Shippuden · Main line
Naruto: Shippuden
EssentialSeries2007
Two and a half years on, with the story the first series was building to. Around two fifths of it is anime-original, woven through the arcs rather than blocked off between them.
Availability changes by country and by week, so this searches JustWatch rather than guessing.
Can you skip Naruto: Shippuden?
No. It carries part of the main Naruto throughline, and what comes after it assumes you have seen it. See the full Naruto order.
Every arc, and what you can skip
500 episodes across 23 arcs. 176 sit in wholly anime-original arcs, of which 161 are safe to skip. Anime-original is not the same as skippable, which is why the last two columns are separate.
| Episodes | Arc | Material | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1–32 | Kazekage Rescue MissionEpisode 28 is anime-original. | Canon | Watch |
| 33–56 | Tenchi Bridge and Akatsuki Suppression | Canon | Watch |
| 57–71 | The Three-Tails’ AppearanceThe first long anime-original run of the series. | Anime-original | Skippable |
| 72–89 | Master’s Prophecy and VengeanceHidan and Kakuzu, and one of the better stretches in Shippuden. | Canon | Watch |
| 90–112 | Twelve Guardian NinjaTwenty-three consecutive anime-original episodes. | Anime-original | Skippable |
| 113–143 | Fated Battle Between BrothersSasuke and Itachi. The reason a lot of people are still watching. | Canon | Watch |
| 144–151 | Six-Tails Unleashed | Anime-original | Skippable |
| 152–175 | Pain’s AssaultEpisodes 170 and 171 are anime-original. Everything else here matters. | Mostly canon | Watch |
| 176–196 | Past Arc: The Locus of KonohaTwenty-one episodes of flashback to the previous generation. | Anime-original | Skippable |
| 197–222 | Five Kage Summit | Canon | Watch |
| 223–242 | Paradise Life on a BoatA twenty-episode detour on a boat, immediately before the war starts. | Anime-original | Skippable |
| 243–283 | Fourth Shinobi World War: CountdownAnime-original at 257 to 260, 271, and 279 to 281. | Mostly canon | Watch |
| 284–295 | Anime-original interlude | Anime-original | Skippable |
| 296–302 | Fourth Shinobi World War: Confrontation | Canon | Watch |
| 303–320 | Anime-original interludeEighteen episodes, mid-war. | Anime-original | Skippable |
| 321–346 | Fourth Shinobi World War: Climax | Canon | Watch |
| 347–361 | Kakashi’s Anbu ArcAnime-original, and the one block here worth considering. It fills in Kakashi and Itachi’s Anbu years, and it is better than the material around it. | Anime-original | Optional |
| 362–393 | Birth of the Ten-Tails’ JinchūrikiAnime-original at 376 to 377 and 389 to 390. | Mostly canon | Watch |
| 394–413 | Infinite Tsukuyomi flashbacksTwenty episodes of backstory, dropped in at the worst possible moment. | Anime-original | Skippable |
| 414–426 | The war resumesAnime-original at 416 and 422 to 423. | Mostly canon | Watch |
| 427–450 | Anime-original interludeTwenty-four episodes, the longest single detour in Shippuden. | Anime-original | Skippable |
| 451–479 | Kaguya Ōtsutsuki StrikesThe end of the war. Anime-original at 464 to 469. | Mostly canon | Watch |
| 480–500 | Epilogue and the HidensEpisodes 480 to 483 are anime-original. The rest adapts the side novels and closes the series on the wedding. | Mostly canon | Watch |
Naruto guides
Where it sits in the Naruto order
- Release order
- #5 of 14
- Chronological order
- #5 of 14
- Released
- 15 February 2007
- In-universe era
- Part Two
What to watch next
In release order
In chronological order
More from Shippuden
More like Naruto
- BleachTwo of the three long shonen runs of the 2000s, and both ask you to skip a third of what aired.
- Demon SlayerNinja and demon hunters, twenty years apart, and the gap in animation budget is the story of the medium.
- Fullmetal AlchemistShonen where the mentor figures matter as much as the fights, and both know how to land a death.