What are the filler episodes of Naruto? Out of the 720 episodes of Naruto and Naruto Shippuden, 293 tell us nothing. These are non-canon episodes — fillers — written by the animation studio to give the manga time to progress. Skipping them means saving nearly 112 hours without missing a single line of the story.
But most of the lists circulating online lie to you by omission. They sort episodes into two categories, canon or filler, whereas there is a third: 120 mixed episodes, half-adapted from the manga and half-extended. If you skip them by following an overly simple list, you lose canon content.
The answer in brief: in Naruto, skip episodes 26, 97, 101-106, 136-140 and 143-219. In Naruto Shippuden, skip 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 and 480-483. Watch everything else, including the mixed episodes: there are 427 episodes left instead of 720.
Guide verified and updated on July 30, 2026. Each range of episodes has been cross-referenced across several source materials; the totals are consistent with the 220 and 500 officially aired episodes.
Key takeaways
- 720 episodes in total: 220 for Naruto, 500 for Shippuden
- 293 pure fillers to skip without hesitation — 41% of each series
- 120 mixed episodes NOT to skip: they contain adapted manga content
- 427 episodes to watch to get the complete story
- Approximately 112 hours saved, or nearly five full days
- Out of the 11 movies, only 2 are canon
Table of contents
- Canon, mixed, filler: three statuses, not two
- Why fillers exist
- Naruto: episodes to skip
- Naruto Shippuden: episodes to skip
- The 120 mixed episodes: the list trap
- How many episodes remain without fillers?
- What the 427 remaining episodes contain
- Fillers worth watching
- The 11 movies: which ones are canon
- What about Boruto?
- What you are really saving
- Anime or manga: the other way to catch up
- Where to watch Naruto in France
- Frequently asked questions
Canon, mixed, filler: three statuses, not two
This is the point almost no one explains, yet it is the one that decides everything. An anime episode is not simply faithful or invented. There are three statuses, and they should not be treated the same way.
| Status | What it is | Should you watch it? |
|---|---|---|
| Canon | Adapted directly from Masashi Kishimoto's manga | Yes — it is the story |
| Mixed | A base taken from the manga, extended with added scenes | Yes — skipping means losing canon content |
| Filler | Entirely written by the studio, with no equivalent in the manga | No — no impact on the plot |
The practical consequence is simple: only pure fillers should be skipped. Mixed episodes should be watched, even if part of them is filler, because you cannot extract the minutes of manga content they contain. It drags on in places, but that is the price to pay for missing nothing.
Here is how the 720 episodes are distributed once correctly classified:
| Series | Canon | Mixed | Filler | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Naruto | 74 | 56 | 90 | 220 |
| Naruto Shippuden | 233 | 64 | 203 | 500 |
| Total | 307 | 120 | 293 | 720 |
Note the imbalance: there are almost as many mixed episodes (120) as there are purely canon episodes in the first series (74). This shows why treating them as fillers would be a mistake.
Why fillers exist
It is neither laziness nor cynicism: it is an arithmetic problem. A manga chapter is released every week and takes ten minutes to read. An anime episode lasts twenty minutes and consumes two to three chapters. A weekly anime that adapts a weekly manga will mathematically catch up to its source, and it will catch up fast.
The studio then has three options. Stop broadcasting and wait — which hurts ratings and frees up the time slot. Slow down the pace by stretching each chapter — this is exactly what produces mixed episodes. Or create original stories while the manga gets ahead again — these are the fillers.
Naruto did all three. This is why the end of the first series, starting from episode 143, is a 77-episode filler block: the manga had entered a two-year time skip, and the anime had to hold out until Shippuden could begin. It is not an accident; it is a waiting room.
Naruto: episodes to skip
The first series has 220 episodes, including 90 fillers — or 41%. The peculiarity of Naruto is that the filler is not spread out: it is concentrated at the end, in one massive block.
| Episodes to skip | Number | What it is |
|---|---|---|
| 26 | 1 | Isolated episode during the Chūnin Exams |
| 97 | 1 | Isolated episode |
| 101-106 | 6 | First true non-canon block |
| 136-140 | 5 | Transition before the final block |
| 143-219 | 77 | The waiting block before Shippuden |
One detail that many lists miss: episode 220 is not a filler. It is a mixed episode, and it concludes the series. After 77 non-canon episodes, the temptation is great to cut at 142 and jump to Shippuden — but that would mean skipping the conclusion.
The breakdown of the 220 episodes, status by status
| Status | Episodes | Number |
|---|---|---|
|
Canon to watch |
1-6, 8, 10-13, 17, 22, 25, 31-36, 42, 48, 50-51, 61-62, 64-65, 67-68, 73, 75-82, 84-96, 107-111, 115-125, 128-129, 132-135 | 74 |
|
Mixed also to watch |
7, 9, 14-16, 18-21, 23-24, 27-30, 37-41, 43-47, 49, 52-60, 63, 66, 69-72, 74, 83, 98-100, 112-114, 126-127, 130-131, 141-142, 220 | 56 |
|
Filler to skip |
26, 97, 101-106, 136-140, 143-219 | 90 |
Naruto Shippuden: episodes to skip
Shippuden has 500 episodes and 203 fillers, which is also 41%. The difference from the first series is fundamental: here, the fillers are scattered. About twenty blocks spread from start to finish, making a list essential if you don't want to stop every ten episodes.
| Naruto Shippuden filler blocks | |
|---|---|
| 57-71 | 15 episodes |
| 91-112 | 22 episodes |
| 144-151 | 8 episodes |
| 170-171 | 2 episodes |
| 176-196 | 21 episodes |
| 223-242 | 20 episodes |
| 257-260 | 4 episodes |
| 271 | 1 episode |
| 279-281 | 3 episodes |
| 284-295 | 12 episodes |
| 303-320 | 18 episodes |
| 347-361 | 15 episodes |
| 376-377 | 2 episodes |
| 388-390 | 3 episodes |
| 394-413 | 20 episodes |
| 416-417 | 2 episodes |
| 422-423 | 2 episodes |
| 427-450 | 24 episodes |
| 464-468 | 5 episodes |
| 480-483 | 4 episodes |
| Total | 203 episodes |
Two areas deserve your attention. The first 19 episodes are all mixed: the anime takes its time to relaunch the series after the time skip, but they contain Naruto's return and the beginning of the Gaara arc. Do not skip them. And the 427-450 block, the longest in Shippuden, comes in the middle of the Fourth Great Ninja War — at the worst possible moment for a 24-episode break.
The breakdown of the 500 episodes, status by status
| Status | Episodes | Number |
|---|---|---|
|
Canon to watch |
20-23, 26-27, 29-44, 46-48, 51-53, 55, 72-88, 114, 116-126, 129-143, 152-169, 172-175, 197-212, 214-222, 243-253, 255-256, 261-270, 272-278, 282-283, 297-302, 321-323, 325-326, 329, 332-337, 339-345, 363-375, 378-384, 387, 391-393, 414, 418, 420-421, 424-425, 459, 463, 470, 473-477, 484-500 | 233 |
|
Mixed also to watch |
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 | 64 |
|
Filler to skip |
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 | 203 |
The case of episode 28: it is not taken from any chapter of the manga, but it is recognized as being part of the continuity — it is anime canon. Do not skip it.
The 120 mixed episodes: the list trap
This is where most guides make you lose something. By sorting episodes into only two categories, they have to decide for every mixed episode: either they count it as canon and you watch filler without knowing, or they count it as filler and you lose scenes from the manga.
A mixed episode, in concrete terms, is a chapter adapted correctly, then stretched: a lengthened flashback, an added conversation, a fight that gains three minutes of staring. The skeleton comes from Kishimoto, the meat comes from the studio.
Where are they? Mostly at the beginning of each series. The first 19 episodes of Shippuden are mixed, and in Naruto, the Chūnin Exams — one of the most loved arcs — are full of them. Then there is a final batch right at the very end, around episodes 451-479 of Shippuden.
The rule is therefore simple: never skip a mixed episode. If a list suggests you cut into the first twenty episodes of Shippuden, it is making you miss the return of the main character.
How many episodes remain without fillers?
There are 427 episodes left out of 720. This is the number of Naruto and Naruto Shippuden episodes to watch once the 293 non-canon episodes are removed — canon and mixed included, since mixed episodes contain story content.
| Series | Total | Fillers to skip | Remaining episodes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Naruto | 220 | 90 | 130 |
| Naruto Shippuden | 500 | 203 | 297 |
| Total | 720 | 293 | 427 |
Beware of the number most lists give: they often announce a lower total, because they count mixed episodes among the non-canon ones. By skipping them, you would lose 120 episodes that contain manga content — which is the subject of the next section.
And what is "Naruto Kai"?
It is a fan edit, based on the principle of Dragon Ball Kai: the non-canon episodes are removed, as well as the episode recaps, repeated flashbacks, and waiting shots, which further condenses the series. It is not an official product: it does not exist on any legal platform, and its quality as well as its editing vary from one version to another. The table above does the same work on the official episodes, without removing any part of the story.
What the 427 remaining episodes contain
A list of things to skip says nothing about what you are keeping. So here is the journey, arc by arc, once the filler is removed. We intentionally provide no numbers here: arc breakdowns vary slightly from one source to another, whereas the filler ranges above are widely agreed upon.
Naruto — Training
The first series consists of five major movements. The prologue in the Land of Waves, where Team 7 is formed and the series establishes its rule: here, adults die. The Chūnin Selection Exams, the longest and best-loved, which introduces half the cast. The Invasion of Konoha, the first real catastrophe. The Search for Tsunade, which establishes the Sannin trio. Then the Sasuke Recovery Mission, which closes the series on a failure — a rare choice for a shōnen of that era.
This is Team 7 the way everyone remembers it: a Naruto who shouts more than he thinks, and a Jiraiya who makes his entrance through the front door during the search for Tsunade. Our Naruto Uzumaki 15 cm and our Jiraiya, making his entrance come straight out of these arcs.
Shippuden — the war
The scope shifts for the sequel. The Rescue of the Kazekage restarts everything and gives Gaara his definitive place. Next comes the long hunt for the Akatsuki, an organization whose members each occupy their own arc — this is where Hidan, Kakuzu, and then Itachi come into play. The Pain Invasion is the peak of the first half: the village razed, and the best-written sequence in the entire series.
Then the narrative shifts to the collective with the Five Kage Summit and the Fourth Great Ninja War, which alone takes up a huge portion of the remaining episodes. This is also the section most fragmented by filler — hence the benefit of having a list in front of you. The whole thing closes with the final duel between Naruto and Sasuke, set up since the first episode.
Seen this way, the connection becomes clear: the 293 skipped episodes do not belong to any of these movements. They are interspersed between them.
These are also the moments a display case remembers best: the Itachi Susanoo diorama for the end of his pursuit, the Madara Susanoo 42 cm and Might Guy in Eight Gates mode for the Fourth War, and the two Uchiha brothers together for what it leaves behind.
Filler episodes worth checking out
Skipping 293 episodes is the right default advice. But a few blocks have a reason to exist beyond just being filler, and are worth knowing about before you decide.
They are watched in the same spirit our Naruto chibis sit on a shelf: without ceremony. Naruto, Kakashi and Sakura are all sitting in front of a bowl of ramen.
Shippuden 347-361 — Kakashi’s past
This block revisits Kakashi Hatake's years in the village's special forces, a period the manga only hints at. If you are interested in the character, this is the only place it is shown.
It is also where the Raikiri is used on a mission rather than in a duel: our Kakashi with the Raikiri freezes that exact gesture, and his lightning hound pack recalls the other technique he carries from that period.
Shippuden 176-196 — the Jinchūriki
A long arc dedicated to Jinchūriki that the main story only covers in a few pages. It develops a central mechanic of the series — carrying a creature inside you and living with it — which the manga moves past quickly.
It is the best stretch for understanding what Naruto actually carries inside him: the same cohabitation staged by our Naruto and the Spirit of Kurama, with the fox unfolding behind him, and completed on the Kumo side by our Killer B, jinchūriki of Gyūki.
Naruto 143-219 — the block to skip without remorse
Conversely, this one is universally panned. Seventy-seven episodes of filler with no impact on the story, whose only function was to keep the show on air until Shippuden. This is the biggest time-saver in this guide: on its own, it represents nearly thirty hours.
Our guide to the best anime transformations covers Sage Mode and the Susanoo, two moments that take place squarely in the canon.
What starts right afterwards, on the other hand, is worth the detour: the arrival of the Akatsuki, led by our Pain, our Deidara and his clay birds and our Sasori, master of puppets.
The 11 films: which are canon
The saga features eleven feature-length films. Nine are side stories: pleasant, inconsequential, and can be inserted anytime or not at all. Only two are part of the main continuity.
| Film | Status | When to watch |
|---|---|---|
| The Last: Naruto the Movie (2014) | Canon | After the end of Shippuden, before Boruto |
| Boruto: Naruto the Movie (2015) | Canon | After The Last |
| The other 9 | Non-canon | Optional, watch whenever |
These two films bridge the gap between the end of the war and the next generation. Ignoring them leaves a void when moving on to Boruto.
The Last is also the film that finally puts Hinata front and centre, after years in the background: our Hinata Hyūga, protective, 32 cm comes from exactly that register.
And what about Boruto?
Boruto: Naruto Next Generations follows the next generation in a modernized Konoha where ancestral techniques coexist with screens and electricity. It is an intentional shift, and one of the rare points where the series does not resemble its predecessor.
However, it inherits the same flaw, in an aggravated form: a significant proportion of filler episodes and a slow adaptation pace, for the same reason as in 2005 — a monthly manga cannot feed a weekly anime. The problem is structural, not accidental.
The reasonable advice is to treat it as a separate series, to be approached once Shippuden is finished and the two canon films have been watched, rather than as an immediate follow-up to binge. The shift in tone is real: we go from a war to a coming-of-age story, and many viewers struggle with it, expecting the same intensity.
One final note, applicable to the entire franchise: starting Boruto without having seen The Last makes several family situations incomprehensible. That is precisely the role of this film.
And if it is the Hokage line that holds you more than the next generation, it is complete on our shelves: Hashirama, the First, Tobirama, the Second and Minato, the Fourth.
What you are really saving
Let's look at the numbers, because that's often the deciding factor.
| Watch everything | Without fillers | |
|---|---|---|
| Episodes | 720 | 427 |
| Approximate duration | ≈ 276 hours | ≈ 164 hours |
| At 3 episodes per night | 240 nights | 143 nights |
That is 112 hours saved, based on 23 minutes per episode including credits. Nearly five full days, or about a hundred nights. That is enough time to watch a full season of most other anime — three times over.
Anime or manga: the other way to catch up
There is an option that filler lists always overlook: not watching at all. Masashi Kishimoto's manga consists of 72 volumes and 700 chapters, published from 1999 to 2014 — and by definition, it contains no filler. It is the same story, in its original version, without a single minute of padding.
The math is simple. Where the anime without filler takes 164 hours, the 72 volumes can be read in about thirty hours by a regular reader. A one-to-five ratio.
What you lose by reading: the music, which plays a major role in the highlights, and the animation of the great battles — several of which became genre references precisely because of their motion. What you gain: the pacing intended by the author, without the stretching of mixed episodes.
Many readers adopt a hybrid solution: read the manga to progress quickly, then return to the anime for the arcs you want to see animated — the Pain Invasion and the final duel in particular. Nothing forces you to choose just one format.
Where to watch Naruto in France
Both series are available in full via legal streaming, mainly on ADN and Netflix. Some seasons can also be found on other platforms depending on the time, as broadcasting rights evolve regularly — check before committing to a subscription for a specific series.
A practical advantage of watching without filler: on these platforms, the episodes are numbered continuously, which makes the ranges in this guide directly usable. Keep this page open nearby, or note the blocks on your phone — that is exactly what a list like this is for.
Numbering verified on the list of Naruto episodes.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many filler episodes are there in Naruto?
293 out of 720 episodes, or 41%: 90 in Naruto and 203 in Naruto Shippuden. By skipping them, there are 427 episodes left to watch.
Which Naruto episodes are fillers?
In Naruto: 26, 97, 101-106, 136-140, and 143-219. In Naruto Shippuden: 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, and 480-483.
What is a mixed episode, and should I watch it?
A mixed episode is adapted from the manga but then lengthened with added scenes. You should watch it: skipping it means losing the manga-based segments it contains. There are 120 of them across both series.
Can you skip directly from Naruto to Shippuden?
Almost. Stop the first series after episode 142, then watch episode 220 which concludes it — it is not filler — before moving on to Shippuden. Episodes 143 to 219 can be skipped entirely.
How much time do you save by skipping fillers?
Approximately 112 hours, based on 23 minutes per episode. You go from 276 hours of viewing to 164, saving nearly five full days.
Which Naruto films are canon?
Two out of eleven: The Last: Naruto the Movie (2014) and Boruto: Naruto the Movie (2015). Watch them after the end of Shippuden; they fill the gap before Boruto. The other nine are optional side stories.
Are there any fillers worth watching?
A few. The Shippuden block 347-361 shows Kakashi's past in the special forces, a period the manga only hints at. Block 176-196 expands on the Jinchūriki. The rest, especially the 77 episodes from 143-219 of the first series, can be skipped without regret.
What is a filler episode in an anime?
An episode written by the animation studio with no equivalent in the manga, to give the author time to get ahead: a weekly anime consumes chapters faster than a mangaka can draw them. In Naruto, these episodes have no impact on the main story — which is why they can be skipped. Do not confuse them with mixed episodes, which adapt a chapter correctly but stretch it, and should be watched.
In what order should I watch Naruto, Shippuden, and Boruto?
Naruto (episodes 1 to 220), then Naruto Shippuden (1 to 500), then the two canon films — The Last: Naruto the Movie and Boruto: Naruto the Movie — and finally Boruto: Naruto Next Generations. The other nine films are outside the continuity: watch them whenever you want, or not at all.
Which anime has the most fillers?
Among major series, Bleach has the worst ratio — about 45% of its 366 episodes — just ahead of Naruto and its 41% (293 episodes out of 720). One Piece does much better, at around 10%, but over more than 1,100 episodes. It is weekly series adapting a manga still in publication that produce the most.
Which Naruto episodes are filler-free?
In Naruto, these are the 130 episodes: 1-25, 27-96, 98-100, 107-135, 141-142, and 220. In other words, everything except 26, 97, 101-106, 136-140, and 143-219. In Naruto Shippuden, there are 297 episodes left out of 500. The detailed status can be found in the tables above.
Which Naruto Shippuden episodes are fillers?
203 episodes out of 500: 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, and 480-483. Two exceptions: episode 28 is anime canon despite its absence from the manga, and block 347-361 on Kakashi's past is filler that many consider unmissable.
After the marathon
One hundred and twelve hours saved is time returned — and 427 episodes that truly matter. When the final image fades, there are always a few characters you don't want to part with: at Manga Horizon, we have turned them into display pieces. Our Naruto figurine collection follows this path from beginning to end, from Kakashi to members of the Akatsuki — whom we have ranked from 10th to 1st — such as Itachi, to the Naruto vs. Pain diorama. The chibi versions fit perfectly on a corner of your desk.
And if you prefer to take Konoha with you, our exclusive iPhone cases come in two visuals designed for the shop: Itachi at twilight and Pain's assault on Konoha. To ensure your pieces age better than the fillers, our guide to displaying and caring for your figurines awaits you. And if you feel like planning your next battle, our Chainsaw Man viewing guide will prepare you for the next marathon. Happy viewing. 🍥
