Naruto is one of the most iconic anime series of all time. First airing in 2002, the show had a hugely successful run and spawned multiple sequel series and a variety of films.
The story follows Naruto, an orphan and loner who lives in the Leaf Village and clings to the goal of becoming Hokage. In this world of Ninja, different people specialize in different styles of Jutsu, which provides plenty of character variety and a compelling story that sucks viewers in immediately.
How is Naruto Shippuden connected to Naruto?
Without giving away any spoilers for those who have yet to watch the amazing series, after the successful run of the original Naruto, Naruto Shippuden began airing. The followup show saw familiar characters from the original return to continue their adventure as teenagers and pick the story up right where it left off. To top it off, Shippuden was popular enough to spawn a sequel of its own, expanding the Naruto universe even more.
With a variety of different series and films to dive into, you may be lost on where exactly to begin your Naruto watch party, but don’t worry — we’ve got you covered.
How to watch Naruto and Naruto Shippuden in order
Scattered in amongst multiple branching Naruto series are a full 11 Naruto films, which help expand on characters, subplots, and major turning points. Here is how to go about watching them all in order:
- Naruto Episodes 1 – 101
- Naruto The Movie: Ninja Clash in the Land of Snow
- Naruto Episodes 102 – 160
- Naruto The Movie: The Legend Stone of Gelel
- Naruto Episodes 161 – 196
- Naruto The Movie: Guardians of the Crescent Moon Kingdom
- Naruto Episodes 197 – END
- Naruto Shippuden Episodes 1 – 32
- Naruto Shippuden The Movie
- Naruto Shippuden Episodes 33 – 71
- Naruto Shippuden The Movie: Bonds
- Naruto Shippuden Episode 72 – 126
- Naruto Shippuden The Movie: The Will of Fire
- Naruto Shippuden Episodes 127 – 143
- Naruto Shippuden The Movie: The Lost Tower
- Naruto Shippuden Epsiodes 144 – 196
- Naruto Shippuden The Movie: Blood Prison
- Naruto Shippuden Episodes 197 – 311
- Naruto Shippuden The Movie: Road to Ninja
- Naruto Shippuden Episodes 312 – END
- The Last: Naruto The Movie
- Boruto: Naruto Next Generations
If you’ve still got brainpower left, and that Naruto itch hasn’t quite been scratched even after digging all the way through Naruto and Naruto Shippuden, you can check out Shippuden’s sequel series, Boruto. It can be watched in full, which is a bit of an undertaking, or if you’re just looking for a taste check out the film Boruto: Naruto the Movie.
It isn’t integral to watch Boruto in order to understand Naruto, as it takes place a good time after the original Naruto series. Plus many fans simply don’t like it, and they work hard to completely ignore its existence. That said, it does have its moments, and its certainly not lacking in charm, so there’s nothing wrong with binging through the entire journey.
Audiences also got to see the highly anticipated remaster of key episodes from the original series and Shippuden in 2022, in celebration of Naruto‘s 20th anniversary. Scenes from the original anime were shown in an updated style via a 10-minute play through of Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura’s most important moments. The remaster was very well-received, and left fans feeling emotional and moved. The remaster can be found on YouTube, while Naruto and Boruto can both be streamed on Crunchyroll.
