Naruto is one of the biggest and most influential anime of all time. Even years after it ended, it remains popular and is regarded a must-see for anime enthusiasts. Anyone new to the franchise is probably wondering how many episodes of Naruto there are before they start getting into the series.
Naruto is one of Studio Pierrot’s biggest projects. Ever since its debut in 2002, it earned a massive following and quickly became one of the best anime of its generation.
The original Naruto anime ended in 2007 and came back as Naruto Shippuden in the same year. The sequel surpassed the original in both popularity and episode count and ran for 10 years before concluding in 2017.
With so many years in running, it’s obvious that there are quite a few episodes in Naruto — including some filler episodes that you can actually skip — but how many in total exactly? We’ve got the answer right here.
How many episodes of Naruto are there?
Naruto, the original anime which can be considered the first part of the story, has 220 episodes. The sequel, titled Naruto Shippuden, has a staggering number of 500 episodes. So, to sum it up, Naruto has a total of 720 episodes.
Naruto, however, is notorious for the amount of filler episodes, as we mentioned before. The original anime has 90 filler episodes which is around 41% of the total number for the standard Naruto arcs. The sequel, similarly, has a filler percentage of around 41% with 203 filler episodes out of 500 episodes.
A brief look at the Naruto timeline
When watching the episodes, Naruto comes first, then Naruto Shippuden. There is also a movie, Naruto the Last, that is considered canon.
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The original Naruto starts with the titular protagonist, Naruto Uzumaki who is hated by the whole village for being the vessel of the Nine-tailed Fox. The series follows him as he sets out to fulfil his goal of becoming the Hokage.
Naruto Shippuden picks up two years after the events of the prequel. Naruto is back from his training with Jiraiya and is determined to bring Sasuke back. As he chases after his wayward friend, the danger of Akatsuki looms closer.
There are also several movies of both series but only one of them is considered canon. The final movie, titled Naruto the Last, is written by Masashi Kishimoto himself. It shows the Shinobi world three years after the war and focuses on the love story between Naruto and Hinata.
The story of Naruto Uzumaki can be considered to be complete with Naruto the Last as the mantle of the protagonist is taken by his son instead. The following movie and the anime series focus on the next generation with Boruto as the protagonist.
Fans can catch Naruto on multiple streaming platforms like Crunchyroll, Funimation, Netflix, and Prime Video. New viewers should definitely try this classic, and old viewers can give it another rewatch, just for fun.
For more from the anime world, here are our picks for the best anime of winter 2024, and 5 best anime you’ve never heard of. You can also check out all the best TV shows streaming this month, and the new movies streaming this month.