Naruto Shippuden is one of those anime that basically raised a whole generation of anime fans. It’s got everything: found family, insane power-ups, tragic backstories, and fights that are still talked about over a decade later. However, the anime is really long.
There are 500 episodes, and when a show runs that long, it’s nearly impossible for it to have the same quality in every single episode. So, we’re going to rank every single arc, a total of twenty-four arcs, according to how good they were. Let’s dive in.
| TITLE | Naruto Shippuden |
| MAL RATING (as of Aug 1, 2026) | 8.29 / 10 |
| STUDIO | Studio Pierrot |
| WHERE TO WATCH | Crunchyroll |
| RELEASE DATE | Feb 15, 2007 to Mar 23, 2017 |
24. Twelve Guardian Ninja
This arc introduces Sora, a kid who’s been implanted with part of the Nine-Tails’ chakra and is manipulated into attacking Konoha. It sounds like this would make for a great storyline with an interesting villain, but the arc never really goes anywhere. The villains are one-and-done characters you’ll never see again, the stakes feel low even though Konoha is technically under threat, and it doesn’t tie into anything that happens afterward. It’s a weak and forgettable filler, ranking this low.
23. Paradise Life on a Boat
If you ask longtime fans what the most infamous filler arc in Shippuden is, a lot of them will say this one without hesitation. Right after the Fourth Shinobi World War gets declared, which should be a moment where tension is through the roof, the story sends Naruto on a boat trip to keep him safe. The pacing basically stops dead, ranking this arc this low.
22. In Naruto’s Footsteps: The Friends’ Paths
This arc covers what Naruto’s friends were up to during his two and a half years of training away from the village, including another Chunin Exam. It’s a fine idea for filler because it gives some side characters a moment to shine, but it doesn’t carry any real weight. You know none of it is going to change the main story, so even the more emotional moments don’t hit as hard as they could.
21. Land of Iron/Six-Tails Unleashed
Naruto and his team get sidetracked on their way home from a failed mission to deal with the Tsuchigumo clan and a runaway jinchuriki. It’s a decent one-off adventure with some fun action, but it’s another arc that exists mostly to fill time. There’s no lasting impact on any of the main characters or the larger plot, so even though it’s not bad, it doesn’t rank higher than the arcs that actually matter to the story.
20. Tenchi Bridge Reconnaissance Mission
This is where the new Team 7 start working together for the first time as they try to track down Sasuke using intel from Akatsuki. It’s a really good arc, honestly. You get some good character dynamics and a real sense that the story is moving forward again after the time skip. However, while good, it’s mostly a setup arc.
19. Jiraiya Shinobi Handbook
This arc shows the dream sequence Tsunade has while trapped in the Infinite Tsukuyomi, imagining a book Jiraiya could have written about Naruto’s future. It’s a really sweet tribute to Jiraiya’s character and his relationship with Naruto, and it hits emotionally if you loved Jiraiya. But because it’s non-canon and doesn’t actually happen, it can’t rank higher than arcs that have real consequences for the story.
18. Fourth Shinobi World War: Countdown
This arc functions as a setup for what is to come after this. The Allied Shinobi Forces are getting organized, Akatsuki is making its own preparations, and everyone is bracing for the war that’s about to kick off. It’s necessary because it explains how the war is going to play out, but it’s not that exciting. A lot of this arc is standing around and talking, which makes it feel slower than arcs where things are actually happening.
17. Power
This is a smaller, more self-contained arc where Naruto investigates a massacre at Tonika Village shortly after the Five Kage Summit. It plays almost like a mystery episode with Naruto playing the detective, and it’s honestly kind of underrated because it’s tightly written and doesn’t overstay its welcome. However, for Naruto himself, the stakes are really low, making this rank low.
16. Kakashi’s Anbu Arc
This arc goes back and explores Kakashi’s time in the Anbu Black Ops, connecting directly to the end of Kakashi Gaiden and the start of the whole series. If you’re a Kakashi fan, this might be one of your favorite arcs because it fills in a lot of blanks about who he was before Team 7. The reason it’s not ranked even higher is that it’s really slow.
15. Itachi Shinden: Light and Darkness
While the entire world is trapped in the Infinite Tsukuyomi, Sasuke reflects on his brother Itachi’s life. This arc is beloved by a lot of fans because it deepens Itachi’s tragedy and adds more layers to a character who was already one of the most popular in the anime. But because it happens as a flashback right when the actual war should be at its peak tension, it disrupts the pacing of the bigger story, which keeps it from ranking any higher.
14. Childhood
This arc, as the name suggests, shows the childhood of the primary characters. It’s a very sweet and nostalgic arc, and it even shows more of Naruto and Hinata’s interactions, setting up their eventual sweet moment in The Last: Naruto the Movie. It’s ranked in the middle simply because of its length. There’s not enough here to compete with the arcs that have bigger stakes and longer emotional arcs.
13. Akatsuki Suppression Mission
This is the arc where Asuma Sarutobi dies at the hands of Hidan, making it one of the saddest arcs in the anime. Asuma’s death scene and the way his students react to it are some of the best emotional writing in Shippuden, and this arc also offers one of the best revenge moments of all time. However, the reason this arc isn’t ranked higher is that a lot of the surrounding episodes are padded out with filler, which kills the immersion.
12. Three-Tails’ Appearance
This arc is mostly filler focused on stopping Orochimaru and Akatsuki from getting their hands on the Three-Tails. On its own, it’s not that memorable. What saves it from ranking lower is the gray characterization of Guren, her bond with Yukimaru, and the introduction of Tobi and Deidara’s duo. So even though the plot itself is forgettable, the characters give it real value.
11. Past Arc: The Locus of Konoha
As Konoha village rebuilds after Pain’s attack, the villagers share memories of the past in a series of flashback stories. This arc is a mixed bag because it’s basically an anthology, meaning some episodes are genuinely touching and others feel like filler for filler’s sake. It lands right in the middle of the ranking because the good episodes are really good, but you cannot feel the impact of this arc because it comes right after one of the best in the franchise.
10. Birth of the Ten-Tails’ Jinchūriki
This is where Obito and Madara finally try to use the power of the newly formed Ten-Tails, which is a key element of the power system of this anime, to cast the Infinite Tsukuyomi on the entire world. The stakes in this arc are simply massive, arguably some of the highest in the whole series, and it’s full of amazing moments. The reason it’s not ranked even higher is that it’s stretched out with pacing that doesn’t always match how urgent the situation is supposed to feel. Furthermore, it also serves as a backbone of the better arcs that come after it.
9. Itachi Pursuit Mission
Sasuke and Naruto both try to track down Itachi, and this arc does a great job building out Sasuke’s new crew while also dropping hints about Itachi’s real motivations. This is one of the more slept-on arcs in the anime because it balances new character introductions with real plot progression. It couldn’t rank any higher on the list only because there’s some filler mixed in that keeps the pacing from being perfect.
8. Tale of Jiraiya the Gallant
Jiraiya sneaks into Amegakure to figure out who’s actually behind Akatsuki, and it turns into one of the most quietly devastating arcs in the series. This arc is basically the setup for one of the biggest emotionally heavy moments in Shippuden. It just barely misses the top rankings here because it’s a slow burn that’s building toward something rather than being the payoff itself.
7. Kaguya Ōtsutsuki Strikes
The Infinite Tsukuyomi introduces the anime’s final villain, Kaguya, while Naruto and Sasuke finally get the chance to fully resolve years of rivalry and tension between them. The only reason this arc couldn’t rank higher is that it’s very polarizing. Some fans think Kaguya came out of nowhere as a final boss, and that’s a fair criticism. But the payoff between Naruto and Sasuke, after basically the entire series building toward this moment, is so strong that it earns a spot in the top ten anyway.
6. Kazekage Rescue Mission
This is where Shippuden really kicks off, with Naruto returning to Konoha after his training and immediately getting thrown into a mission to save Gaara from Akatsuki. The fight between Chiyo, Sakura, and Sasori is one of the best-written fights in the early part of this anime, mixing real emotional stakes (Chiyo’s guilt over her family) with amazing fight choreography.
5. Fourth Shinobi World War: Confrontation
In this arc, the Allied Shinobi Forces go up against Akatsuki’s White Zetsu Army and a wave of previous Hokages that have been brought back to life. This is where the buildup stops and the war actually goes full throttle. We get to see incredible fights, reunions with fan-favorite characters brought back from the dead, and some real tearjerker moments. It’s not at the very top only because the sheer length of this arc means the pacing dips here and there.
4. Five Kage Summit
With Akatsuki holding nearly every tailed beast, the five Kage finally meet to figure out how to respond, and it turns into one of the tensest political arcs in the entire anime. This arc works so well because it’s not just a fight; it’s a battle of egos, trust, and history between villages that have been at odds for generations. The sheer weight and relevance of this arc pulls it this high in the ranking.
3. Fourth Shinobi World War: Climax
After the Impure World Reincarnation is finally dealt with, the Allied Shinobi Forces face off against the combined threat of Madara and Obito, and this is where years of buildup finally pay off. This arc has some of the most hype moments in the entire anime: big reveals, huge power-ups, and Madara’s aura-farming that is still unmatched. It’s ranked this high because it delivers on almost every promise the anime made in the lead-up to the war.
2. Fated Battle Between Brothers
This is where Sasuke shines the brightest as he finally gets his fight with Itachi, the moment the entire anime had been building towards since the original Naruto anime. There is practically nothing wrong with this arc: the emotional weight is heavy, the intensity is high, and the shock of finding the truth about Itachi is sad. For a lot of fans, this is the best arc in the anime, especially if they are big fans of Itachi. However, the only reason it couldn’t rank at the top is that Pain’s Assault arc manages to combine emotions with even better action.
1. Pain’s Assault
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Credit: Studio Pierrot -
Credit: Studio Pierrot -
Credit: Studio Pierrot
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Credit: Studio Pierrot -
Credit: Studio Pierrot -
Credit: Studio Pierrot
This is the best arc in Naruto Shippuden, and other than Fated Battle Between Brothers, not a single arc comes anywhere close. Pain attacks Konoha, and the entire arc is a masterclass in raising stakes, paying off years of character development, and delivering one of the most iconic speeches in anime history. This arc has everything: huge action, real emotional stakes, and a message that ties back to everything the show has been building since episode one. It’s the clearest example of Naruto Shippuden at its absolute best.
| RANK | ARC |
| 25 | Naruto Jinraiden: The Day the Wolf Howled |
| 24 | Twelve Guardian Ninja |
| 23 | Paradise Life on a Boat |
| 22 | In Naruto’s Footsteps: The Friends’ Paths |
| 21 | Land of Iron/Six-Tails Unleashed |
| 20 | Tenchi Bridge Reconnaissance Mission |
| 19 | Jiraiya Shinobi Handbook |
| 18 | Fourth Shinobi World War: Countdown |
| 17 | Power |
| 16 | Kakashi’s Anbu Arc |
| 15 | Itachi Shinden: Light and Darkness |
| 14 | Childhood |
| 13 | Akatsuki Suppression Mission |
| 12 | Three-Tails’ Appearance |
| 11 | Past Arc: The Locus of Konoha |
| 10 | Birth of the Ten-Tails’ Jinchūriki |
| 9 | Itachi Pursuit Mission |
| 8 | Tale of Jiraiya the Gallant |
| 7 | Kaguya Ōtsutsuki Strikes |
| 6 | Kazekage Rescue Mission |
| 5 | Fourth Shinobi World War |
| 4 | Five Kage Summit |
| 3 | Fourth Shinobi World War |
| 2 | Fated Battle Between Brothers |
| 1 | Pain’s Assault |
Which arc is your personal favorite? Let us know in the comments.
Naruto: Shippuden is currently streaming on Crunchyroll.
