Naruto arcs ranked by stakes, fights, character payoff and pacing put Pain’s Assault first, with the Sasuke Recovery Mission and the Chūnin Exams close behind. Below are 12 canon arcs across Naruto and Shippuden, each with its anime episode range.
Each of the Naruto arcs ranked here takes its name and episode range from the Naruto Fandom wiki. Where the wiki splits a storyline, that is noted.
How the Naruto arcs ranked here were judged
- Stakes: what the arc puts at risk.
- Fights: how good the battles are, and whether they settle anything.
- Character payoff: whether characters change or long-running threads land.
- Pacing: how well the arc uses its episodes.
Only canon arcs count. For filler, our Naruto watch order and filler guide shows what to skip.
All 12 Naruto arcs ranked at a glance
| Rank | Arc | Series | Episodes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pain’s Assault | Shippuden | 152 to 169, 172 to 175 |
| 2 | Sasuke Recovery Mission | Naruto | 107 to 135 |
| 3 | Chūnin Exams | Naruto | 20 to 67 |
| 4 | Fated Battle Between Brothers | Shippuden | 134 to 143 |
| 5 | Prologue: Land of Waves | Naruto | 1 to 19 |
| 6 | Konoha Crush | Naruto | 68 to 80 |
| 7 | Tale of Jiraiya the Gallant | Shippuden | 127 to 133 |
| 8 | Fourth Shinobi World War (five arcs) | Shippuden | 215 to 479, with gaps |
| 9 | Akatsuki Suppression Mission | Shippuden | 72 to 88 |
| 10 | Five Kage Summit | Shippuden | 197 to 214 |
| 11 | Kazekage Rescue Mission | Shippuden | 1 to 32 |
| 12 | Search for Tsunade | Naruto | 81 to 100 |
Naruto arcs ranked, from 12 to 1
12. Search for Tsunade (Naruto 81 to 100)
Itachi and Kisame walk into the Leaf, and Itachi later beats Sasuke with ease. Meanwhile, Jiraiya takes Naruto to find Tsunade and teaches him the Rasengan.
Orochimaru offers to revive the brother and lover Tsunade lost if she heals his useless arms. That ends in a three-way Sannin battle, and Tsunade becomes the Fifth Hokage.
Why 12th: great Itachi scenes and a strong finale, but the middle is mostly training and bargaining.
11. Kazekage Rescue Mission (Shippuden 1 to 32)
Shippuden opens two and a half years after Naruto left to train with Jiraiya. Akatsuki abducts Gaara, now the Kazekage, and extracting his One-Tail kills him.
Sakura and Chiyo defeat Sasori in the standout fight, and Chiyo gives her life to bring Gaara back.
Why 11th: real payoff for Gaara and Sakura, but 32 episodes is long for one rescue.
10. Five Kage Summit (Shippuden 197 to 214)
With Tsunade incapacitated, Danzō is lined up as the Sixth Hokage. Sasuke crashes the Kage summit, fights the Raikage and later defeats Danzō. Tobi then declares the Fourth Shinobi World War.
Why 10th: Sasuke at his darkest, but the arc mostly exists to set up the war.
9. Akatsuki Suppression Mission (Shippuden 72 to 88)
Akatsuki’s Hidan and Kakuzu arrive, and Hidan’s blood ritual kills Asuma. Shikamaru builds a plan to beat the immortal Hidan himself, while Naruto debuts the Wind Release: Rasenshuriken against Kakuzu, whose death carries into episode 89.
Why 9th: the best Shikamaru story in the franchise and tight at 17 episodes, but the stakes stay personal.
8. Fourth Shinobi World War (Shippuden 215 to 479)
The Fandom wiki splits the war into five arcs: Fourth Shinobi World War: Countdown, Confrontation and Climax, then Birth of the Ten-Tails’ Jinchūriki and Kaguya Ōtsutsuki Strikes.
Madara clashes with all five Kage, the masked man is revealed as Obito Uchiha, Might Guy opens the Eighth Gate against Madara, and Team 7 brings down Kaguya. Naruto and Sasuke’s final fight at the Valley of the End costs each an arm.
Why 8th: unmatched stakes and fights, but the canon is spread across a 265-episode stretch, more than half of Shippuden’s 500. It is the hardest call among the Naruto arcs ranked here.
7. Tale of Jiraiya the Gallant (Shippuden 127 to 133)
Jiraiya infiltrates the Hidden Rain Village to find Akatsuki’s leader and fights Pain in Sage Mode. He learns that Pain is his former student Nagato, and with his last strength writes a coded message on the toad Fukasaku’s back.
Why 7th: seven episodes, one fight, one goodbye. Few arcs do more with less.
6. Konoha Crush (Naruto 68 to 80)
Orochimaru, disguised as the Kazekage he murdered, launches his invasion during the exam finals. The Third Hokage gives his life to seal Orochimaru’s arms with the Reaper Death Seal, while Naruto stops Gaara in a clash of jinchūriki.
Why 6th: short, tense and costly, though much of its power is borrowed from the Chūnin Exams.
5. Prologue: Land of Waves (Naruto 1 to 19)
The Fandom wiki’s opening arc covers episodes 1 to 19, but the mission starts in episode 6, when Team 7 escorts the bridge builder Tazuna home and runs into Zabuza Momochi and Haku.
Sasuke activates his Sharingan, Naruto’s Nine-Tails chakra boils over, and Haku dies shielding Zabuza from Kakashi’s Lightning Blade. Zabuza goes down fighting Gatō’s men, and the bridge is named the Great Naruto Bridge.
Why 5th: a near-perfect first arc whose villains get a real ending. Only its small scale holds it back.
4. Fated Battle Between Brothers (Shippuden 134 to 143)
It completes the hunt begun in the Itachi Pursuit Mission (Shippuden 113 to 118 and 121 to 126). Sasuke finally faces Itachi, and the duel ends with Itachi tapping Sasuke’s forehead before he dies.
Tobi then reveals that Itachi wiped out the Uchiha on the orders of the Leaf’s elders. Sasuke awakens his Mangekyō Sharingan, renames his team Taka and sets out to destroy the Leaf.
Why 4th: a superb duel and a reveal that reframes the series, but at ten episodes it is more capstone than full story.
3. Chūnin Exams (Naruto 20 to 67)
A written test, the Forest of Death and a tournament give almost every young ninja a showcase. Orochimaru brands Sasuke with the Cursed Seal of Heaven, and Rock Lee drops his training weights and opens the inner gates against Gaara, yet still loses.
In the finals, Naruto beats Neji and breaks his belief that destiny is fixed.
Why 3rd: the best spread of fights in the franchise, but 48 episodes is long, and it ends on the brink of the invasion.
2. Sasuke Recovery Mission (Naruto 107 to 135)
Sasuke leaves with the Sound Four to join Orochimaru. Shikamaru puts together Naruto, Neji, Chōji and Kiba to bring him back, and one by one they break off to fight the Sound Four.
At the Valley of the End, Sasuke beats Naruto but walks away without finishing him.
Why 2nd: every fight costs something, the supporting cast finally shines, and the finale defines the rivalry. Ending Part I on a loss was the braver choice.
1. Pain’s Assault (Shippuden 152 to 169 and 172 to 175)
Pain invades the Leaf to capture Naruto, kills Kakashi and flattens the village with Almighty Push. Naruto arrives in Sage Mode and takes Pain on.
Hinata confesses her love and is struck down, Naruto loses control of the Nine-Tails, and his father, the Fourth Hokage, appears in his mind to help him regain it. Naruto then confronts Nagato, who gives his life to revive everyone killed in the attack, Kakashi included.
Why 1st: the highest stakes, Naruto’s defining hero moment, payoffs for Jiraiya, Hinata and Minato, and a tight canon run. ComicBook.com’s January 2026 ranking of every Naruto arc also puts it first.
Quick answers
What is the best Naruto arc?
Pain’s Assault (Shippuden 152 to 169 and 172 to 175) tops these Naruto arcs ranked by stakes, fights, payoff and pacing.
What is the best arc in the original Naruto?
Of the Part I Naruto arcs ranked above, the Sasuke Recovery Mission (Naruto 107 to 135) edges out the Chūnin Exams.
Where does the Itachi Pursuit arc fit?
The Fandom wiki makes the Itachi Pursuit Mission its own arc. The Sasuke vs Itachi fight sits in Fated Battle Between Brothers, fourth here.
More Naruto: our 10 greatest Naruto fights and the 15 strongest Naruto characters.
Where would the war sit in your own list of Naruto arcs ranked? Comments are open.
Sources: Wikipedia, Epicstream, Beebom, CBR, Game Rant, Screen Rant, ComicBook.com, Popverse, DualShockers, NARUTO official site. Naruto is created by Masashi Kishimoto and published by Shueisha; the anime is produced by Studio Pierrot. All rights belong to their owners.
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