How to Watch Naruto Movies in Order

by Laura C. Jones
3.2K views

Naruto movies are among the most celebrated comic movies, not just in Japan but across the world. This Japanese television series is both entertaining and educative, focusing on the twists and turns that young people go through while trying to seek recognition from their peers. But to enjoy this comic series, you have to watch it in a specific order. Continue reading to know how to watch Naruto movies in order.

What Is Naruto?

As mentioned above, Naruto is a Japanese television series of comics written and illustrated by Masashi Kishimoto. The series tells the story of a young Japanese ninja, Naruto Uzumaki, who goes through a lot of hurdles trying to seek appreciation from his peers. Naruto also hopes to become a Hokage—a village leader.

The story is narrated in two parts. The first set focuses on Naruto’s childhood years while the second part talks about his teenage years. This story is based on Kishimoto’s two one-shot manga comics: Karakuri (1995) and Naruto (1997). The Karakuri comic earned Kishimoto an honorable mention in a monthly Hop Step Award ceremony hosted by Shueisha Inc. in 1996.

The Naruto comic was featured in Shueisha’s weekly magazine Shonen Jump for 18 years between 1996 and 2014. The story was released in book form (tankobon) in 72 volumes. The book was then produced as an anime television series by Pierrot and Aniplex, which aired 220 episodes of Naruto in Japan between 2002 and 2007.

In 2005, the first English dub of the Naruto series was aired on Cartoon Network and YTV. The two TV networks continued to air the series until 2009.

A sequel to the original Naruto series dubbed Naruto: Shippuden premiered in Japan in 2007 and continued to be aired by several television networks until 2017. The English dub of this sequel was aired on Disney XD between 2009 and 2011, after which it was switched over to Toonami programming block by Adult Swim in 2014.

This English version is still airing weekly on Adult Swim. Apart from the anime version of Naruto, eleven Naruto movies and twelve original video animations have been developed by Pierrot. Other productions that are related to Naruto include light novels, trading cards, and video games created by different companies.

The original Naruto TV series was aired in North America for the first time in 2005. It also premiered in the United Kingdom in 2006 and later in Australia in 2007. The story of Naruto is now being continued by his son, Boruto Uzumaki, in Boruto: Naruto Next Generations. In this new series, Boruto hopes to chart his path as a ninja instead of following his father’s footsteps.

It is important to mention that Naruto is the fourth best-selling Japanese comic series in history. So far, it has sold over 250 million copies in more than 46 countries, with over 153 million copies being sold in Japan alone. The English translations of Naruto have appeared on various US bestseller lists including USA Today and The New York Times. Its seventh volume won the 2006 Quill Award.

The majority of reviewers who have reviewed the Naruto series praise its character development, fight scenes, and strong storylines. However, some of them claim that the fight scenes slowed the story down.

Naruto Movies in Order

The easiest and most appropriate way to watch Naruto movies is to start with the original Naruto series that was released in 2002, move on to Naruto Shippuden, which was launched in 2007, and then finish with Boruto: Naruto Next Generations, which started airing in 2015. But because there are many Naruto movies, it is important to watch the series in the correct order so that everything can make sense to you.

Chronological Order

  1. Naruto TV Series

This is the original Naruto television series, which contains 200 episodes. It is also the first anime adaptation title of the Japanese comic book. Make sure you watch at least 101 episodes of this TV series before you pick up on the first movie.

  1. Ninja Clash in the Land of Snow

This is a full-length full movie of the Naruto comic. You should start with this movie because Sakura’s hair appears short in the movie.

  1. Legend of the Stone of Gelel

This movie comes about after the 160th episode of the Naruto TV series.

  1. Guardians of the Crescent Moon Kingdom

This Naruto movie is set after the 196th episode of the series because of Sasuke’s absence.

  1. Naruto Shippuden

This is the first sequel to Naruto’s series. It is a continuation of Naruto’s story and features 500 episodes. You should watch at least 53 episodes of this sequel before you watch the subsequent movie.

  1. Naruto Shippuden: The Movie

This movie tells the story of Naruto, Sakura, Sai, and Yamato when they return to the village.

  1. Inheritors of the Will of Fire

This Naruto movie comes about after the 89th episode of the Naruto sequel because of the great influence of the two Arcs: Hildan and Kazuku.

  1. Bonds

You should watch this Naruto movie after the 111th episode because it comes about after Orochimaru falls sick, just around the time when Sasuke is about to kill him.

  1. The Lost Tower

Watch this Naruto movie between episodes 152 and 154, just before Pain attacks Konoha and after Jirayasensei dies.

  1. Blood Prison Movie

Since it’s difficult to locate exactly where this scene occurs in the series, you can watch the movie at any point as long as you’ve reached this point in the series.

  1. Road to Ninja

These events happen after episode 251. So, wait until you reach this point to watch the movie.

  1. The Last

You should watch this Naruto movie after episode 500.

  1. Boruto: Naruto The Movie—The Day Naruto Became Hokage

The events in this movie happen after the last episode of Naruto Shippuden. Therefore, you should watch it to know what happens afterward.

  1. Boruto: Naruto The Movie

The events in this movie occur during the Chuunin exams of Boruto: Naruto Next Generations.

  1. Boruto

This is the latest Naruto movie.

Naruto Movies in Order of Release

  1. Ninja Clash in the Land of Snow

This movie was released on August 21, 2004. The events in this movie happen after episode 101 of the original Naruto series.

  1. Legend of the Stone of Gelel

This is the second Naruto movie, which was released on August 6, 2005. It follows episode 160 of the original Naruto series.

  1. Guardians of the Crescent Moon Kingdom

This Naruto movie was released on August 5, 2006, and the events featured in it happen after episode 196.

  1. Naruto Shippuden: The Movie

This is the first Naruto Shippuden movie. It was released on August 4, 2007, and follows episode 32 of the Naruto Shippuden series.

  1. Bonds

The Bonds movie was released on August 2, 2008, and it follows episode 71 of Shippuden.

  1. The Will of Fire

This movie was released on August 1, 2009. It features events that occur after episode 121 of Naruto Shippuden.

  1. The Lost Tower

This movie was released on July 31, 2010, after episode 143 of Naruto Shippuden.

  1. Blood Prison

This Naruto Shippuden movie was released on July 27, 2011, and it follows episode 196 of the sequel series.

  1. Road to Ninja

This movie was released on July 25, 2012, after episode 251 of the Naruto Shippuden series.

  1. The Last

This movie was released on December 6, 2014, after episode 493 of the Naruto Shippuden series. It is the last Naruto movie with Naruto as a protagonist.

  1. Boruto: Naruto the Movie

This movie was released on August 7, 2015, after the last episode of the Naruto Shippuden series. It is the first movie before the current Boruto: Naruto Next Generations series.

In Summary

Now that you know about all Naruto movies, you shouldn’t have a problem following the storyline. Also, you should be able to watch all Naruto movies in order of their release or chronologically without confusion.


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