Since the first episode aired in 2002, Naruto has been captivating fans with its intense battles, detailed world-building, and complex story. Naruto and Naruto Shippuden follow the eponymous ninja as he works toward becoming his village’s Hokage and helping his world maintain a fragile peace despite evil forces working to wreak universe-destroying havoc on everyone.
While the main plot is frequently praised as some of the best in any anime, Naruto is also famous for its gratuitous filler, and while filler isn’t synonymous with “bad,” most viewers prefer when the anime sticks to the plot. The fact that Naruto has cemented itself as one of the best anime of all time even with all that filler is nothing short of impressive; when Naruto is good, it’s really good. The show has some truly outstanding arcs to make it worthy of so much praise. Here are 15 of the best from Naruto and Naruto Shippuden.
15. Mecha-Naruto (Naruto Shippuden episodes 376-377)
Starting with a controversial pick, the Mecha-Naruto mini-arc is polarizing among fans. The hate is likely due to poor episode placement; the Mecha-Naruto arc randomly interrupts a pivotal moment in the Fourth Shinobi World War: Climax arc and it’s a huge shift in tone. Fortunately, the Mecha-Naruto arc is great when taken on its own and is a showcase of some of Naruto‘s best comedic writing.
The two episodes don’t take themselves seriously (characters start dropping like flies for the silliest reasons and there are moments parodying Frankenstein) and they’re better for it. Sometimes filler is fun!
14. Power (Naruto Shippuden episodes 290 to 295)
Another filler arc worth watching, the Power arc celebrates a combined 500 episodes of Naruto and Naruto Shippuden and brings us back to right before the Fourth Shinobi War begins. Pacing issues aside — the arc interrupts a big battle in The Fourth Shinobi World War: Confrontation arc — this is an excellent arc.
Power feels more like a standalone film, both in content and quality. While the plot loosely ties in with the main story, it more or less is its own thing. That can be hit or miss for a lot of fans but what really makes this arc stand out is the animation. Fights are beautifully fluid here and special effects are used along with creative color choices to create some of the best-animated sequences in all of Naruto.
13. The Fourth Shinobi World War: Countdown (Naruto Shippuden episodes 215-256)
This arc is the culmination of years of narrative building and it has some of the most hype moments in all of Naruto. Team 7 reunites and that comes with emotional pleas and a fight to rival the one at Valley of the End (who doesn’t love a battle between besties à la Sasuke and Naruto?). There are also some great moments when Naruto grapples with the Nine-Tails and meets his parents, so to speak; both Naruto and the viewers get some appreciated backstory and context about the Nine-Tails attack and his parents.
That being said, there are some lulls. Watching people prepare for war is only exciting for so long and there are just better arcs overall, like…
12. The Fourth Shinobi World War: Confrontation (Naruto Shippuden Episodes 261-289, 296-321)
The Fourth Shinobi World War: Confrontation is when s**t gets real. Familiar faces return to fight alongside newer characters and some of the most exciting battles happen, like the long-awaited Kakashi and Obito face-off.
Seeing Obito, Madara, and Itachi on the same field as our favorite ninja was a big moment for Naruto fans. Like many arcs in the series, this one would be improved if we cut out some of the less important battles and focused on the ones we all wanted to see.
11. Konoha Crush (Naruto episodes 68-80)
The Konoha Crush arc follows Orochimaru as he tries to invade Konoha. Fresh off the excitement of the Chunin Exam arc, we’re treated to another banger of an arc, complete with a revenge plot, betrayal, and giant snakes.
The battle between the Third Hokage and Orochimaru is one of the most exciting this far into the series and this is the first time the stakes really feel high. At the time, Orochimaru felt like the worst villain in Naruto, which is almost funny in hindsight.
10. Kazekage Rescue Mission(Naruto Shippuden episodes 1-32)
Naruto Shippuden begins with Naruto returning to his village after training for two and a half years. Naturally, most of his peers have leveled up themselves during his absence — Gaara’s even become the Kazekage.
Not only is this a great reintroduction, this arc has some amazing fights and reveals; Sakura’s fight against Sasori is fantastic and Kakashi’s Mangekyo Sharingan is shown for the first time. Sadly, it’s also the last time Sakura does anything cool for the rest of the series, so that’s bittersweet.
9. Land of Waves (Naruto episodes 6-19)
The Land of Waves arc is the first time we get to see Team Seven actually work as a team on their first mission as Genin. Like all first missions, this one was meant to be a simple, low-risk mission; but, can anything be that easy for our heroes? What started as a simple task to escort a bridge builder to the Land of Waves turns into a high-risk journey, where Team Seven encounters dangerous ninjas and a land trying to escape its oppressive mob boss’ rule.
This is the first time we see Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura act as a team and the character development sets the stage for the future Sasuke Recovery arc. It’s also fun to see Kakashi and Zabuza duke it out; it’s the first time we get to see the usually laid-back Kakashi battle seriously.
8. The Five Kage Summit (Naruto Shippuden episodes 197-214)
This arc is jam-packed with important and emotionally satisfying moments. All Kage agree to a meeting as Akatsuki gets closer to their goal of capturing all nine-tailed beasts. After learning more about the different Kages and their respective places of origin, it’s exciting to see them all in one room and working together.
It’s even more exciting when Sasuke, filled with even more rage after learning the truth from Itachi, shows up hell-bent on getting revenge. His battle with Danzo is a great watch (let’s be real, nobody was upset when he was defeated) and Obito declaring war against the five nations was another pivotal moment in the arc.
7. Search for Tsunade (Naruto episodes 81 to 100)
After the third Hokage is no longer, someone needs to fill his post. Jiraiya says he’s not interested but he knows the right person for the job; just like that, Naruto and his soon-to-be father figure embark on a journey to find the strongest medical-nin, Tsunade.
The arc is often overlooked in favor of others, but this is truly one of Naruto’s best. Tsunade’s story is heartbreaking and told with care; many critique the way Kishimoto writes women (myself included) but he got it right with Tsunade. If that wasn’t enough, Sasuke reunites with Itachi for the first time and Naruto learns Rasengan in an emotionally satisfying way.
6. Tale of Jiraiya the Gallant (Naruto Shippuden episodes 127-133)
This was a rough arc to watch when it aired; Jiraiya had long been a fan favorite, and like all the Sannin, felt nearly unstoppable. So when Jiraiya travels to the Akatsuki hideout on a solo recon mission, it seemed like business as usual; but once Jiraiya begins to battle Pain, it becomes clear just how unmatched he is against the Akatsuki leader.
While everyone’s favorite hermit tries his absolute best, he cannot withstand the full six paths of pain. In his last moments, Jiraiya writes a coded message that will end up helping Naruto finally finish off the enemy leader for good. The arc is a heartbreaking finale for Naruto’s godfather and a way to show what Naruto will be up against when he battles Pain.
5. Akatsuki Suppression Mission (Naruto Shippuden episodes 72-88)
In this arc, viewers learn more about the Akatsuki’s goal of capturing all of the tailed beasts, as well as how strong some of the members prove to be. The arc has some satisfying battles (Kakashi revealing he tricked Hidan into consuming his partner’s blood was a particularly fun reveal) and some heart-wrenching moments (Asuma dying right after thinking he’d evaded death). Naruto also undergoes more training and masters Wind Release: Rasenshuriken, getting him closer to his goal of besting Sasuke.
4. Chunin Exams (Naruto episodes 20-67)
The Chunin Exams arc is the first time Naruto’s former classmates and peers are introduced in a fleshed-out way. Up until this point, we had only seen a handful of ninja and their abilities, so getting to see all these dynamic characters with unique fighting styles was a treat. The tournament-style episodes allowed secondary characters a chance to shine and get some exposition.
The exams were also a way to delve more into Konoha’s complex history and political dynamics; most of the kids involved come from families with long histories and roles within the village. Additionally, this is the first time we meet other Chunins from a different nation, and with the introduction of Gaara, we also meet another jinchuriki.
3. The Fated Battle Between Brothers (Naruto Shippuden episodes 134-143)
After spending nearly his whole life aiming to kill his brother, Sasuke is finally strong enough to confront Itachi. When the two brothers finally meet again, the battle is nowhere near what Sasuke expected.
While the clash between Itachi and Sasuke is visually stunning and introduces some new abilities (Susanoo and Kirin, Sasuke’s lighting technique), the most memorable thing about this arc is the reveal that Itachi was actually working to save Konoha after all. Sasuke has operated on the belief that Itachi had unjustly killed his entire clan and now had to face the fact that his quest for revenge was misplaced. Following this arc, Sasuke vows to avenge his brother by destroying Konoha.
2. Pain’s Assault (Naruto Shippuden episodes 152-175)
Jiraiya’s death had left a hermit-shaped hole not just in the hearts of viewers, but in Konoha as well. That emotional impact paved the way for one of the best arcs in all of the Naruto and Naruto Shippuden anime. We had just seen that Pain was capable of harming important characters so when he made his way to Konoha to capture Naruto, the safety of prominent characters was anything but assured.
Watching even Tsunade struggle against Pain made the battle feel hopeless; the scene when Naruto finally appears and easily dispatches several of Pain’s bodies is one of the best moments in the entire series. In this arc, we finally see Naruto reach his true potential as a ninja and it feels earned when the people of Konoha finally recognize him as the hero he’s been this whole time.
1. Sasuke Recovery Mission (Naruto episodes 107-135)
Without the Sasuke Recovery Mission arc, Naruto would be an entirely different anime. So much of the series’ plot revolves around Naruto and his quest to convince Sasuke to turn back from a life of hate. Watching Naruto and his friends try to get Sasuke back from the Sound Four is quintessential Naruto; even though the young ninja should be hopelessly outclassed against Orochimaru’s minions, their desperation enables them to pull out some intense, life-threatening techniques.
But no battle is as high-stakes as Naruto and Sasuke’s; the Valley of the End battle quickly became one of the most recognizable scenes in any shonen series.
