Naruto is a Japanese anime television series based on Masashi Kishimoto's 1999–2014 manga series Naruto. It follows Naruto Uzumaki, a young orphan ninja who seeks recognition from his peers and dreams of becoming the Hokage, the leader of the Village Hidden in the Leaves. Like the manga, the anime series is divided into two separate parts: the first series retains the original manga's title and is set in the world of ninjas. The second series, a direct sequel titled Naruto: Shippuden, takes place during Naruto's teens. Both anime series were animated by Studio Pierrot, produced by Aniplex, and licensed by Viz Media in North America.
The first anime series aired on TV Tokyo and ran for 220 episodes from October 2002 to February 2007. An English dub produced by Viz Media aired on Cartoon Network and YTV from September 2005 to December 2009. The second series, Naruto: Shippuden, also aired on TV Tokyo and ran for 500 episodes from February 2007 to March 2017. The English dub of Naruto: Shippuden was broadcast on Disney XD in the United States from October 2009 to November 2011, airing the first 98 episodes before eventually switching over to Adult Swim's Toonami programming block in January 2014 to September 2024, starting over from the first episode. After Disney XD removed the series from broadcast, Viz Media began streaming new English dubbed episodes on their streaming service Neon Alley in December 2012 starting at episode 99. The service ended its run in March 2016 after 338 episodes due to its shutdown a month later. Besides the anime television series, Pierrot also developed 11 animated films and 12 original video animations.
The anime series achieved significant commercial success, becoming one of Viz Media's top-earning franchise and being a cultural impact with the run of the series. It was the third most-watched series in the United States by 2020. Critically, it received mixed reception; its adaptation of Kishimoto's art style, as well as the bloated story pacing, was not received well. However, the fight scenes, character dynamics, and emotional depth received critical acclaim. Naruto: Shippuden was consistently ranked as one of the most-watched shows in Japan. It was lauded for its improved animation, more mature tone, well-crafted character interactions, and balanced storytelling. The first anime ranked 38th in IGN's Top 100 Animated Series and Shippuden earned a nomination from the Crunchyroll Anime Awards for Best Continuing Series. Viz Media sold over three million anime home video units by 2019.
Series overview
Voice cast and characters
Character Japanese English(Viz Media)Naruto Uzumaki Junko Takeuchi Maile FlanaganSasuke Uchiha Noriaki Sugiyama Yuri LowenthalSakura Haruno Chie Nakamura Kate Higgins Kakashi Hatake Kazuhiko Inoue Dave Wittenberg Rock Lee Yōichi Masukawa Brian Donovan Shikamaru Nara Showtaro Morikubo Tom Gibis Hinata Hyuga Nana Mizuki Stephanie Sheh Ino Yamanaka Ryoka Yuzuki Colleen O'Shaughnessey Choji Akimichi Kentarō Itō Robbie Rist Neji Hyuga Koichi Tochika Steve Staley Kiba Inuzuka Kosuke Toriumi Kyle Hebert Shino Aburame Shinji Kawada Derek Stephen Prince Tenten Yukari Tamura Danielle Judovits Gaara Akira Ishida Liam O'Brien Orochimaru Kujira Steve Blum Jiraiya Hōchū Ōtsuka David Lodge Itachi Uchiha Hideo Ishikawa Crispin Freeman Obito Uchiha Wataru Takagi Michael Yurchak Nagato Junpei Morita Vic Mignogna Madara Uchiha Naoya Uchida Neil Kaplan
Production and release Part I (2002–07) The first Naruto anime series, directed by Hayato Date, and produced by Studio Pierrot and TV Tokyo, aired in Japan from October 3, 2002, to February 8, 2007. The first 135 episodes were adapted from Part I of the manga, and the remaining 85 episodes are original and use plot elements excluded in the manga. Tetsuya Nishio was the character designer for Naruto when the manga was adapted into an anime series. Kishimoto had requested that Nishio be given this role. Beginning on April 29, 2009, the original Naruto anime began a rerun on Wednesdays and Thursdays (until the fourth week of September 2009 when it changed to only Wednesdays). It was remastered in HD, with new 2D and 3D effects, under the name . Episodes from the series were released on both VHS and DVD, and collected as boxed sets.
Viz licensed the anime series for broadcast and distribution in the Region 1 market. The English dub of the anime began airing on September 10, 2005, and ended on January 31, 2009, with 209 episodes aired on Cartoon Network's Toonami block in the United States. The episodes were also broadcast on YTV's Bionix (Canada), Jetix (United Kingdom) and SABC 2's (South Africa) programming blocks, and were released on DVD on March 28, 2006. On August 25, 2017, Starz announced that they would be offering episodes of the series for their Video on Demand service starting September 1, 2017. The first 26 volumes contain four episodes; later DVD volumes have five episodes. Uncut editions were released in DVD box sets, each containing 12–15 episodes, with some variation based on story arcs. In the American broadcast, references to alcohol, Japanese culture, sexual innuendo, and the appearance of blood and death were sometimes edited. The DVD editions contained the uncensored visuals. One of the censored scenes was the accidental kiss between Naruto and Sasuke, fitting in the long trend of removing content that alludes to homosexual relationships. The series was also licensed to Hulu, Joost, and Crunchyroll, which aired the episodes online with the original Japanese audio tracks and English subtitles. On June 1, 2017, it was announced that an HD remaster version of the original anime television series would debut on Japanese TV on June 24, starting with the show's first episode. Anime Limited released the series in a "Collector's Blu-ray" edition in the United Kingdom and Ireland in 2024.
A series of four "brand-new" episodes, to commemorate the original anime's 20th anniversary, were originally scheduled to premiere on September 3, 2023. In August of the same year, it was announced the premiere had been postponed.
Part II: Shippuden (2007–17) The second anime series, titled produced by Studio Pierrot and directed by Hayato Date, is a direct sequel to the first Naruto anime series. It corresponds to Part II of the manga. It aired on TV Tokyo from February 15, 2007 to March 23, 2017. On January 8, 2009, TV Tokyo aired new episodes via internet streaming to monthly subscribers. Each streamed episode was available online within an hour of its Japanese release and includes English subtitles.
Viz began streaming English subtitled episodes on January 2, 2009, on the series' website, including episodes that had already been released as well as new episodes from Japan. In the United States, the English dub of Naruto: Shippuden premiered weekly on Disney XD from October 28, 2009, up until episode 98 on November 5, 2011. Episodes 99 through 338 premiered uncut on the anime web channel Neon Alley until it was closed on May 4, 2016. The anime series aired on Adult Swim's Toonami programming block on January 5, 2014, where it aired on a weekly basis.
The series was released on Region 2 DVD in Japan with four or five episodes per disk. There are four series of DVD releases divided by story arc. There was a special feature included with the seventh Naruto: Shippuden compilation DVD called Hurricane! "Konoha Academy" Chronicles. was released on December 16, 2009; featuring episodes 119–120, the story revolves around Kakashi Hatake's childhood.
The first North American DVD of the series was released on September 29, 2009. Only the first 53 episodes were made available in this format before it ended with the 12th volume on August 10, 2010. Subsequent episodes were released as part of DVD boxed sets, beginning with the first season on January 26, 2010. In the United Kingdom, the series was licensed by Manga Entertainment who released the first DVD collection on June 14, 2010. Anime Limited released the series in a "Collector's Blu-ray" edition in the United Kingdom and Ireland in 2024.
Episodes
Naruto
Naruto: Shippuden
Films Naruto was adapted into 11 theatrical films. The first three films correspond to the first anime series, and the remaining eight correspond to the second.
Naruto the Movie: Ninja Clash in the Land of Snow (2004). Team 7 travels to the Land of Snow to protect the actors during the shooting of Yukie's film. Naruto the Movie: Legend of the Stone of Gelel (2005). Naruto, Shikamaru, and Sakura go on a ninja mission involving them in a war between the Sunaga village and a large force of armored warriors. Unlike its predecessor, Legend of the Stone of Gelel did not have a theatrical release in the United States. It was released in direct-to-video format instead. Naruto the Movie: Guardians of the Crescent Moon Kingdom (2006). Naruto, Sakura, Lee, and Kakashi are assigned to protect the future prince of the Land of Moon, Hikaru Tsuki. Naruto Shippuden the Movie (2007). Naruto goes on a mission to protect the priestess Shion, who makes visions about his death. Naruto Shippuden the Movie: Bonds (2008). Naruto and Sasuke are forced to join forces when ninja from the Sky Country attack Konoha. Naruto Shippuden the Movie: The Will of Fire (2009). Team 7 works to prevent Kakashi from sacrificing himself and ending the war. Naruto Shippuden the Movie: The Lost Tower (2010). Naruto is sent 20 years into the past as he explores a mystical tower to capture a rogue ninja and discovers the Fourth Hokage Minato Namikaze, his father, alive in the timeline. Naruto the Movie: Blood Prison (2011). Naruto is framed for attempted murder of the Raikage. While attempting to escape from prison, he discovers its real secrets. Road to Ninja: Naruto the Movie (2012). Naruto and Sakura are sent to an alternate universe by Tobi, and discover the meaning of companionship and parenthood. The story planning and character designs were created by Kishimoto. The Last: Naruto the Movie (2014). Naruto and his companions try to stop the moon from colliding with Earth. The film explains some loose ends involving the series' mythology, and focuses on the relationship between Naruto and Hinata. Kishimoto served as the film's chief story supervisor, story writer, and character designer. Boruto: Naruto the Movie (2015). The film focuses on the children of the main characters, mainly Boruto Uzumaki, who trains with his father's best friend and former rival Sasuke Uchiha to surpass him. Kishimoto served as the film's chief production supervisor, screenwriter, and character designer.
OVAs There are 12 original video animations (OVAs) in Naruto.
Find the Crimson Four-Leaf Clover! (2002). Naruto, Konohamaru, and his friends, go on a mission to retrieve a four leaf clover that makes a wish come true. Mission: Protect the Waterfall Village! (2003). Naruto, Sasuke, Sakura, and Kakashi, are on a mission to escort a ninja to his hometown. This and the previous OVA were later released on DVD in Australia under the title Naruto Jump Festa Collection. The English localization of Mission: Protect the Waterfall Village! was released on DVD by Viz on May 22, 2007, in the United States under the title Naruto The Lost Story. Hidden Leaf Village Grand Sports Festival (2004). Multiple groups of ninjas, including Team 7, participate in a sports competition where the award is a week break from missions. Finally a clash! Jonin VS Genin!! Indiscriminate grand melee tournament meeting!! (2005) Fifth Hokage Tsunade creates a competition between Jonin (high level ninja) and Genin (low level ninja). Released on a bonus disk with the Japanese edition of the Naruto: Ultimate Ninja 3 video game for the PlayStation 2. Hurricane! "Konoha Academy" Chronicles (2008). This OVA follows Naruto and his peers, as they attend high school.