Naruto is one of the most successful anime series of all time, inspiring millions of people across the world. The pre-time skip Naruto series comprises 220 episodes and focuses on Naruto’s childhood and his early ninja days. There are 91 filler episodes (41 percent of fillers in a total of 220 episodes) in the original Naruto series. So, if you want to start the Naruto series but simply focus on the core manga canon plot, we have you covered with this Naruto filler list. This filler guide was created to help you get the most out of your Naruto viewing experience.
Filler episodes can be enjoyable and serve as a stress reliever from the main plotline. At the same time, most fans seem to think that these filler episodes are annoying, and they appear in the middle of an important arc, ruining the continuity and experience. So it’s entirely up to you whether you want to watch or skip the fillers in Naruto (2002-2007).
What Is the Story of Naruto?
True to its name, this anime series chronicles the journey of Naruto, a young ninja from the Hidden Leaf village. He is a problematic and unruly child who is despised by the villagers, owing to a strange power that resides within him. As a result, Naruto aspires to become a great ninja and, ultimately, the next Hokage (leader of the village).
Naruto has a plethora of filler episodes and arcs that can be skipped if you’d like to quickly wrap up the protagonist’s childhood story. We have summarized and created a Naruto filler list for you right below.
Naruto Filler Episodes: Skip or Worth Watching?
Naruto (2002) includes the following filler arcs and episodes, as listed down below. Additionally, we have mentioned if you should skip a filler episode or not. But it doesn’t necessarily mean you have to watch all the fillers we have marked as worth a watch. The filler episodes that are marked as “Watch” below are considered entertaining by the fans, so they might be worth checking out if you’re not short on time. You can see the fun and quirky side of our loved characters in these episodes. The list is as follows:
Filler Episodes or Arcs Episode Numbers Should You Watch or Skip it? Recap of the First 25 Episodes 26 Skip Attempting to Recover Tsunade’s Debt 97 Skip Trying to Discover Kakashi’s Face 101 Watch Land Of Tea Escort Mission 102-106 Skip Land Of Rice Fields Investigation Mission 136-141 Watch Mizuki Tracking Mission 142-147 Skip Bikochu Search Mission 148-151 Watch Kurosuki Family Removal Mission 152-157 Watch Gosunkugi Capture Mission 159, 160 Skip Cursed Warrior Extermination Mission 162-167 Watch Kaima Capture Mission 169-173 Watch Daimyo Heir Escort Mission 174 Skip Buried Gold Excavation Mission 175, 176 Skip Stopping The Courier Ninja 177 Skip Star Guard Mission 178-183 Skip Kiba, Naruto, and Shino One-Off Episodes 184-186 Skip Peddlers Escort Mission 187-191 Watch Ino’s Princess Disguise Mission 192 Skip Rock Lee’s Dojo Challenge 193 Skip Daimyo’s Wife Search Mission 194 Skip Third Great Beast Arc 195, 196 Watch Konoha Plans Recapture Mission 197-201 Watch Recap of Top Five Battles 202 Skip Yakumo Kurama Rescue Mission 203-207 Skip Prized Artifact Escort Mission 208 Skip Gantetsu Escort Mission 209-212 Watch Menma Memory Search Mission 213-215 Watch Sunagakure Support Mission 216-220 Watch Total Naruto Filler Episodes 91
That concludes our complete list of filler episodes in Naruto. Although it is widely regarded as one of the greatest anime series of all time, we suggest you first watch the canon episodes, which focus on the manga story, before delving into the filler episodes or arcs. The decision to watch the filler episodes ultimately comes down to personal preference. We hope our filler guide has helped you determine which filler arcs to watch or skip, much like our One Piece filler arcs guide. So, let us know about your favorite Naruto episode in the comments below.
In one way, all the filler episodes in the Naruto anime series are easily skippable. But if you are down to kill some time, you can watch them for sure. We have marked the fillers worth watching in our Naruto filler list, which you can check out in this guide.
Among the 220 episodes, nearly 41 percent (91 episodes) are fillers in the Naruto anime series. While the initial half of the anime is manga canon, the fillers start around the 100th episode and continue to stack in the following arcs. So yeah, it is easier to follow the filler list and dodge the non-canon episodes with ease.
To preserve the gap between the anime and the current manga, the animation studio produced these filler episodes, much like all the other anime series out there. That is the chief reason for Naruto’s numerous filler episodes.
Aparna Ukil
