What is filler in anime?
A filler episode is an anime episode with a story that isn't in the manga it's based on. The studio makes it up to buy time while the manga gets further ahead. You can skip filler and still follow the main plot.
Why anime has filler
Long anime like One Piece and Naruto air an episode every week, while the manga only puts out about one chapter a week. One episode usually covers one to three chapters, so the anime soon runs out of story to adapt.
The studio then has a few choices: stop the show, slow it down, or write new stories until the manga has moved on. Filler is that third choice. Sometimes it is a single episode, and sometimes it is a whole arc lasting months.
Filler, anime canon and mixed episodes
Not every anime-only episode is the same. We sort each episode into one of these labels:
- Manga canonStraight from the manga. Watch it.
- MixedSome manga, some anime-only scenes. Keep it, or you lose part of the plot.
- Anime canonNot in the manga, but adapted from an official novel or one-shot.
- Needs reviewOur two sources disagree or one is missing. Keep it until we settle it.
- FillerMade up for the anime. Skip it and the story still makes sense.
The difference matters. A mixed episode can open with ten minutes of filler and then adapt an important manga chapter. If you skip it, you miss story. That's why our lists only tell you to skip episodes labelled filler.
How much filler do long anime have?
Across the 12 shows on this site, 891 of 3,883 episodes are filler. The share changes a lot from show to show:
| Show | Filler | Share | Time saved |
|---|---|---|---|
| Boruto | 208 of 293 | 71% | 80h |
| Bleach | 159 of 366 | 43.4% | 61h |
| Naruto | 91 of 220 | 41.4% | 35h |
| Naruto Shippuden | 191 of 500 | 38.2% | 73h |
| Black Clover | 35 of 175 | 20% | 13h |
| Fairy Tail | 50 of 328 | 15.2% | 19h |
| Dragon Ball | 20 of 153 | 13.1% | 8h |
| Dragon Ball Z | 30 of 291 | 10.3% | 12h |
| One Piece | 102 of 1,180 | 8.6% | 41h |
| My Hero Academia | 3 of 170 | 1.8% | 1h |
| Hunter x Hunter | 2 of 148 | 1.4% | 1h |
| Jujutsu Kaisen | 0 of 59 | 0% | 0h |
The longest filler runs
Filler often comes in long blocks. The longest unbroken run on this site is Naruto episodes 143-219: 77 filler episodes in a row, starting with the Mizuki Tracking Mission arc.
- Naruto 143-219 77 episodes · starts in Mizuki Tracking Mission
- Boruto 221-281 61 episodes · starts in Chunin Re-Examination
- Bleach 64-108 45 episodes · starts in Bount
- Black Clover 130-157 28 episodes · starts in Six-Month Training and the Devil Banishers
- Fairy Tail 125-150 26 episodes · starts in Key of the Starry Sky
- Naruto Shippuden 427-449 23 episodes · starts in Birth of the Ten-Tails' Jinchuriki (continued)
- One Piece 131-142 12 episodes · starts in Post-Arabasta
- Dragon Ball Z 108-117 10 episodes · starts in Garlic Jr.
- Dragon Ball 127-132 6 episodes · starts in Training with Kami
- My Hero Academia 32 1 episode · starts in Everyone's Internships
- Hunter x Hunter 13 1 episode · starts in Recap: episodes 1 to 12
Should you skip filler?
If you only want the story, yes. Skipping filler can save you days of watching on the longest shows, and you won't lose any of the manga plot.
But filler isn't always bad. Some filler episodes are funny, give side characters more time, or are simply well made. Every show page on this site has a short list of filler we'd still watch, so you can skip most of it without missing the good ones.
A few things to keep in mind:
- Anime-only characters or callbacks can turn up again later, even in canon episodes. They are rarely important.
- Keep mixed and anime canon episodes. They carry story from the manga or official novels.
- Recap episodes, which replay earlier scenes, add nothing new and are safe to skip.
How we decide what counts as filler
We use two source checks where available, plus cited manual reviews. The first checks the show's fan wiki, which lists the manga chapters each episode adapts. The second checks Wikipedia, mostly the Japanese episode lists, which mark episodes written for the anime. Matching anime-original signals give a provisional label of filler. If an episode has real manga scenes as well as invented ones, it's mixed. Episodes taken from official novels or one-shots are anime canon. When a check is missing or the sources disagree and a cited review does not settle it, we mark it needs review and leave it in your watch order. The verdicts on each arc (watch, optional, skip) are just our opinion.
Questions
What does filler mean in anime?
A filler episode tells a story that is not in the manga or novel the anime is based on. The studio writes it so the anime does not catch up with the source while new chapters are still coming out.
Is filler canon?
No. Filler is not part of the original story, so later manga chapters never depend on it. Anime canon episodes are the exception: they are not in the manga, but they adapt an official novel or one-shot.
Is it safe to skip filler episodes?
For the story, yes. You can skip every episode labelled filler and still follow the plot. Keep mixed episodes, because they contain manga scenes too.
Which anime has the most filler?
Of the 12 shows we cover, Boruto has the highest share at 71% (208 of 293 episodes). Jujutsu Kaisen has the lowest at 0%.
Do all anime have filler?
No. Filler mostly appears in long shows that air every week while the manga is still running. Shows made one season at a time, after enough chapters exist, rarely need it.