Following the original Naruto series, Naruto Shippuden brought audiences tales of a ninja community on the brink of war. The anime spent a decade releasing new episodes. Teenagers with advanced fighting abilities were the saviors in the series based on Masashi Kishimoto’s manga. During that decade, more than 500 episodes of television were produced.
Those 500 episodes received more than 67,000 user ratings on the Internet Movie Database. There, the series has an 8.5 rating out of a possible 10 stars. All of the top episodes of the series actually rank with at least 8.9 stars, marking them well above average according to fans.
Updated on November 30th, 2021 by Amanda Bruce: With IMDb being a live website where users can continue to rate episodes of a series long after it has ended, standings can continue to change. The ratings of some of the best Naruto Shippuden episodes included have actually improved over time, while others have dropped right out of the top rankings. As new viewers continue to discover the Naruto franchise thanks to its availability on multiple streaming platforms, it’s likely more ratings will continue to fluctuate.
20 Nine-Tails Captured, Episode 165 (8.9)
When Pain came to Konoha, it created a memorable arc for fans. Not only did the series seemingly lose Kakashi, but Naruto appeared to truly be bested by a dangerous enemy. In this episode, Pain and Naruto came to something of a standstill as the former explained his motivations to the latter.
While most of the episode focuses on the talk between Naruto and Pain, other characters weren’t completely abandoned. Shikamaru and Inoichi also had the B plot of the episode as they tracked down the real Pain while the Six Paths were otherwise occupied. Despite the episodes that feature mostly speeches usually being slow, this one kept the audience on the edge of their seat.
19 Hero Of The Hidden Leaf, Episode 175 (9.0)
Because Naruto spent the bulk of his childhood being ostracized by his village and constantly having to prove himself as being more than the nine-tailed fox inside of him, this episode could have acted as his happy ending. It likely lands amongst the best Naruto Shippuden episodes solely because Naruto is finally seen by the village the way he always wished: respected and as a hero.
Naruto wasn’t just welcomed back to the village after he defeated Pain; he was carried around and cheered. It helped that all of the people who lost their lives to Pain in Konoha were resurrected. His neighbors were certainly more friendly to him then.
18 The Ties That Bind, Episode 364 (9.0)
This particular episode was an emotional one for Naruto fans. It featured deaths for three characters that they’d gotten to know as the Fourth Shinobi World War raged on.
In it, Shikaku and Inoichi were unable to thwart an incoming attack, leaving the two of them to mentally reach out, using Inoichi’s power, to their children to say goodbye. It was a blow for fans who had already watched Ino and Shikamaru lose their beloved teacher. Likewise, fan-favorite Neji blocked Hinata while she shielded Naruto from an attack, protecting them so they could keep fighting. There likely wasn’t a dry eye in the audience.
17 Danger! Sage Mode Limit Reached, Episode 164 (9.1)
Fans of the fight sequences in the Naruto franchise were certainly in for a treat with the arc surrounding Pain. This episode in particular likely ranked amongst the best of Naruto Shippuden since it wasn’t just Naruto throwing whatever he had at an enemy – or talking him to death – but he actually got to strategize a little.
The episode was a peek into how Naruto’s mind worked as he battled Pain and realized just which of the Paths of Pain he needed to take out first. Even though he couldn’t sustain Sage Mode throughout the episode, fans couldn’t completely count him out.
16 I Will Love You Always, Episode 339 (9.1)
This episode went a long way toward making Itachi a fan favorite. Sasuke, after all, ended up defecting from Konoha and wanting revenge against the village he thought betrayed his brother. This episode revealed the truth to Sasuke, however, that Itachi was protecting the village and his little brother all along.
Itachi saying goodbye to his brother is heartbreaking for Sasuke, but it provides a big leap forward in the story for the audience. Knowing the truth allows Sasuke to move on.
15 The Sage Of The Six Paths, Episode 421 (9.1)
Naruto and Sasuke got the chance to talk to a legend in this episode. While unconscious, the two spoke with Hagoromo Otsutsuki. The ancient shinobi gave the former teammates-turned-enemies-turned-allies some context for the conflict they were embroiled in.
Hagoromo revealed to the two that his own mother – Kaguya – used her shinobi abilities to rule. It’s her visual power that Madara wanted. Hagoromo wanted Naruto and Sasuke to stop him. That wasn’t all he revealed. It turned out, Naruto and Sasuke had the reincarnated chakra of his own two sons. To help them reach the full potential of that inherited chakra and defeat Madara, Hagoromo shared his own power with them. That power allowed Naruto to stop Madara from killing Might Guy at the end of the episode, changing the course of the battle.
14 *The Fourth Hokage’s Death Match, Episode 248 (9.2)
Flashback episodes became a big part of the Naruto franchise as it continued. Some of them clarified story ideas while others were filler episodes meant to flesh out little-known characters. This Naruto Shippuden episode gave fans a look at just what happened the night Naruto was born.
Focused on Minato’s point of view during the night, the episode showed him getting Naruto to safety just after his birth and then battling a mysterious masked stranger. The audience knew that the masked stranger was Tobi, but Minato didn’t, adding to the tension of the episode as he fought to save the village from someone who could control the nine-tailed fox.
13 *Confession, Episode 166 (9.2)
Fans know that Naruto isn’t an anime centered on romantic relationships. Because the story spans so many years – and most of them when Naruto and his friends are teens – the show did have its share of characters pairing up. One long-running plot point was Hinata’s crush on Naruto. This episode saw her, as the title implies, make her confession.
That’s not all though. Hinata confessed that she loved Naruto in the middle of trying to protect him from Pain. As Pain incapacitated her, Naruto believed her dead, leading to him to lose control of the nine-tailed fox inside of him. It’s a cliffhanger of an ending with the audience seeing Naruto completely enraged at the loss of Hinata and the reminder of his parents dying. It’s one of the most emotional episodes of the series long before the war begins.
12 The End, Episode 138 (9.2)
Though the title of this episode is “The End,” it doesn’t come at the end of Naruto Shippuden. Instead, this episode comes at the end of a chapter in Sasuke’s life.
This is the final episode of Sasuke’s fight with his brother Itachi. Sasuke vowed for years to make the person who tore his family apart pay for what they did. Given the chance, he used every power in his arsenal to take on his brother. “The End” saw the two brothers nearly evenly matched, with Sasuke only “winning” the fight when Itachi’s chakra depleted. This episode was a long time coming.
11 Planetary Devastation, Episode 167 (9.2)
The episode “Planetary Devastation” has another name. It’s also called “Chibaku Tensei,” a reference to a shinobi technique used by those who have the Rinnegan.
The episode led off with Naruto angry at what he thought was Hinata’s death by Pain. So angry, he allowed the spirit of the Nine-Tails to take over and took on Pain alone. As the massive fight progressed, Naruto grew more and more tails until he gave over to the fox completely. Little did he know that Hinata was still alive and in the midst of the battle itself. Pain was forced to use a massive sphere, through Chibaku Tensei, to contain Naruto, but as the episode came to a close, it wasn’t enough. It was a great use of a cliffhanger to keep the audience coming back for more.
10 The Fourth Hokage, Episode 168 (9.2)
This episode provided a massive download of information for fans – all while the Nine-Tails continued to battle Pain.
In Naruto’s mind, he met the part of the Fourth Hokage’s mind left behind for the Nine-Tails’ seal. Naruto not only discovered that the Fourth Hokage was his father, but that the previous attack by the Nine-Tails on Konohagakure was manipulated by a member of the Akatsuki. With so many pieces in place, Naruto took back his own body as the Fourth Hokage’s chakra vanished. The episode ended with Naruto understanding how to find the real Pain, bringing the battle closer to its end.
9 I’m In Hell, Episode 345 (9.2)
If fans wanted a little backstory on Obito Uchiha, this episode delivered in spades. While they knew he sacrificed himself and gave Kakashi his eye as a kid, they didn’t know what happened after that to turn him into Tobi. This episode helped fill in the blanks.
It gave fans a look at his recovery process with Madara Uchiha and allowed them to understand just what he went through. It also revealed that he witnessed Rin’s death at Kakashi’s hand out of context, not knowing that Rin chose that path, breaking his heart.
8 Congratulations, Episode 474 (9.2)
Though episodes depicting the confrontation with Madara, and so much of the revelations about shinobi history, rank higher in the top ten, this particular episode gave the heroes their happy ending. Of course, this episode only focused on Kakashi’s Team Seven.
In the episode, Kakashi, Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura teamed up in Kaguya’s dimension to stop her. The spirits of all the Kage who helped them in battle were able to return to the afterlife, their jobs done. Before Minato left them, Naruto got the chance to give his father several messages for his mother. All around, it’s a fairy tale ending to a major battle. It wasn’t, however, the end of Naruto Shippuden, and some of the episodes that followed ranked higher amongst IMDb ratings.
7 The Unison Sign, Episode 478 (9.2)
Considering how important the bond between Naruto and Sasuke is to the entire franchise, it’s no wonder this episode is consistently considered one of the best Naruto Shippuden episodes. It’s a trip down memory lane for the two characters, but it’s also a massive battle – and some philosophical discussion.
While Naruto and Sasuke battled it out to see who was the superior shinobi, they also took the time to wonder just why their treatment by the village was so different, and what friendship really meant to them. In the end, Naruto managed to convince Sasuke to help him help the rest of the shinobi world, even if Sasuke wasn’t sure the world would want his help.
6 Uchiha Madara, Episode 322 (9.3)
Madara Uchiha is easily one of the most powerful shinobi throughout the run of the series, and being dead didn’t stop him from remaining stronger than nearly everyone else. This episode allowed fans to see just what he could do.
Right in the middle of the Fourth Shinobi World War, a reanimated Madara Uchiha took on the Fourth Division himself. Naruto didn’t have enough chakra left at that point in the fight to use the nine-tailed fox to fight him, so that meant dozens of other shinobi went up against Madara instead – and lost. The fighting was intense and impressive to watch.
5 Thank You, Episode 249 (9.3)
Like many of the episodes that make the top, “Thank You” revealed quite a bit of backstory for Naruto Shippuden. In it, Naruto met his mother and heard her story. At least, he got to meet the chakra left from his mother present inside him that helped to seal the Nine-Tails.
Kushina spent the episode recounting just what happened after Naruto was born. She explained how the Nine-Tails attacked Konahagakure under Tobi’s urging, and that in order to contain the tailed beast, its chakra had to be sealed inside someone. Kushina wanted to sacrifice herself, sealing the beast inside her as her life ended, but her husband took another path. He sealed only half the beast inside Naruto, and half in himself, using both their chakras to help do it. Both Kushina and Minato sacrificed themselves when Kurama attempted to kill the infant Naruto. It’s an emotional episode for the series that allowed Naruto to understand the decisions made for him.
4 Kakashi Vs. Obito, Episode 375 (9.3)
In the midst of several episodes depicting a massive battle, this episode stood out. So many characters were present in the action, but most eyes were on the titular characters of Kakashi and Obito.
Given the chance to take on his old teammate, Kakashi had to do it. Of course, while much of the episode is spent with Kakashi and Obito going head to head, it became clear that Obito wasn’t really acting alone. Instead, he was under the control of Madara Uchiha. By the end of the episode, however, Naruto noticed that Obito might not be completely in tune with Madara, resisting some of the control.
3 The Final Battle, Episode 476 (9.3)
Following the events of the Fourth Shinobi World War, the series didn’t just end. Instead, Naruto Shippuden continued to follow the title character into “The Final Battle” and beyond. Though the war was the culmination of large plot threads in the series, this particular arc was the culmination of Naruto’s personal journey.
Naruto spent his formative years thinking of Sasuke as a friend and constantly competing with him, though the latter didn’t realize it until much later. Here, the two finally got to see what they were made of as they engaged in a battle against one another instead of a common enemy. It was the fight that fans had been waiting years for… but it didn’t actually end in this episode.
2 Naruto And Sasuke, Episode 477 (9.5)
In the aptly titled “Naruto And Sasuke,” the duo’s final battle raged on. One of the highest-rated episodes of the series contains the bulk of their fight. Every trick the two learned over the years since end up used here. Naruto even called back to his first major skill of shadow clones. Here, however, he made shadow clones of Kurama, not himself.
The audience also got to see the symbolism of all those who helped the two shinobi become who they are as hands help form different attacks for them. For Sasuke, there’s Itachi. For Naruto, there’s nearly every teacher and classmate he’s had. It’s a stark contrast in support when Sasuke tries to needle Naruto about loneliness. The episode ended with the two completely exhausted, leaving fans wondering just how this conflict would truly end.
1 The Tale Of Jiraiya The Gallant, Episode 133 (9.5)
It’s no wonder that this particular episode winds up on top. It features one of the most tragic endings to a beloved Naruto character, and though it didn’t feature much of Naruto himself, it’s truly the best Naruto Shippuden episode.
“The Tale Of Jiraiya The Gallant” focused on Jiraiya’s battle with the paths of Pain. Throughout a tense fight where Jiraiya gained the upper hand, only to be thwarted by the enemy, the tension built until the very end. Jiraiya, often disappointed that he didn’t lead an extraordinary life, found himself satisfied that he could go out with a heroic death. It was heartbreaking for fans, but also signaled Naruto’s rise as his mentor was gone.