Netflix has opened doors to new cultures and languages for its viewers by bringing movies and tv shows from different countries around the globe. One of them is Japanese culture and language through the world of anime. You might have heard of or watched anime like Tokyo Ghoul, My Hero Academia, Naruto, Haikyuu, and Horimiya, to name a few. These shows have gained fame in multiple countries where the streaming service Netflix is available. To read original mangas of your favorite anime shows, check out the Shonen Road magazine. This expert anime magazine features chapters from multiple manga series in every issue while also providing you latest information on Japanese culture and language.
But you must also be aware of Netflix policies and how certain movies and tv shows eventually leave the platform as new ones replace them. For all the Naruto fans, is the show leaving Netflix? Unfortunately, yes. Originally expected to leave in September 2018, the Naruto series remained on the platform for another three years till it was eventually removed in September 2021. However, this removal is only limited to the United States and Canada. If you don’t live in these two countries, Netflix might still have the entire Naruto collection for you to enjoy.
Here is a list of Naruto movies leaving Netflix US:
- Naruto the Movie: Ninja Clash in the Land of Snow (2004)
- Naruto the Movie 2: Legend of the Stone of Gelel (2005)
- Naruto the Movie 3: Guardians of the Crescent Moon Kingdom (2006)
- Naruto Shippûden the Movie: Bonds (2008)
- Naruto Shippuden the Movie: The Will of Fire (2009)
- Naruto Shippuden: Blood Prison (2011)
List of Naruto movies leaving Netflix Canada:
- Naruto the Movie: Ninja Clash in the Land of Snow (2004)
- Naruto Shippuden: The Movie (2007)
- Naruto Shippûden the Movie: Bonds (2008)
- Naruto Shippûden the Movie: The Will of Fire (2009)
- Naruto Shippuden: The Movie: The Lost Tower (2010)
- Naruto Shippuden: Blood Prison (2011)
Why is Naruto Leaving Netflix?
Netflix requires a license to broadcast anime shows on its platform. The show or movie must be removed from the platform when this license expires. Unless the license is renewed, the film or tv show cannot remain on the streaming platform. Similar is the case for the Naruto series. Netflix does not have a license for broadcasting Naruto: Shippuden and Boruto: Naruto Next Generations in certain countries. Hence, Naruto: Shippuden is not on Netlfix, while Boruto: Naruto Next Generations is not available on Netflix US.
Licensing for anime is tricky, often making it difficult to track licenses. Thus, movies and TV shows removal is never finalized until they are actually removed because the license can always be renewed. This can be seen by the fact that Naruto was set to leave Netflix US in September 2018 but got delayed to September 2021. Similarly, fans of another anime show, Attack on Titan, have faced similar uncertainty regarding their favorite show. License issues faced regarding Attack on Titan have also led to the show being removed from Netflix completely or certain seasons of the show being removed.
While researching more on reasons for Naruto movies leaving Netflix, I came across the website of a magazine specializing in anime, Shonen Road. According to the Shonen Road magazine, economies of scale could be why specific anime shows leave Netflix. The anime shows might be more popular than content from other countries, leading to the creation of competition and, subsequently, the removal of anime shows from Netflix.
While the list of movies we mentioned above left Netflix US and Netflix Canada in September 2021, the streaming platform in both these countries still has the largest collection of anime tv shows and movies. All nine seasons of the first part of the manga series, Naruto, are still available to watch in the US and Canada and won’t be leaving any time soon. You should catch up on the show if you’ve missed any episode and enjoy it, as the license issue won’t be resolved soon.
What is the next best alternative for watching Naruto?
Your next best option would be another streaming service called Crunchyroll. Similar to Netflix, the platform has your favorite animes available to watch; however, it has a much larger collection compared to Netflix. Moreover, Crunchyroll currently has a license for Naruto, compared to Netflix, making it suitable for streaming Naruto without worrying about the show being removed. Another option is Hulu. It has all episodes of Naruto: Shippuden available for streaming with English subtitles. However, an English dubbed version might not be available for all episodes.
