It’s nearly impossible to be part of the anime community without coming across the Naturo franchise at one point or another. Being one of the best-selling manga of all time, Masashi Kishimoto’s Naruto has naturally received anime adaptations, which become just as (if not more) popular than the source material.
Of course, being among the most well-liked anime ever means that Naruto is readily available to stream on several platforms. However, a problem arises when fans wish to watch it — along with Naruto: Shippuden and Boruto: Next Generations — dubbed in English.
Yes, watching anime with subtitles is (understandably) the most popular choice by far, as folks typically gravitate toward consuming content in its original form. In the opinion of a growing subset of anime fans, though, dubs are their merits. Not only does it allow all viewers to focus more on what’s happening on screen, but it also makes episodes more watchable for those who like to multitask; with dub, there’s no danger of missing out on important information because you looked away from five seconds. There’s also the fact that some people are simply put off by having to read, but I digress.
Whatever the case may be, dubs are the ideal solution to all these problems, but unfortunately, they can be hard to find when it comes to older anime. This is the case with the Naruto series and its sequels, as the English dubbed versions aren’t available on some of the biggest anime streaming services, despite the anime’s immense popularity. Not to worry, though — there are still a few legal platforms that offer this option.
How to watch the Naruto franchise dubbed
Because Naruto and Naruto: Shippuden are two-part adaptations of the same manga, they can typically be found together on streaming services. Fans who wish to watch the English dubbed version of this anime series can do so on Vudu, Hulu, Funimation, and AnimeLab. Naruto: Shippuden is also currently being broadcast on Adult Swim, so for those who don’t mind waiting for episodes to be aired, this could be an option.
With Boruto: Naruto Next Generations, things change slightly. The anime is also available with English dub on the aforementioned platforms, but what fans have to keep in mind is that, while part one of the anime is already finished, the dub version remains incomplete at the time of writing. This means that platforms are behind on the English-dubbed episodes, and there might be quite a bit of waiting involved until viewers that version in full.