Some of the first and most popular sites targeted at English speaking audiences were established shortly after the first English manga volume was released in August 2003. Like many other manga and anime titles, Naruto has also spawned its own collectible card game.

Prior to the anime's North American debut in 2005, several scanlation and fansub groups translated the series and made it available for free download on the internet. Despite North American companies' perceived tendency to prosecute fansubbing groups more frequently than Japanese companies,[10] there are some that have continued to translate new Naruto episodes due to the extremely large gap between the English and Japanese versions.

Although the early part of the series has been called "childish" and "goofy", with a focus on toilet humor, "formulaic battles" and a simplistic plot, the series later develops.[11]

Volume 7 of the manga has recently won a Quill Award for best graphic novel in North America.[12] In TV Asahi's latest top 100 Anime Ranking, Naruto ranked 17th on the list.[13] Naruto (the TV series) has also won an award in other countries. It won the Best Full-Length Animation Program Award in the Third UStv Awards held in the University of Santo Tomas in Manila, Philippines.[14]