We're here with the episodes 1-3 of Naruto: a straightforward and competent first episode of a shonen adaptation, and a pair of comedically focused one offs that establish more of the show's cast, but struggle under the weight of needing to adapt 20 page stories with one joke into 22 minute episodes without adding new jokes. Join us for discussions of unremarkable antagonists, a show thats still figuring itself out, and the foundation of one of anime's most underwritten love triangles.

With episodes 4-6, we watch the show take shape as the thing we recognize with alarming speed, and in this episode of the podcast we try to get into form too. Join us as we meet Kakashi (he's cool), watch the formation of Team 7 while developing some questions about formal ninja education in the Hidden Leaf Village (seems less cool), and embark on a journey to the Land of Waves for the beginning of the show's first (and one of its best loved) arcs.

It’s all battle all the time as we get our first real taste of what it means to be covering a shonen action anime, which is to say "we're talking about one big fight scene all episode". Don't mistake that for us complaining though! We get to talk about Zabuza Momochi (the Demon of the Hidden Mist, maybe you've heard of him), cool ninja tricks, and dangerous mystery children as we watch the action unfold. Covered this week: Naruto Episodes 7-9

Our heroes put weapons down to recover and train, but we can't relax when the downtime gives us this much to discuss. Ninja education! The political and economic situation in the Land of Waves! Gender! And of course, on top of it all, real and significant characters like Zori and Waraji. We just can't forget about those guys.   Covered this week: Naruto episodes 10-12

The battle on the bridge begins, and you'd better believe its gonna keep going. Its time for four action packed episodes where perhaps a little less happens than we'd like, but most of it involves Haku so it works out pretty well for us in the end. True to the goals of the podcast, we give even the weakest of these episodes as fair of a shake as we can, all while finding time to talk about ninja bloodlines, the resolve to kill, and the beautiful bond between bros. Covered this week: Naruto episodes 13-16

The conclusion of the Land of Waves arc comes with Naruto's best episodes so far, with some great material in the extremely capable hands of Toshiyuki Tsuru and Hirofumi Suzuki! We've got a whole lot to cover here at the end of an arc, as we get real sad about haku, talk about the tension between two halves of a story that aren't pulling equal weight, and get excited about just how sick this show can look. Covered this week: Naruto episodes 17-19

After the visual highs and dramatic peaks of last week, we return to the Village Hidden in the Leaves, where everything is once again very Normal... but how long can that be maintained in the face of an explosive growth in the size of the show's cast? The chunin exams are imminent, but before they start it’s time to talk about baby bullshit missions, ominous rude children, and your boy and mine: Rock Lee. Covered this week: Naruto episodes 20-22

This week sees us doubling up on bits of Naruto that linger in the minds of people who sort of remember watching the show on Cartoon Network: the one-two punch of Ninja Info Cards and the first stage of the chunin exams! Along the way we talk about properly meeting the rest of the rookie nine and putting torture experts in charge of children's education, but when it all comes down to it? This episode of the podcast is about how cool it is to cheat on tests. Covered this week: Naruto episodes 23-25

We're here at the forest of death, the second stage of the chunin exams where, as the name might suggest, children are allowed to kill each other. The show places more moving pieces than ever before on the table, and we find ourselves wondering about how well it can balance them in between musings about what exactly our place within the world of Naruto is and bewilderment over the show's attempt to introduce everybody's favorite funny little orange ninja to a new audience.  Covered this week: Naruto episodes 26-29

In a first for the podcast, Naruto is basically not in any of this weeks episodes! While he's unconscious, the show takes the time to shine the spotlight on a few other characters: Sasuke gets our coolest fight scene yet, Anko has a bad time, Rock Lee puts his beautiful ideals to the test, and... well... ostensibly there’s a Sakura focused episode in here somewhere. Covered this week: Naruto episodes 30-32

Brought back down to earth in the absence of Atsushi Wakabayashi, we sit down to watch a more eclectic trio of episodes where Team 10 takes a stand, Team 8 has their own unrelated misadventure, and, several days later, Team 7 faces the ticking timer of their final day in the Forest of Death. Come along for the ride as we talk about what makes a ninja team seem capable, Gaara (fuck yes fuck yes fuck yes), and watching the dramatic tension evaporate. Covered this week: Naruto episodes 33-35

The test in the Forest of Death shambles to a conclusion like so many illusory slime clones, and in its wake our heroes get a brief moment of respite as a lot of people talk to each other in various rooms. We're not sleeping on the job though, this is basically what we're here for! Join us for a lively discussion of super mario boss fights, evil motivational speeches, and the state of espionage in the Hidden Leaf. Covered this week: Naruto episodes 36-38

We dive head first into the tournament zone as the preliminaries kick off! Sasuke Uchiha vs Yoroi Akado! Shino Aburame vs Zaku Abumi! Kankuro vs uh... some guy! But thats not all! We also get to watch the show write checks about two girls vowing to fight each other all out that we'll just have to wait and see if it can cash. Come along for chats about tournament booking, declarations that Orochimaru kinda rocks, and our shared, doomed desire to point at something and go "that seems gay". Covered this week: Naruto episodes 39-41

We wrap up the Ino and Sakura fight and in its aftermath are forced to confront a terrible truth: if you get 20 guys in a room and match them off haphazardly then a some of those fights are going to be kind of bullshit, even if Naruto is one of the guys in them. But we power through. We're brave like that. Covered this week: Naruto episodes 42-44

There's still an entire episode of Naruto vs Kiba for us to withstand but theres a light at the end of the tunnel: a fight with any dramatic weight at all! With our first episode of the week out of the way, we strap in for a talk about shithead teens who think they know everything, developing lifelong attachments to sad anime girls when you're 13 years old, and cheering with all your heart for the loser. Covered this week: Naruto episodes 45-47

This week, Rock Lee drops the weights, and we, your hosts, do our damnedest to keep up! It's basically everything we could ask for in a podcast as we break down a visually striking and iconic episode of the show, consider the place of this often isolated highlight within the work as a whole, and most importantly, talk about some of our favorite guys and say that they're really cool a lot of times. Covered this week: Naruto episodes 48-50

After sweeping the remaining match of the preliminaries off the table in record speed, the show jumps at the chance to slow down a little. Join us as Orochimaru makes some bold commitments to being a sicko, and we see the extra space afforded by adapting one chapter per episode put to use to try and reform Ebisu's image just a little... before ramping up the challenge level on having a good time with Jiraiya's introduction. It all balances out, I guess. Covered this week: Naruto episodes 51-53

This week is all about Naruto learning to summon toads- in theory anyway. In practice, it turns out that would be pretty boring to watch the whole time so we instead take the opportunity to check in on everybody else. Come along as we just sort of skulk around the Hidden Leaf while we develop Jiraiya management techniques, check if Sakura is up to anything, and discover the secret tragedy of the Third Hokage. Covered this week: Naruto episodes 54-56

Its our last week before the finals of the chunin exams, which means we've got a bunch of little things to wrap up and questions to answer before the action kicks off. Were we right last week when we preemptively declared that Gamabunta kicks ass? How long can this show keep convincing us it has a romance in it? And just how much can one scary little boy love to do murders? The answers to all these questions and more are contained in this very episode. Covered this week: Naruto episodes 57-59

It's time for the first match of the finals, as Naruto squares off against Neji! The atmosphere in the stadium is electric, and everybody's here to see two kids beat the shit out of each other. We're here to break down the action, talk about Hyuga clan baggage, and witness the continued development of Naruto's signature technique (not the rasengan), and you're seated close enough to us in the stadium that you're gonna overhear the whole thing. Covered this week: Naruto episodes 60-62