Season 1 of the original 2002 Naruto anime is titled While the name suggests a single story arc, this season actually covers the entirety of the "Prologue" and the first major mission of the series.

The majority of the season is dedicated to the beginning of the Chūnin Exams. This includes the written test, the survival "Forest of Death" portion (introducing the terrifying Orochimaru), and the preliminary tournament matches. The season concludes just before the main tournament matches begin, leaving viewers on a massive cliffhanger.

In Japan, Naruto aired continuously without formal "seasons" as Western audiences know them. The show ran for 220 total episodes across five "seasons" in the English release. So, while Season 1 has 57 episodes, Season 2 consists of episodes 58–96, Season 3 covers 97–135, Season 4 includes 136–165, and Season 5 wraps up with 166–220.

Here is the breakdown of the narrative arcs included in these 57 episodes: