Naruto Shippuden is one of the most popular anime series of all time, with hundreds of episodes that continue the story of Naruto Uzumaki on his quest to become the Hokage. Unfortunately, while Hulu has the rights to stream the series, only the first 140 episodes are available with the English dub on the platform. This leaves fans waiting for the rest of the acclaimed series to be dubbed and added to Hulu’s catalog.
Licensing Issues
The most likely reason why the remainder of Naruto Shippuden isn’t dubbed on Hulu boils down to licensing restrictions. Hulu may only have the rights to stream those first 140 dubbed episodes from the series distributor. The rights to distribute the dub for the rest of the episodes may be tied up with other companies.
Anime licensing can get very complicated, with different companies often owning the rights to different parts of a franchise. The licenses for additional Naruto Shippuden dub episodes might be held by Netflix, Crunchyroll, or other services. If Hulu’s license only covers part of the series, they legally can’t add the rest until they make a new deal for those rights.
The Cost of Producing Dubs
In addition to licensing issues, producing high-quality English dubbing for anime episodes is expensive and time consuming. Rather than commissioning dubs for the entire 500+ episode run of Shippuden all at once, Hulu may have only funded dubbing for those first 140 episodes so far.
Creating an English dub requires translating the Japanese script, adapting it for natural English dialogue, casting voice actors, recording the lines in a studio, editing it together, and mixing it with the existing music and sound effects. It’s a major undertaking.
Hulu may simply not have the budget at this time to dub the remainder of the series. As a streaming service, they have to weigh the costs of licensing and dubbing more episodes versus the number of new subscribers the additions might attract.
When Will the Rest Be Dubbed?
The good news for Naruto fans is that Hulu has continued to add small batches of new dubbed Shippuden episodes over time. So while the full run isn’t available yet, the English dubbed version is continuing to expand on the platform.
Recent Additions
In September 2022, Hulu added episodes 141 through 175 with the English dub. This coincided with the streaming debut of the canon Boruto anime series sequel. It’s likely Hulu wanted to capitalize on renewed interest by finally dubbing the next arc where Sasuke tries to kill the 5 Kage.
Previously in 2020, Hulu had added episodes 91 through 112 of Shippuden with the dub. So while it’s coming slowly, the catalog is growing.
Predicting the Future
At the pace of 2 or 3 batch additions per year, it may still take well over a year for Hulu to have the entire Naruto Shippuden run fully dubbed. Fans hoping to hear the iconic Pain’s Invasion and Fourth Great Ninja War arcs in English are still going to have to wait patiently.
Of course, Hulu could decide to expedite the process if they see a large enough uptick in engagement and subscribers whenever new dubbed episodes are added. But for now, the English dub rollout seems to be continuing steadily rather than all at once.
Alternative Options for Dubbed Shippuden
While the full Naruto Shippuden dub isn’t on Hulu yet, there are some alternative streaming options for fans who still want to watch the remainder of the series in English:
Blu-Ray Releases
Viz Media has been steadily releasing Naruto Shippuden box sets on Blu-ray with the English dub. Currently 12 box sets are available, taking the story up through episode 348. Buying the Blu-rays is an investment, but it’s the most complete official English dub release so far.
Adult Swim
Cartoon Network’s late night Adult Swim programming block has been airing reruns of the Shippuden dub. Their broadcast is already up to episode 364 as of October 2022. So checking the TV schedule for new episodes could allow you to catch dubbed content not on Hulu yet.
Other Streaming Options
While no streaming service currently has the complete Naruto Shippuden English dub, platforms like Netflix, Crunchyroll, and Funimation do have larger chunks available than Hulu. Fans may have to use a combination of sites to binge through the entirety of the dubbed episodes.
When Will Hulu Have All the Dubbed Episodes?
It’s frustrating for diehard Naruto enthusiasts who want to marathon the entire adventure with the familiar English voices. But licensing limitations mean Hulu can likely only add more dubbed episodes slowly over time.
Realistically, it could be well into 2024 or beyond before Hulu has all 500+ episodes of Naruto Shippuden available in English. For now, fans will have to continue mixing the subbed and dubbed versions across different platforms to get their full Naruto fix.
Conclusion
In summary, licensing restrictions mean Hulu only has the rights to stream the first chunk of Naruto Shippuden in English so far. Producing high-quality dubs is expensive and time-intensive, so additions to the catalog have been slow but steady. Hardcore Naruto fans still have options like Blu-ray sets and Adult Swim to get more of the iconic story dubbed currently. But they will likely have to be patient before Hulu eventually expands their Shippuden library to include every single episode with the familiar English cast.
