October 15, 2024
Naruto & Naruto Shippuden | List of Filler Episodes
Navigate through the thrilling adventures of Naruto and Naruto Shippuden with this comprehensive filler episode list.
Buy: Naruto Merchandise & Gifts
Buy: Naruto Merchandise & Gifts
Naruto stands out as one of the greatest anime series to date, a Shonen series with extremely loveable characters, an engaging plot, and a vast world full of twists and a lot of ninja fights. However, despite its immediate popularity upon release and enduring acclaim over the years, it suffers from something that many fans deem a problem - filler episodes.
Naruto Filler Episodes List
Aside from its undeniable greatness, Naruto is widely recognized, notorious even, for its substantial filler content, comprising approximately 41% of the total episodes.
To put it in perspective, out of Naruto's 220 episodes, 90 are fillers. While not necessarily of poor quality, skipping the filler episodes is entirely acceptable and boils down to personal preference. The table below outlines all Naruto filler episodes, accompanied by a general opinion on whether they are worth your time or not.
Filler Arc/Episode |
Episode Number(s) |
Is it Worth Watching? |
A Recap of the Previous Episodes |
26 |
No |
Naruto’s Hot Spring Adventure |
97 |
Yes |
Gotta See! Gotta Know! Kakashi-Sensei's True Face! |
101 |
Yes |
The Land Of Tea Escort Mission |
102-106 |
Yes |
Investigating the Land Of Rice Fields Mission |
136-141 |
Yes |
Mizuki Tracking Mission |
142-147 |
No |
Bikochu Search Mission |
148-151 |
No |
Kurosuki Family Removal Mission |
152-157 |
Yes |
Gosunkugi Capture Mission |
159-160 |
No |
Cursed Warrior Extermination Mission |
162-167 |
No |
Kaima Capture Mission |
169-173 |
Yes |
Celebrity Ninja Art: Money Style Jutsu! |
174 |
No |
Buried Gold Excavation Mission |
175-176 |
No |
Postman! |
177 |
No |
Star Guard Mission |
178-183 |
No |
Filler episodes about Kiba, Naruto, and Shino |
184-186 |
No |
Peddlers Escort Mission |
187-191 |
Yes |
Ino’s Princess Disguise Mission |
192 |
No |
Rock Lee’s Dojo Challenge |
193 |
Yes |
The Mysterious Curse of the Haunted Castle |
194 |
No |
The Third Great Beast Arc |
195-196 |
Yes |
Konoha Plans Recapture Mission |
197-201 |
Yes |
Recap of Top Five Battles |
202 |
Yes |
Yakumo Kurama Rescue Mission |
203-207 |
Yes |
The Weight of the Prized Artefact! |
208 |
No |
Gantetsu Escort Mission |
209-212 |
Yes |
Menma Memory Search Mission |
213-215 |
Yes |
Sunagakure Support Mission |
216-220 |
Yes |
While filler episodes may not directly impact Naruto's main storyline, there are definitely some that greatly enhance the viewing experience. Filler arcs like "The Land of Tea Escort Mission" or standalone episodes like "Gotta See! Gotta Know! Kakashi-Sensei's True Face!" offer entertaining content and deepen the fan’s connection with the main characters.
Additionally, unique missions within filler episodes introduce new villages and characters, adding refreshing elements to the beautiful Shinobi world.
Naruto Shippuden Filler Episodes List
Naruto Shippuden takes place two years after the fight between Naruto and Sasuke Uchiha and the disbandment of Team 7, taking the series to new levels of amazingness. As the main characters grow up and become powerful Shinobi worthy of protecting the world, the threat they face grows even bigger. However, the filler percentage stays the same.
With 203 filler episodes out of a total of 500, Naruto Shippuden coincidentally maintains the same filler percentage as its prequel at 41%. Despite this, the filler content in Naruto Shippuden offers some episodes that are too good to be skipped. Below is a table detailing Naruto Shippuden’s filler episodes and the general opinions on their quality.
Filler Episodes/Arcs |
Episode Number(s) |
Is it Worth Watching? |
Twelve Guardian Ninja Arc |
57-71 |
Yes |
Three-Tails Appearance |
90-112 |
No |
Six-Tail Demon Slug |
144-151 |
Yes |
The Quest for the Fourth Hokage’s Legacy |
170-171 |
No |
The Locus of Konoha (mixed filler/canon) |
176-196 |
Yes |
Paradise Life on a Boat |
223-242 |
No |
Sasuke and Naruto Flashbacks |
257-260 |
No |
Road to Sakura |
271 |
No |
Separate episodes about Team Kurenai, Deidara, and Konohomaru |
279-281 |
No |
The Helmet Splitter: Jinin Akebino! (mixed filler/canon) |
284 |
Yes |
The User of the Scorch Style: Pakura of the Sand! |
285 |
Yes |
Tsunade and Raikage |
286-287 |
No |
Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist |
288-289 |
Yes |
Power |
290-295 |
No |
The Sound 4 |
303-305 |
Yes |
The Heart’s Eye |
306 |
Yes |
Hayate and Yūgao |
307-308 |
No |
The A-Rank Mission: Food Fight |
309-310 |
No |
Prologue to Road to Ninja |
311 |
Yes (If you plan on watching Naruto: Road to Ninja Movie) |
Guy and Lee |
312 |
Yes, definitely! |
Yota |
313-315 |
No |
Torune |
316-317 |
Yes |
A Hole in the Heart: The Other Jinchuriki |
318 |
Yes |
The Soul Living Inside the Puppet |
319 |
No |
Run, Omoi |
320 |
No |
Creeping Shadow and The New Akatsuki |
347-348 |
Yes |
Kakashi: Shadow of the Anbu Black Ops |
349-361 |
Must watch |
Naruto vs Mecha Naruto |
376-377 |
No |
Hinata and Hanabi Childhood |
389-390 |
Yes |
The New Chunin Exams |
394-413 |
No |
The Formation of Team Minato |
416-417 |
Yes! |
Naruto + Konohamaru |
422-423 |
Yes |
The Infinite Tsukuyomi |
427-450 |
Yes |
Shinobi History |
464-468 |
Yes |
Kakashi’s Face Reveal (Special Episode) |
469 |
Of course! |
Childhood Days |
480-483 |
Yes |
Unlike Naruto, certain filler episodes in Naruto Shippuden incorporate manga material or reveal valuable information about the characters, making them highly enjoyable. While they may not alter the main storyline, watching arcs such as Kakashi's Anbu story can profoundly enrich the viewer's experience.
What Is a Filler Episode?
Filler episodes, also known as anime-original episodes, diverge from the original plot of an anime and often introduce storylines unrelated to the source material. These episodes are commonly released by anime studios while awaiting new manga volumes, ensuring a consistent flow of content for viewers while providing time for canon episodes to be animated.
Unlike modern Shonen series such as Jujutsu Kaisen or Demon Slayer, older popular series like Naruto, Bleach, and One Piece frequently incorporated filler content, taking up nearly half of the total episodes aired.
Final Thoughts on Filler Episodes
In conclusion, the decision to watch filler episodes is a matter of personal preference, and there's no need to feel guilty about skipping them. Especially the very weird ones.
Everyone has different amounts of free time and patience for lengthy series like Naruto and that’s why filler content shouldn't be perceived as bad. Instead, it provides an option to reduce the time needed to finish the show, allowing more people to enjoy one of the best anime of all time.