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

It turns out there's hundreds of episodes you can miss.

Published: Thursday, 30 July 2026 at 9:45 am

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A classic shonen anime franchise that's the pinnacle of having hundreds of episodes to get through, the original Naruto and Naruto Shippuden are packed with filler episodes — and it usually takes a dedicated list to know which are non-canon to the manga.

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In an effort to give the original manga by Masashi Kishimoto breathing room, the Naruto anime was given an incredible amount of filler episodes so that it took the adaptation longer to catch up to the source material. With that, the manga had more time to expand the canon story about the beloved ninja adventure and the orphaned Naruto Uzumaki — in his quest to become the leader Hokage in the Hidden Leaf Village (aka Konoha).

There's not only quite a large timeline to keep track of, but all of those anime-original episodes add a ton of what's argued as unnecessary time to get through the pure story. To help you shorten the time needed to reach the sequel Boruto anime, here is the full list of all Naruto and Naruto Shippuden skippable filler episodes.

What are the Naruto filler episodes?

Naruto Uzumaki raising his fist in a fight during Naruto anime's Chunin exams

Naruto Uzumaki raising his fist in a fight during the original Naruto anime. Crunchyroll

For newcomers to the world of Naruto, the following list of episodes are confirmed to be filler — thanks to Crunchyroll and the work of Anime Filler List:

You may notice that this list includes an eyebrow-raising run of 77 consecutive episodes. That's because this chunk of later episodes doesn't include anything 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.

What are the Naruto Shippuden filler episodes?

A close-up of Madara Uchiha with the Rinnegan in Naruto Shippuden

Madara Uchiha in Naruto. Crunchyroll

As for how much of the 500-episode Naruto Shippuden is skippable, the list of filler episodes adds up to 203 in total — also confirmed by Crunchyroll and Anime Filler List.

If you're watching this Naruto anime sequel for the first time (this takes place two years after the original), the full Shippuden filler list is as follows:

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 to 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.

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How to watch Naruto

For anime fans in the US and UK, both the original Naruto and Naruto Shippuden series are readily available to watch right now on Crunchyroll. Although, there are some other services you can find it on, depending on your region.

For example, both Naruto and Shippuden can be streamed on Hulu in the US. Meanwhile, the original Naruto anime is available on Netflix, but only in the UK — as Netflix US currently doesn't have the rights.

Over in the US, as well, though, 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.

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Check out more of our Fantasy coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on. For more TV recommendations and reviews, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.

Authors

Aimee Hart

Ben Williams

Christopher Megrath

Gavia Baker Whitelaw

Gavia Baker-Whitelaw is a freelance critic and entertainment journalist specialising in geek culture, TV and film. She has written for numerous outlets including Empire, TV Guide, Wired and Vulture, and hosts the film podcast Overinvested.

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