Naruto: The 5 Funniest Episodes

On the surface, Naruto is a classic shonen battle anime featuring all the tropes associated with it, such as tournament arcs, rivalries, training sequences, as well as a host of power ups and transformations. This is the tone that is most often associated with the series, and it holds true, for the most part. However, one area in which the series also excelled, especially during its earlier story arcs, was in its more lighthearted offerings.

Packed with running gags, surreal humor, and ample comic relief, Naruto is not a series that ever shied away from ridiculing its characters to get a good laugh out of the audience, and this was especially apparent in the anime's many filler episodes. From zany antagonists to surreal plot elements paired with the main cast's own comedic timing, Naruto was no slouch when it came to eliciting laughter, and there were quite a few hilarious moments that deserve mention when rounding up the funniest episodes in the series.

5 Run! The Curry of Life!

Naruto Episode #157

While this episode did have a fair share of emotional weight in depicting the erosion of the relationship between Raiga Kurosuki and Ranmaru, it had an equal volume of comedic moments that mainly revolved around the titular "Curry of Life." Described as an extremely spicy dish capable of reviving people from near-death states due to its heat, the curry was used on Neji, Naruto, and Rock Lee to varying effects.

Lee's dose of the curry was tinged with some alcohol, which immediately intoxicated him and awakened his Drunken Fist state. On the other hand, Naruto was revived with a single dose of the curry, but Neji was unable to handle the spiciness of the dish, and passed out despite repeated attempts to revive him. In the end, an even spicier version of the curry made its debut, but Lee was unable to taste it as Naruto and Neji dragged him away.

4 The Beast Within

Naruto Episode #124

Generally, the more comedic moments in the series were reserved for filler or gag-based episodes, but this was undoubtedly a rare sequence of absolute hilarity at the very peak of the Sasuke Recovery Mission. In the middle of one of the series' most tense story arcs, Rock Lee's low tolerance for alcohol was the source of a fight scene that is as funny as it is confusing.

This episode marked the debut of the Drunken Fist style of taijutsu, which Lee used to overpower Kimimaro Kaguya, one of Orochimaru's most trusted lieutenants, and the wielder of the kekkei genkai known as Shikotsumyaku. Between rare bouts of aggression and periods where Lee practically fell asleep mid-battle, Kimimaro was left dumbfounded and unable to keep up with the unpredictable and unconventional patterns of his opponent's drunken movements.

3 Sasuke And Sakura: Friends Or Foes?

Naruto Episode #3

For the episode that introduced the two other members of Team 7 who would become Naruto's closest friends, there were an absurd number of gags littered throughout its run. Beginning with Naruto and Sasuke's first kiss, the episode devolved into a series of shenanigans involving Naruto impersonating Sasuke with the Transformation Technique in order to kiss Sakura.

Unfortunately for Naruto, he fell victim to an upset stomach after consuming expired milk, and had to abort his mission and rush to the bathroom each time he got close to Sakura. In the middle of all this, a confused Sasuke searched for his new teammate, only to run into an equally perplexed Sakura. This episode defined the essence of the series' early chapters and is vintage Naruto in every respect.

2 Pass Or Fail: Survival Test

Naruto Episode #4

Continuing the story from the previous episode, this one highlighted Naruto's utter lack of tact or self-awareness, along with his vastly inferior strength compared to Kakashi. The episode began with Naruto pulling a prank on Kakashi, where he rigged a duster to fall on his sensei's head as soon as the latter entered the classroom. The scene then shifted to Team 7's introductions, where Kakashi remarked on their quirks in an amused manner.

Told to show up at 5 a.m. for a test the next day, the trio arrived on time only for Kakashi to end up coming late. He then proceeded to explain the all-important bell test he was about to administer, challenging Team 7 to outwit him. Naruto obviously chose a head-on assault and was subjected to Kakashi's now famous "One Thousand Years of Death" technique in return. After a few more exchanges, Kakashi restrained and berated Naruto for his lack of awareness, which was when Sasuke dove in to attack.

1 Gotta See! Gotta Know! Kakashi-Sensei's True Face

Naruto Episode #101

An enduring mystery throughout the series, Kakashi's true face was the subject of much speculation, given that all of his appearances up to that point had featured his trademark mask. This episode, based on an omake that was included with the first Naruto databook, saw Team 7 set out to discover what lay beneath their sensei's mask.

From a failed attempt to unmask him while eating ramen at Ichiraku, to other poorly-thought-out operations, the trio failed time and time again, which allowed Kakashi to uncover their plot and tie them up just as he did during the bell test. Although Kakashi's true face would not be revealed until after the conclusion of the Fourth Shinobi World War in Naruto Shippuden, the trio's hilariously exaggerated imaginings of his actual appearance more than made up for it.