ReelNaruto — the right order
Nearly 720 episodes across two series, with the second most famous filler problem in anime after One Piece. Here's every arc in order, with a toggle to hide the two big filler stretches.
7 canon arcs, 2 major filler stretches
Episode numbers are approximate and shift slightly by region/streamer. This guide covers the two big, universally-cited filler blocks; Shippuden also has a handful of smaller scattered filler episodes within its canon stretches that aren't broken out individually here. Just want the skip list? See the filler list on its own page →
Every arc, in detail
Team 7 forms, and their first real mission — escorting a bridge builder — introduces them to a hired-killer duo far above their level.
A multi-stage ninja tournament introduces most of the series' recurring cast — and gets violently interrupted.
The tournament's interruption turns out to be a full invasion, and it costs the village its leader.
The village needs a new leader, and Jiraiya and Naruto go looking for the one candidate who doesn't want the job.
A short run of anime-only side stories before the manga catches back up — none of it is required.
Sasuke defects to Orochimaru for power, and Naruto leads a team to bring him back — the arc that sets up everything for the next several years.
The infamous back half of the original series — almost entirely anime-only, made to buy time while the manga built toward the time skip. Skip straight to Shippuden.
Two and a half years later, a taller, more capable Naruto returns to a village facing a new kidnapping crisis — the timeskip that redefined the series.
The Akatsuki's leader levels the entire village in one arc — widely considered the series' emotional and dramatic high point.
A world war against a resurrected threat builds to the story's final confrontation between Naruto and Sasuke.
Do you actually need to watch the filler?
No, and Naruto's filler is more aggressive than One Piece's — the Ep 136–220 stretch alone is longer than most entire TV shows, made almost entirely to stall while Masashi Kishimoto built the manga toward its time skip. Skip both marked stretches with no loss to the main story.
Is the manga worth reading instead?
If filler-free pacing matters to you, yes — the manga (and its faithful chunks of the anime) moves noticeably tighter than the TV adaptation's padded stretches.
Where to watch
Naruto and Naruto Shippuden stream on Crunchyroll in most regions, with parts of the catalog also on Netflix and Hulu depending on your country. Check availability →
