The Naruto watch order is release order: Naruto (220 episodes), then Naruto Shippuden (500), then Boruto: Naruto Next Generations (293). Only two of the eleven films are canon — The Last and Boruto: Naruto the Movie — and both slot in before the Boruto series. The only real decision left is filler.
That filler decision is where almost every guide hands you the same advice for both series, and that advice is wrong. Naruto and Shippuden are roughly the same percentage filler — but the filler is shaped so differently in each that they need opposite strategies. Below is the full order, the exact skip list, and the arithmetic on what you actually save.
Naruto watch order at a glance
Watch top to bottom. Nothing here is out of sequence, and there is no chronological reshuffle to worry about.
| # | Title | Episodes | Aired | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Naruto | 220 | 2002–2007 | Watch 1–135, then jump |
| 2 | Naruto Shippuden | 500 | 2007–2017 | Filler scattered throughout |
| 3 | The Last: Naruto the Movie | Film | 2014 | Canon — after episode 493 |
| 4 | Boruto: Naruto the Movie | Film | 2015 | Canon — before the Boruto series |
| 5 | Boruto: Naruto Next Generations | 293 | 2017–2023 | On hiatus; sequel anime confirmed |
The filler question is really two different questions
Here is the part that gets flattened into a single “skip the filler” line everywhere else. Counting the episode ranges published by Anime Filler List, the two series land in almost exactly the same place on volume:
- Naruto: 90 of 220 episodes are pure filler — 40.9%.
- Naruto Shippuden: 203 of 500 episodes are pure filler — 40.6%.
Same ratio, completely different problem. In the original series, that 90 is essentially one wall. In Shippuden, the same proportion is broken into twenty separate blocks threaded between canon episodes. One is a boundary you walk up to and step over. The other is a minefield you have to navigate for 500 episodes.
Original Naruto: one wall at the end
The original series runs canon-heavy until episode 135. From 136 to 219 it is filler almost without interruption — 82 of those 84 episodes, with only 141–142 mixed — and then episode 220 closes the series out. Earlier filler is trivial: episode 26, episode 97, and episodes 101–106.
So the practical rule for the original series is not “skip filler.” It is watch through 135, then start Shippuden. You are not weaving around anything; you are stopping at a clean line. Watch 220 if you want the send-off, but nothing in 136–219 is set up or paid off later.
Shippuden: twenty blocks scattered through the run
Shippuden’s filler cannot be handled with a single cut. It arrives in twenty runs of wildly different length, from a single episode (271) to a 24-episode stretch (427–450). You need the list open while you watch.
And the distribution is worse than the raw number suggests. The back third of Shippuden — the Fourth Great Ninja War, the arc the entire series has been building toward — is the most interrupted stretch in the show. Between episodes 387 and 468 the canon survives in slivers (387, 391–393, 414, 418, 420–421, 424–425, 459, 463) wedged between filler blocks of 20 and 24 episodes. The climax is the part the anime pads hardest, because it is the part that ran closest to the manga.
Naruto Shippuden filler list
Every pure-filler block in Shippuden. Skip these and you are left with 297 episodes.
| Episodes | Length | What it is |
|---|---|---|
| 57–71 | 15 | Twelve Guardian Ninja |
| 91–112 | 22 | Three-Tails’ Appearance |
| 144–151 | 8 | Six-Tails Unleashed |
| 170–171 | 2 | Short break |
| 176–196 | 21 | Chikara / Tsuchigumo |
| 223–242 | 20 | Past-arc flashbacks |
| 257–260 | 4 | Short break |
| 271 | 1 | Single episode |
| 279–281 | 3 | Short break |
| 284–295 | 12 | Pre-war padding |
| 303–320 | 18 | War-arc padding |
| 347–361 | 15 | Includes Kakashi ANBU — see below |
| 376–377 | 2 | Short break |
| 388–390 | 3 | Short break |
| 394–413 | 20 | Infinite Tsukuyomi dreams |
| 416–417 | 2 | Short break |
| 422–423 | 2 | Short break |
| 427–450 | 24 | Longest single block |
| 464–468 | 5 | Short break |
| 480–483 | 4 | Final block |
Episodes not listed above are manga canon or mixed canon/filler. Mixed episodes contain adapted material padded with anime-original scenes — watch them.
The filler worth keeping
Two exceptions are worth breaking the rule for, and both are character work the manga never gave you.
Kakashi’s ANBU arc (349–361). Kakashi between Rin’s death and taking Team 7 — the years the manga skips. It is the single best-regarded filler run in the series and it changes how his later scenes read.
Itachi Shinden (451–458). Classified as mixed rather than pure filler, and it adapts Takashi Yano’s light novels rather than inventing wholesale. If you care about the Uchiha at all, watch it. It pairs directly with what the war arc does to the series’ villains.
Everything else in the filler column is optional in the truest sense: pleasant if you want more time in the world, load-bearing for nothing.
Which Naruto movies are canon?
Eleven films exist. Nine are self-contained side stories that contradict the timeline if you look too hard — enjoyable, but they change nothing. Two are canon because Masashi Kishimoto worked on them directly and the series depends on their events:
- The Last: Naruto the Movie (2014) — sits between Shippuden episodes 493 and 494. It resolves Naruto and Hinata, which the manga’s epilogue then treats as settled.
- Boruto: Naruto the Movie (2015) — watch after Shippuden, before the Boruto series. It covers the Chunin Exams and Momoshiki, material the Boruto anime later re-adapts at greater length.
If you only watch two films, watch those two. If you want one more for pleasure rather than plot, Road to Ninja (2012) is the best of the non-canon batch.
Where Boruto fits — and what is happening in 2026
Start Boruto: Naruto Next Generations after Boruto: Naruto the Movie. The series overlaps the film for its first stretch, then continues past it for 293 episodes before going on hiatus in 2023.
The manga did not stop. It relaunched as Boruto: Two Blue Vortex, which is still running — chapter 37 is scheduled for V Jump issue #11 on 17 September 2026. Studio Pierrot has confirmed a Two Blue Vortex anime is in production, marked by a 10th-anniversary trailer on 9 May 2026, but no premiere date has been announced. Nothing about the watch order changes when it arrives: it picks up after episode 293.
How long does it take to watch Naruto?
At roughly 23 minutes an episode, here is the honest arithmetic for Naruto plus Shippuden:
| Route | Episodes | Approx. runtime |
|---|---|---|
| Everything (Naruto + Shippuden) | 720 | ~276 hours |
| Skipping all pure filler | 427 | ~164 hours |
| What you save | 293 | ~112 hours |
Cutting pure filler removes 112 hours — the equivalent of about four and a half full days — and costs you no plot at all. That is the strongest argument for skipping, and it is a much better argument than “filler is bad.” Some of it is fine. There is just a great deal of it.
Once you are through, the power system is the thing most new viewers want explained properly: start with how chakra actually works, then see where the cast lands in our ranking of the strongest Naruto characters.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need to watch the original Naruto before Shippuden?
Yes. Shippuden is a direct continuation and assumes you know the Team 7 setup, the Chunin Exams and the Sasuke Retrieval arc. You can stop the original series at episode 135 and lose nothing, but you cannot skip it.
Can I skip straight to Shippuden?
You can, but you will be lost. If you are determined to, watch the original series’ first 135 episodes at minimum. There is no recap that covers them adequately.
Is Naruto Shippuden filler worth watching?
Mostly no, with two exceptions: Kakashi’s ANBU arc (episodes 349–361) and Itachi Shinden (451–458). Both add real character history the manga never covered. The other 190-odd filler episodes affect nothing.
Which Naruto movies are canon?
Two: The Last: Naruto the Movie (2014) and Boruto: Naruto the Movie (2015). Masashi Kishimoto was directly involved in both and the story depends on their events. The other nine films are side stories.
Do I have to watch Boruto?
No. Naruto Shippuden ends with a complete story. Boruto is a sequel about the next generation; start it only if you want more, and begin with Boruto: Naruto the Movie.
