Naruto Games With The Best Original Stories, Ranked

Key Takeaways

• A few Naruto games add extra narratives approved by Masashi Kishimoto, providing new dimensions to the characters.
• Some games feature original stories like Mecha-Naruto’s journey of hope, and the rise of Orochimaru’s power.
• The Akatsuki’s origin story showcases each member’s journey, adding depth and insight missing from the original series.

The original Naruto story already has its fair share of fans, but anyone who can’t get enough of the land of ninjas and is seeking out some extra content needs to look no further than the games. While some of the Naruto game adaptations have simply re-told the anime’s plot, others have taken some creative liberties to construct a brand-new original narrative for players to enjoy.

What’s more, Masashi Kishimoto himself gave the thumbs up for the majority of these inclusions, meaning they are as close to canon as can be. Not all of these stories managed to hit the high notes of the original Naruto story, but there’s still a select few that add an extra dimension to the characters that feature in this immensely popular tale.

6 Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm Revolution (Mecha-Naruto Story)

Naruto Tries To Teach His Robotic Impostor About Hope And Forgiveness

• Release Date: September 11, 2014
• Systems: Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, PC
• Developer: CyberConnect2

Mecha-Naruto, who is a robotic imitation of the plucky ninja himself, has been met with mixed reception from fans. However, despite this, the hunk of metal managed to get his own story mode in Naruto Storm Revolution, and while it’s fairly short and not too memorable, there’s still a good amount of heart and soul inserted into this bonus addition.

After randomly stumbling upon Mecha-Naruto on the outskirts of the Hidden Leaf Village, Naruto, and Hinata attempt to repair the robot, only for him to get involved in a whole manner of hijinks once they bring him back. As the story goes on, Mecha-Naruto begins getting a little too hostile towards his counterpart, seeing him as inferior. In classic Naruto fashion though, the real ninja tries to sympathize with the impostor by calling out their similarities, not just in terms of appearance, but also their shared experiences of being ridiculed and ignored.

5 Naruto: Uzumaki Chronicles

Uzumaki Chronicles’ Story Shows Just How Devilishly Powerful Orochimaru Really Is

• Release Date: November 2006
• Systems: PlayStation 2
• Developer: Bandai Namco

Uzumaki Chronicles for the PlayStation 2 leans more into the action-adventure genre rather than being a straight-up fighter, and as a result, Naruto is given the freedom to explore a lot more liberally in this game compared to some others in the series. In order for this to make sense, the game’s narrative follows the idea that, since the Third Hokage’s death, fewer and fewer shinobi are willing to go out on missions, leaving Naruto and his pals to venture into the fray themselves.

Much of the story is pretty straightforward and not too dissimilar from the anime, as Naruto goes around helping out villagers and taking out evil shinboi along the way, but things take a sudden turn when Orochimaru gets involved. His plan is to use a green mist in order to create an army of zombies, which is eerily similar to the Edo Tensei technique Kabuto uses at the end of the anime. This isn’t an original story full of too many surprises or spectacular fight sequences, but it still serves as a good example of how powerful Orochimaru was back in the day, and how long his influence and powers would linger on in the story.

4 Naruto Shippuden: Dragon Blade Chronicles

A Band Of Ninja, Dressed As Samurai, Facing Off Against Dragons, What’s Not To Love?

• Release Date: November 2009
• Systems: Nintendo Wii
• Developer: Tomy

What would happen if, in the middle of the Shippuden story, it was discovered that the unlimited power of a Genryu dragon was up for grabs? This is a what-if scenario that Dragon Blade Chronicles dives into with its original story, which is separated into a separate section for both Naruto and Sasuke.

For Naruto, his mission is to stop a brand-new villain called Tatsushiro from using the dragon’s power for his own selfish deeds, while Sasuke deals with the Akatsuki, who are similarly looking for their own slice of the pie. Seeing ninja dressed up as samurai facing off against giant dragons is a real sight to behold, and though the game’s clunky motion-control gameplay does let it down, the unique story goes a long way to help make up for this shortcoming.

3 Naruto Ultimate Ninja Heroes 2: The Phantom Fortress

Naruto And The Gang Enter A Creepy Floating Castle Full Of Unnerving Mysteries

• Release Date: March 2006
• Systems: PSP
• Developer: CyberConnect2

Mugenji is the name of a dark and dreary castle that mysteriously appears floating above the Hidden Leaf village at the beginning of Ultimate Ninja Heroes 2. After catching a glimpse of the castle for herself, Tsunade decides to send Naruto, Sakura, and a few other ninja to go check the place out, but when they arrive, something is clearly a little off.

One by one, each of Naruto’s comrades start succumbing to the strange aura that surrounds the building, and as they enter each room, they learn more about its origins, and the woman pulling the strings from behind the scenes: Princess Dusk. As more characters get involved though, including the malicious Orochimaru, it’s soon revealed that not everything is as it seems, resulting in a fun, horror-filled campaign that contains its fair share of surprises.

2 Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm Revolution (Creation of the Akatsuki)

An Origin Story Where Every Akatsuki Gets A Moment To Shine

• Release Date: September 2014
• Systems: PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, PC
• Developer: CyberConnect2

The Akatsuki play the role of main antagonists for most of Naruto’s journey in the anime, but despite how popular the group became among the fandom, their origins remained shrouded in mystery. In Naruto Storm Generations though, players can experience an entire story that explains how each member became affiliated with the malicious band of powerful ninja. The story is complimented by some stunning animation that brings each and every fight to life, whether it’s the epic duel between Sasori and Konan, Orochimaru’s intense face-off with Pain, or Itachi’s explosive bout with Deidara.

The story spends a good amount of time fleshing out each and every member and even manages to bring a level of sympathy to some of them which was largely non-existent in the original story. As little more than a bonus mode, Creation of the Akatsuki is an exciting addition that every Naruto Akatsuki fan needs to check out for themselves.

1 Naruto X Boruto Ultimate Ninja Storm Connections

The Special Story Is The Highlight Of Naruto Storm Connections For Many Fans

• Release Date: November 2023
• Systems: PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series S & X, Switch, PC
• Developer: CyberConnect2

Naruto Ultimate Ninja Storm Connections was seen by many to be a celebration of the series, bringing together a staggeringly large cast of characters, alongside a story mode chronicling the entire story of the anime. However, one of the most exciting new additions was the ‘Special’ story, and it’s fair to say that Kishimoto and the team at CyberConnect2 really did knock it out of the park with this one.

The story manages to blend elements of the original plot with a new cast of characters and villains, alongside a truly heartfelt message about the future of the characters, and the series as a whole. For example, the Infinite Tsukuyomi, which is integral to the main plot, shows up again here to wreak havoc on the Hidden Leaf Ninja. Then there’s Nanashi, an original character whose backstory about being used as little more than a weapon of war due to her powers is one of the most heartbreaking in the entire series. Pair all of this with some genuinely intense fight sequences and plenty of fanservice for longtime followers of the series, and it results in what is the shining star of Generations for many people.