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Naruto Shippuden filler list: the 203 episodes to skip and the four worth keeping
Naruto Shippuden has 203 filler episodes out of 500, or 41%, and skipping them cuts the series from about 192 hours to about 114. Skip the numbers on the skip line below and keep everything else, including the 64 mixed episodes. If you'd like some filler anyway, four stretches earn their place: 57–71, 170–171, 290–295 and 349–361.
How much of Naruto Shippuden is filler?
On Anime Filler List, a community-run episode guide, the 500 episodes break down into 232 manga canon, 64 mixed, 203 filler made only for the anime and one anime canon AFL. The Twelve Guardian Ninja arc shows what mixed means: it's an anime-only story, but its opening episodes carry Naruto's training from the manga, which ANN's DVD review called "rote training stuff, but still essential." Anime Filler List marks 54 and 56 as mixed and 55 as manga canon. Don't skip mixed episodes ANN, AFL.
Anime canon is material written for the anime that the site still counts as part of the main story. Shippuden's one such episode, 28, sits inside the Kazekage Rescue arc, so it stays off the skip line AFL, Wikipedia. ANN attributes the high filler count to timing: the anime ran alongside the manga at two to three chapters an episode, so original stories were bound to turn up ANN.
| Type | Episodes | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Manga canon | 232 | 46% |
| Mixed canon and filler | 64 | 13% |
| Filler | 203 | 41% |
| Anime canon | 1 | under 1% |
| All episodes | 500 |
| Arc | Episodes | Story from | What to do |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kazekage Rescue | 1–32 | Manga | Watch |
| Long-Awaited Reunion | 33–53 | Manga | Watch |
| Twelve Guardian Ninja | 54–71 | Anime-original | Watch, but skip 57–71 |
| Immortal Devastators: Hidan and Kakuzu | 72–88 | Manga | Watch |
| The Three-Tailed Demon Turtle | 89–112 | Anime-original | Watch, but skip 91–112 |
| Master's Prophecy and Vengeance | 113–143 | Manga | Watch |
| The Six-Tailed Demon Slug | 144–151 | Anime-original | Skip: all filler |
| Two Saviors | 152–175 | Manga | Watch, but skip 170–171 |
| Past Arc: The Locus of Konoha | 176–196 | Anime-original | Skip: all filler |
| The Gathering of the Five Kage | 197–221 | Manga | Watch |
| Paradise Life on a Boat | 222–242 | Anime-original | Watch, but skip 223–242 |
| Nine-Tails Taming and Karmic Encounters | 243–275 | Manga | Watch, but skip 257–260, 271 |
| The Seven Ninja Swordsmen | 276–289 | Manga | Watch, but skip 279–281, 284–289 |
| Power | 290–295 | Anime-original | Skip: all filler |
| Fourth Great Ninja War: Assailants from Afar | 296–320 | Manga | Watch, but skip 303–320 |
| Fourth Great Ninja War, part 2 | 321–348 | Manga | Watch, but skip 347–348 |
| Kakashi: Shadow of the ANBU Black Ops | 349–361 | Anime-original | Skip: all filler |
| Fourth Great Ninja War, part 3 | 362–372 | Manga | Watch |
| Fourth Great Ninja War, part 4 | 373–393 | Manga | Watch, but skip 376–377, 388–390 |
| In Naruto's Footsteps: Friends' Paths | 394–413 | Anime-original | Skip: all filler |
| Fourth Great Ninja War, part 5 | 414–431 | Manga | Watch, but skip 416–417, 422–423, 427–431 |
| Jiraiya Shinobi Handbook: The Tale of Naruto the Hero | 432–450 | Anime-original | Skip: all filler |
| Itachi Shinden: Book of Light and Darkness | 451–458 | Novel | Watch |
| The Origins of Ninshū | 459–469 | Manga | Watch, but skip 464–468 |
| The Chapter of Naruto and Sasuke | 470–479 | Manga | Watch |
| Nostalgic Days | 480–483 | Anime-original | Skip: all filler |
| Sasuke Shinden: Book of Sunrise | 484–488 | Novel | Watch |
| Shikamaru Hiden: A Cloud Drifting in Silent Darkness | 489–493 | Novel | Watch |
| Konoha Hiden | 494–500 | Novel | Watch |
| Type | Episodes |
|---|---|
| Mixed canon and filler | 1–19, 24–25, 45, 49–50, 54, 56, 89–90, 113, 115, 127–128, 213, 254, 296, 324, 327–328, 330–331, 338, 346, 362, 385–386, 415, 419, 426, 451–458, 460–462, 469, 471–472, 478–479 |
| Filler | 57–71, 91–112, 144–151, 170–171, 176–196, 223–242, 257–260, 271, 279–281, 284–295, 303–320, 347–361, 376–377, 388–390, 394–413, 416–417, 422–423, 427–450, 464–468, 480–483 |
| Anime canon | 28 |
Skip line to paste into a notes app, made from the table above:
57–71, 91–112, 144–151, 170–171, 176–196, 223–242, 257–260, 271, 279–281, 284–295, 303–320, 347–361, 376–377, 388–390, 394–413, 416–417, 422–423, 427–450, 464–468, 480–483
Filler worth keeping
- Twelve Guardian Ninja, episodes 57–71: Shippuden's first anime-only arc builds out the Twelve Guardian Ninja, a group the manga only mentions in passing as Asuma's old unit. ANN's review of the DVD set said it's "one stretch of filler you might want to consider digging into."AFL, Wikipedia, ANN
- The Quest for the Fourth Hokage's Legacy, episodes 170–171: A two-episode comedy set the day before the Chūnin Exam finals in the first series, with Naruto racing Shikamaru through an obstacle course. ANN called it "tightly-plotted and lots of fun" and "as close as Naruto has come to being a full-on gag anime."AFL, Wikipedia, ANN
- Power, episodes 290–295: An original story made to celebrate the Naruto anime passing 500 episodes across both series. ANN said the arc "looks and feels like a feature film" and that its fights are "more fluidly animated than usual."AFL, Wikipedia, ANN
- Kakashi: Shadow of the ANBU Black Ops, episodes 349–361: An anime-original look at Kakashi's years in the ANBU Black Ops, which ends on the day he takes on Team 7.AFL, Wikipedia
Reading the skip line and the arc table
Shippuden doesn't save its filler for one long run. Anime-only arcs sit between the manga arcs, and short filler stretches turn up inside them, especially during the Fourth Great Ninja War. Check each episode number against the skip line before you press play, or go by the arc table, where "Skip: all filler" marks an anime-only arc and "Watch, but skip" names the filler inside a manga arc. Arc names and ranges follow Wikipedia's season pages, which use the titles of the Japanese DVD sets, and the Japanese Wikipedia episode list gives the same ranges Wikipedia, Japanese Wikipedia. Crunchyroll's arc guide agrees on every anime-only arc but groups the late war episodes differently Crunchyroll. A few late DVD titles give away twists, so the table swaps them for plain labels such as "Fourth Great Ninja War, part 2". For the films and Boruto, the Naruto watch order has the full sequence.
Where the manga story ends in Shippuden
The manga's story wraps up in episode 479, which aired in Japan on October 13, 2016 Japanese Wikipedia, AFL. Four filler episodes about the characters' childhoods follow at 480–483. The last 17 episodes, 484–500, adapt three spin-off novels set after the war, and Anime Filler List counts them as canon, so watch them Wikipedia, AFL. If you're adding the films, The Last: Naruto the Movie is set after episode 493 Wikipedia.
Itachi Shinden at 451–458 is a novel adaptation too, though the Japanese Wikipedia episode list notes that most of its story is new to the anime, apart from the opening and the ending. Anime Filler List marks all eight of its episodes as mixed Japanese Wikipedia, AFL.
Naruto Shippuden filler questions
How many filler episodes are in Naruto Shippuden?
203 of the 500 episodes, or 41%, by Anime Filler List's count. Another 64 episodes mix manga chapters with new scenes, and you shouldn't skip those.
How long is Naruto Shippuden without filler?
Skipping all 203 filler episodes leaves 297, which come to about 114 hours at Anime News Network's listed 23 minutes. The full run is about 192, so you save about 78 hours.
Which Naruto Shippuden filler is worth watching?
Anime News Network picked out the Twelve Guardian Ninja arc (57–71), The Quest for the Fourth Hokage's Legacy (170–171) and Power (290–295). Kakashi's ANBU arc (349–361) covers his years before he took on Team 7.
Where does the manga story end in Naruto Shippuden?
At episode 479. Episodes 480 to 483 are filler, and 484 to 500 adapt three spin-off novels set after the war, which Anime Filler List counts as canon.
Sources
Every date, count, chapter and volume on this page comes from these sources, last checked on October 26, 2026.
- Anime Filler List (community site): Naruto Shippuden Filler List | The Ultimate Anime Filler Guide
- Wikipedia (English): Naruto: Shippuden seasons 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22; The Last: Naruto the Movie
- Wikipedia (Japanese): NARUTO -ナルト- 疾風伝 (episode list with the Aniplex DVD arc titles)
- Crunchyroll News: All Naruto Arcs in Order Including Shippuden and Boruto
- Anime News Network: Naruto Shippūden (TV): 500 episodes, 23 minutes per episode; Naruto Shippūden DVD Box Set 5 review (Carl Kimlinger, February 4, 2011); Three Naruto Filler Arcs You Shouldn't Skip (Amy McNulty, July 9, 2015)
More watch orders
The method page explains how release order, story order and the manga and novel pick-up points are checked.