Naruto

Naruto is a classic shonen anime (2002–2007, 220 episodes) created by Masashi Kishimoto, with its sequel Naruto: Shippuden (2007–2017, 500 episodes) continuing the story.

Quick synopsis:

Twelve years before the story begins, a massive nine-tailed demon fox attacked the Hidden Leaf Village (Konoha), nearly destroying it. The village's leader, the Fourth Hokage, sacrificed his life to seal the beast inside a newborn baby boy — Naruto Uzumaki — saving the village but cursing the child with a lonely, ostracized life as most villagers fear and hate him, seeing him as the monster itself.

Naruto grows up loud, hyperactive, prank-loving, and desperate for recognition. His dream is to become Hokage — the strongest ninja and respected leader of the village — so everyone will finally acknowledge him.

He graduates from the Ninja Academy (barely) and joins Team 7 under the skilled but laid-back sensei Kakashi Hatake, alongside:

• Sasuke Uchiha — a talented, brooding prodigy driven by revenge for his clan's massacre
• Sakura Haruno — a smart, strong-willed girl who has a crush on Sasuke

The series follows Naruto's growth as a ninja through intense training, missions, epic ninja battles, the Chunin Exams tournament arc, friendships, betrayals, and rivalries. He masters his unique shadow clone technique and gradually learns to harness the power of the fox sealed inside him (the Nine-Tails / Kurama).

A central theme is Naruto's unbreakable will, turning enemies into friends, and his refusal to give up on people (especially Sasuke, whose path takes a dark turn).

The original Naruto covers his pre-teen/early teen years and ends on a major time skip, while Shippuden jumps forward 2.5 years to their teenage adventures, bigger threats, wars, and revelations about the ninja world.

It's action-packed, emotional, full of memorable fights, character development, and the iconic "never give up" spirit. If you're into underdog stories with huge battles and heart, it's a must-watch!