Honestly, if you grew up watching a loud-mouthed kid in an orange jumpsuit scream about becoming Hokage, you probably thought you knew how his story ended. We saw the war. We saw the final clash at the Final Valley. But there was always this weird, lingering gap between the end of the Great Ninja War and that final chapter where everyone suddenly has kids and stable jobs. That’s where you have to watch The Last: Naruto the Movie. It isn’t just some random "filler" movie like Guardians of the Crescent Moon Kingdom. It’s actually the only film in the entire franchise considered canon to the original manga timeline, written with heavy involvement from Masashi Kishimoto himself.
It’s a romance.
That's the part that catches people off guard. For 700 chapters, Naruto Uzumaki was basically a brick wall when it came to emotional intelligence. He could talk a god into committing suicide by "Talk-no-Jutsu," but he couldn't tell the difference between loving ramen and loving a person. This movie exists specifically to bridge that gap. It’s the moment Naruto finally grows up.
The Moon is Falling and Nobody is Ready
The plot is high-stakes, even for a series that just finished a literal world war. Basically, Toneri Otsutsuki—a descendant of Hamura Otsutsuki living on the moon—decides that humanity has failed. His solution? Pull the moon down and smash it into the Earth. It’s a very Majora’s Mask vibe, but with more chakra cannons. While the Hidden Leaf Village is scrambling to set up planetary defense systems (which, let’s be real, is a huge technological leap from throwing kunai), a small strike team is sent out.
Naruto, Hinata, Sakura, Sai, and Shikamaru.
That’s the squad. It’s a tight, focused group. The mission is technically to rescue Hanabi Hyuga, Hinata's younger sister, who Toneri kidnapped to steal her Byakugan. But the mission is really a backdrop for Naruto and Hinata to finally, finally address the elephant in the room. Hinata has loved this guy since they were toddlers. Naruto? He’s been oblivious. Like, catastrophically oblivious.
Why the "Genjutsu World" Sequence Matters
Early in the film, the group falls into a trap—a "memory" genjutsu. This is the most crucial scene for anyone who wants to understand why people still watch The Last: Naruto the Movie years later. Naruto sees his own memories, but they’re filtered through Hinata's perspective. He sees her watching him from the sidelines. He sees the scarf she’s been trying to knit for him.
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He realizes that while he was chasing Sasuke and chasing the title of Hokage, Hinata was just there. Always.
It’s a subtle bit of writing. Most shonen anime treats romance as a trophy you win at the end of the fight. Here, the romance is the struggle. Naruto has to unlearn his childhood crush on Sakura—which the movie suggests was mostly a competitive reflex against Sasuke—and recognize the actual partnership he has with Hinata. It’s messy. He gets rejected at one point. He gets depressed. It’s the most "human" Naruto has ever been.
Toneri Otsutsuki: More Than a Moon-Dweller
People love to hate on the Otsutsuki clan because they shifted the show from "ninjas using tactics" to "aliens using energy nukes." I get it. But Toneri is a fascinating foil. He’s incredibly lonely. He lives in a literal golden cage on a dead rock, surrounded by puppets. His obsession with Hinata—the "Byakugan Princess"—is a twisted, hollow version of what Naruto is trying to build.
Toneri thinks love is a mandate or a prophecy. Naruto learns it’s a choice.
The action reflects this. When you watch The Last: Naruto the Movie, you’ll notice the animation quality (produced by Studio Pierrot) is a massive step up from the weekly TV broadcast. The fight on the moon's surface is gorgeous. There’s a scene where Naruto charges a massive Rasengan in the palm of his hand while fighting Toneri in his Tenseigan Chakra Mode, and the way the orange glow hits the craters of the moon is just peak cinematography.
The Scarf as a Symbol
You’re going to see a red scarf a lot. Like, a lot. Hinata spends half the movie knitting it, then re-knitting it after it gets torn. It’s a classic "Red Thread of Fate" trope common in Japanese folklore (the Unmei no akai ito). Some fans found it tedious. "Why are we talking about knitting when the moon is crashing?"
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Because the scarf is the physical manifestation of Hinata’s effort. Naruto didn't get his power from nowhere; he worked for it. Hinata’s love is the same way. It’s not a magic spell. It’s something she built, stitch by stitch, over fifteen years of silence. When Naruto finally wears it, he’s acknowledging that effort.
The Technical Shift: From Shinobi to Sci-Fi
One thing that often shocks people when they watch The Last: Naruto the Movie is how much the world changed in the two years following the war. We see the beginnings of the "Scientific Ninja Tools" that define the Boruto era. There are radios, better infrastructure, and the Hidden Cloud village has a literal chakra-powered laser beam that can blow up celestial bodies.
It’s a weird transition.
It marks the end of the "Warring States" feel and the beginning of the modern era. This is why the movie is so polarizing for some. If you like the gritty, blood-and-dirt feel of the Zabuza Arc, this movie might feel too "clean." But if you want to see the payoff for the characters' suffering, it’s essential. You see Kakashi as the Sixth Hokage, looking stressed out and trying to manage global diplomacy. You see Sasuke acting like a literal shadow protector, showing up for about thirty seconds to destroy a meteor and then disappearing back into the darkness like a ninja Batman.
What People Often Miss
There’s a small detail regarding the "Naruto is a hero" trope. In this movie, Naruto has a fan club. Girls from all over the world are visiting the Leaf to give him gifts. He’s a celebrity.
This is important because it shows Naruto’s character growth. He isn't seeking validation from the villagers anymore. He has it. He has too much of it. But none of that attention makes him happy. He’s looking for something specific, and he realizes it's the one girl who didn't join the fan club because she’s been his fan since day one.
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The Power Scaling Dilemma
Let’s be real: the power scaling in this movie is insane. Naruto is basically a god at this point. He can survive in the vacuum of space (or the moon’s atmosphere, which is hand-waved away). He can focus his chakra into his hand to grab a glowing beam of energy. If you’re looking for a grounded tactical battle, this isn't it.
But as a spectacle? It’s unmatched. The final punch Naruto lands on Toneri—the one where he focuses all his Golden Nine-Tails chakra into a single fist—is one of the most satisfying "end of an era" moments in anime history. It wasn't just a punch to save the world; it was a punch to end the conflict that started with Kaguya.
How to Actually Approach the Movie
If you're planning to sit down and watch The Last: Naruto the Movie, don't go in expecting a high-octane war film. Go in like you're watching a "Coming of Age" story.
- Watch it after Episode 479 of Naruto Shippuden. Technically, the anime places it later, but chronologically, it fits right after the war ends and before the wedding arc.
- Pay attention to the credits. Seriously. Don't turn it off. The post-credits scene is what actually leads into the Boruto series and gives you the closure you probably felt was missing from the manga's rushed ending.
- Look for the small cameos. Most of the Konoha 11 show up, even if just for a few seconds. Seeing how they’ve all changed—Shino’s new outfit, Ino’s confidence—makes the world feel alive.
The movie isn't perfect. The pacing in the middle is a bit slow. The villain, Toneri, is a bit one-dimensional compared to someone like Madara or Pain. And yeah, the "moon has breathable air" thing is a bit of a stretch. But none of that really matters because the emotional core is solid. It’s the apology Naruto fans deserved for the years of "will they, won't they" teasing between Naruto and Hinata.
By the time the final scene rolls around—a snowy night in the Leaf Village—you realize that this was never about the moon. It was about a boy who was lonely finally realizing he wasn't alone anymore.
Next Steps for the Ultimate Experience:
Start by re-watching the "Pain’s Assault" arc, specifically Hinata’s confession to Naruto. It makes the payoff in The Last hit ten times harder. After you finish the movie, jump straight into the Naruto: Shinden novels (specifically Konoha Hiden) to see the immediate aftermath of the movie's ending. It fills in the gaps of the wedding preparations and shows how the rest of the village reacted to the "Hero of the World" finally settling down. Finally, check out the Boruto manga's first few chapters to see how the peace Naruto fought for in this movie actually turned out. Spoiler: it’s complicated.