The Naruto anime involves a labyrinth of canon and filler episodes that can be hard to navigate when streaming it. During the show’s initial run from 2002-2017, animators routinely caught up to the weekly Shonen Jump manga of the same title. Studio Pierrot, the studio behind the anime adaptation, filled it with stories that spanned months to keep a distance from the manga. The studio even combined filler and canon into one episode to compensate for this. As such, many episodes of the long running anime require you to watch filler in some capacity. The guide below will show you how to watch as much Naruto with as little unnecessary filler as possible.
Naruto canon episodes to watch
| Episodes | Arc/Episodes Title |
| 1-19 | The Land of Waves Arc |
| 20-67 | The Chunin Exams |
| 68-80 | Konoha Crush Arc |
| 81-100 | Search for Tsunade Arc |
| 107-135 | Sasuke Recovery Mission |
| 141* | “Sakura’s Determination” |
| 220* | “Departure” |
Which parts of the Naruto filler episodes 141 and 220 should I watch?
Episode 141, “Sakura’s Determination,” is an episode that should only be watched in part. From 20:10-21:11, Sakura makes a decision that involves her character development in Naruto Shippuden.
Episode 220, “Departure,” is similar to episode 141. Both episodes are a part of filler arcs that you should partially watch. 12:19-21:17 marks a canon moment in which Naruto leaves the Hidden Leaf Village to train with Jiraiya.
Naruto Shippuden canon episodes to watch
| Episodes | Arcs |
| 1-32 (221- 252) | Kazekage Rescue |
| 33-53 (253-252) | Long-Awaited Reunion |
| 54-56(274-276)* | Guardian Shinobi Twelve |
| 72-88(292-308) | Immortal Devastators: Hidan And Kakuzu |
| 89-90(309-310)* | Three-Tails’ Appearance |
| 113-143(333-363) | Master’s Prophecy and Vengeance |
| 152-175(372-395)** | Two Saviors |
| 197-221(417-441) | The Five Kage Summit |
| 222(442) | “The Five Kage’s Decision” |
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| 243-275(463-495)** | Nine-Tails Taming and Karmic Encounters |
| 276-289(496-509)** | The Seven Ninja Swordsmen |
| 296-320(516-540)** | The Great Ninja War: Assailants From Afar |
| 321-348(541-568)** | The Great Ninja War: Sasuke and Itachi |
| 362-372(582-592) | The Great Ninja War: Team 7 Returns |
| 373-393(593-613)** | The Great Ninja War: Obito Uchiha |
| 414-431(634-651)** | Infinite Tsukuyomi: The Invocation |
| 451-458(671-678) | Itachi’s Story:Daylight/Midnight |
| 459-469(679-689)* | The Origins of Ninshu: The Two Souls, Indra And Ashura |
| 470-479(690-699) | Naruto and Sasuke |
| 484-488(704-708) | Sasuke Shinden:Book of Sunrise |
| 489-493(709-713) | Shikamaru Hiden: A Cloud Drifting in Silent Darkness |
| 494-500(714-720) | The Perfect Day For a Wedding |
** Canon arcs that contain episodes with filler content.
Naruto Shippuden filler episodes to skip
Naruto Shippuden is a bit murky when it comes to filler and canon episodes. Compared to Naruto, more filler arcs contain canon episodes. In Naruto Shippuden, here is a list of filler episodes to skip that are a part of canon.
| Episodes | Arc/Episodes Names |
| 257-260(477-480) | Nine-Tails Taming and Karmic Encounters (filler) |
| 271(591) | Road to Sakura |
| 279-281(499-501) | The Seven Ninja Swordsmen(filler) |
| 284-289(504-509) | The Seven Ninja Swordsmen(filler) |
| 376-377(596-597) | The Great Ninja War: Obito Uchiha(filler) |
| 388-390(608-610) | The Great Ninja War: Obito Uchiha(filler) |
| 416-417(636-637) | Infinite Tsukuyomi: The Invocation |
| 422-423(642-643) | Infinite Tsukuyomi: The Invocation |
| 427-431(647-651) | Infinite Tsukuyomi: The Invocation |
| 464-468(684-688) | The Origins of Ninshu: The Two Souls, Indra And Ashura(filler) |
Where do I watch the Naruto and Naruto Shippuden anime?
While Naruto is accessible to watch on YouTube, Tubi and other free streaming sites, Crunchyroll has all 720 episodes to watch. You can subscribe to the Crunchyroll Premium tier to gain access to more than just Naruto. If you want to read Naruto, Viz Media distributes the manga outside Japan.
