The legendary Naruto set a high standard for shonen action anime series everywhere, as did its "big three" competitors. All three of them have legendary story arcs to their name, arcs that still delight anime fans to this day. While One Piece has the outstanding Wano arc and Bleach has its Soul Society arc, the Naruto anime has even more outstanding arcs, with or without filler arcs included. While some of these fan-favorite arcs are artificially overhyped by nostalgia, others truly live up to their reputation.
The story of Naruto regularly shifted its focus in terms of plot and characters to give each arc its own themes, stakes, character drama, and most of all, fight scenes. Some arcs had more explosive action than others, but it's not always action and jutsu that make for a great Naruto story arc. The ten Naruto arcs that live up to the hype have not just cool fight scenes, but also meaningful plot developments, smart pacing, hard-hitting drama, shocking revelations, and much more.
Naruto Arcs
The Land of Waves Arc Is a Heartfelt Shonen Start
Naruto episodes 1-19
Even the best shonen action anime titles tend to start slow, with few characters, low power scaling, and limited stakes. Newer titles like My Hero Academia and Jujutsu Kaisen are like that, too. However, the Naruto anime started stronger than most, delivering some incredibly heartfelt messages and themes in its first arc.
Many of the themes in the Land of Waves arc went on to become Naruto mainstays, from the virtue of stubborn perseverance to Naruto's desire to become someone great to the famous talk jutsu. Naruto redeemed the monstrous Zabuza Momochi with his words, allowing Naruto's first major villain to miraculously die a sympathetic antihero.
The Chunin Exam Arc Is Shonen's Best Tournament Arc Yet
Naruto Episodes 20 - 67
The shonen genre is famous for its many tournament arcs, from the Dragon Ball Tournament of Power to the UA sports festival and the Dark Tournament from yu Yu Hakusho. But even after all this time, Naruto's Chunin Exam story arc still sets a high benchmark that not all series can match.
Naruto fans are right to hype the chunin exam arc as a stellar tournament story, and it quickly turned the anime from a cool new show to an instant shonen classic. That arc featured a large handful of cool new characters, such as the Konoha 11's members, Orochimaru's mysterious plotting, Gaara's debut, and unforgettable matches such as Gaara vs Rock Lee.
Konoha Crush Marked the End of Naruto's Innocence
Naruto Episodes 68 - 80
The Chunin Exam's tournament arc was never actually finished, since Orochimaru and the Sand ninjas invaded the Leaf Village without warning. In a moment, Naruto's adventure went from a controlled tournament setting to a real fight with no rules and serious danger.
The Konoha Crush arc is hyped because it shows the first fight between jinchurikis, Naruto vs Gaara. The arc also included Naruto's best use of the talk jutsu, the first use of Edo Tensei, and the shocking demise of Hiruzen Sarutobi as he desperately fought off his old student, Orochimaru. Starting then, Naruto truly appreciated the steep cost and the risks of war.
The Search For Tsunade Arc Redeemed The Next Hokage
Naruto Episodes 81-100
The Search for Tsunade story arc involved far fewer characters than the previous two arcs, but it did make the most of them, including the future Fifth Hokage, Tsunade. The arc introduced the sinister Itachi Uchiha as a preview of the Akatsuki organization, and then the story brought back Orochimaru and Kabuto for another round.
Naruto used his talk jutsu yet again, but instead of redeeming a villain, he restored the hope of a wayward shinobi, Tsunade. Naruto's words reached her, and the dejected, bitter Tsunade agreed to overcome her personal demons and fight for what's right in a climactic Sannin battle that involved some of the strongest animal summons seen in Naruto yet seen.
The Sasuke Retrieval Arc Broke the Bond Between Teammates
Naruto Episodes 107 - 135
The last canon story arc of Naruto's first half pushed Sasuke Uchiha into a dark place. Desperate to get stronger and defeat Itachi, Sasuke abandoned the Hidden Leaf Village to meet Orochimaru, which prompted Naruto Uzumaki and his friends to pursue him despite the immense danger.
Several legendary fights unfolded in this story arc, including Shikamaru's brilliant battle against Tayuya's deadly genjutsu, Rock Lee and Gaara's fight against Kimimaro, and most of all, Naruto's tragic and brutal fight with Sasuke in the Valley of the end. Naruto narrowly lost that fight, but hope remained, setting a bittersweet tone for the beginning of Naruto Shippuden.
Naruto Shippuden Arcs
The Kazekage Rescue Arc Gave Everyone Glow-Ups
Naruto Shippuden Episodes 1-32
Naruto Shippuden began with the Kazekage rescue arc, starring older, stronger versions of Naruto's best heroes. 15-year-old Naruto Uzumaki and Sakura Haruno were ready for a new mission in the Land of Wind, where they fought the Akatsuki to rescue Gaara the jinchuriki.
Naruto fans hyped this arc for launching a new era of the anime with great fights and even better characters, and many noteworthy developments took place. Naruto and the reborn Gaara shook hands as official allies, Kakashi unleashed his Mangekyo Sharingan's Kamui, and Sakura Haruno won her first major victory while fighting the puppetmaster Sasori.
The Battle Between Brothers Arc Brought Sasuke Strange Closure
Naruto Shippuden Episodes 134 - 143
Sasuke Uchiha had already betrayed Orichimaru and formed his own team of antiheroes by the time he was ready to face his brother Itachi for real in Naruto Shippuden. That short but intense story arc gave Naruto fans what they always wanted: a resolution to the Uchiha brothers' feud.
The fight itself was clever, exciting, and shocking in many ways, including Itachi's uncharacteristic outburst and Sasuke's desperation to win. In the end, Itachi died, but not as a villain. Naruto fans saw the first glimpse of Itachi's true heroic self, and it changed Sasuke forever.
The Kakashi Gaiden Arc Is a Great Origin Story
Naruto Shippuden Episodes 119 - 120
Flashback story arcs and origin story arcs may sometimes feel unnecessary and can disrupt an anime's pacing, but the Kakashi Gaiden arc was worth the price of admission. It provided some much-needed insight into Kakashi Hatake's enigmatic backstory, where fans saw him struggle between duty to the mission and bonds of loyalty.
Kakashi learned to embrace the power of friendship, but internalizing Obito Uchiha's worldview came at a steep cost. Still, that experience helped make Kakashi the right person to lead Team 7 in his adulthood, and it was also fun to see the Fourth Hokage in action in his prime.
The Pain Story Arc Was Naruto Shippuden At Its Zenith
Naruto Shippuden Episodes 152 - 169 & 172 - 175
The Pain story arc was for Naruto Shippuden what the Chunin Exam arc was for the original Naruto storyline. Pain emerged from the shadows as the next great Naruto villain, and he delivered on all fronts. Pain towered over the heroes with his incredible and bizarre jutsu, his unbreakable resolve, and most of all, his fascinating preaching about the cycle of hatred and violence.
Tragically, Naruto's mentor Jiraiya died in battle against Pain, raising the stakes and showing how powerful Pain really was. Then Pain obliterated the Leaf Village and its defenders, leaving only Naruto Uzumaki to save the day and grapple with Pain's insightful worldview and all its tough questions. This arc also had an impactful talk jutsu, scene, with Naruto redeeming Nagato and Konan with his words alone.
The Five Kage Summit Arc Set Up Shippuden's Explosive Endgame
Naruto Shippuden Episodes 197 - 214
Even if it wasn't much fun watching Naruto Uzumaki act dejected and desperate on Sasuke's account in this arc, the Five Kage Summit arc was still an essential one for the anime's story, and Naruto fans are right to like this one. The Five Kage Summit arc helped introduce all the major players who would shape the upcoming Fourth Great Shinobi arc.
It was fun meeting the powerful Kage and seeing them meet as uneasy political allies and rivals, and of course, antagonists like Sasuke Uchiha and Zetsu were ready to throw a monkey wrench into everything. Seeing the Kage use their overwhelming jutsu in battle was a real treat, and it helped push the stakes and power levels to new heights rather efficiently, too.
