When Masashi Kishimoto’s Shōnen series Naruto exited stage left on March 23, 2017 the anime/manga world took a kunai to the collective gut. Naruto and its counterpart Naruto: Shippūden ran for 16 years and influenced an entire generation that grew up watching the show – Modern Notoriety included. No lie – it’s felt like this since Naruto ended:
We’re well aware that the show’s spin-off manga Boruto: The Next Generation exists, but it’s not anywhere near Naruto in terms of quality… yet (it’s getting better though). Naruto follows the journey of its titular character from outcast to world-wide hero, and can best be described as a stereotypical Shōnen style story (Shōnen means “few years”, so the genre refers to storytelling geared towards young boys with emphasis on fighting, action, and adventure). The Kishimoto creation has spawned 520 anime episodes, 11 movies, 72 manga volumes and two spin-off series, but today we’re going to focus on the anime’s feature films.
With the help of a reliable internet connection (check out these starlink internet plans as a reference) and good snacks, there’s nothing better than cozying up on a lazy weekend and binging some anime movies – trust that. You could even add some CBD edibles to the mix if you are old enough and are interested in witnessing what sort of watching experience is there when the high hits you!
Since there’s 11 Naruto movies to chose from we wanted to throw you an assist by ranking the top-5 best movies featuring everyone’s favorite demon-fox ninja! The movies are great because they’re independent of the show’s plot (except: Naruto: The Last & Boruto: Naruto The Movie) so don’t worry about spoilers if you haven’t finished the show or manga. Keep in mind we’re not aiming for detailed and accurate descriptions of the following movies, we just want to have some fun with everyone, so don’t take this too seriously, enjoy!
5. Naruto Shippuden the Movie: Blood Prison (2011)
What do you get when you make Naruto Uzumaki the villain? Blood Prison! Naruto gets framed and thrown a chakra-canceling prison for a crime he didn’t commit. The removal of Naruto’s chakra forces our hero to go most of the movie without his famous Multi-Shadow Clone Jutsu technique. Naruto ALWAYS uses the Shadow Clone Jutsu so it’s refreshing to see him rely on other skills. We get a Gamabunta cameo during the killer climax’s too!
4. Naruto Shippûden The Movie: Bonds (2008)
The Hidden Leaf Village (the home of Naruto) is attacked by a mysterious flying village and it’s up to Naruto to save the day. There’s plenty of Talk-No-Jutsu (aka Naruto monologuing for a long time), but the animation is dope when combat does happen. Our favorite part of Bonds was seeing Sauske fight alongside Naruto again. The two have a long history and work well as a duo when Sauske isn’t off being a moody grump. We got all nostalgic for Season 1 of Naruto watching the buddies fight together again.
3. Road to Ninja: Naruto the Movie (2012)
Road To Ninja has the best premise of the movies on our list by far. Naruto gets teleported to an alternate dimension where everything is flipped – enemies become allies! Seeing certain characters fight alongside Naruto was some dope fan service, but seeing Naruto’s dad on ninja missions is even cooler! The movie takes place at a point of Naruto Shippūden where the gang’s powers have risen to a point where the action is a lot of fun to watch.
2. Boruto: Naruto the Movie (2015)
Naruto’s goal from day 1 was to become Hokage (leader) of his village and in Boruto: Naruto the Movie it finally happens! The gang is back together, older, and living pretty normal lives – even Sauske (by his definition). This movie introduces us to the next generation of Naruto characters and the new series’s first villain. Ninja Tech, a new offensive weapon that allows non-chakra users to perform just, has started to change the ninja world and plays a big part of Naruto‘s last movie. The stakes are high, and the action is beautifully choreographed in this good time! Note: the clip below is from the TV show adaptation of the movie cus it looks better lol.
1. The Last: Naruto the Movie (2014)
After Naruto: Shippūden our hero has every power under the book and is pretty much a walking God. The Last showcases Naruto at his absolute peak with the ability to spam Forbidden Jutsu like it’s nothing. A few years after the Fourth Great Ninja War Naruto and the gang is living their best lives in an era of unmatched peace, until a new adversary appears and kidnaps Hinata (Naruto’s love interest). We ranked The Last as the best Naruto movie because the tension is high, battles are other-worldly, and it marks the end of Naruto’s time as the star of his own series.