Naruto
Series, 2002, The TOM years, Set in The Hidden Leaf Village
Naruto is #16 of 16 in release order and #16 of 16 in chronological order in the Toonami Classics.
The story
Naruto Uzumaki, a mischievous adolescent ninja, struggles as he searches for recognition and dreams of becoming the Hokage, the village's leader and strongest ninja.
Naruto recap
Naruto Uzumaki is a loud orphan in the Hidden Leaf Village who carries the Nine-Tailed Fox sealed inside him and is shunned for it. He dreams of becoming Hokage, the village leader. He is put on Team 7 with his rival Sasuke Uchiha, last survivor of a massacred clan, and Sakura Haruno, under their teacher Kakashi. In the Land of Waves arc they protect a bridge builder from the swordsman Zabuza and his partner Haku. The Chunin Exams bring a tournament, Gaara of the Sand, and Orochimaru, who marks Sasuke, then invades the village and kills the Third Hokage. Naruto travels with the sage Jiraiya to find Tsunade, who becomes the Fifth Hokage, and learns the Rasengan. Sasuke, desperate for power to beat his brother Itachi, defects to Orochimaru, and Naruto's team chases him, ending with a fight at the Valley of the End. A long run of filler episodes follows.
Naruto ending explained
After the filler arcs, the final episode, "Departure," has Naruto leave the Hidden Leaf with Jiraiya for years of training, promising to bring Sasuke back, while Sakura begins training under Tsunade and the others vow to get stronger too. The story continues in Naruto: Shippuden (2007 to 2017), which picks up two and a half years later, and then Boruto, following Naruto's son.
Where to watch Naruto
Naruto is streaming on Netflix, Prime Video, Hulu, Crunchyroll, Hoopla, and Fandango at Home Free in the US. You can rent or buy it on Amazon, Apple TV, and Google Play.
Ratings
IMDb 8.4/10
Where it fits
- Release order: after Rave Master, the latest.
- Chronological order: after Rave Master, the last.
Cast
- Junko Takeuchi as Naruto Uzumaki (voice)
- Noriaki Sugiyama as Sasuke Uchiha (voice)
- Chie Nakamura as Sakura Haruno (voice)
- Kazuhiko Inoue as Kakashi Hatake (voice)
- Hidekatsu Shibata as Hiruzen Sarutobi (3º Hokage) (voice)
- Koichi Tochika as Neji Hyuga (voice)
- Masashi Ebara as Might Guy (voice)
- Yōichi Masukawa as Rock Lee (voice)
- Yukari Tamura as Tenten (voice)
- Ryoka Yuzuki as Ino Yamanaka (voice)
- Showtaro Morikubo as Shikamaru Nara (voice)
- Kentaro Ito as Choji Akimichi (voice)