Action animes are the perfect material for video games. The Naruto franchise is but one of many examples of this. From Gundam to Dragon Ball Z to even Kill la Kill more recently. Anime has a strong foothold in gaming.

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But even if they are based on some of your favorite franchises, these games aren’t treated any differently from other video games. Naruto games aren’t free from criticisms and ratings. So, let’s look at the ten best based on their Metacritic score. Note that this list will only account for the vanilla installments of each game as well as the platform that received the best score if the title is multiplatform.

10 Naruto Shippuden: Clash of Ninja Revolution III (Wii, Current Metascore: 74)

Even though the Clash of Ninja series has pretty much fallen off, it’s nice to see that it isn’t totally forgotten. Early on, Sony consoles had the Ultimate Ninja series while Nintendo consoles had the Clash of Ninja series. Revolution III is the fifth installment of the American version of the games.

Sadly, it was the only Clash of Ninja game following the Shippuden storyline that the states received. It’s also the last American Clash of Ninja game as well. It’s been 10 years since this game released in ‘09. Considering the monopoly Cyberconnect2 has had over the franchise in the video game space during that time, this series making a return would be very welcomed.

9 Naruto: Clash of Ninja Revolution (Wii, Current Metascore: 74)

The first North American Naruto game to hit the Wii in 2007. Clash of Ninja Revolution is the third installment of the Clash of Ninja series in North America. The game is actually just an improved version of Clash of Ninja 3, which only released in Japan, just with a nerfed roster. (That does mean it’s technically not a vanilla installment, but it is in this context.)

In all of its cel-shaded glory, a staple for anime fighters through and through, the game hasn’t aged all that bad in the looks department for an ’07 Wii game. Sure, it’s still a little polygonal, and cut-scenes boil down to still shots of characters speaking over a textbox with full voice acting, but the animations in fights are pretty silky smooth, which is something I think these games had over the Ultimate Ninja series early on. The series soundtrack is also nothing to overlook. It really puts your average anime fighter today into perspective. They’ve come quite a ways, but have also gone nowhere all at the same time.

8 Naruto: Ultimate Ninja Storm (Playstation 3, Current Metascore: 75)

The first Ultimate Ninja Storm started the Playstation 3 era of the series before moving to other systems later on. Ultimate Ninja Storm features fully 3D fights for the first time in the series. The bump up in hardware served the game’s visuals well and is essentially the standard for the rest of the series.

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Between fights, you’re also free to explore the entirety of the Hidden Leaf Village which is filled with collectibles, unlockables and tons of side-missions. Compared to other game’s in the series, its storytelling presence is a little weak, but it’s just as chock full of content as the rest.

7 Naruto: Ultimate Ninja 3 (Playstation 2, Current Metascore: 75)

The Playstation 2 era of the Ultimate Ninja series is certainly one of the more distinct looking Naruto games. Ultimate Ninja 3 is no exception. Aside from the era staple of plane-switching during battles, the shade lines that detail the 3D models of the first three games especially give it a unique flair when compared to other Naruto games.

Originally released in 2005, moving to the states in ’08, Ultimate Ninja 3 caps off the Playstation 2 era’s coverage of the original Naruto storyline before moving over to Shippuden. Brimming with feature-rich content, Ultimate Ninja 3 is seen as one of Cyberconnect2’s best outings in the Playstation 2 era of the series.

6 Naruto: Ultimate Ninja (Playstation 2, Current Metascore: 75)

The first game that kicked off possibly the most popular series of Naruto games, Ultimate Ninja released as a Playstation 2 exclusive in 2003 in Japan before coming to North America in 2006. The series started with quite a strong foundation with this entry title. Certain aspects like its chakra mechanics and visually pleasing ultimate jutsus are still seen in the more recent installments today. With such a solid entry title, at least according to its overall Metacritic score, it’s no wonder the series is still alive and strong over 10 years later.

5 Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm 2 (Playstation 3, Current Metascore: 76)

By this point, you can probably guess how many Cyberconnect2 games you’ll be seeing on the rest of this list. Ultimate Ninja Storm 2 is the game that made its series debut on a non-Sony console. Dropping on both the Playstation 3 and Xbox 360 in 2010 in both Japan and America, Ultimate Ninja Storm 2 jumps into the beginning of the Shippuden storyline for both consoles. The game introduced new features implemented to the support mechanic as well as a more streamlined approach to the series world-exploration aspects. Overall, it’s a worthy sequel to the first Storm game.

4 Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm 3 (Playstation 3, Current Metascore: 77)

Cyberconnect2’s third addition to the mainline Storm series. Continuing where Storm 2 left off, both in terms of story and gameplay, Storm 3 continues to build on the foundation that both the first and second games made. It features revamped mechanics as well as mob battles that resemble that of a Dynasty Warriors game. There really isn’t much to say about the game. It’s no doubt the next logical step in the series for Cyberconnect2 in just about every facet up to that point. It’s unsurprising that it’s this high in the ratings.

3 Naruto: Rise of a Ninja (Xbox 360, Current Metascore: 78)

Bet you weren’t expecting to see an Xbox exclusive game on this list, let alone one this high in the ratings. Naruto: Rise of a Ninja released in 2007 for the Xbox 360. Rise of a Ninja is truly a unique video game for the franchise.

Not only was it developed with the English dub of the TV show in mind, but it’s also the first Naruto game developed by a non-Japanese company. And that company was Ubisoft no less! That’s pretty crazy to think about considering where Ubisoft is today. Cracking the top 3 in ratings for all games on Metacritic is no easy feat. Xbox gamers must have been in heaven with the first Naruto title exclusive to them for a change.

2 Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm 4 (Xbox One, Current Metascore: 80)

Interestingly enough, Storm 4 is the only multiplatform Naruto game on this list with both versions garnering very close ratings to each other by both the critics and users. Xbox One wins out over the Playstation 4 here by 1 point. Though, the sample size for this version is much smaller than the PS4 version, so take that info with a grain of salt. Anyway, Storm 4 is more of what you love about the Storm games. I’d say the biggest downgrade is the cut-scenes in story mode being still shots from the anime instead of in-engine recreations.

1 Naruto: The Broken Bond (Xbox 360, Current Metascore: 80)

This game is pretty indicative of what the gaming landscape used to be like. When an anime game released over 10 years ago can tie with one released just over 3 years ago, you know you did something right. Naruto: The Broken Bond is the ’08 sequel to Rise of a Ninja. Like its prequel, The Broken Bond is a 360 exclusive developed by Ubisoft.

This means that a non-Japanese company developed not one, but two games that cracked the top 3 in ratings on Metacritic for Naruto games. Two games exclusive for a non-Japanese console and built from the ground up to be based on the English dub first. The mere idea of this game even existing, let alone being a sequel, is pretty special even today. The fact that it takes the top spot in the ratings, tied with Storm 4 and the PC version of Storm 3 Full Burst, is evidence that Ubisoft truly was a different company back then.

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