Naruto Watch Order: Complete Guide With Movies, OVAs, Specials and Boruto

The Naruto watch order looks intimidating at first. Naruto Uzumaki’s story stretches across the original Naruto, Naruto: Shippuden, 11 theatrical movies, numerous OVAs and specials, and the sequel generation introduced through Boruto.

The good news is that the main story is much easier to follow than the size of the franchise suggests. If you only care about the essential story, you can focus on Naruto, Naruto: Shippuden, The Last: Naruto the Movie, and then Boruto if you want to continue into the next generation.

This guide goes further. It places the movies, major OVAs, animated specials, and other bonus productions into a practical viewing sequence so that completionists can experience as much of the animated Naruto franchise as possible without accidentally jumping too far ahead.

 

Table of Contents

• Quick Naruto Watch Order
• Complete Naruto Watch Order
• Original Naruto Era
• Naruto: Shippuden Era
• When to Watch The Last
• Boruto Era
• Naruto OVAs and Specials
• All Naruto Movies in Order
• What Can You Skip?
• What About Naruto Filler?
• Naruto Watch Order FAQ
• Sources

 

Quick Naruto Watch Order

If you want Naruto’s main storyline without trying to collect every piece of bonus animation, this is the simplest order:

That’s the clean version. Everything below expands that route with the movies, OVAs, promotional animations, and specials.

 

Complete Naruto Watch Order With Movies, OVAs and Specials

There is no perfect chronological position for every Naruto bonus animation. Many OVAs were promotional releases, comedy stories, game tie-ins, alternate scenarios, or side adventures rather than chapters designed to fit neatly between two television episodes.

For that reason, the order below prioritizes a spoiler-safe and practical first viewing rather than pretending every OVA has an exact canonical position.

The franchise contains additional promotional and game-related animation beyond the entries most viewers normally consider part of a Naruto marathon. The goal here is to give viewers a usable watch order, not to force every commercial animation or recap into the middle of the television series.

 

Original Naruto Era

Start with Naruto. The original television anime establishes Naruto Uzumaki, Sasuke Uchiha, Sakura Haruno, Kakashi Hatake, Team 7, the Hidden Leaf Village, the Chunin Exams, Orochimaru, Gaara, Jiraiya, Tsunade, and the relationships that drive the rest of the franchise.

The official Naruto site describes Naruto as an isolated young ninja who dreams of becoming Hokage after growing up with the Nine-Tailed Fox sealed inside him. His life changes as he begins carrying out missions with Team 7.

The original anime contains 220 episodes. You can mix its three theatrical movies and early OVAs into your viewing, but none of those bonus releases is required to understand the transition into Naruto: Shippuden.

Original Naruto Movies

The three theatrical films from this period are:

1. Ninja Clash in the Land of Snow
2. Legend of the Stone of Gelel
3. Guardians of the Crescent Moon Kingdom

Treat these as side adventures. If you want a streamlined marathon, you can save all three for later without damaging the main story.

 

Naruto: Shippuden Watch Order

After Episode 220 of Naruto, move directly into Naruto: Shippuden.

Shippuden jumps forward after Naruto has spent roughly two and a half years training with Jiraiya. The Akatsuki threat becomes central, Sasuke’s story continues, and conflicts established during Naruto’s childhood grow into the major battles that define the second half of the saga.

Shippuden runs for 500 episodes, making it the largest single piece of the core Naruto anime. It also contains the franchise’s largest concentration of theatrical movies and bonus animation.

Shippuden Movies

The Shippuden-era theatrical order is:

1. Naruto Shippuden the Movie
2. Naruto Shippuden the Movie: Bonds
3. Naruto Shippuden the Movie: The Will of Fire
4. Naruto Shippuden the Movie: The Lost Tower
5. Naruto Shippuden the Movie: Blood Prison
6. Road to Ninja: Naruto the Movie
7. The Last: Naruto the Movie

Most can be treated as optional additions. The Last deserves different treatment.

 

When Should You Watch The Last: Naruto the Movie?

Watch The Last: Naruto the Movie after Naruto: Shippuden Episode 493 and before Episodes 494-500.

This is the movie that should not simply be thrown into the same optional bucket as the earlier theatrical adventures. It deals directly with Naruto and Hinata during the post-war period and helps bridge the main Naruto story toward the characters’ later lives.

If you are skipping every other Naruto movie, keep The Last.

 

Where Do the Naruto OVAs and Specials Fit?

Naruto’s OVAs are much less orderly than its main television series. They were produced for different purposes across many years, including event releases, DVD bonuses, game promotions, theatrical tie-ins, comedy stories, and anniversary projects.

That means “OVA” does not automatically mean “missing canon episode.”

Find the Four-Leaf Red Clover! dates back to 2002 and is generally identified as the first Naruto OVA. Hidden Leaf Village Grand Sports Festival! followed during the original Naruto era. Later releases became increasingly varied, including alternate-setting material such as Konoha Gakuen, promotional animation such as Naruto x UT, and comedy shorts such as Sunny Side Battle!.

For first-time viewers, these should be treated as bonuses. Watch them when you reach the appropriate era, but don’t interrupt an important story arc just because an OVA technically released around the same time.

The Day Naruto Became Hokage Is Worth Watching

One bonus animation stands out for viewers following Naruto’s life rather than simply collecting every release: The Day Naruto Became Hokage.

The OVA was included with the limited-edition home release of Boruto: Naruto the Movie. As its title suggests, it depicts the day Naruto is supposed to formally become the Seventh Hokage.

Watch it after completing Shippuden. It works particularly well as a bridge between Naruto’s original journey and the family dynamic seen during the Boruto era.

 

Where Does Boruto Fit in the Naruto Watch Order?

Boruto: Naruto Next Generations takes place after Naruto’s rise to Hokage and shifts the main perspective toward Naruto’s son, Boruto Uzumaki, and a new generation of shinobi.

The original Naruto characters do not disappear. Naruto, Sasuke, Sakura, Hinata, Shikamaru, and many others continue to play roles, but this is fundamentally the next generation’s story.

Should You Watch Boruto: Naruto the Movie?

You can, but you do not have to.

Boruto: Naruto the Movie presents material that the Boruto television anime later revisits and expands. If you are trying to see every theatrical Naruto release, include the movie. If you prefer the expanded television telling, you can move into the Boruto series instead.

Watching both is also perfectly reasonable for completionists, as long as you understand that you will encounter overlapping story material.

 

All Naruto Movies in Order

If you only need the theatrical release sequence, the Naruto franchise has 11 major movies across the Naruto, Shippuden, and Boruto eras:

 

What Naruto Movies, OVAs and Specials Can You Skip?

If you are interested only in Naruto’s central storyline, you can skip most of the movies and OVAs.

The easiest stripped-down route is:

Naruto → Naruto: Shippuden Episodes 1-493 → The Last: Naruto the Movie → Naruto: Shippuden Episodes 494-500 → The Day Naruto Became Hokage → Boruto

Even The Day Naruto Became Hokage is not mandatory for understanding Boruto, but it is short, directly relevant to Naruto’s life, and worth including in a story-focused marathon.

The remaining OVAs and movies are there when you want more Naruto. Skipping them does not mean you’re watching the franchise incorrectly.

 

What About Naruto Filler?

The biggest time commitment in Naruto is not actually the movies or OVAs. It is the television episodes.

Naruto and Naruto: Shippuden together contain 720 episodes. The franchise’s official 2026 Naruto 72 project specifically celebrates those 720 episodes.

A substantial portion of the anime consists of material that was not part of Masashi Kishimoto’s original manga storyline. Some viewers enjoy those side adventures and additional character moments. Others want the shortest route through the manga-derived story.

For a first viewing, we recommend deciding what kind of marathon you want before you begin. If you want the complete television experience, watch everything. If you primarily want the central story, use a dedicated filler guide rather than randomly skipping episodes. Naruto sometimes mixes important material with anime-original content, so broad episode skipping can be messy.

 

How Long Does It Take to Watch Naruto?

The original Naruto and Naruto: Shippuden total 720 television episodes before Boruto is added.

At roughly 23 minutes per episode, 720 episodes represent approximately 276 hours of television. That is about 11.5 days if someone somehow watched Naruto continuously without sleeping.

At three episodes per day, the original Naruto and Shippuden run would take about 240 days.

Adding all 11 movies, OVAs, specials, and Boruto turns the franchise into a much larger commitment. Fortunately, very little of the bonus material is required to understand Naruto’s central journey.

 

Which Naruto Watch Order Should You Choose?

Just Give Me the Main Story

Watch Naruto, then Naruto: Shippuden through Episode 493, watch The Last, finish Shippuden, watch The Day Naruto Became Hokage, and continue into Boruto if you want the sequel generation.

I Want the Movies Too

Use the complete table above and insert the 11 movies into their respective Naruto, Shippuden, and Boruto eras.

I Want Everything

Use the full Naruto watch order, including the OVAs and specials. Just remember that some of the bonus animation is promotional, comedic, alternate-universe, or otherwise disconnected from the central continuity.

Completionism is fun. Turning a Naruto marathon into homework isn’t.

 

Naruto Watch Order FAQ

What comes first, Naruto or Naruto: Shippuden?

Naruto comes first. Watch all or the main-story portions of the original series before beginning Naruto: Shippuden.

Should I watch Naruto movies between episodes?

You can. Most of the movies are optional, however, so exact placement is less important than avoiding obvious character or ability spoilers. The table above provides convenient stopping points.

Are Naruto OVAs canon?

Do not assume an OVA is canon simply because it is officially produced. Naruto’s OVA catalog includes side stories, comedy, alternate settings, promotional animation, game-related projects, and material with different relationships to the main continuity.

Which Naruto movie is most important?

The Last: Naruto the Movie is the movie we recommend prioritizing for a main-story viewing because of its direct connection to Naruto and Hinata’s relationship and the post-war timeline.

When should I watch The Last: Naruto the Movie?

Watch it after Naruto: Shippuden Episode 493 and before Episodes 494-500.

When should I watch The Day Naruto Became Hokage?

Watch it after finishing Shippuden and before or around the beginning of your Boruto viewing. The OVA was released as bonus material with Boruto: Naruto the Movie.

Do I need to watch Boruto?

No. If your goal is specifically Naruto Uzumaki’s original coming-of-age journey, you can stop after the conclusion of the Naruto/Shippuden era. Boruto continues the world through Naruto’s children and the next generation.

Can I start with Naruto: Shippuden?

You could, but we strongly recommend against it. Shippuden assumes you already understand Naruto’s relationship with Sasuke, Sakura, Kakashi, Jiraiya, Gaara, and the rest of the shinobi world. Many of its biggest emotional moments depend on events from the original series.

 

The Best Naruto Watch Order for Most People

For most first-time viewers, there is no reason to make Naruto more complicated than it needs to be.

Start with Naruto. Continue into Naruto: Shippuden. Mix in the movies and OVAs when you want additional adventures. Make sure you watch The Last: Naruto the Movie near the end of Shippuden, then finish the series and watch The Day Naruto Became Hokage.

From there, you can decide whether Naruto’s story was enough or whether you want to follow the Uzumaki family and the next generation into Boruto.

The franchise is huge. The actual path through it is not.

 

Sources

• NARUTO Official Site: Anime
• NARUTO Official Site: Naruto
• NARUTO Official Site: Anime Visual Gallery
• NARUTO Official Site: Anime 20th Anniversary Celebration
• NARUTO Official Site: Naruto 72 Series and 720-Episode Celebration (March 31, 2026)