Naruto Watch Order Without Filler
When a friend says, "I want to watch Naruto, but there are more than 700 episodes," I usually answer with the same relief valve: you do not have to watch all of them.
The anime is famous for long filler stretches, recap-heavy pacing, and side stories that interrupt the main emotional line. Some filler is charming. A lot of it is skippable if your goal is Naruto and Sasuke's central story.
This guide gives you the cleanest route through the main canon, with enough context to know where the movies and Boruto fit.
The Short Watch Order
- Naruto episodes 1-135
- Skip most of Naruto 136-220, or watch selected light arcs if you want more Team 7 atmosphere
- Naruto Shippuden canon and mixed-canon episodes
- The Last: Naruto the Movie
- Boruto: Naruto the Movie or the equivalent Boruto anime arc
- Boruto only if you want the next generation
For exact episode-by-episode filler skipping, use this guide as the structure and pair it with a current filler list while watching.
The original series is where the emotional contract is formed.
The first big arcs give you Naruto's loneliness, Sasuke's pressure, Sakura's early growth, Kakashi's damaged calm, and the shinobi world before it becomes a war machine. The Land of Waves arc is still the best early test: two kids who think they are on a mission learn what killing, loyalty, and being used by adults actually look like.
Watch through episode 135 if you want the essential main story before the long filler block.
- Essential range: episodes 1-135.
- After that: most of 136-220 is filler.
- Mood: scrappy ninja school story becoming emotional rivalry.
2. Naruto Shippuden
Shippuden is the main course and the pacing problem.
The canon story covers Akatsuki, Jinchuriki politics, Sasuke's path, Pain, the Five Kage, and the Fourth Great Ninja War. It also includes many filler arcs, some placed in the middle of crucial momentum. Skipping those helps the story feel much more focused.
The best reason to stay with Shippuden is not only the fights. It is watching the lonely kid from episode one become someone whose presence changes how other people choose to live.
- Essential: canon and mixed-canon episodes.
- Skip: pure filler arcs unless you want side-character downtime.
- Mood: revenge, war, inheritance, and hard-earned recognition.
3. The Last: Naruto the Movie
Watch The Last near the end, after the main war material and before the final epilogue feeling fully settles.
It focuses on Naruto and Hinata more directly than the series usually does. The tone is more romantic and reflective, with the moon-threat plot serving as a frame for emotional closure. If you only care about battles, it is not mandatory. If you care about where the characters land as adults, it matters.
- Best for: relationship closure.
- Watch after: the main late-Shippuden story.
- Mood: romantic epilogue with action.
4. Boruto: Naruto the Movie or Boruto Anime
The Boruto movie is a compact way to sample the next generation.
It works because it treats Naruto from a new angle: not as the ignored child, but as the overworked father and Hokage whose own child cannot understand what he had to become. If you continue into the Boruto anime, know that the pacing and focus are different. It is not simply Naruto Part 3.
- Best for: seeing Naruto as an adult.
- Choose the movie if: you want the short version.
- Choose the anime if: you want the full next-generation ecosystem.
Should You Watch Any Filler?
Only if you enjoy the cast enough to spend extra time with them.
Some filler episodes offer comedy, minor character moments, or team downtime that the manga did not have room for. But if you are trying to keep momentum, skip pure filler first and come back later. The main story hits harder when it is not constantly interrupted.
Good reasons to watch filler:
- You want more of a side character.
- You are not in a hurry.
- You enjoy low-stakes village episodes.
Good reasons to skip filler:
- You are watching for Naruto and Sasuke's arc.
- You lose patience when flashbacks repeat.
- You want the war arc to move faster.
Quick Watch Table
| Step | Title | What to Watch | Priority |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | episodes 1-135 | Essential | |
| 2 | Naruto filler block | selected episodes only | Optional |
| 3 | Naruto Shippuden | canon and mixed-canon | Essential |
| 4 | The Last | after late Shippuden | Recommended |
| 5 | Boruto movie/anime | next generation |