5 Best Naruto Episodes That Raised The Bar For All Anime

Naruto ended its run in March 2017, but the show's fan base continues to grow every day. There is no doubt that the story of Naruto has had a huge impact on Japanese animation, but over 500 episodes we have seen both near-brilliant moments and many hours of not-so-brilliant episodes.

We have collected only the best episodes to show the greatness of one of the most important shonen in all its glory.

1. Assassin of the Moonlit Night (Episode 76 of Naruto)

Originally, Gaara was designed to be the opposite of Naruto. The main goal of a character in a story is to show what the main character could become if he didn't have an overwhelming sense of purpose.

Most of the episode is devoted to Gaara's childhood memories. He thought he had found a kindred spirit in the person of his uncle, Yashamaru. He tells the boy about pain that cannot be cured with ointments or bandages. However, Gaara's hopes that there is at least one person in the world who does not despise him are dashed when his uncle tries to kill the boy.

2. Roar, Chidori! Brother vs. Brother! (Episode 84 of Naruto)

This episode focuses on Sasuke's painful past and the tragedy that befell his family. During his early childhood, he always wanted to be like his brother Itachi. However, Itachi was the one who massacred almost the entire Uchiha clan and killed his own parents.

Hatred for Itachi has long been Sasuke's main reason for living, fueling his desire to become stronger and take revenge on his brother. The fall of the Uchiha clan itself plays a key role in the main plot of Naruto, which is why episode 84 is considered the climax and one of the most important.

3. Pain Vs. Kakashi (Episode 159 of Naruto: Shippuden)

An all-out action sequence where no one takes the time to learn new techniques, instead allowing you to focus on the pure adrenaline of the fight.

In addition, the characters were clearly chosen with the audience's excitement in mind. Kakashi and Pain are two of the strongest shinobi and long-time audience favorites. Their fight is pure joy for all action lovers.

4. Thank You (Episode 249 of Naruto: Shippuden)

One of the major conflicts at the core of Naruto is his eternal battle with his inner demon, the Nine-Tailed Kurama. In addition, there is the lack of a family, which ultimately leads to an extremely tragic past for the protagonist. And the solution to all of these problems at once came in episode 249.

Shinobi not only managed to find out the secret of his parents' death. He also received farewell words from his mother and father, which only strengthened his desire to overcome all losses in order to realize his ideals.

5. Two-Man Team (Episode 329 of Naruto: Shippuden)

Almost all episodes of the Naruto anime have convinced us that Nine-Tails is unbridled evil. You can't befriend him, at most you can get along with him for a while. But in episode 329, we are suddenly shown a different side of Kurama. We see that he also feels pain, resentment and anger, but more importantly, he is able to accept his worst enemy.

This trait makes him even more related to Naruto, who becomes his full-fledged friend. The rest of the legendary animals also accept Naruto and understand that only he can lead them to a better world.