Many consider Naruto to be one of the best anime series of all time. For me, it was the reason I started watching anime. Though it has the story and animation to back up the claims as the GOAT of anime, its high amount of fillers can make it hard for anyone to finish the story.
Naruto Shippuden filler list have long been the cause of distress for many fans, making it difficult for them to watch the series.
Naruto Shippuden has a total of 203 filler episodes, this makes up for about 40% of the total anime. These filler episodes are not essential to the main story and can even disrupt the flow of the story. Many anime fans prefer skipping through the filler episodes and watching only the canon episodes.
To help you navigate this 500-episode-long anime, I have compiled a Naruto Shippuden filler list below.
| Arcs | Episode No. | Watch or Skip |
| Twelve Guardian Ninja Arc | 57-71 | Skip |
| Three-Tails Arc | 91-112 | Watch |
| Six Tails Unleashed Arc | 144-151 | Skip |
| Quest for Fourth Hokage Legacy Arc | 170-171 | Skip |
| Past Arc: Locus of Konoha | 176-196 | Skip |
| Paradise Life on a Boat Arc | 223-242 | Skip |
| Sasuke & Naruto Flashback Arc | 257-260 | Skip |
| Road to Sakura Special | 271 | Watch |
| Team Kurenai Arc | 279-281 | Skip |
| Multiple Filler Episodes | 284-295 | Skip |
| 303-320 | ||
| Yahiko, Konan, & Nagato Flashback Arc | 347-348 | Watch |
| Kakashi Shadow of the Anbu Black Ops | 349-361 | Watch |
| Mecha Naruto Arc | 376-377 | Skip |
| Hinata & Hanabi Childhood Arc | 388-390 | Skip |
| New Chunin Exams Arc | 394-413 | Watch |
| Formation of Team Minato Arc | 416-417 | Watch |
| Naruto & Konohamaru Arc | 422-423 | Skip |
| Infinite Tsukuyomi Arc | 427-450 | Skip |
| Shinobi History Arc | 464-469 | Watch |
| Childhood Days Arc | 480-483 | Watch |
Let me clarify what are the filler episodes in Naruto. Through the anime, you will get to see all kinds of episodes. While most of them are adapted directly from the manga, some are written especially for the anime, these are the ones called filler episodes.
A filler episode is created to give the author some time to create more content for the manga. By creating filler episodes, production teams can make sure they have enough content planned for future episodes. These episodes are mostly created to prevent the anime from catching up on the manga version. Filler episodes mostly feature Naruto characters going on random missions with other ninjas and battling enemies.
Naruto Shippuden has a wide range of filler episodes. When it comes to Shippuden, Naruto fans recommend skipping through most of them. While most of the filler content is deemed skippable, there are some episodes that every fan should watch.
The Kakashi Shadow of the Anbu Black Ops filler arc is beloved by fans for giving a flashback of Kakashi Hatake’s life before leading team 7. It shows more of what the manga missed and does justice to the character of Kakashi.
Apart from the story of our favorite teacher, the anime also covers the story of Akatsuki Member, Itachi Uchiha and shows the events that transpired to him towards killing the Uchiha Clan. With almost 200 filler episodes, Naruto Shippuden does have some episodes you should watch, you can refer to the table above and see which ones you should keep on your list.
Filler episodes fail to match the high intensity of the Naruto Shippuden manga and diminish the quality of the beloved anime. It is better to skip through them and continue on your journey.
Even setting aside the 40% filler content, Naruto Shippuden still has more than 300 episodes that do justice to the manga. By skipping filler episodes, you can save some precious time and enjoy the story as it was written by Masashi Kishimoto.
Fillers in Naruto Shippuden have mostly had a negative impact on the storyline. While there are a few that improve the quality of the series and show us more of our beloved characters, others are considered unwatchable by both fans and critics.
The Naruto Shippuden Filler list has had a mostly negative impact on the series. One of the biggest downsides of it is the disruption of the pacing in the series. Fillers often end up introducing new characters and powers that end up playing no part in the future storylines, this creates unnecessary plot points for the fans.
By far the biggest way fillers harm the Naruto franchise is by taking the focus off from the main story and putting it on random storylines. Though there have been some filler episodes that show the story of important characters like Jiraya, Orochimaru, etc, most of them still focus on storylines that have no relation to the main storyline.
That concludes our list of Naruto Shippuden filler episodes. Having watched the anime and read the manga, I took the liberty of checking the filler content so you don’t have to.
Though I have mentioned which arcs you should skip and which you should watch, it is entirely up to you to decide which episodes you will be watching. Many Naruto fans decide to watch all the episodes and complete the anime properly. While there is no harm in it, don’t forget that filler episodes don’t follow the vision of the creator of the series and are created by the production team.
The Naruto anime has long been criticized for its high number of filler episodes. These episodes have even led to many fans quitting the anime. In most cases, it is better to skip through the anime and enjoy Naruto’s journey without any side quests. Hopefully, this guide helped you understand the Naruto anime and now you can plan how to watch the series.
Coming to an end, I bid you a farewell…
Kakashi Hatake removes his mask in episode 469. The filler episode features Naruto and Team 7 hoping to see an official photo of their sensei without the mask.
Yes, you can skip through the filler episodes and watch the Naruto Shippuden series.
Manga canon episodes are the episodes that are officially written or approved by the author of a manga.
Naruto Shippuden has a total of 203 filler episodes.
Yes, the original Naruto anime has filler episodes. It has a total of 91 filler episodes.
Annette Polis is an extremely passionate content writer and editor in the anime and entertainment world. She is an expert at anime storytelling, and uncovering the secrets of Hollywood with experience of over 16 years. Annette is a lifelong fan of animated characters and always provides interesting information. She keeps herself updated about the latest episodes, upcoming anime, and manga to offer something new to readers.
