Naruto filler list: 90 episodes to skip, most of them after 135

How much of Naruto is filler?

Anime Filler List, a community-run episode guide, counts 74 of the 220 episodes as manga canon, 90 as filler made only for the anime and 56 as mixed ^AFL. Mixed means part manga, part new: episodes 141 and 220 sit inside anime-only arcs, yet the Japanese Wikipedia episode list notes that the second half of each adapts scenes from the manga ^{Japanese Wikipedia, AFL}. Watch every mixed episode, and don't skip 220 before you start Shippuden.

No episode in the first series carries Anime Filler List's fourth label, anime canon, which it gives to anime-only material it still counts as part of the main story. So every episode here is manga canon, mixed or filler ^AFL.

How to use this list

The first series is easy to trim. Before episode 136 you only skip 26, 97 and 101 to 106; from 136 on, the only episodes to keep are 141, 142 and the finale, 220. The arc table says the same thing arc by arc, and the skip line is there to paste into a notes app. Arc names and ranges follow Wikipedia's season pages, and the Japanese Wikipedia list of anime-original stories matches every filler arc. Crunchyroll's arc guide agrees apart from folding episodes 1–5 into the Land of Waves, and it calls its names unofficial ^{Wikipedia, Crunchyroll, Japanese Wikipedia}. Where an arc's usual name gives away a twist, the table uses a plain label instead. The Naruto watch order covers what to watch next, including the films. When you reach the sequel, the Naruto Shippuden filler list does the same job for its 500 episodes, 203 of them filler ^AFL.

Why Naruto has so much filler

The anime was about to catch up with the manga. Once it finished adapting the manga's first part, moving on to the second part would have used up the published chapters almost at once, according to the Japanese Wikipedia article on the series. So the anime ran about 85 episodes of original stories, which took roughly a year and a half ^{Japanese Wikipedia}. That run started with episode 136 on May 25, 2005, and lasted until the finale on February 8, 2007 ^AFL. ANN adds that a typical episode adapted two to three chapters while the manga was still coming out, so anime-only stories were bound to appear ^ANN.

The filler does give the supporting cast more time on screen. The Japanese Wikipedia article notes that the original stories tend to spotlight characters the manga gave little attention to ^{Japanese Wikipedia}. ANN's review of one filler DVD set put it this way: "Hinata and Rock Lee fans will get a belly full of their favorite supporting players" ^ANN.

Naruto filler questions

How many filler episodes are in Naruto?

90 of the 220 episodes, or 41%, by Anime Filler List's count. Another 56 are mixed episodes with scenes from the manga, so watch those.

When does the Naruto filler start?

Episode 26, a recap, is the first filler episode. The long run starts at 136: from there to 219, every episode is filler except 141 and 142, which are mixed.

How long is Naruto without filler?

About 50 hours, down from about 84. That's 130 episodes at Anime News Network's listed 23 minutes each.

Which Naruto filler is worth watching?

The Kurosuki Family Removal Mission (152–157), which Anime News Network named a filler arc you shouldn't skip, and the Kaima Capture arc (169–173), which an ANN DVD review rated above the arcs around it.