This post covers all Naruto arcs in chronological order, with the episode count included and even the fillers.

Naruto is one of the most popular anime series of all time, and it holds a special place in the hearts of anime fans. The journey follows the young ninja Naruto Uzumaki, who aspires to become the Hokage of Konoha, the Hidden Leaf Village.

This anime series started over 20 years ago, on October 3rd, 2002, and finished airing on February 8, 2007.

Naruto has the burden of having the Nine-Tailed Fox sealed inside him, and many despise him for that. But Naruto strives to become a stronger ninja and wishes to have friends to support him in his dream of becoming the Hokage.

There are a lot of arcs in Naruto that have a deciding role in the overall storyline; even the first arc gets highlighted later on. This anime series has over 15 filler arcs (content that is not from the manga) and is, for most fans, irrelevant.

Naruto has it all: amazing life lessons, amazing side characters, epic fight scenes, a clear goal, an awesome protagonist, scary villains, and loads of action.

Note: We will include all the Naruto arcs on this list, but some are marked as filler arcs.

Read further for the complete list of all the Naruto arcs chronologically!

1. Land of Waves (Episodes 1–19)

The Land of Waves arc is where it all begins for Naruto Uzumaki’s adventure of becoming the Hokage of Konoha. He goes with Team 7 (Sasuke, Sakura, and Kakashi-sensei) on their first mission, where they later encounter Zabuza and Haku.

This particular arc shows Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura how surreal and dangerous the ninja world truly is. The mission turns from an escort mission into a dangerous S-ranked mission after encountering Zabuza and Haku.

Remember that Team 7 is strong, but they have never faced a life-threatening situation like this.

What makes this arc so epic is that Zabuza and Haku are not typical evil villains; they have different perspectives about good and evil. You immediately see Team 7 develop a true bond because they have to work together as a team and trust one another, or else everyone dies.

Even though Naruto and Sasuke dislike each other, when it comes to battle, they trust each other completely and show bravery and guts.

The impact Naruto has with his words on Zabuza and Haku makes them realize what is truly important to them.

2. Chūnin Exams (Episodes 20–67)

The Chūnin Exams arc is one of the longest but arguably the best arcs of the whole Naruto anime series. There is a design for the exams that fits young and old ninjas, each having to deal with challenging missions and exercises.

Team 7 participates in the Chūnin Exams, where they compete against ninjas from other teams. All participants learn crucial parts of being a ninja, for example, teamwork and dealing with life-and-death situations.

Naruto and the other ninjas figure out their teamwork and how ruthless Shinobi are in the Forest of Death. Almost every Shinobi there proves their worth and strength in this arc. This particular arc shows you one of the most epic fights in all of Naruto, with Gaara and Rock Lee.

Secondly, a new villain in Orochimaru appears and infiltrates the Hidden Leaf Village. There are also new Naruto characters introduced from other villages like Gaara, Kankuro, and Temari.

3. Konoha Crush (Episodes 68–80)

Near the end of the Chūnin Exams, Orochimaru and his allies invade the Hidden Leaf Village by pretending to be the Kazekage.

The motives of Orochimaru are unknown, but there is more we can learn about other Shinobi, like Gaara’s past. You discover why he acts the way he does and what he has to go through as the Jinchuriki of Shukaku, the One-Tails.

But why would Orochimaru, a former Hidden Leaf Shinobi, attack his village? And why does Gaara fight against Naruto while being so angry at him? The Konoha Crush shows the battle between the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarotubi, and Orochimaru.

Their battle decides the fate of Konoha as well as who is stronger between them. At the end of the battle, Hiruzen sacrifices himself to stop Orochimaru from executing his evil plans.

His death shocks the other sensei and other ninjas, especially Naruto. The sadness of losing your Hokage always causes a lot of sadness and also opens the discussion of who becomes the new Hokage.

4. Search for Tsunade (Episodes 81–100)

In the aftermath of the attack on Konoha, Naruto meets Jiraiya, his new sensei, who introduces him to Jutsu like the Rasengan.

The Search for Tsunade arc holds importance because this is when Naruto helps Jiraiya find Tsunade and helps him convince Tsunade to become the new Hokage of the Hidden Leaf Village.

Because now Konoha is without a Hokage, and the matter of finding a new one is urgent. But Orochimaru also searches for Tsunade, obviously for a different reason.

Meanwhile, Konoha is again under attack by Kisame Hoshigaki and Itachi Uchiha, two dangerous group members of the Akatsuki.

This is the first time Itachi Uchiha is back in Konoha after his own clan’s massacre, which has an important impact on Sasuke’s character.

Both Naruto and Sasuke encounter the two members of the Akatsuki and go face-to-face with Kisame and Itachi.

5. Land of Tea Escort Mission ( Filler, Episodes 102–106)

The Land of Tea Escort Mission Arc is the first Naruto filler arc of the anime series. In this arc, Team 7 of Kakashi, Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura go to the Land of Tea.

Their mission is simple: Team 7 must help the Hidden Leaf Village, Genin Idate Morino, win a race. This Naruto arc gives you some time to breathe in between the following arcs because it will be intense.

6. Sasuke Recovery Mission (107–135)

Naruto goes on a mission with Neji, Choji, Shikamaru, and Kiba to stop Sasuke from joining the side of Orochimaru.

The Sasuke Recovery Mission arc happens after Sasuke receives his cursed mark from Orochimaru in the Forest of Death during the Chūnin Exams. Sasuke becomes hungry for power after his brother Itachi calls him weak during their short fight.

This leads to Sasuke leaving Konoha to join Orochimaru and become stronger. As a result, Naruto and the other ninjas of the Hidden Lead join forces to form a team to get him back.

The Sasuke recovery team put their lives on the line on this mission, and they are willing to die for him.

At the end of this arc, at the Valley of the End, Naruto and Sasuke have their first fight, which decides the fate of the Hidden Leaf Village.

This is the last real cannon Naruto arc before the time skip and the events of Naruto Shippuden happen.

7. Land of Rice Fields Investigation Mission (Filler, Episodes 136–141)

Naruto and Sasuke join Jiraiya on a mission to investigate the location of Orochimaru in the Land of Rice Fields.

Team 7 is not complete anymore because of Sasuke, and Kakashi is busy, so that leaves it to Naruto and Sakura. So now Jiraiya, Naruto, and Sakura go on the Land of Rice Fields Investigation Mission.

They discover more proof of the scary experiments Orochimaru is doing, meaning that Sasuke is in danger.

8. Mizuki Tracking Mission (Filler, Episodes 142–147)

This arc revolves around Mizuki, the first antagonist in the Naruto series, who betrayed his comrades. He made Naruto Uzumaki steal the forbidden scroll of the Shadow Clone Jutsu and even attacked his sensei, Iruka.

The Mizuki Tracking Mission covers the escape of Mizuki from prison and Naruto chasing him down.

This dishonored Shinobi was once beaten by Naruto, but he still remains a dangerous ninja.

So now again, Naruto and Iruka combine their strength to capture Mizuki and go on a search.

9. Bikochu Search Mission (Filler, Episodes 148–151)

The Bikochu Search Mission consists of Naruto teaming up with Team 8 (Kiba, Shino, and Hinata) to search for the bug Bikochu that may help them find Sasuke.

This insect comes from the Aburame Clan, and this bug can find anything that is lost. That is why Shino has to tag along on this mission. The team uses the forehead protector from Sasuke for its scent. What makes this arc cool are the funny moments and the rare combination of these characters in a group.

10. Kurosuki Family Removal Mission (Filler, Episodes 152–157)

Naruto teams up with Team Guy (Might Guy, Neji Hyuga, Rock Lee, and Tenten) on a mission. They have to deal with Raiga Kurosuki, one of the Seven Swordsmen of the Mist, and the criminal Kurosuki family.

Naruto and Team Guy encounter strange supernatural mysteries in this filler arc, but it is still enjoyable.

Every person Naruto meets might give him a clue about Sasuke, but unfortunately, this is not the case in this arc.

11. Gosunkugi Capture Mission (Filler, Episodes 159–160)

The Gosunkugi Capture Mission features Naruto again with the members of Team 8. They have to help the bounty hunter and bladesmith, Sazanami, clear his name. This is because he is wrongfully accused of being a murderer named Gosunkugi, who killed his ex-client and his family.

The group is looking for the infamous bandit Gosunkugi, but they find Sazanami instead, and they help him prove his innocence. Although Naruto and Team 8 didn’t succeed in finding the bandit, the episode was not boring.

12. Cursed Warrior Extermination Mission (Filler, Episodes 162–167)

The Cursed Warrior Extermination Mission follows Naruto, Neji, and Tenten on a mission to the Land of Birds. They head out to investigate a mysterious ghost who haunts the Land of Birds.

This country is a small place in between the Land of Earth and the Land of Wind. The ghosts get defeated because of the combined skills of Naruto, Tenten, and Neji.

So now the Land of Birds is saved once and for all.

13. Kaima Capture Mission (Filler, Episodes 169–173)

Naruto goes on a mission with Anko Mitarashi (a former student of Orochimaru), Shino Aburame, and Ino Yamanaka to the Land of Sea to find information about Orochimaru. They intend to use this information to learn the whereabouts of Sasuke.

Both Anko and Naruto are very motivated to find more information about Orochimaru, although both want it for different reasons.

14. Buried Gold Excavation Mission (Filler, Episodes 175–176)

Naruto continues his search for Sasuke, now accompanied by Hinata and Kiba after they were ordered by Tsunade to join. The mission in this Naruto arc seems boring, but what’s at stake is that the three ninjas get sent back to the academy if they fail.

This group might seem troublesome because of their bad teamwork and low success rate on missions.

So you have Kiba, who never listens to Naruto, Naruto, who never thinks at all, and Hinata, who avoids confrontation.

15. Star Guard Mission (Filler, Episodes 178–183)

The Star Guard Mission Arc is probably the most entertaining Naruto filler arc of all, and we will explain why. Naruto and Team Guy go to Hoshigakure because they need to help the villagers protect their sacred star.

They encounter Sumaru and Natsuhi, who immediately become the favorite characters of the Naruto filler arcs. There is also this beautiful lullaby called “Natsuhiboshi.”. This song still touches the emotional strings of Naruto fans worldwide.

16. Peddlers Escort Mission (Filler, Episodes 187–191)

The Peddlers Escort Mission follows Naruto, Hinata, and Choji on a mission to the Land of Vegetables to protect peddlers with their crops from the Janin. These peddlers get troubled by the trio of brothers who call themselves the Janin.

So now Naruto and the others have to step in to stop the three brothers from doing so. It is an interesting battle between them because the Janin uses a special ninjutsu we have not seen before.

17. Third Great Beast (Filler, Episodes 195–196)

The Third Great arc features two of the most loved Naruto characters in Might Guy and Rock Lee. Both Rock Lee, Might Guy, and Naruto have to deal with an attempt at revenge by Yagura, a genin from the Hidden Leaf Village.

The jutsu this genin and his brother use is the special puppet technique, and later it is discovered why the brothers seek revenge.

18. Konoha Plans to Recapture Mission (Filler, Episodes 197–201)

This arc focuses on Naruto and Konoha 11, who are the most promising young and talented Shinobi of the Hidden Leaf Village. These promising shinobi join forces to stop Gennō of the Kagero Village from destroying Konoha.

Out of all the Naruto filler arcs, this one is so great because there are so many Naruto characters in it, and all of these characters fight. So these episodes have loads of action and great fight scenes to show for it.

19. Yakumo Kurama Rescue Mission (Filler, Episodes 203–207)

This arc follows Kurenai, who temporarily leaves Team 8 because she has business to do with an old student of hers, Yakumo Kurama. The Yakumo Kurama Rescue Mission puts more focus on Kurenai Yuhi instead of Naruto and members of Team 8.

We also learn about the Kurama clan. Yakumo Kurama reveals that her clan members specialize in genjutsu; some members even possess Kekkei Genkei.

However, this clan is in danger, so that is why Naruto and Kurenai help the Kurama clan.

20. Gantetsu Escort Mission (Filler, Episodes 209–212)

The Gantetsu Escort Mission covers Naruto teaming up with Sakura and Rock Lee to help transfer an infamous member of the Shinobazu to prison. And of course, this doesn’t happen without any difficulties.

So now this trio of young Shinobi have to jump into action by handling the dangerous Shinozabu group.

This is one of the few Naruto arcs that is packed with many combat and action scenes. However, some of the villains in this arc are permitted to leave in the end.

21. Menma Memory Search Mission (Filler, Episodes 213–215)

Naruto helps Menma, a former leader of thieves from the Land of Rice Fields, regain his memory.

Menmna is a ninja who suffers from amnesia due to past events, and so now Naruto decides to help him as an act of goodwill. Naruto can still see the good in someone, even if their past is not righteous.

However, even after Naruto and Menma become friends, something suddenly changes everything.

Menma fakes his amnesia because he wants to escape the gang he was in. In the end, Menma sacrifices himself for his village, and Naruto pays his respects to him by eating a special bowl of ramen.

22. Sunagakure Support Mission (Filler, Episodes 216–220)

The Sunagakure Support Mission arc is the last filler arc of the Naruto series, and it has to conclude all the previous filler arcs into this storyline. The arc sends Naruto and the Konoha 11 to the Sunagakure to help rescue Matsuri, a member of the Four Celestial Symbols Men.

This is a powerful and devilish group of shinobi who capture Matsuri, forcing Naruto and the others to operate. Even Gaara of the Sand helps the Konoha 11 on this mission, and they succeed in doing so.

All of the events in this last Naruto arc are the final part of this series, right before Naruto Shippuden begins.