Naruto is one of the best-selling manga series of all time, with over 250 million copies sold worldwide. My son started watching the anime, hit a wall of filler episodes, and asked if the manga was faster. It is. Seventy-two volumes, no filler, and the same story that made it famous.
The confusing part for new readers: “Naruto Shippuden” is not a separate manga. The anime split the story into two series with different names. The manga is just one continuous run called Naruto, volumes 1 through 72. Then there are spin-offs, a sequel called Boruto, and a handful of one-shots. This guide puts everything in order.
How many Naruto manga are there?
The core Naruto manga consists of:
- Naruto: 72 volumes (1999-2014)
- Naruto Gaiden: 1 volume (2015)
- Boruto: Naruto Next Generations: 20 volumes (2016-2023)
- Boruto: Two Blue Vortex: 5+ volumes (2023-ongoing)
That is roughly 100 volumes if you read everything. But you only need the original 72-volume Naruto series for the complete main story. Everything else is supplementary or sequel material.
Complete Naruto manga reading order
Here is every Naruto manga in the order you should read them:
| # | Title | Volumes | Essential? |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Naruto (Part 1) | Vol. 1-27 | Yes |
| 2 | Naruto (Part 2 / “Shippuden”) | Vol. 28-72 | Yes |
| 3 | Naruto Gaiden: The Seventh Hokage and the Scarlet Spring | 1 volume | Recommended |
| 4 | Boruto: Naruto Next Generations | 20 volumes | Optional |
| 5 | Boruto: Two Blue Vortex | 5+ volumes | Optional |
If you or your kid just wants the main Naruto story, stop after volume 72. That is the complete saga from start to finish. Everything after that is bonus material.
Part 1: Naruto (Volumes 1-27)
The original Naruto story. Twelve-year-old Naruto Uzumaki is an outcast in his village, carrying a powerful fox spirit sealed inside him. He enrolls in the ninja academy, joins a team, and slowly earns the respect of people who used to ignore him.
Part 1 covers his training, the Chunin Exams (the tournament arc that hooks most readers), and his rivalry with Sasuke. The tone starts light and comedic but gets progressively more serious. By volume 25, characters are making real sacrifices.
Age recommendation: 10+ for Part 1. The violence is stylized ninja combat. Character deaths happen but are handled with emotional weight rather than graphic detail. There is some crude humor early on (Naruto’s “Sexy Jutsu” is a running joke where he transforms into a girl to distract adults). It is played for laughs and fades out after the early volumes.
For more on whether Naruto is right for your kid’s age, see our Big Three Parent Guide.
Part 2: The Shippuden era (Volumes 28-72)
The story picks up two and a half years later. Naruto is now 15. The stakes are higher, the fights are bigger, and the themes are darker. Part 2 covers the Akatsuki organization hunting the tailed beasts, the truth about Naruto’s parents, the Pain arc (widely considered the emotional peak of the series), and the Fourth Great Ninja War.
Key arcs in order:
- Kazekage Rescue (Vol. 28-31): Gaara gets kidnapped. Sets the tone for Part 2.
- Sasuke and Sai (Vol. 32-34): Team 7 tries to bring Sasuke back. Does not go well.
- Hidan and Kakuzu (Vol. 35-38): A mentor character dies. The first real gut punch of Part 2.
- Itachi Truth / Pain (Vol. 42-48): The two best arcs in the series. Everything you thought you knew gets flipped. Bring tissues.
- Five Kage Summit (Vol. 49-51): Political fallout from the Pain arc.
- Fourth Great Ninja War (Vol. 55-72): The final arc. Long, ambitious, sometimes messy, but lands the ending.
Age recommendation: 12+ for Part 2. The violence is more intense. Characters die on-screen with emotional weight. War themes dominate the final arc. There is no sexual content beyond the occasional joke, but the emotional heaviness ramps up significantly.
Why there is no “Naruto Shippuden” manga
This confuses everyone. The anime split the story into two separate shows: “Naruto” (episodes 1-220) and “Naruto Shippuden” (episodes 221-720). The manga never did this. Masashi Kishimoto wrote one continuous series called Naruto, running 72 volumes from 1999 to 2014.
Volume 28 is where the anime switches to “Shippuden.” But on the manga cover, it still just says Naruto. There is no separate “Shippuden” manga to buy.
This matters when buying box sets. If you search for “Naruto Shippuden manga box set,” you will not find one by that name. The box sets cover the entire 72-volume run under the Naruto title.
After Naruto: Gaiden and one-shots
After volume 72, Kishimoto wrote a few shorter works set in the Naruto universe:
Naruto Gaiden: The Seventh Hokage and the Scarlet Spring (2015, 1 volume). Set after the main series. Follows Sarada, Sasuke and Sakura’s daughter, as she questions her family history. It is a good bridge between Naruto and Boruto. Ten chapters, reads in about an hour.
The Path Lit by the Full Moon (one-shot). A short story about Mitsuki, a character who becomes important in Boruto. Worth reading if you plan to continue into Boruto. Skip it if you are stopping after Naruto.
Light novels: There are about a dozen Naruto light novels covering side stories (Kakashi’s time as Hokage, Shikamaru’s story, Sakura’s perspective). They are not manga and not essential. They fill in gaps between the end of Naruto and the start of Boruto. For completionists only.
The Boruto manga
Boruto follows Naruto’s son and is a direct sequel. There are two parts:
Boruto: Naruto Next Generations (2016-2023, 20 volumes). Written by Ukyo Kodachi and later Kishimoto himself. Boruto is a capable ninja who lives in his famous father’s shadow. The story starts slow but picks up significantly around volume 10.
Boruto: Two Blue Vortex (2023-ongoing). The second part of the Boruto story. Takes a darker turn.
My honest take: Boruto is fine but not essential. The original 72 volumes of Naruto tell a complete story with a satisfying ending. Boruto exists for fans who want more time in that world. If your kid finishes Naruto and wants to keep going, Boruto is there. But they will not miss anything by stopping at volume 72.
Box set buying guide
Viz Media sells the complete Naruto manga in three box sets. Buying all three is significantly cheaper than buying individual volumes, and they come with bonus items like posters and booklets.
Box Set 1: Volumes 1-27 covers all of Part 1. This is the entire “original Naruto” story before the time skip. If you want to test whether your kid will stick with it, start here. Around $120-140 for 27 volumes works out to about $4.50 per book.
Box Set 2: Volumes 28-48 covers the first half of the Shippuden era. Includes the Akatsuki hunts, the truth about Itachi, and the Pain arc. This is where most readers say the series hits its peak.
Box Set 3: Volumes 49-72 covers the second half of Shippuden through the end. The Fourth Great Ninja War and the final battle between Naruto and Sasuke.
All three box sets together give you the complete 72-volume story. They go in and out of stock on Amazon, so if you see them available, grab them.
For a broader look at anime collecting, see our Dragon Ball Manga Reading Order which follows the same box set format.
Manga vs anime: which is better for Naruto?
Both have advantages. Here is the honest comparison:
| Manga | Anime | |
|---|---|---|
| Filler | Zero. 72 volumes of pure story. | ~40% filler episodes. 220 of 500 episodes in Shippuden are non-canon. |
| Pacing | Tight. Kishimoto’s original pace. | Often slow. Fights stretched across multiple episodes. |
| Art | Kishimoto’s art improves dramatically. Later volumes are stunning. | Animation quality varies. Key fights look great, some arcs are rough. |
| Music/Voice | None (it is a book). | Outstanding soundtrack and voice acting. A genuine advantage. |
| Time to finish | ~35-50 hours reading. | ~350+ hours watching (with filler). |
My son started with the anime, hit the filler wall around episode 130 (weeks of non-canon episodes between major arcs), and switched to manga. He finished the entire story in about three weeks of after-school reading. The anime would have taken him months.
For kids who struggle with reading or prefer watching, the anime works fine if you use a filler guide to skip non-canon episodes. But for pure story efficiency, the manga wins.
What’s next
If your kid is into Naruto, they will probably want to explore more manga next.
About These Recommendations
I’m George. I read to my kids for 10+ years before they started reading on their own. My wife’s a therapist who helped pick books that actually matter for development. Everything on this site got tested on our family first.
FAQ
No. The manga is one continuous series called Naruto, spanning 72 volumes. The anime split the story into two shows (Naruto and Naruto Shippuden), but Masashi Kishimoto wrote a single manga. Volume 28 is where the anime switches to the Shippuden name, but the manga just continues as Naruto.
The main Naruto manga has 72 volumes published between 1999 and 2014. If you include the Gaiden one-shot (1 volume) and the Boruto sequel (20+ volumes and ongoing), the total is around 100 volumes. But only the original 72 are needed for the complete Naruto story.
Start with Naruto volumes 1-72. That is the entire main story. After that, read Naruto Gaiden: The Seventh Hokage and the Scarlet Spring (1 volume). If you want to continue, Boruto: Naruto Next Generations (20 volumes) and Boruto: Two Blue Vortex (ongoing) are the sequel series.
No. The manga has zero filler. Every chapter is part of the canonical story. The anime added roughly 40% filler episodes, which is one of the biggest reasons fans recommend reading the manga instead. All 72 volumes are pure story as Kishimoto wrote it.
Part 1 (volumes 1-27) is generally fine for kids 10 and up. The violence is stylized ninja combat, and there is some crude humor early on. Part 2 (volumes 28-72) gets more intense with character deaths, war themes, and heavier emotional content. Most parents find 12+ appropriate for Part 2. See our Big Three Parent Guide for detailed age guidance.
No. Naruto volumes 1-72 tell a complete story with a satisfying ending. Boruto is a sequel following Naruto’s son, but it is entirely optional. The original series stands on its own. Read Boruto only if you want more time in the Naruto universe.
The Viz Media box sets are the best value. Three box sets cover all 72 volumes: Box Set 1 (Vol. 1-27), Box Set 2 (Vol. 28-48), and Box Set 3 (Vol. 49-72). Each box set costs around $120-150, which works out to roughly $4-5 per volume compared to $10 each if bought individually.
Both work, but the manga is faster and has no filler. Reading all 72 volumes takes roughly 35-50 hours. Watching the anime (even skipping filler) takes over 200 hours. For kids who prefer watching, the anime is great with a filler guide. For kids who like reading, the manga is the more efficient way to experience the story.