Every Naruto Movie In Order (And The Best Way To Watch Them) (2024)

Naruto is one of the most popular anime series of all time, which is probably why it has a total of 11 movies spread across the entire franchise. The original series and the post-time skip follow-up Naruto Shippuden ran for a combined 720 episodes, followed by the sequel Boruto. Though they're mostly considered non-canon, Naruto's 11 movies are also an important part of the anime's enduring legacy.

With a movie released every year between 2004 and 2015 — with the exception of 2013 — Naruto is one of the anime franchises with the most spin-off movies. Luckily, all 11 entries in Naruto movie franchise are easily available online. Though viewers in the US have an easy time watching most of the franchise's movies, unfortunately it's tougher for international fans as rights issues make streaming the movies in every territory a bit more complicated.

Ninja Clash in the Land of Snow

Released in 2004, the first Naruto movie is generally regarded as the best. Taking place after episode 101 of the anime series, Naruto the Movie: Ninja Clash in the Land of Snow sees Naruto, Sakura, and Sasuke tasked with protecting a popular actress who is soon revealed to be the princess of the Land of Snow, a land threatened by rival claimants to the throne. While protecting the princess, Naruto and his teammates become embroiled in a conflict poised to reshape the entire land of snow.

Legend of the Stone of Gelel

Although the second Naruto movie was originally released in 2005, it did not receive a Blu-ray release in English-language markets until 2020. Set after episode 160 of the anime, Legend of the Stone of Gelel begins with an attack on the Village Hidden in the Sand by strangely armored enemies with a powerful battleship. While Gaara gets his moment to shine in this initial fight scene, Naruto and his teammates soon find their way into the main conflict of the movie, joining a battle against a villain aiming for world domination.

Guardians of the Crescent Moon Kingdom

The last movie in the Naruto series before the change-over to the Naruto Shippuden series, Guardians of the Crescent Moon Kingdom takes place after episode 196 of the original Naruto series. Due to its haphazard plot about the bad guys trying to overthrow a kingdom, Guardians of the Crescent Moon Kingdom is among the worst and most skippable entries in the Naruto movie series.

Naruto Shippuden: The Movie

As can probably be gleaned from the title, this is the first movie after the series shifted to Naruto Shippuden. How exactly it fits into the series' timeline is unclear, but it seems to be meant to fit somewhere around episode 32 of Shippuden. The action of the movie involves Naruto and his teammates protecting a priestess tasked with sealing a powerful demon attempting to take over the world. The plot makes frequent use of fake-outs regarding various prominent characters being killed off, even opening with a vision of Naruto's own death, introducing the movie's recurring theme about whether or not it's possible to fight destiny.

Bonds

Bonds is the second movie in the Shippuden era of the series. Like its predecessor, how exactly Bonds fits into the timeline is unclear, though it's set at some point after episode 70. The plot sees Konoha attacked by flying ninja from a village thought to have been destroyed long ago, Naruto and his teammates help a doctor and his assistant contend with a powerful fox demon counterpart to Naruto's own sealed fox demon.

The Will of Fire

How exactly the title of the third Naruto Shippuden is translated into English varies slightly based on the source. On most online platforms where the movie is available, it's called The Will of Fire, but elsewhere on the Internet, it's called Inheritors of the Will of Fire. The Will of Fire takes place sometime after episode 121 of the anime and focuses on Naruto's mentor Kakashi. Naruto's role in the movie is driven by his attempts to prevent Kakashi's self-sacrificial plan to stop the movie's chief antagonist. Although Kakashi is willing to sacrifice himself, Naruto is unwilling to lose his mentor.

The Lost Tower

Set after episode 143 of Shippuden, The Lost Tower is another anime time travel story. After chasing a villain to a ruined city, Naruto is sent back in time. In the past, he promptly joins forces with his father to stop the villain from the future and save the city before it's ruined. Naruto's opportunity to work alongside his father is particularly meaningful, as the loss of his parents is one of the defining aspects of Naruto's character history.

Blood Prison

The Naruto movie with the most frustratingly unclear place in the timeline, but likely taking place some point after episode 220 of Shippuden, Blood Prison is the series' take on a prison escape movie. Naruto is framed for a crime he didn't commit and is sentenced to a seemingly inescapable prison. Naruto must not only survive the prison itself but prevent the villain from opening a box containing a sealed evil power.

Road to Ninja

Made for the tenth anniversary of the anime series — though not the original manga, which is several years older, Road to Ninja saw Naruto creator Masashi Kishimoto involved in planning the story and designing the characters. Taking place around episode 250 of Shippuden, Road to Ninja sees Naruto and Sakura trapped in an alternate universe version of Konoha where everything is reversed. This universe's Sasuke, for example, is an outgoing ladies' man. Most significantly, Naruto's parents are alive, while Sakura's died sealing the Nine-Tailed Fox. Although Road to Ninja is ranked highly among the Naruto movies by fans, it is not without detractors and has been criticized for having a plot that doesn't really hold up to scrutiny.

The Last

Unfortunately for The Last: Naruto the Movie, it would not be the film franchise's final entry as the next movie would focus on Boruto and the next generation of characters in the sequel series, rather than the characters from the original. Taking place towards the end of Shippuden, at some point before episode 495, The Last is one of only two Naruto movies to be considered canon. This is largely because the movie serves as the lead-in to the sequel series Boruto, tying up any remaining threads from the original series. Most significantly, The Last establishes that Naruto and Hinata get married and become the parents of Boruto and Himawari.

Boruto

Although the movie is subtitled Naruto the Movie, Boruto himself becomes the central character. Boruto is the other one of the two movies in the series considered fully canon. In fact, the Boruto movie is the character's first anime appearance and establishes many of the relevant details of the sequel, predating the beginning of the Boruto manga by about a year and the anime adaptation by about two. Notably, the plot of the Boruto movie would be adapted and retold across several episodes of the Boruto anime series.

What is the Best Way to Watch Naruto's Movies?

Unfortunately, due to rights issues, Naruto's movies can't all be watched on one streaming service with just a subscription. The series' first eight movies are available on Netflix in the US. From there, the last five movies of the Naruto: Shippuden films are available to Funimation subscribers. Given that Funimation was bought by Crunchyroll, it's possible those last five Shippuden movies will be made available on Crunchyroll, but that is far from guaranteed. All of that just leaves Boruto, which is only available for digital purchase on Amazon Prime as are the rest of the series' movies.

What makes this situation especially complicated for fans of Naruto is that there is no one streaming service that offers the complete Naruto experience. Netflix has the original Naruto and most of the movies, but is missing Shippuden, Boruto, and the last handful of movies. Funimation has the Shippuden movies Netflix is missing, but doesn't actually offer either Naruto, Shippuden, or Boruto. Amazon Prime has all of the movies, but only for purchase. Services like Crunchyroll and Hulu offer Naruto, Shippuden, Boruto, and even the Rock Lee spinoff, but completely lack the movies. The result is undoubtedly frustrating and confusing for fans of Naruto.

Are Any of Naruto's Movies Worth Watching?

Though the Naruto movies are skippable by design, that doesn't mean a few aren't worth watching. Ninja Clash in the Land of Snow is a great stand-alone story that gives Team 7 some more time with Sasuke before he defects from Konoha. Kishimoto's involvement in Road to Ninja is evident as the movie is a great what-if story that shows a different side of the series' characters. Meanwhile, The Last isn't necessarily an essential part of the Naruto experience but serves as a sweet epilogue for Naruto and Hinata. Lastly, Boruto: Naruto the Movie is the closest to actually important to the series, as its events are pivotal to Boruto's story.

Overall, Naruto's movies are a mixed bag. While some are worth watching, most aren't necessary. This mostly numbs the headache that comes from the movies being more difficult to track down. Still, regardless of their quality or how difficult it is to stream all of them on a budget, the Naruto movies are an important part of the franchise's legacy that can be a fun time for huge fans of the series.