Ranking Every Naruto Arc from Worst to Best

Timestamps:
0:00 - Intro
4:51 - Number 12
6:45 - Number 11
8:25 - Number 10
11:07 - Number 9
12:41 - Number 8
15:05 - Number 7
16:07 - Number 6
20:30 - Number 5
23:21 - Number 4
27:00 - Number 3
30:31 - Number 2
33:42 - Number 1

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[Keijikrall]

I'd also add that Pain's abilities really do feel like "this is the ultimate peak a person using chakra can reach" vs everything that comes before him. He deserves the name of Pain, he deserves to be the 'leader' of akatsuki, he just slots right into place. His powers are 'in range' of other ninja abilities we've seen but also feel overwhelming. Choji is not believably going to lay a finger on madara or obito, but it feels like he can maybe do SOMETHING to pain, even if there's no chance he can win. The gulf isn't unreasonable.

[StardustSaiyan]

Everything from Sasuke killing Orochimaru to Naruto defeating Pain was incredible and peak Shippuden. It was back-to-back, nonstop incredible battles, emotional punches, character development, lore and world building, and plot progression at an astonishing pace. When I think back to Naruto, I think of this period of the manga/anime more than anything else.

[enirehtaksuez]

I think what adds to Pain's character is the unnerving design. Everything about the Rain Village seems dangerous, hostile and alien. When Jiraiya is traversing the village, it's actually really tense and scary and yeah, on top of that, we meet the leader of the coolest organization in anime lol

[BensonOMalley]

The Sasuke Retrieval arc deserves a place among the top arcs in the series. Before it Naruto was already selling really well but it was this arc that cemented it as one of Jump's big 3 along side similar rescue missions in Bleach and One Piece. the three series working in tandem to bring non-stop hype weekly to Jump's readers is what allowed them to forge their legendary status as the true Big 3 of shounen manga

[dionysisnance]

I love hebi sasuke. My guy put the fear of God into sai with one look, threaten jugo and suigetsu without breaking a sweat. To me he was just dripping in badass energy

[komlat]

The worse fight in Sasuke retrieval is Kiba s but even that one was good cuz at the time we really thought he was dead . The fact that it was being set up as it was a suicide mission actually really made these fights amazing

[taurusstudios]

The Pain Arc will forever be goated. It's storyline, themes, and fight scenes are simply top notch no other arc comes close to it in quality.

[Phil_]

The Pain Arc is peak Naruto. Every Box is ticked. Especially in terms of power creep, it was perfect. Still had that Naruto/Shinobi vibe. After that it gets a tad bit too Dragonball Z.

[perturbedbatman]

I’ve watched and re-watched the anime many times and currently going through the manga for the first time, and I have to say my favorite is the Pain arc (beginning from Pain’s assault) not just because of the fight between him and Naruto and the weight of the fight but everything about it. 

The village that was home for the main cast was obliterated in seconds, Naruto’s arrival was probably the best in the series, Hinata having the guts to fight Pain for Naruto’s sake, Kakashi’s temporary death and Naruto having to just as quickly acknowledging it as having to put it aside to focus on his enemy, Naruto getting pinned and Pain postulating a question Naruto had no answer to, Naruto going berserk with the Nine-Tails and Minato showing up to calm him down and stop him from making a devastating mistake, Naruto convincing Nagato that Nagato’s way is wrong (oversimplifying a lot here), and Naruto finally getting acknowledged by the village which was his original reason for wanting to be Hokage. Hard to beat all of that and I’m sure I’m still missing some things.

[AnimeLover-pfub]

Finally someone realized the search for Tsunade is one of the best ! This arc is concise, straight to the point and doesn't waste your time with many subplots. Tsunade's character arc is also very satisfying to watch

[manuelacosta]

The final clash between Sasuke and Naruto that settled everything between them and solidified their friendship will always top it for me. The Chunin exams and Forest of death section really highlights how dangerously deadly Shinobi training is even at early ages and just how dark the world of Naruto unsurprisingly is.

[MrKingYuji]

I think people sometimes forget that from Sasuke’s perspective, when he woke up in the hospital the last thing he remembered was Itachi beating the living hell out of him and basically saying that Naruto is a much bigger concern for him while saying he has no interest in Sasuke. If I were Sasuke and trained my whole life to kill Itachi in revenge, I’d be pretty furious as well.

[TransHire]

Swag is really the kind of guy that I want to sit down and discuss anime with, he makes his points so well and isn't afraid to admit when he has a personal bias or likes something even when it's considered bad.

Also same number 1 Arc yay!

[CarbonMalite]

The Retrieval Arc made me tear up over CHOJI in a very short amount of time and that requires pristine writing ability. Has elements of the Lee fight without rehashing it lazily. Definitely a favorite from me.

[VladStopTalking]

Sasuke Retrieval arc was so fucking good. I loved the tension and the high stakes during it. Felt like anything could happen.

[Eebers]

I will never forget how i felt reading the land of waves arc. how it set up the world around the characters and the shinobi code then showing the first major villian crying when his comrade died, and setting up sasukes true feelings toward naruto. really powerful stuff, that's when i knew i was in love with the series

[alexhenry]

I feel like the War Arc had really good individual elements. Throughout the arc, there was great character development, lots of fantastic fights, really cool plot elements, and more. The first problem is that these awesome moments are just too few and far between. There's just too much blubber and bad writing in this arc that sits between all these great moments and features. The second problem is that the arc didn't seem to have a clear ending planned out before its publication, and it seemed like towards the end, Kishimoto was kinda just winging it. I feel like this arc had so much potential like Swag mentioned, but these factors cause it to be so much less than the sum of its parts and prevent it from reaching its narrative potential.

[mattyballz]

The 5 Kage summit has always been my favorite arc. The idea of the taka infiltrating some giant meeting between world leaders and Sasuke taking on all of them is amazing. The danzo fight was great and the war declaration was amazing

Then probs prophecy and vengeance / chunin exams would follow

[delix]

My favorite arc is the Tsuande arc!

It’s just character driven, and character story. No over the top shonen battles until the very end. I loved Naruto being pushed and being reminded that he was an orphan again.

Tsuande’s human backstory was so beautiful and amazing!! 💙💚💙

[blackrangoanthony]

The writing for the Pain arc is just too good. Some of the best writing I’ve seen for any media, sasuke retrieval arc just doesn’t compare from a writing standpoint