5 Best Naruto Opening Theme Songs, Ranked

Few anime used opening themes as effectively as Naruto. Across Naruto and Naruto: Shippuden, more than 20 openings turned into musical snapshots of Naruto’s childhood, friendships, rivalries, battles, losses, and hard-earned growth. Some made you want to sprint through the nearest wall; others quietly broke your heart before the episode even started.

Tracks like “Closer” by Joe Inoue, “Lovers” by 7!!, and “Kaze” by Yamazaru each captured entirely different eras. But 5 openings stand above the rest for how perfectly their music, imagery, and story context collided.

5 Sign by FLOW Turns Naruto Shippuden’s Pain Into Power

“Sign” by FLOW takes the 5th spot. As Shippuden’s sixth opening, it ran from episodes 129–153, covering the aftermath of Jiraiya’s story, Sasuke’s conflict with Itachi, and the beginning of Naruto’s confrontation with Pain. The opening brings Jiraiya, Naruto, Sasuke, Itachi, Pain, and the wider cast into the same emotional orbit, making the theme feel less like a conventional battle anthem and more like a portrait of people being shaped by loss.

The song is a deeply emotional track built around pushing forward despite wounds. “Sign” understands that Naruto’s most powerful battles are often emotional ones. It ranks fifth only because the other four openings arguably define their respective eras with an even more distinctive musical or visual identity.

4 Hero’s Come Back!! Makes Naruto’s Return Feel Legendary

Before Shippuden even had time to explain how much its characters had changed, “Hero’s Come Back!!” by nobodyknows+ announced that Naruto had entered a new era. It was the first Shippuden opening, accompanying episodes 1–30 and the early Kazekage Rescue Mission period.

The hip-hop-driven track was a bold tonal reset after Part I. Naruto returns older, Sakura is stronger, Gaara is now Kazekage, and the Akatsuki finally feel like the terrifying long-term threat they were always supposed to become. Its placement at #4 comes down to longevity versus impact: it may not have the same emotional layering as the three above it, but as a declaration of Shippuden’s arrival, it is almost impossible to beat.

3 Silhouette Turns Naruto’s Journey Into an Emotional Anthem

If “Haruka Kanata” captures Naruto growing up, “Silhouette” by KANA-BOON captures the cost of getting there. The sixteenth Shippuden opening ran from episodes 380–405, during the Fourth Shinobi World War era. Its greatest trick is how it turns nostalgia into momentum. The animation moves through Naruto, Sasuke, Kakashi, and the older generation while the song’s energetic rock sound refuses to let the sequence become purely mournful. That combination makes the opening feel like the entire history of Naruto rushing forward at once.

KANA-BOON’s members were longtime Naruto fans, and vocalist Maguro Taniguchi said creating a Naruto opening had been a personal goal even before the band debuted. That passion is audible. “Silhouette” lands at #3 because few openings make the franchise’s themes of memory, growing up, and carrying the past forward feel this immediate.

2 Blue Bird Gives Naruto an Opening Theme That Still Soars

“Blue Bird” by Ikimonogakari is where Naruto: Shippuden’s emotional side gets an almost deceptively beautiful soundtrack. The third Shippuden opening ran from episodes 54–77, covering the Twelve Guardian Ninja period and moving into the Akatsuki Suppression storyline. The song sounds bright and liberating while its imagery repeatedly circles separation, longing, and Naruto and Sasuke’s increasingly painful distance.

The recurring blue-sky and flight imagery turns the opening into a visual metaphor for characters trying to break free while still being pulled backward by their pasts. Sony itself described the track as an energetic rock tune when it was released in July 2008. It sits just beneath “Haruka Kanata” because its emotional resonance is enormous, but its connection to one defining Naruto era is slightly less concentrated.

1 Haruka Kanata Takes Naruto Fans on a Journey Far Away

There is an argument to be made that Naruto never sounded more explosively youthful than “Haruka Kanata” by ASIAN KUNG-FU GENERATION. The series’ second Japanese opening ran from episodes 26–53, arriving as the Chunin Exams transformed Naruto from a promising rookie into someone capable of standing beside genuine monsters.

The song’s charging guitars and restless momentum fit an era packed with the Forest of Death, the preliminary fights, Naruto’s growing rivalry with Sasuke, and his early connection with Jiraiya. It feels almost physically impatient, perfectly matching a protagonist who refuses to stay where he is. Released in 2003, the song has since remained inseparable from that early Naruto identity.

Which would you put at #1? Comment below.

Naruto and Naruto: Shippuden are streaming on Crunchyroll and Hulu.