Naruto and Naruto Shippuden filler list: The episodes you can miss

Adapted from a long-running manga series by writer and artist Masashi Kishimoto, Naruto (and its sequel series Naruto Shippuden) is a ninja adventure story about an orphan boy named Naruto Uzumaki, who wants to grow up to become the Hokage (or leader) of Leaf Village.

His journey involves training in martial arts and battling an ever-increasing number of enemies. While this is obviously an action franchise, the violence is kid-friendly, balanced out by comedic moments and storylines about love and friendship.

In terms of sheer volume, Naruto is also one of the biggest anime/manga franchises around. Alongside the original comics, fans can enjoy spin-off video games, live-action adaptations, a vast array of merchandise, and even a musical. As for the actual anime, Naruto and Naruto: Shippuden boast an intimidating 700+ episodes combined, running from 2002 to 2017. And after that there's the sequel series Boruto, which ran for almost 300 further episodes.

Given the length of those two original Naruto adaptations, it's no surprise that some of those episodes are filler. While seriously dedicated fans may want to watch every single episode, you can definitely skip some sections and still enjoy all the important parts of the story. But which bits qualify as essential viewing?

Happily, we're here to help you answer that question. Read on for our guide to all the filler episodes in Naruto and Naruto: Shippuden, advising you on which episodes you can comfortably skip.

What are the Naruto filler episodes?

For newcomers to the world of Naruto, the following episodes are all generally agreed to be filler:

• 26 - Special Report: Live from the Forest of Death!
• 97 - Kidnapped! Naruto's Hot Spring Adventure!
• 101-106 - The Land of Tea Escort Mission Arc
• 136-140 - The Land of Rice Fields Investigation Mission Arc
• 143-219

You may notice that this list includes an eyebrow-raising run of 77 consecutive episodes. That's because this chunk of later episodes don't include anying that really develops the main characters or drives the plot forward. Some fans consider them to be a waste of time, but if you're concerned about skipping such a long section of the show, you can obviously drop in and check out a couple of episodes to get an idea of the tone.

For instance episodes 169 to 173 see Naruto, Ino and Shino join forces with Anko for some higher-level missions, giving us a new perspective on how these characters work as a team and forge bonds together.

Meanwhile episodes 102 to 106 cover a period after the Konoha Five fail to return with Sasuke. It's basically an extended conclusion to the Sasuke Retrieval arc, leading into the next storyline without really adding anything to the main plot.

Read more:

• How old is Naruto? Explaining his timeline
• Is Naruto dead in Boruto?
• Naruto fans crown most popular character – and he's getting a spin-off

What are the Naruto Shippuden filler episodes?

Acting as a direct sequel to the original series, Naruto Shippuden continues the story two years later, meaning that our titular protagonist is now a little older.

Clocking in at 500 episodes, this series represents a major undertaking for completists. However nearly 200 episodes of Naruto Shippuden are considered to be filler.

If you want to enjoy a lean, stripped-down version of Naruto Shippuden, here's the list of episodes to skip:

• 57-71 - Twelve Guardian Ninja Arc
• 91-112 - Three-Tails' Appearance Arc
• 144-151 - Six-Tails Unleashed Arc
• 170-171
• 176-196 - Past Arc: The Locus of Konoha
• 223-242 - Paradise Life on a Boat Arc
• 257-260
• 271
• 279-295 - Fourth Shinobi World War: Confrontation Arc
• 303-320
• 347-361 - Fourth Shinobi World War: Climax / Kakashi's Anbu Arc
• 376-377
• 388-390
• 394-413 - In Naruto's Footsteps: The Friends' Paths Arc
• 416-431 - Birth of the Ten-Tails' Jinchuriki Arc
• 427-450 - Jiraiya Shinobi Handbook: The Tale of Naruto the Hero Arc
• 464-468 - Kaguya Otsutsuki Strikes Arc
• 480-483 - Childhood Arc

As with our filler list for the original Naruto, a lot of these episodes either don't add anything to the core plot, or introduce new and extraneous material that didn't occur in the original manga.

However there's some debate over whether the Kakashi: Shadow of the ANBU Black Ops arc (episodes 347 - 361) qualifies as filler or not. This section fleshes out the role of Kakashi (one of the strongest Naruto characters), and gives the Hyūuga sisters a more prominent role. So while it isn't necessary viewing for plot purposes, a lot of fans love these episodes for their strong character moments and action scenes.

Likewise episodes 464 - 468 have plenty to offer, despite their reputation as filler. This brief arc explores a key element of the show's worldbuilding, the history of the Shinobi. So it's important viewing for lore-heads.

How to watch Naruto in the UK

For fans based in the UK, both Naruto and Naruto Shippuden are available to watch on Crunchyroll. You can also watch Naruto via Netflix, but that platform doesn't currently offer Naruto Shippuden.

Over in the US, Naruto is one of several well-known anime shows that are now available for free on YouTube in a subtitled format. Unfortunately for international viewers though, those YouTube streams are geo-locked to the US - and don't include the dubbed versions of the show.

Check out more of our Fantasy coverage or visit our TV Guide or Streaming Guide to find out what else is on. For more from the biggest stars in TV, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.