Naruto is a series that has taken anime to a different league. The manga created by Masashi Kishimoto has different perspectives on life and way of seeing things as well. The anime is often compared to a piece of entertainment, but it ends with giving a great moral lesson at the end of each arc. Though the show seems very delightful for the immature brain, it gives deep life lessons to the adults as well.
Naruto Series Overview
But today we are focussing on the filler lists, which we can skip to follow the main story arc. The Naruto series is primarily divided into three titles. The first one is “Naruto” which came out on 3rd October 2002 in the Japanese language and followed into an almost two-decades-long series.
“Naruto” finished airing on 8th February 2007 in Japan. This part only focuses on Naruto’s journey’s first part, which later continued to “Naruto: Shippuden”. Shippuden is a much heavier and more complex arc compared to the first one. The show has limitless characters, and each arc creates more mysteries and draws the fans’ attention more.
Naruto’s Journey in Two-Decades-Long Series
Even though Naruto’s journey as a shounen hero has ended by unifying all the nations and becoming Hokage, his story has not ended. Now, his son, Boruto has taken over the role of shounen hero in the anime and plays the part of protagonist in Boruto: Naruto Next Generations. The Boruto series is still ongoing and currently covering Sasuke’s arc now.
Both “Naruto” and “Naruto: Shippuden” have filler episodes. But those stories are not completely unrelatable to the main plot. Sometimes these episodes deliver the stories of the events that happened during the time skips of the main plot. Sometimes, it also focuses on the side characters as well as the origin of any villain or hero.
So, today, we are going to discuss those episodes that viewers may skip. But we do not recommend skipping these episodes. Because these stories also make the Naruto series greater with its stunning storylines.
Naruto Filler Episodes List
The introduction to the plot of the character happens in Naruto who felt alienation from his Ninja village Konoha for the Nine-tailed Fox which is sealed within him.
The official synopsis on Crunchyroll suggests: “The Village Hidden in the Leaves is home to the stealthiest ninja. But twelve years earlier, a fearsome Nine-tailed Fox terrorized the village before it was subdued and its spirit sealed within the body of a baby boy.”
Among all the 220 episodes in 5 seasons, 93 episodes are filler episodes. This means 42% of the series has filler Episodes.
| Naruto Filler Episdoes | Season | Story Arc |
| Episode – 26 | 1 | Chunin Exams arc |
| Episode – 97 | 2 | Search for Tsunade arc |
| Episode – 101 | 3 | Trying to Uncover Kakashi’s Face |
| Episodes 102–106 | 3 | Land of Tea Escort Mission arc |
| Episodes 136–141 | 3 | Land of Rice Fields Investigations arc |
| Episodes 142-147 | 4 | The Mizuki Tracking Mission |
| Episodes 148-151 | 4 | The Bikochu Search Mission |
| Episodes 152-157 | 4 | The Kurosuki Family Removal Mission |
| Episodes 159-160 | 4 | The Gosunkugi Capture Mission |
| Episodes 162-167 | 4 | The Cursed Warrior Extermination Mission |
| Episodes 169-173 | 4 | The Kaima Capture Mission |
| Episode 174 | 4 | Daimyo Heir Escort Mission |
| Episodes 175-176 | 4 | The Buried Gold Excavation Mission |
| Episode 177 | 4 | Stopping the Courier Ninja |
| Episodes 178-183 | 4 | The Star Guard Mission |
| Episodes 184-186 | 5 | Various One-Off Episodes |
| Episodes 187-191 | 5 | The Peddlers Escort Mission |
| Episodes 195-196 | 5 | The Third Great Beast Arc |
| Episodes 197-201 | 5 | The Konoha Plans Recapture Mission |
| Episode 202 | 5 | The Best Battles During The Sasuke Recovery Mission |
| Episodes 203-207 | 5 | The Yakumo Kurama Rescue Mission |
| Episode 208 | 5 | Prized Artifact Escort Mission |
| Episodes 209-212 | 5 | The Gantetsu Escort Mission |
| Episodes 213-215 | 5 | The Menma Memory Search Mission |
| Episodes 216-220 | 5 | The Sunagakure Support Mission |
Filler Episodes List of Naruto: Shippuden
Naruto’s adolescent days and his journey to becoming the most important Ninja in Shinobi world follow in Naruto: Shippuden.
The Crunchyroll synopsis suggests: “Naruto Uzumaki wants to be the best ninja in the land. He’s done well so far, but with the looming danger posed by the mysterious Akatsuki organization, Naruto knows he must train harder than ever and leaves his village for intense exercises that will push him to his limits.”
As Shippuden has 500 episodes, the number of filler episodes is astronomical as well.
| Naruto Shippuden Episdoes | Season | Story Arc |
| 57–71 | 3 | Twelve Guardian Ninja arc |
| 89–112 | 5 | Three Tails’ Appearance arc |
| 119–120 | 6 | Kakashi Gaiden arc |
| 144–151 | 7 | Six-Tails Unleashed arc |
| 170–171 | 8 | Big Quest for Fourth Hokage’s Legacy |
| 176–196 | 9 | Past arc: Locus of Konoha |
| 223–242 | 11 | Paradise Life on a Boat arc |
| 257–260 | 12 | |
| 272 | 12 | Fourth Shinobi World War: Confrontation arc |
| 280–281 | 13 | Fourth Shinobi World War: Confrontation arc |
| 284–289 | 13 | Fourth Shinobi World War: Confrontation arc |
| 300–317 | 14 | Fourth Shinobi World War: Confrontation arc |
| 319–320 | 14 | Fourth Shinobi World War: Confrontation arc |
| 347-348 | 15 | |
| 349–361 | 16 | Kakashi’s Anbu Arc: The Shinobi That Lives in the Darkness |
| 376–377 | 18 | |
| 388–390 | 18 | Birth of ten-Tails’ Jinchuriki arc |
| 394–413 | 19 | In Naruto’s Footsteps: The Friends’ Paths |
| 416 | 20 | |
| 422–423 | 20 | Birth of ten-Tails’ Jinchuriki arc |
| 427–431 | 20 | Birth of ten-Tails’ Jinchuriki |
| 432–450 | 20 | Jiraiya Shinobi Handbook: The Tale of Naruto the Hero |
| 451–458 | 20 | Itachi Shinden Book: Light and Darkness arcs |
| 469 | 20 | |
| 480–483 | 21 | Childhood Arc |
| 484-488 | 21 | Sasuke Shinden: Book of Sunrise |
| 489-493 | 21 | Shikamaru Hiden: A Cloud Drifting In Silent Darkness |
| 494-500 | 21 | Konoha Hiden: The Perfect Day for a Wedding |
Why Are Filler Episodes Made?
Naruto is one of the longest-running anime series, but these many filler episodes make the fans feel bored. However, these episodes are very necessary to catch up to the manga’s special arcs or the side arcs.
Anime studios generally make these episodes to add length to the series and also for holding the slots for broadcasting. As the shows run longer, the profit also increases as well.
Skipping these episodes does not cause that much issue to understand the series. But some of the filler episodes are not only enjoyable to watch but also give away some dimensions to the anime’s characters. Most of these episodes have a significant effect on the plot. Hardcore Naruto fans enjoy watching those. All the episodes of Naruto are available on Crunchyroll for streaming to global audiences.
