If you’re staring at a streaming queue and wondering exactly how many episodes of Naruto Shippuden is there, you’re likely feeling a mix of excitement and genuine dread. It’s a massive commitment. We aren't talking about a quick weekend binge here. You are looking at a decade of television history packed into one sequel series.
Honestly? The number is 500.
That’s the short answer. Five hundred episodes of teenage ninjas screaming each other's names, massive existential battles, and a lot of sitting around on swingsets. But if you’re a purist or someone just trying to catch up before jumping into Boruto, that number "500" is actually a bit of a lie. It's the total count, sure, but it doesn't tell the whole story of what is actually worth your time and what is just fluff designed to keep the show on the air while the manga caught up.
The Breakdown: Why the 500 Number is Complicated
When Pierrot started airing Naruto Shippuden back in 2007, they had a problem. Masashi Kishimoto, the creator of the original manga, was fast, but he wasn't "twenty-four-minutes-of-animation-every-week" fast. This led to a massive amount of "filler"—content created by the studio that never appeared in the original comic books.
So, when we talk about how many episodes of Naruto Shippuden is there, we have to split them into categories. About 295 of those episodes are "canon." That means they actually move the plot forward. The remaining 205? Pure filler. That is roughly 41% of the entire show.
Imagine watching a movie where almost half the scenes are just the characters going on side quests that have zero impact on the ending. That’s Shippuden.
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What counts as "Canon"?
True canon episodes follow the Naruto Uzumaki we care about—the one trying to bring Sasuke home and become Hokage. The series starts with the Kazekage Rescue Mission (Episodes 1-32) and ends with the Message (Episode 500), which covers the wedding preparations.
But even within those 500, there are "mixed canon" episodes. These are the tricky ones. The studio would take a tiny sliver of a manga chapter and stretch it out with ten minutes of flashbacks. If you skip those, you might miss a crucial piece of character development, but if you watch them, you'll probably feel like you're wasting your life. It's a delicate balance.
The Filler Problem: Are Any of the 205 Extra Episodes Good?
Most people will tell you to skip every single filler episode. They aren't entirely wrong. Some of them are genuinely painful to sit through. There is an entire arc about a robotic version of Naruto (Mecha-Naruto) that feels like a fever dream.
However, because the count of how many episodes of Naruto Shippuden is there is so high, some of those "extra" episodes actually manage to be decent.
Take the Chikara (Power) arc, which runs from episode 290 to 295. It was originally intended to be a movie, so the animation quality is way higher than the standard weekly broadcast. It doesn't affect the main plot, but it's gorgeous. Then you have the Kakashi Anbu arc (Episodes 349-361). Most fans consider this essential viewing even though it’s technically filler. It gives us the backstory of Kakashi Hatake and Itachi Uchiha in a way the manga never quite did.
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If you're counting every single episode, you’re looking at about 175 hours of footage. If you cut the filler, you're down to about 100 hours. That's a huge difference for your social life.
Comparing the Original Naruto to Shippuden
It’s easy to get confused between the two series. The original Naruto (the "little Naruto" years) had 220 episodes. When you add that to the 500 episodes of Shippuden, the total journey of Naruto Uzumaki reaches 720 episodes.
Interestingly, the original series had an even worse filler-to-canon ratio toward the end. After episode 135 of the original show, almost everything until 220 is filler. Shippuden was a bit more strategic, weaving the filler in between major arcs rather than dumping it all at the end.
Why the long runtime?
Anime in the mid-2000s functioned differently than it does now. Today, shows like Jujutsu Kaisen or Demon Slayer run in "seasons." They do 12 or 24 episodes, then go off the air for a year to make sure the quality stays high. Naruto Shippuden didn't do that. It ran weekly for ten straight years.
Because it never stopped, the writers had to find ways to stall. This is why you’ll see the same flashback of a young Naruto sitting on a swing about 4,000 times. It wasn't just for emotional weight; it was literally to fill minutes so they wouldn't run out of source material.
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How to Watch 500 Episodes Without Losing Your Mind
If you are determined to tackle the full count of how many episodes of Naruto Shippuden is there, you need a strategy. You cannot just hit "play" and hope for the best.
- Use a Filler Guide. Sites like Anime Filler List are your best friend. They color-code everything.
- Watch the Mixed Canon. Don't skip these. Even if they feel slow, they usually contain the "connective tissue" that makes the finale make sense.
- Double the Speed. Some people watch the slower dialogue scenes at 1.25x or 1.5x speed. I don't recommend this for the fights, but for the "standing on a tree branch talking about feelings" scenes? It’s a lifesaver.
- The "Ocean Cut" or "Naruto Kai." There are fan-made edits of the show online that cut out all the fluff, flashbacks, and filler, condensing the 500 episodes into a much tighter experience that mirrors the manga's pacing.
Realities of the Final Arc
The Fourth Shinobi World War arc is where the episode count really starts to balloon. This single war, which takes place over just a couple of days in the story's timeline, spans over 200 episodes. It is arguably one of the most bloated arcs in anime history.
Within this war, the producers decided to drop entire seasons of filler right in the middle of the most climactic moments. Imagine a villain is about to land a finishing blow, and suddenly the show cuts away for 20 episodes to show a dream sequence about what would have happened if Naruto’s parents hadn't died. It’s frustrating. But knowing exactly how many episodes of Naruto Shippuden is there helps you prepare for those roadblocks. You can see the filler coming on the horizon and decide to hop right over it.
Essential Arcs by the Numbers
- The Akatsuki Suppression: Episodes 72-88. (High stakes, great emotional payoff).
- The Tale of Jiraiya the Gallant: Episodes 127-133. (Widely considered the best arc in the series).
- Fated Battle Between Brothers: Episodes 134-143. (The peak of the Sasuke/Itachi storyline).
- Pain’s Assault: Episodes 152-175. (The moment Naruto truly changes as a hero).
Practical Next Steps for Your Watchthrough
Stop thinking about the 500-episode mountain. It’s too big. Instead, focus on the first "season" or the first 32 episodes.
If you want to watch the show the "right" way, your first step is to pull up a filler list. Decide right now if you care about the "World Building" filler (like the Three-Tails' Appearance arc) or if you just want the core story. Most veteran fans suggest skipping everything except the Kakashi Gaiden and maybe the Itachi Shinden episodes.
Once you hit episode 479, you have technically finished the main plot of the manga. The episodes from 480 to 500 are adaptations of light novels. They are "canon-ish" and mostly serve as an epilogue to show you where everyone ended up before the Boruto era starts. They are worth watching if you’ve made it that far—you’ve earned those last 20 episodes of peace.
Check your streaming service settings. If you’re on Crunchyroll or Hulu, the episodes are usually grouped by "seasons," but these seasons don't always match the Japanese broadcast arcs. Stick to the episode numbers (1-500) rather than season numbers to keep your place. Get a snack, settle in, and remember: you can always skip the swing flashback. We've all seen it enough.