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Naruto Universe Manga Order (with Boruto and Light Novels)

While Eikichi Onizuka wants to become the world’s greatest teacher, Naruto Uzumaki aspires to become Hokage! Created by Masashi Kishimoto, the ninja adventures of Naruto started in 1999 in the magazine Weekly Shōnen Jump. Naruto is then a turbulent but ambitious 12-year-old ninja in training whose determination and enthusiasm compensate for his shortcomings.

While Naruto presents himself as a carefree and optimist person capable of befriending anyone, his life is already marked by tragedy and secret: the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox–a malevolent creature that attacked Konohagakure, Naruto’s village– was sealed away in his body when he was just a baby, with his parents sacrificing themselves in the process. Naruto grew up an orphan, ignoring who his parents were, and openly ostracised and resented by many villagers for containing the beast that took many lives.

But nothing will stop Naruto on his track. The boy is determined to obtain respect from his peers and to become the greatest ninja with the help of his teammates, Sasuke and Sakura, facing many obstacles and Big Bads along the way. Naruto became one of the most popular manga, leading to a media franchise including the very successful anime television series, films, video games, toys, and several spin-offs!

Following is a guide to navigating the manga world of Naruto, with the spin-off Boruto, a few other manga spin-offs and many light novels!

Naruto Universe

Naruto Manga List

  • Naruto (1999-2014) – The original manga, with 72 volumes (700 chapters)
  • Naruto: The Seventh Hokage and the Scarlet Spring (2015) – Spin-off manga written and illustrated by Masashi Kishimoto and set shortly after the epilogue of Naruto. One Volume.
  • Naruto: The Path Lit by the Full Moon (2016) – One-Shot included in the first volume of Boruto.
  • Boruto (2016-Present) – Sequel to Naruto featuring the exploits of Naruto Uzumaki’s son, Boruto Uzumaki, and his ninja team.  
    Ukyō Kodachi wrote the first thirteen volumes with Mikio Ikemoto as an artist. Kishimoto was editorial supervisor before assuming full writing duties beginning with chapter 52 and Mikio Ikemoto remained as the illustrator.
  • Naruto: Sasuke’s Story – The Uchiha and the Heavenly Stardust (2022-2023) – Manga adaptation of the light novel of the same name written by Jun Esaka and illustrated by Shingo Kimura. Two Volumes.
  • Naruto: Konoha’s Story―The Steam Ninja Scrolls: The Manga (2022-2023) – Manga adaptation of the light novel of the same name written by Shō Hinata and illustrated by Sai Natsuo. Two Volumes.
  • Naruto: The Whorl Within The Spiral (2023) – One-Shot prequel by Kishimoto about Namikaze Minato, Fourth Hokage.
Naruto Box Set 2, collecting Volumes 28-48

Naruto Chibi Manga – The comedic adventures of several Naruto Characters, Chibi Style. Not part of the reading order! It’s naturally recommended to be familiar with the main series.

  • Rock Lee’s Springtime of Youth Full-Power Ninja Chronicles (2010-2014) – Naruto spin-off by Kenji Taira drawn in “chibi” style anf following Rock Lee and the rest of Team Guy on missions. 7 Volumes. No Official English translation yet.
  • Naruto: Chibi Sasuke’s Sharingan Legend (2014) – Naruto spin-off by Kenji Taira drawn in Chibi style and starring Sasuke Uchiha. 3 Volumes.
  • Boruto: Saikyo Dash Generations (2017-2021) – Naruto spin-off by Kenji Taira drawn in Chibi style and starring Boruto and his team. No Official English translation yet.

Light novels

Naruto Hiden – a light novel series exploring several characters’ lives after the original manga’s conclusion.

Naruto Stories – a light novel series from 2015 that explores Itachi’s history and Sasuke’s future.

Naruto Shinden (2016-2018) – More light novel series set after the end of the original manga or during Boruto.

Naruto Retsuden – While each volume centers on a different character, this collection forms a trilogy of sort.

Other Novels

  • Naruto: Innocent Heart, Demonic Blood (2002) – Novelization of the first arc in the anime and the first four volumes in the manga.
  • Naruto: Mission: Protect The Waterfall Village! (2003) – Adaptation of the OVA of the same name.
  • Naruto Jinraiden: The Day the Wolf Howled (2003) – No Official English translation yet.
  • The Tale of the Utterly Gutsy Shinobi (2010) – No Official English translation yet.
  • The Tale of the Utterly Purehearted Shinobi (2015) – No Official English translation yet.
  • Naruto the Movie: Blood Prison (2011) – Adaptation of the Naruto film of the same name. No Official English translation yet.
  • The Last: Naruto the Movie (2014) – Adaptation of the Naruto film of the same name. No Official English translation yet.
  • Boruto: Naruto the Movie – Adaptation of the Naruto film of the same name. No Official English translation yet.

Not listed here, you can also find Boruto: Naruto Next Generations, a light novel series that adapts parts of the anime.

Your Naruto Reading Order

As always, only the original manga is necessary. All other material expands the world or offers some supplementary characters’ development. The following guide is to help you know where they fit in the timeline but you don’t have to follow it closely!

Prequel: Before Naruto

While Itachi’s story is set before Naruto, we still recommend reading those light novels after the original manga, or at least after Naruto Chapter 402.

Kishimoto recently wrote a One-Shot prequel about Namikaze Minato, Fourth Hokage. It is also better to read it later!

Naruto, The Original Manga

Naruto is split into two parts. The first one follows the first adventures of Naruto, his many training and combat during 27 volumes (and 244 chapters). The second part starts after the return of Naruto following two-and-a-half years of training.

Part I – Meet Naruto, a troublemaking kid who is struggling to graduate from Ninja Academy. His goal may be to become the next Hokage, but his true destiny will be much more complicated.

Naruto: Innocent Heart, Demonic Blood covers Chapters 1 to 33 (collected in the first four volumes) or episodes 1 to 19 of the Naruto anime.

Naruto: Mission: Protect The Waterfall Village! is an adaptation of an OVA by Masatoshi Kusakabe set between Volumes 19 and 20, or Chapters 171 and 172.

Alternate Collection: The 3-in-1 Edition

Viz also released Naruto in a Chakra-Powered Omnibus Edition with each volume containing three volumes from the previous collection.

Part II – The second part of Naruto starts here, set two and half years after the conclusion of Part I. Naruto had left to train with Jiraiya and is now back, reconnecting with his old friends to find out he’s still not the most accomplished of his former teammates. But when one of them is kidnapped, it’s up to Naruto to prove he’s got the stuff to save them!

Written by Akira Higashiyama and illustrated by Masashi Kishimoto, Naruto Jinroiden: The Day the Wolf Howled is set after chapter 394, after Sasuke’s fight with Itachi.

Naruto is reading Naruto: Tales of a Gutsy Ninja in Volume 45.

More than a legendary ninja, Jiraiya was also a writer. His first novel Naruto: Tales of a Gutsy Ninja was not a success but inspired Naruto’s parents. It was followed by The Tale of the Utterly Pure hearted Shinobi about two shinobi who fall in love on the battlefield and consider the origins of his Make Out Paradise series.

Naruto the Movie: Blood Prison. You can watch the movie (as the light novel adaptation is not available) around here.

Set Between Chapters 699 and 700 -The last Naruto Chapter is set Fifteen years after the Fourth Shinobi World War. For this reason, several light novels written are set between the two last chapters.

Alternate Collection: The 3-in-1 Edition Part II

The second part of Naruto continues here in the Omnibus Edition.

After Chapter 700 – Fifteen years have passed since the end of the Fourth Shinobi World War and the exploits of Boruto are around the corner…

  • Konoha Shinden: Steam Ninja Scrolls – Starts at the same time as Chapter 700.
  • Naruto Gaiden: The Seventh Hokage and the Scarlet Spring – Set shortly after the epilogue of Naruto. Considered Naruto Chapters 701-710.
  • Naruto: The Path Lit by the Full Moon (2016) – One-Shot included in the first volume of Boruto.
  • Naruto: Naruto’s Story — Family Day (2018)
  • Boruto: Naruto the Movie

Boruto, the sequel

The Sequel to Naruto featuring the exploits of Naruto Uzumaki’s son, Boruto Uzumaki, and his ninja team starts here! Like Naruto, the story is – as of right now – split into two parts. The first one is comprised of 20 volumes, with the first thirteen volumes written by Ukyō Kodachi wrote the first thirteen volumes with Mikio Ikemoto as an artist. Kishimoto, creator of Naruto, acted as an editorial supervisor during that time before becoming once again the main writer, starting with Chapter 52.

Naruto Next Generations (2016–23) – Times are now peaceful and the new generation of shinobi has not experienced the same hardships as its parents. Perhaps that is why Boruto would rather play video games than train. However, one passion does burn deep in this ninja boy’s heart, and that is the desire to defeat his father!

Naruto: Sasuke’s Story — Star Pupil is set after the Versus Momoshiki Arc, covered in the first 10 chapters of Boruto.

Naruto: Shikamaru’s Story — Mourning Clouds can be read after volume 4 of Boruto. the Mujina Bandits Arc (chapters 11-15) happens during the novel.

Retsuden Trilogy! This series is centered around the members of Team 7, with no involvement of characters from the new generations.

Naruto: Kakashi’s Story—The Sixth Hokage and the Failed Prince
Naruto: Sasuke’s Story—The Uchiha and the Heavenly Stardust
Naruto: Naruto’s Story—Uzumaki Naruto and the Spiral Destiny

Two Blue Vortex (2023–present) – Coming Soon!

If you don’t know what to read after Naruto, you could be interested in Demon Slayer, the story of a young man on a quest to restore his young sister’s humanity after she was transformed into a demon; or My Hero Academia, telling the adventures of Izuku Midoriya, one of the few humans without superpowers who still dreams of becoming a hero. 

Did we forget a manga? Did we make a mistake? Let us know in the comments!

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