With the expansion and rising popularity of the manga comic genre, came their animated versions. Their popularity is high in the younger generations, but their interest grows in all age groups.

Some never read or watched any anime or manga so they need to start somewhere. And where else than the Naruto serial? It is one of the most popular manga and anime in the world, with different serials that require some knowledge.

Either you are an old fan, or you want to start watching it, stay with us, because we prepared a short but article full of interesting information.

So what is the difference between Naruto and Naruto Shippuden serials? The largest differences are about the plot itself.

While Naruto is primarily revolving around Naruto, an outsider who is fighting to become Hogake (a village leader), and become respected in the process, Naruto Shippuden has a wider storyline.

In the Shippuden, Naruto is only part of the story, while the main storyline is about the fate of the world. There are a lot of differences between the serials, and the first one that caught the eye of the viewers is the theme of the Shippuden.

It was much darker when compared to optimism that that poured from the original Naruto. The characters were also a bit older, and they were confronted with difficult problems, like war, sorrow, grief, and adulthood. Both series combined lasted for 15 years and had good approval ratings.

This is enough if you wanted to have some background knowledge about these animes. But if you are looking for interesting facts and some detailed information, stay with us. We will answer FAQs about the series, and discuss other important elements of these world-famous anima series.

History of Naruto

Part 1

A story revolves around the village of Konoha in the Land of Fire. That is one of the five countries in Ninja World. The village is attacked by a powerful fox.

The leader of the village had only one solution for this problem – he imprisoned the fox in the body of his son Naruto. Due to this action, Naruto’s father dies, and Naruto doesn`t learn anything about being the host of the fox until he is 12.

Afterward, he became with Sasuke an elite ninja in Team 7, led by a great sensei Kakashi.

They are regularly conducting missions, and after some time they are allowed to take the exam that would result in improvement in their rank. While the Team was on the assignment, a wanted criminal named Orochimaru invades the village and kills its leader.

Now the leaderless village needed a new head.

An old and famous ninja named Jiraiya declined the request to become the leader, and instead, he went with Naruto in the search for a new head of the village.

Orochimaru wanted to train Sasuke because of his genetic ancestry, and after Sasuke failed to kill his older brother Itachi who wanted to kidnap Naruto, he joins up with Orochimaru.

Naruto tried to change Sasuke’s mind but failed. After that he leaves the village and starts training with Jiraiya, so he could be ready when he next time meets Sasuke.

Part 2 – Shippuden

The story begins two and a half years later. Naruto finished his training and he joins up with Team 7 for a new mission.

A criminal organization Akatsuki started kidnapping hosts of Tailed beasts – living forms of chakra. Sasuke leaves the Orochimaru and fights Itachi and kills him.

He found out that the Konoha leaders hired Itachi to destroy Sasuke klan but to leave him alive. He was devastated and promised revenge on Konoha.

Akatsuki figurehead Nagato kills Jiraiya, but Naruto kills him and earns the respect of the village.

Tobi, a member of Akatsuki, disguises himself as a Konoha elder Madara Uchiha and proposes the hunt for the Tailed beasts. He wants to achieve world peace by controlling the chakras. The other five villages didn`t accept the call, and they turned on him, resulting in the Fourth Shinobi world war.

The war was led between the armies of the Five villages against the army of the Akatsuki. The village chiefs wanted to keep Naruto out of the war, but he found out about it. He is in the company of a ninja Killer Bee, and they together take control of the Tailed Beasts. Then together they go to the battlefield.

During the war, Naruto found out that Tobi was his former teammate from Team 7 who was presumed dead. In the meantime, Sasuke learns the history of the village and the clan and decides to rejoin forces with Naruto, in an attempt to save the village.

What’s the turning point?

One of the turning points in the series is when it is found out that Madura’s body is possessed by Kaguya, an enchanted princess. She wants to enslave all humankind, and Tobi joins up with Naruto.

He sacrificed himself so the Kaguya can be subdued. Madura dies, and Sasuke uses the chaos to take control of the Tailed bests to change the system that villages created. Naruto confronts him, and they almost both died. Sasuke abandoned his plans and decide to start over.

After the end of the war, their sensei Kakashi became the leader of the village and he forgives Sasuke. The series ends with the death of Kakashi, with Naruto as his inheritor. Naruto marries Hinata Hyuga leading to a new series – Next generation.

From this overview, we can see clear differences between the serials.

Shippuden is more “grownup” with darker topics and a lot of psychological elements. There is a lot of betrayals, but also redeeming, with good winning in the end.

FAQs

Can I watch Shippuden before Naruto?

The story arc can be very demanding, so we recommend watching Naruto first.

Are Naruto and Shippuden connected?

Yes. Shippuden is the sequel to Naruto.

What is the difference between Naruto and Boruto?

Naruto focuses on the loneliness of the person, and how to overcome it, while Boruto is centered on the inheritance of the family, and how to shake it off.

Why I can watch Naruto on Netflix, but there is no Shippuden?

The problem is in the license because Crunchyroll is the owner of the rights to show Shippuden.

Summary

We hope that we managed to bring you closer to understanding the Naruto world, and what you can expect from both of the serials.

Naruto is one of the well-known, and respected animes and we recommend watching both of the series in proper order, so you can understand the complex world and relations in the Naruto universe.

If you liked this article, stay with us, because we will cover a lot of different interesting topics in the future!