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The Best Episodes of Natsume's Book of Friends

Every episode of Natsume's Book of Friends ranked from best to worst. Let's dive into the Best Episodes of Natsume's Book of Friends!

Binge this in 1d 10h•Peaking at 9.5/10

Natsume Takashi has the ability to see spirits, which he has long kept secret. However, once he inherits a strange book that belonged to his deceased grandmother, Reiko, he discovers the reason why spirits surround

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Episode Rankings

  1. #1 Fan Favorite
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    Natsume's Book of Friends Season 5 Episode 10 - Touko and Shigeru
    9.5/10(2 votes)

    #1 - Touko and Shigeru

    S5:E10

    Touko and Shigeru are the kind elderly couple who took in Natsume when no one else would. But what were they like before they let Natsume move in?

    Director:Takatoshi Suzuki
    Writer:Sadayuki Murai

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  2. Natsume's Book of Friends Season 6 Episode 1 - The Days Eater
    9.0/10(2 votes)

    #2 - The Days Eater

    S6:E1

    Natsume helps a youkai out of a pot, and as a "reward," is made young again. But Natsume is already young, and making him younger just confuses him and addles his memories. When he doesn't know who to trust, will he have the strength to know who his real friends are?

    Director:Kotomi Deai
    Writer:Sadayuki Murai

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  3. Natsume's Book of Friends Season 2 Episode 1 - Stolen Book of Friends
    8.7/10(3 votes)

    #3 - Stolen Book of Friends

    S2:E1

    While outside during school Natsume is hit with a ball while reading. He goes to retrieve the ball and ends up breaking a Youkai's seal (much like he had with Nyanko-sensei). Later that night Natsume and Nyanko-sensei discover a look-a-like of Nyanko, only to have him steal the Book Of Friends!

    Director:Takahiro Omori
    Writer:Unknown

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  4. Natsume's Book of Friends Season 1 Episode 2 - The Dew God's Small Shrine
    8.5/10(2 votes)

    #4 - The Dew God's Small Shrine

    S1:E2

    Natsume is visited by the village's local god who is currently fading because of the lack of devotees.

    Director:Sakai Hashido
    Writer:Kenichi Kanemaki

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  5. Natsume's Book of Friends Season 1 Episode 6 - Swallow at the Lake Bottom
    8.5/10(2 votes)

    #5 - Swallow at the Lake Bottom

    S1:E6

    Natsume goes to a dam and finds a town that had been submerged in water. Just then, Natsume gets possessed by a yokai and falls unconscious.

    Director:Harume Kosaka
    Writer:Mayori Sekijima

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  6. Natsume's Book of Friends Season 1 Episode 8 - Fleeting Light
    8.5/10(2 votes)

    #6 - Fleeting Light

    S1:E8

    Natsume meets a spirit who used to be friends with a man who could also see spirits, but one day lost this ability.

    Director:Shigeki Hatakeyama
    Writer:Noboru Takagi

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    The 20 WORST Episodes of Natsume's Book of Friends

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  7. Natsume's Book of Friends Season 5 Episode 1 - Unchanging Form
    8.5/10(4 votes)

    #7 - Unchanging Form

    S5:E1

    Natsume continues to spend his days giving back Youkai their names from the book of friends. One day, as he's heading home, he finds himself chased by a giant, rolling pot. The youkai in the pot insists that his grandmother Reiko stole a doll from her. When she threatens to hurt his family, however, he's forced to go out and find it. But would his kind, smiling grandmother Reiko really steal a doll from someone?

    Directors:Miyuki Ooshiro, Kotomi Deai
    Writer:Sadayuki Murai

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  8. Natsume's Book of Friends Season 5 Episode 4 - Shadow Linked Chains
    8.5/10(2 votes)

    #8 - Shadow Linked Chains

    S5:E4

    An inexperienced exorcist tries and fails to completely seal a youkai near Natsume's school. Natsume decides to take the pot the youkai is sealed in to Natori, in hopes that it can be disposed of properly. While he's there, he learns that there is an ongoing feud between exorcists lately, and that one exorcist in particular is attacking his rivals. When Natsume gets home, he finds that Matoba, another exorcist who's tried to take advantage of him in the past, wants his help dealing with just that particular problem...

    Director:矢部哲平
    Writer:Hiroshi Onogi

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  9. Natsume's Book of Friends Season 5 Episode 5 - It Must Not Be Bound
    8.5/10(2 votes)

    #9 - It Must Not Be Bound

    S5:E5

    Natsume arrives at the exorcist meeting to help smoke out the youkai that Matoba wants to find. But he quickly discovers that the situation is more complicated than it first seemed. The youkai is capable of replicating itself to possess targets, and no one but Natsume is able to see who is possessed. Natsume and Nyanko-sensei search the halls, still unsure if they even want to be there.

    Director:Miyuki Ooshiro
    Writer:Hiroshi Onogi

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  10. Natsume's Book of Friends Season 5 Episode 8 - A World Unbent
    8.5/10(2 votes)

    #10 - A World Unbent

    S5:E8

    Natori's family has always been exorcists... until they lost the abililty to see youkai. After generations of fearing the youkai's revenge, Natori is suddenly born with the ability to see them. His family doesnt want anything to do with his powers, though, and he's left to figure out how to live on his own. His life changes when he meets a young Matoba at an exorcist gathering, and the two of them end up hunting a powerful youkai together...

    Directors:Miyuki Ooshiro, Tomoko Hiramuki
    Writer:Hiroshi Onogi

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  11. Natsume's Book of Friends Season 7 Episode 12 - From the Path of Dreams
    8.5/10(2 votes)

    #11 - From the Path of Dreams

    S7:E12

    Natsume takes in a strange origami doll that shows wonderful dreams.

    Director:Hideki Ito
    Writer:Sadayuki Murai

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  12. Natsume's Book of Friends Season 4 Episode 1 - Natsume Captured
    8.3/10(3 votes)

    #12 - Natsume Captured

    S4:E1

    Natsume is jumped by a group of Youkai trying to steal the Book of Friends for their master. Once captured, Natsume discovers that an old problem is back in a big way.

    Director:Takahiro Omori
    Writer:Jukki Hanada

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  13. Natsume's Book of Friends Season 5 Episode 2 - Mischievous Rain
    8.3/10(3 votes)

    #13 - Mischievous Rain

    S5:E2

    On a rainy day, Natsume meets a young girl youkai. Her name isn't in the Book of Friends, but she wants his help anyway: she wants him to find a man she met once. The man couldn't see youkai normally, but a mischievous trick of the weather let him see her for just one day. For the next fifty years she visited him, hoping he'd see her one more time, but he never did. Now he's vanished. Can Natsume find him for her?

    Director:Hironori Aoyagi
    Writer:Aya Yoshinaga

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  14. Natsume's Book of Friends Season 1 Episode 1 - The Cat and the Book of Friends
    8.0/10(3 votes)

    #14 - The Cat and the Book of Friends

    S1:E1

    Natsume discovers that the heirloom "Book of Friends" that his grandmother, Reiko, gave him possesses the names of the spirits she defeated and bound to her will. Assisted by a cat whom Natsume addresses as Nyanko-Sensei (lit. Master Little Meow), Natsume aims to return all of the names to their rightful owners.

    Director:Takahiro Omori
    Writer:Kenichi Kanemaki

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  15. Natsume's Book of Friends Season 1 Episode 4 - Shigure and the Girl
    8.0/10(2 votes)

    #15 - Shigure and the Girl

    S1:E4

    Natsume's secret is found out by Sasada, the class president, during the "Trial of Courage." She asks for his help to find the spirit that lives in the abandoned school. Natsume denies the fact that he can see anything, but she won't take no for an answer. Meanwhile, the spirit, Shigure, captures the rest of their school mates, in fury of the school being torn down...

    Director:Koichiro Kuroda
    Writer:Noboru Takagi

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  16. Natsume's Book of Friends Season 1 Episode 5 - Heart-Colored Ticket
    8.0/10(2 votes)

    #16 - Heart-Colored Ticket

    S1:E5

    Natsume comes across an old ticket in Reiko's belongings and decides to go to the abandoned train station to see why she kept it. There, he meets a slow witted spirit named Santo, who was waiting for Reiko the entire time to go Kiriganuma, to see and make up with his friend, Mikuri, but the trip isn't as easy as it first seems...

    Director:Tomoyuki Kawamura
    Writer:Kenichi Kanemaki

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  17. Natsume's Book of Friends Season 1 Episode 7 - The Little Fox's Hat
    8.0/10(3 votes)

    #17 - The Little Fox's Hat

    S1:E7

    Natsume goes to a hot spring for a school trip, with an errand from Shigeru to pick up teacups from a near by pottery. While there he meets and helps a little fox spirit, who quickly grows attached to him.

    Director:Hidehito Ueda
    Writer:Mayori Sekijima

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  18. Natsume's Book of Friends Season 1 Episode 10 - Asagi's Koto
    8.0/10(2 votes)

    #18 - Asagi's Koto

    S1:E10

    Natsume is possessed by a sick koto player, whose friend wants her to be able to play one last time.

    Director:Harume Kosaka
    Writer:Kaga Mie

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  19. Natsume's Book of Friends Season 1 Episode 12 - Five Day Mark
    8.0/10(2 votes)

    #19 - Five Day Mark

    S1:E12

    Natsume is cursed by an evil spirit which is sealed to a tree, not wanting to trouble his adopted family, he decided to run away from home.

    Director:Koichiro Kuroda
    Writer:Mayori Sekijima

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  20. Natsume's Book of Friends Season 1 Episode 13 - Autumn Banquet
    8.0/10(2 votes)

    #20 - Autumn Banquet

    S1:E13

    Tanuma finds out Nyanko-Sensei is a spirit. Tanuma and Natsume enjoy the autumn festival and previous acquaintances are seen again.

    Director:Hisatoshi Shimizu
    Writer:Kenichi Kanemaki

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  21. Natsume's Book of Friends Season 2 Episode 3 - Youkai Exorcism Amid the Steaming Springs
    8.0/10(2 votes)

    #21 - Youkai Exorcism Amid the Steaming Springs

    S2:E3

    Natori invites Natsume on a Hot Spring trip. But noises from the closet and a kimono-clad figure dangled from the ceiling make Natsume uneasy. Not wanting to trouble Natori because of his kind gesture to enjoy the Hot Spring with him, Natsume investigates the Hot Spring himself. During the night Natsume meets with the Youkai, where she comments that he is too soft, and attacks!

    Director:Hisatoshi Shimizu
    Writer:Unknown

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  22. Natsume's Book of Friends Season 2 Episode 4 - A Chick Hatches
    8.0/10(2 votes)

    #22 - A Chick Hatches

    S2:E4

    Natsume takes care of an abandoned egg from a nest, not considering it could be a Youkai. After it hatches it turns out it is a rare baby spirit called Tatsumi, who thinks that Natsume is it's parent. Natsume can't help but get attached to the little spirit even as Tatsumi grows tired and sick. But as Natsume takes care of Tatsumi a mysterious spirit comes, and wants to take away Tatsumi for his master... who wants to eat him!

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Noboru Takagi

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  23. Natsume's Book of Friends Season 2 Episode 6 - The Maiden's Circle
    8.0/10(2 votes)

    #23 - The Maiden's Circle

    S2:E6

    There is a new girl in school Taki Tooru. And with her appearance at school comes these strange circles in the ground. Much like UFO circles. As Natsume tries to figure out the circles and Taki he is visited by another Youkai. Only this time the Youkai isn't looking for his name, but for a snack.

    Director:Hideaki Nakano
    Writer:Unknown

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  24. Natsume's Book of Friends Season 2 Episode 7 - That Which You Must Not Call
    8.0/10(2 votes)

    #24 - That Which You Must Not Call

    S2:E7

    Natsume is dragged off into the cave of the evil spirit that is after Tooru. He temporarily loses the ability to see youkai after being poisoned by the spirit. Will he be able to stop the youkai from eating Tooru without his sight?

    Director:Hisatoshi Shimizu
    Writer:Unknown

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  25. Natsume's Book of Friends Season 2 Episode 8 - Emotions Undying
    8.0/10(2 votes)

    #25 - Emotions Undying

    S2:E8

    Natsume, Kitamoto and Nishimura take a trip to an old inn to spend some quality time doing their homework. Surrounding the inn is a lake; that is believed to be home to a mermaid.

    Director:Yui Umemoto
    Writer:Unknown

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Best Episodes Summary

"Touko and Shigeru" is the best rated episode of "Natsume's Book of Friends". It scored 9.5/10 based on 2 votes. Directed by Takatoshi Suzuki and written by Sadayuki Murai, it aired on 12/14/2016. This episode scored 0.5 points higher than the second highest rated, "The Days Eater".