Okay, hear us out: Shippuden was even better than Part 1 of Naruto. At least until a certain point.
Spoilers ahead!
5. Five Kage Summit
The Five Kage Summit arc feels like an interlude between Pain’s attack on Konoha and the Fourth Great Shinobi War. Despite that, it’s full of events — and has some of the best Sasuke moments in the series.
This arc is one of the few arcs in Naruto that are more focused on politics. In this case, this goes for both internal and external politics of Konoha — and one of the biggest boogeymen of the franchise, Danzo, is finally getting his screen time.
The worst part is: despite Danzo being a reprehensible villain with no moral standards to speak of, you can’t help but admit that somewhere deep down, he was at least partly correct.
4. Land of Waves
The Land of Waves arc is drastically different in tone from the rest of the series. It’s much darker and grittier — and much more morally gray. Even Zabuza, who’s a villain and a cold-blooded killer, has his own view of the world, which is somewhat sympathetic.
The real bad guy of the arc, Gato, isn’t even a shinobi — he’s a greedy businessman who makes others’ lives miserable to amass more money. In the eyes of many, morally gray arcs like this one are what Naruto should have been. Even if you don’t agree, the arc is just too iconic to not include it here.
3. Akatsuki Suppression Mission
The Akatsuki Suppression Mission arc focuses on the capture and elimination of Hidan and Kakuzu, the two Akatsuki members. The problem? They’re both immortal in their own ways. Konoha ninja, sadly, didn’t know that — which resulted in the death of a major character.
Asuma’s death is one of the most cathartic and saddest moments of the series. Despite that, it’s executed beautifully, which makes the arc better. It also provides even more character development for Shikamaru, who is a fan favorite. He is arguably the arc’s protagonist — and we usually don’t see the anime focusing on anyone other than Naruto and Sasuke.
2. Chunin Exams
Okay, Chunin Exams might not be the best arc in Naruto, but it is certainly a runner-up. It showcases dozens of new characters and techniques — things we haven’t seen before — and sets the tone and path for hundreds of chapters and episodes in the future. Iconic characters such as Orochimaru, Gaara and Rock Lee were introduced here.
Chunin Exams, to many, are associated with nostalgia and with the excitement of watching Naruto for the first time. The only reason they’re not at the top of this list is that the series was still trying to find its direction — and some decisions Kishimoto made in the arc were somewhat odd. Naruto farting into Kiba’s face? Seriously? These issues aside, the arc is still amazing.
1. The Pain Arc
Combining multiple technically separate arcs into one can be seen as cheating, but honestly, many fans treat them as a single entity. The Pain arc includes everything from Jiraiya’s infiltration of the Rain village to the end of Pain’s attack on Konoha — and that’s the best stretch of episodes in the Naruto anime.
Along with Chunin Exams, this is usually considered one of the best arcs in Naruto altogether. The Pain arc gives depth to dozens of characters, from Jiraiya to even minor characters like Ebisu. The mystery behind Pain himself is amazing, too — probably the best mystery in the entire franchise.