Naruto Theme Lyrics

Naruto is a Japanese anime television series based on Masashi Kishimoto's manga series of the same name. The story follows Naruto Uzumaki, a young ninja who seeks recognition from his peers and dreams of becoming the Hokage, the leader of his village.

Just like the manga, the anime series is divided into two separate parts: the first series retains the original manga's title and is set in Naruto's pre-teen years. The second series, a direct sequel titled Naruto: Shippuden, takes place during his teens. Both anime series were animated by Pierrot, produced by Aniplex and licensed in North America by Viz Media.

The first anime series aired on TV Tokyo and ran for 220 episodes from October 2002 to February 2007; an English dub produced by Viz Media aired on Cartoon Network and YTV from September 2005 to December 2009. The second series, Shippuden, also aired on TV Tokyo and ran for 500 episodes from February 2007 to March 2017.

The English dub of Shippuden was broadcast on Disney XD in the United States from October 2009 to November 2011, airing the first 98 episodes before eventually switching over to Adult Swim's Toonami programming block in January 2014, starting over from the first episode. Besides the anime television series, Pierrot also developed 11 animated films and 12 original video animations (OVAs).

The Naruto anime achieved significant commercial success, becoming one of Viz Media's top-earning franchises, while being a cultural impact with the Naruto run. Viz Media sold over 3 million anime home video units by 2019 and was third most-watched series in the United States by 2020, while Shippuden series was consistently ranked as one of the most-watched in Japan.

Critically, the Naruto anime received mixed reception; its adaptation of Kishimoto's art style and story pacing was not received well. However, reviewers appreciated its strong fight scenes, character dynamics, and emotional depth. Naruto: Shippuden was lauded for its improved animation, more mature tone, well-crafted character interactions and balanced storytelling.

The first anime ranked 38th in IGN's Top 100 Animated Series and Shippuden earned a nomination from the Crunchyroll Anime Awards for Best Continuing Series.