10 Best Naruto Story Arcs Fans Talk About Years Later

With 720 episodes split between the original Naruto (220 episodes) and Naruto Shippuden (500 episodes), Naruto stands as one of the most beloved anime franchises of all time. It delivered some of the most iconic story arcs in anime history, with countless unforgettable moments. From Naruto’s early days as an outcast ninja to the Fourth Great Ninja War, the series consistently brought us intense action, emotional moments, and intricate storylines that captivated fans for over two decades.

The transition from the original series to Shippuden brought a big change in the storytelling, as the two-and-a-half-year time skip allowed every major character to undergo significant development. While the original Naruto focused on friendship, determination, and pushing through tough times, Shippuden took things to the next level with deeper backstories, morally ambiguous antagonists, and incredible battles. In this list, we’ll explore the 10 best story arcs from both parts of the series that define why Naruto remains a global phenomenon in the world of shonen anime to this day.

10) Fourth Shinobi World War

(Episodes 215-222, 243-256, 261-270, 272-289, 296-310, 312-321, 322-348, and 362-375 of Shippuden)

The Fourth Shinobi World War was one of the biggest battles in Naruto and also one of its most significant arcs. In it, all the ninja villages came together as allies to stop Obito and Madara Uchiha from taking over the entire ninja world using the Eye of the Moon plan. The resulting war was so big that it was split into three parts called Countdown, Confrontation, and Climax, each showing how the battle kept growing more intense over time. 

And while this arc faces pacing issues and flashbacks that slow the action, it comes with many epic moments. Some of the most exciting battles included Might Guy risking his life by opening the Gate of Death to battle Madara, Kakashi’s emotional fight with Obito in the Kamui dimension, and the Ino-Shika-Cho trio being forced to fight their re-animated teacher Asuma. This is also the arc where Naruto unlocks Six Paths Sage Mode, and Sasuke awakens the Rinnegan, giving them the power to face Madara and setting them up as some of the most powerful shinobi ever in future arcs of the story. 

9) Itachi Shinden

(Episodes 451-458 of Shippuden)

This arc tells the heartbreaking story behind one of the most important events in Naruto: the Uchiha massacre. This short arc shows how Itachi grew up too fast, trained under his father, became close to Shisui, and developed a strong love for his little brother, Sasuke. From seeing the horrors of war at just four years old to becoming a prodigy in the Academy, Itachi always dreamed of peace, but he was torn between love for the village and loyalty to his clan. 

As the conflict between the Uchiha and the village grew worse, Itachi secretly began working as a double agent. But after Shisui’s death and the clan’s decision to start a revolt, Danzo gave Itachi a cruel choice: kill the entire clan except his little brother or they all get eliminated. Itachi chose to protect Sasuke, carried out the massacre, and joined the Akatsuki to keep an eye on threats from the shadows, making him one of Naruto’s most complex and tragic characters.

8) The Five Kage Summit

(Episodes 197-214 of Shippuden)

The Five Kage Summit story arc is a major turning point in Naruto, setting the stage for the Fourth Great Ninja War. It brings together all the most powerful leaders in the ninja world for a historic meeting, but things quickly spiral out of control. After learning the painful truth behind his brother’s actions, Sasuke, consumed by revenge, crashes the Kage Summit to kill Danzo, the man who forced Itachi to destroy their clan. 

Sasuke battles multiple Kage and later hunts down Danzo, killing him in a brutal fight. But the real twist comes when Tobi, claiming to be Madara, arrives at the summit and reveals his plan to capture all the tailed beasts, declaring war on the entire shinobi world. The arc not only sets up the biggest war in the series but also gives us intense battles, political drama, and the painful moment when even Sasuke’s closest friends begin to realize that he might be beyond saving.

7) Konoha Crush

(Episodes 68-80 of Naruto)

This arc begins with Orochimaru teaming up with the Sand Village to launch an attack on the Hidden Leaf during the Chunin Exams. Disguised as the Kazekage, Orochimaru traps the Third Hokage and revives the First and Second Hokage to fight him. To protect the village, the Third Hokage sacrifices his life, using the Reaper Death Seal to seal Orochimaru’s arms, 

At the same time, Sasuke chases after Gaara, who begins losing control of the One-Tailed Shukaku, with Naruto, Sakura, and Shikamaru following close behind. Naruto steps up to face Gaara, summoning Gamabunta and tapping into the Nine-Tails’ chakra. In the end, Naruto defeats Gaara with a powerful headbutt, showing him that true strength comes from protecting those who are dear to you and completely changing Gaara’s entire outlook on life.

6) Land of Waves

(Episodes 1-19 of Naruto)

The Land of Waves arc is Naruto‘s first real mission and a big step into the dangerous life of a ninja. Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura take on what seems like a simple mission: protect bridge builder Tazuna. But things take a serious turn when they face Zabuza, a powerful ninja from the Hidden Mist who can control water, and Haku, a young ninja who traps enemies by creating ice mirrors. 

The arc shows the sad reality of the ninja world when Haku dies protecting Zabuza, despite the latter often treating him like a tool. Moved by Haku’s sacrifice, Zabuza dies avenging him and asks to be buried beside him. The arc teaches Naruto a powerful lesson about choosing his own path in life as Tazuna honors him by naming the new bridge “The Great Naruto Bridge.”

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5) The Tale of Jiraiya the Gallant

(Episodes 127-133 of Shippuden)

This is one of the most emotional story arcs in the entire Naruto series and feels like a tribute to Jiraiya’s character. It starts with Jiraiya sneaking into the Hidden Rain Village to gather information about the Akatsuki, only the enemy he’s up against is Nagato, one of the orphaned children he once trained and cared for. As one of the legendary Sannin, Jiraiya is seen as nearly unbeatable, but he finds himself completely outmatched.

The Toad Sannin enters Sage Mode and gives everything he has, but it isn’t enough against the combined power of the Six Paths of Pain. Badly wounded and dying, reflecting on his life, Jiraiya realizes that Naruto is the boy foretold in the prophecy who will one day save the world. While some fans feel like Jiraiya’s defeat came too easily given the weight of his legendary status, this arc still earns its place on this list because of how it perfectly sets up the events that follow.

4) Fated Battle Between Brothers

(Episodes 134-143 of Shippuden)

This arc delivers the long-awaited fight between Sasuke and his older brother, Itachi, a moment that had been building up since the series started. The fight is intense and emotional, with both brothers using powerful techniques like Amaterasu, Tsukuyomi, Susanoo, and Sasuke’s new Kirin technique. But just when it seems like Itachi is about to succeed in stealing Sasuke’s eyes, he instead gently pokes his little brother’s forehead like he used to do when they were kids, before collapsing and dying from illness. 

After Itachi’s death, Tobi reveals the truth to Sasuke: Itachi had been protecting Sasuke all along, and only killed the Uchiha clan under orders from the village. He carried the burden alone and let Sasuke hate him so he’d grow strong. This revelation breaks Sasuke, and instead of finding peace, he turns his rage toward Konoha, swearing to destroy those who forced Itachi to live with such pain.

3) Chunin Exams

(Episodes 20-67 of Naruto)

The Chunin Exams was the first of early Naruto’s most exciting and overall best story arcs, where young ninjas from different villages came together to prove they were ready to level up. The exams had three main parts: a written test where students had to cheat without getting caught, a survival challenge in the Forest of Death, and one-on-one fights that showed off everyone’s special abilities. This arc was special because it gave side characters a chance to shine instead of just focusing on the main heroes like Naruto and Sasuke.

The most famous fight from this arc was Rock Lee vs. Gaara, where Lee opened the inner gates, but still lost when Gaara crushed his arm and leg. Other great moments included Naruto defeating Neji and Sasuke using his new Chidori technique against Gaara. But just when the final matches begin to heat up, Orochimaru and the Sand Village attack Konoha, turning what should have been a peaceful competition into an invasion.

2) Sasuke Recovery Mission

(Episodes 107-135 of Naruto)

In this arc, Sasuke decides to leave the village to become stronger. After feeling weaker than Naruto and being humiliated by his brother Itachi, Sasuke agrees to go with Orochimaru in hopes of gaining enough power to kill his brother. Despite Sakura begging him to stay, Sasuke leaves, prompting Shikamaru to lead a rescue team with Naruto, Neji, Kiba, and Choji to bring Sasuke back. 

Each teammate fights a member of the Sound Four in intense battles: Choji nearly dies after taking a dangerous pill to defeat Jirobo, Neji discovers his Byakugan’s blind spot during his fight with Kidomaru, and Kiba and Shikamaru hold off the remaining enemies until the Sand Siblings arrive to help. In the end, Naruto finds Sasuke at the Valley of the End and they battle, Rasengan and Chidori meeting. However, Sasuke wins and chooses to leave with Orochimaru, ending the mission in failure and leaving Naruto injured and heartbroken. 

1) Pain’s Assault

(Episodes 152-175 of Shippuden)

Pain’s Assault takes the top spot among Naruto’s story arcs as it perfectly combines action, emotional depth, and character growth. The arc begins with Pain attacking the Hidden Leaf Village to look for Naruto, who is away training to learn Sage Mode. The village fights back, but Pain is too strong and destroys most of Konoha.

When Naruto finally arrives, he uses his new sage powers to defeat most of Pain’s bodies, but is eventually pinned down. Hinata tries to protect him but gets badly hurt, which makes Naruto lose control and unleash the Nine-Tails. Just before he fully transforms, however, his father appears in his mind and helps him regain control. This allows Naruto to find the real Pain and convince him to believe in peace. Once Nagato realizes Naruto is right, he sacrifices himself to bring back everyone who died in the attack, and for the first time ever, the whole village welcomes Naruto as their hero with open arms.