the anime. I actually dropped the anime after watching several of the earlier episodes.
You can try watching the Boruto anime and see if you enjoy it.
In conclusion, I hope you liked this article on how to watch Naruto in sequence. If you did like it, share this Naruto watch order guide with your friends so they know how to watch this long-running anime series in the best way possible!
Also Read: How to Watch Demon Slayer in Order?
