Highlights
-
Naruto
has over 700 episodes, totaling 230 hours to watch, with some arcs filled with filler episodes and drawn-out content. - Despite some drawbacks,
Naruto’s
arcs like the Tenchi Bridge Reconnaissance Mission showcase action, returning villains, and hero reunions. - Pain’s Assault is hailed as one of the best
Naruto
arcs, featuring intense fights, character growth, and a fantastic villain.
As one of the big three shonen anime, Naruto and its sequel, Naruto: Shippuden, ran for 16 years. Between them, the two series have over 700 episodes to watch, an undertaking that would take an intimidating 230 hours to complete. That’s a lot of content to get through.
As one of the best shonen anime of all time, however, it’s certainly worth the effort. It’s just important to remember that not every Naruto arc was created equally. The anime aired while the manga was still being written, meaning the animators had to drag out some arcs while they waited for new manga content to adapt. Because of this, Naruto has its fair share of filler episodes and arcs that can feel a little drawn out. While some arcs are short and sweet, others can go on for dozens of episodes.
12 The Tenchi Bridge Reconnaissance Mission
Naruto: Shippuden (Ep 33-53)
Coming in at 21 episodes, Shippuden’s second arc didn’t quite overstay its welcome. It follows Team 7, led by new character Sai, as they travel to the Tenchi Bridge in search of Sasuke.
This arc was notable for bringing back both Sasuke and Orochimaru. When Orochimaru provokes Naruto at Tenchi Bridge by comparing him to Sasuke, it leads to Naruto showing off his latest power-up, his iconic four-tailed transformation. Good action, returning villains, and reuniting heroes made this a fun second arc for the anime.
11 Past Arc: Locus Of Konoha
Naruto:Shippuden (Ep 176-196)
Newcomers to Naruto should prepare themselves for plenty of filler episodes. The Past Arc is all filler, dedicated to showing how much Naruto has grown by this point via flashbacks.
It might sound a little boring, but the arc actually has some of Naruto’s best filler episodes. It shines a light on the anime’s supporting cast for a change, and it’s interesting to see their different perspectives on both the past and Naruto himself. The arc also mixes things up by allowing the anime to dip its toes in genres it usually doesn’t, a much-needed breath of fresh air for such a lengthy series.
10 Fourth Shinobi World War: Countdown
Naruto: Shippuden (Ep 215-222 & 243-256)
The Fourth Shinobi World War was a major aspect of Shippuden, so its no surprise that its warm-up arc alone is one of the anime’s longest. The arc follows both factions as they prepare for an all-out war and features important events like Team 7 reuniting, Tobi building an army, and even Naruto finally meeting his mother.
While the arc starts a little slowly, it quickly heats up into one of the best training arcs in all of anime. Naruto having to fight a dark version of himself so that he can use Nine-Tails is a battle few fans will ever forget. The arc is also notable for having a 20+ episode break halfway through, keeping fans eager for more.
9 Pain’s Assault
Naruto: Shippuden (Ep 152-169 & 172-175)
Pain’s Assault is considered by some fans to be one of the best arcs in Naruto. In a brutal fight, antagonist Pain defeats Naruto and then, in classic villain style, reveals his plot. He wants to steal Naruto’s power so that he can create a weapon that will bring peace to the world. Somehow.
While Pain’s plan doesn’t really stand up to scrutiny, the action surrounding it is top-notch. Naruto learns from his failure, and after Jiraiya sacrifices himself and Hinata takes a beating from Pain, Naruto powers up and learns a new transformation. A fantastic villain, great fights, and a ton of character growth all make Pain’s Assault stand out.
8 Kaguya Otsutsuki Strikes
Naruto: Shippuden (Ep 451, 455–468, & 470–479)
Kaguya’s arc is a strange one. Divided into two parts, it began with episode 451 but then took a back seat to several filler episodes. It then ran until episode 468 before being paused again for more filler. It’s a slightly annoying structure that makes the whole arc feel a little disjointed.
That being said, it’s still a good arc. It does a great job of fleshing out the alien princess Kaguya Otsutsuki and explains not just her backstory but the backstory of the whole Shinobi world. In particular, it highlighted the cyclical nature of Naruto’s world and the parallels between Sasuke and Naruto and Kaguya’s own sons.
7 Three Tails Appearance
Naruto: Shippuden (Ep 89-112)
Three Tails Appearance is another filler arc, but it’s an action-heavy one. It follows the Akatsuki, Konoha, and Team Guren, as they all try to catch the powerful Three-Tails Isobu. There’s a lot of fun to be had watching the Akatsuki try to lure the beast into their trap, and the resulting battle against a giant monster is just the kind of thing we watch anime for.
This is also the only arc to feature Team Guren and their fan-favorite leader, Guren. Guren was created specially for the anime and has a really cool crystalization ability. Not just action; this arc even gave him his own mini-redemption arc.
6 Birth Of The Ten-Tails Jinchuriki
Naruto: Shippuden (Ep 378–393, 414–421, & 424–431)
This was a really long and important arc that often gets overlooked because of its disjointed nature. Thanks to all the breaks and pieces of filler, it took over 50 episodes to finish this 26-episode arc.
The arc covers the creation of one of Naruto’s strongest Jinchuriki, Obito. Shown mostly through flashbacks, fans get to learn much more about Mada Uchiha and Obito Uchiha. It’s an interesting arc, but it probably could have been finished a lot quicker.
5 Sasuke Recovery Mission
Naruto (Ep 107–135)
While most entries here have been Shippuden arcs, the original series also had its fair share of lengthy arcs. This arc focuses on Sasuke and his obsession with power, as well as the ongoing relationship between Naruto and Sasuke. When Orochimaru tempts Sasuke to leave the Leaf Village and join the enemy, it’s up to Naruto and his friends to stop Sasuke from defecting.
The arc has some really great fight sequences. It begins with a battle between the two signature friends, which results in a draw. This upsets the power-hungry Sasuke, who sees anything less than a win as weakness. The arc culminates in one last battle between the two at the Valley of the End, which is one of the original anime’s best.
4 Kazekage Rescue Mission
Naruto: Shippuden (Ep 1–32)
As the starting arc for the sequel anime, the Kazekage Rescue Mission episodes had a lot of heavy lifting to do. They not only had to pick up where the original series left off, but they also had to introduce new threats to keep fans hooked. The arc follows Deidara and Sasori, members of the Akatsuki, as they kidnap the Kazekage Gaara so that they can steal his One-Tails, Shukaku.
While they are doing this, Naruto is off training with Kiraya for two years. Upon his return, he meets up with Team Kakashi to go rescue Gaara. The arc does an excellent job of not just introducing the Akatsuki, but showing they’ll be a formidable opponent throughout the series.
3 Fourth Shinobi War: Climax
Naruto: Shippuden (Ep 322-348 & 362-375)
Naruto: Shippuden spent a long time building up to this arc, with the already lengthy Confrontation and Countdown arcs preceding it acting as warm-ups for the main event. While some might argue that this is a shōnen arc that’s a bit too long, it still nailed the landing with plenty of action and big reveals, even if the pacing is a bit off at times.
It all begins with Madara’s resurrection, one of the franchise’s most deadly antagonists. As the five kages work on defeating Madara, Naruto and Co. go to fight Obito Uchiha. This all means there are some really impressive battles, full of stunning fight sequences and epic transformations. All the filler slows things down at times, but the action makes up for it at least.
2 Chunin Exams
Naruto (Ep 20–67)
Shonen anime and tournament arcs go together like peanut butter and jelly. As one of the most popular shonen anime in history, then, it’s not astounding that Naruto has one of the best ever anime tournament arcs. Coming in at a very lengthy 48 episodes, the Chunin Exams have Team 7 fighting for promotion to Chunin in both the tournament and the Forest of Death.
Besides all the action, the arc is fondly remembered for all the important characters it introduced to fans. Both Team Guy and the Sunagakure siblings are seen for the first time. More importantly, Orochimaru, a returning threat throughout both Naruto and Shippuden, makes his first appearance.
1 Fourth Shinobi War: Confrontation
Naruto: Shippuden (Ep 261, 270, 272–289, 296–310 & 312–321)
Naruto’s longest and most disjointed arc also takes the form of a tournament. It sets the Allied Shinobi Forces against the Akatsuki in a series of epic battles that will decide the fate of the Ten-Tails. Add in some reincarnated nin like Zabuza and Asuma and things get pretty epic pretty fast.
The arc easily has some of the best battles in the entire franchise, and does a great job of preparing fans for the final Shinobi War arc. However, it also feels overly long. The arc has 53 episodes, which is almost eighteen hours of content. Whether the filler episodes help break it all up or just bog it down further is up for debate.
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