What Is The Chronological Naruto Arc List For The Anime?

I get excited every time I tell friends how to watch 'Naruto' in order, so here’s a compact route that I often recommend: start with the original series' main arcs — Prologue/Land of Waves, Chunin Exams, Konoha Crush, Search for Tsunade, and Sasuke Retrieval. After that, jump into 'Naruto Shippuden' following the main storyline: Kazekage Rescue, Tenchi Bridge Reconnaissance, Akatsuki Suppression (including Hidan & Kakuzu), Itachi Pursuit (and Kakashi Gaiden flashback), Pain’s Assault (Jiraiya & Pain), Five Kage Summit, then the build-up into the Fourth Great Ninja War and the final Kaguya/Sage of Six Paths resolution, finishing with the epilogue material.

I usually skip most filler arcs unless I’m in the mood for extra character moments — some are genuinely charming and add flavor, while others are pure time-sinks. If you want, I can highlight which filler arcs are worth watching and which you can safely skip.

I still get a little giddy thinking about how the world of 'Naruto' unfolds when you watch it in chronological order. If you want a clean viewing route, I like to separate the original series and the follow-up, because each has its own rhythm. For the original 'Naruto' series (the one that starts with young Naruto, Sasuke and Sakura), here’s the sequence I follow in watching order: Prologue–Land of Waves, Chunin Exams, Konoha Crush (Invasion of Konoha), Search for Tsunade (Tsunade Recovery Mission), and then the Sasuke Retrieval (Sasuke Recovery Mission). Between and after those core arcs, the original show is stuffed with filler mini-arcs — some are fun one-offs, like the episodic character spotlight bits, and others are longer; I usually skip most of those unless I’m in a nostalgia mood.

When I switch to 'Naruto Shippuden', the pacing changes and the arcs multiply. I usually run them in this chronological flow: Kazekage Rescue Mission, Tenchi Bridge Reconnaissance Mission, Akatsuki Suppression Mission (which includes the Hidan & Kakuzu fight), Itachi Pursuit Mission (leading to Sasuke vs. Itachi flashpoints), Kakashi Gaiden (short but crucial flashback), the buildup arcs around Pain and Jiraiya culminate in the Pain’s Assault arc, then the Five Kage Summit, the Itachi–Sasuke aftermath and the many preludes to the Fourth Shinobi World War. From there you get the Fourth Great Ninja War arc, the final confrontations (including the fight against major antagonists and the Kaguya resolution), and finally the epilogue material leading into the next generation. Along the way, Shippuden has a lot of filler arcs as well — some tie into character moments (team missions, childhood flashbacks) and some can be avoided if you only want canon progression.

If you want a practical tip from my binging experience: follow the main canon arcs if you're after story and character payoff; dip into fillers when you want lighter, slice-of-life breaths between heavy battles. I also like to watch certain filler arcs that flesh out side characters I care about, but I treat those like dessert: optional and tasty if you’re hungry. If you want, I can give a shorter checklist of just the major arcs without filler so you can marathon the essentials next time you rewatch 'Naruto' and 'Naruto Shippuden'.