Anime is becoming a massive medium with each passing year and the amount of content seems to just grow exponentially, with hundreds of anime released every year and thousands of episodes being produced. There are even anime that have been continuously releasing episodes for many years, but where does this endless supply of content come from? Well major credit goes to the amazing talent of the creators but there is one such important thing that keeps these long-running anime from taking breaks and that is anime filler episodes.
What is filler you may ask?
Well, filler or non-canon refers to a story or a part of the story that was not in the source like in the manga or novel but was introduced as a part of anime production. Fillers usually tend to be of lower quality both in terms of story or visually compared to the rest of the anime but there are several exceptions too.
There are many kinds of reasons production studios choose to implement filler:
As in Gintoki’s words … Sometimes the anime episodes catch up to the current manga story and if they continue to do so the anime will overtake the manga with no material to adapt, hence studios insert some filler episodes to let the anime story take a roundabout giving manga time to go ahead and anime continues with manga soon after. There can be many complications too, like what if the roundabout is too big and anime cannot continue to rejoin the manga well that’s another story.
Long-running shonen is notorious for inserting a lot of filler episodes and sometimes it can be annoying for the fans to wait another week for an episode will little progression in the story.
Detective Conan: Case Closed (45% Fillers)
Case Closed/Detective Conan is an ongoing anime series that started in 1996. So far 1077 episodes of Case Closed have been aired. With 482 reported filler episodes (it can be more too), Case Closed has a high filler percentage of 45%. Its creator Gosho Aoyama started having major health issues a few years back and hence the number of hiatuses increased, now the manga chapter doesn’t come out as often as before but the anime continues, the pandemic is to blame for this too. Detective Conan has highest number of anime fillers in the history of anime.
Do Case Closed worth to watch? I will say more than worth it, just you had to wait atleast 300 episodes for it’s actual peak. You can watch Detective Conan by skipping fillers and unwanted episodes. Just follow this watchorder if you wanna hop on Case Closed! [Watchorder Credit: Indian Otaku]
Case closed is about a detective named Shinichi Kudo who gets captured while investigating a certain Black Organisation and is forced to eat a pill that is meant to kill him however Kudo suddenly turns into a child instead, now he goes into hiding but continues his investigation.
Naruto and Naruto Shippuuden (41% Fillers)
Naruto and Naruto Shippuuden are among one the most popular anime they were aired from 2002 to 2017 with a total of 720 episodes combined, it had around 293 filler episodes and a high filler percentage of 41%. Long-running series, commonly have a lot of anime filler episodes and Naruto is no different. Naruto is a very popular anime among New Anime watchers.
Even so many users on internet claims that “Watch Naruto, to know the truth of life” which this series actually delivers.
Naruto is a series about our young ninja Naruto and his adventures that follow as he goes on his path to becoming the Hokage, the greatest ninja of the village. He wants to get the respect of everyone in the village since as a child he was rejected by everyone for having a demon fox sealed inside him.
Pokémon (21% Fillers)
Pokémon is another popular series and it’s still ongoing since 1997. Around 1109 episodes of Pokemon have aired so far with a total of 233 filler episodes, yet it has a moderate filler percentage of 21%. Pokemon has been going on for years and it has many adventure-filled episodes.
Pokemon is a story about Ash Ketchum as he sets out to travel around the world catching pokemon with his partner Pikachu, making friends, training, and competing to become the very best pokemon trainer, The Pokemon Master.
Boruto: Naruto Next Generations (62% Fillers)
Boruto: Naruto Next Generations is another ongoing anime on the list that started in 2017 as a successor of the Naruto franchise. it has 293 episodes with a total of 182 filler episodes that can be debated to be anime canon but it is still filler. Boruto has a high filler percentage of around 62%, continuing the legacy of Naruto, the studios did not want the hype to end hence Boruto anime continued with fillers.
Naruto achieved his dream to become the Hokage and the greatest ninja in the village but Boruto is a story of the new generation of ninjas that are ready to take over and this generation is led by no other but Boruto, Naruto’s very own son.
Bleach (45% Fillers)
Another one of the big 3 is here with Bleach. Bleach started airing in 2004 and ran from 2004 to 2012. In total it had 366 episodes with a whooping 163 filler episodes which had a high filler percentage of 45%. While Bleach is back again with a Thousand-year blood war but this time it does not seem to have fillers and is following the seasonal pattern. Bleach had very long filler arcs and was made to blend into the story very well.
Bleach follows the adventures of Kurosaki Ichigo, who can see ghosts. One day, he meets Rukia, the Soul Reaper – a mortal just like the Grim Reaper – who killed Sora, a terrifying lost soul in the city of Kong Cang that can harm both ghost and humans alike. Rukia was mortally wounded in her battle with the Hollow, and to save her life, Ichigo absorbed her Soul Reaper powers. With these new powers, Ichigo becomes a Substitute Soul Reaper and takes on the role of protecting people from the Hollows and taking innocent people to the afterlife.
To Love-Ru (55% Fillers)
To Love-Ru is a Popular ecchi, shoujo anime series that started in 2008. Studio Xebec was the incharge for this anime and It has total 38 episodes. More than half of this anime is made with fillers. It has high filler percentage of 55%. This anime has 6 seasons. There are total 26 filler episodes of this anime.
To Love-Ru is a harem comedy anime and manga series about Rito Yuki, a high school student who is unable to confess his love to the girl of his dreams, Haruna Sairenji. One day, a mysterious girl named Lala Satalin Deviluke appears in his bathtub. She is the princess of the planet Deviluke and has run away from home to avoid an arranged marriage. Lala quickly falls in love with Rito and proposes to him. Rito is reluctant at first, but he eventually accepts her proposal.
Kuroshitsuji: Black Butler (63% Fillers)
Black Butler (Kuroshitsuji) is the very popular manga franchise with the huge fan following. This anime is popular due to it’s unique concept, complex characters, dark enviroment, engaging story and so on. On October 2008, The popular anime studio A-1 pictures done the anime adaptation of this manga series.
However, the anime did a very good work on the orignal manga, but it took the Original filler way too. There are 29 Filler Episodes out of 46 episodes of the anime. But in case of black butler, the fillers are good. They capture the same dark tone throughout the series. Even the manga is better but the anime is very enjoyable at it’s own
The story of “Black Butler” revolves around Ciel Phantomhive, a young nobleman who becomes the head of the Phantomhive household after the mysterious deaths of his parents. Set in Victorian-era England, Ciel is known as the Queen’s “watchdog” and undertakes various tasks on her behalf, particularly in dealing with crimes and mysteries that occur in London’s underworld.
Trigun & Trigun Stampede (65% + 100% Fillers)
Trigun is a classic Cowboy themed series which is very popular in western countries. The main character of this show “Vash The Stampede” is very likeble by the audiences. An anime adaptaion of Trigun’s Manga was done in 1998 by the popular studio of industry Madhouse.
The animation of Trigun was phenominal according to that era. But the thing was, at the time anime was ongoing, the manga was also ongoing which leads to lack of story to be adapted in anime. So they added fillers in Trigun. In total 26 episodes, there 17 fillers which are added in the Trigun. Still this show is great on it’s own. Audience loves it. Fillers are enjoyable and it leads to overall good conclusion
At the time of 2022, The descision of revival of Trigun was made. So Studio Orange which are the best CGI Studio of Japan decided to Reboot the classic Trigun series which named as “Trigun Stampede”. This series is not reboot but a new take story on the Trigun universe. Trigun Stampede is considered as very good prequal to the series. It has so many changes from the Orignal story and from the classic animes too. It takes inspiration for manga but the story is still filler with 100% percentage but so enjoyable enough to entertain.
The design of Vash The Stampede was changed. Not only Vash, Other characters too like Meryl and Wolfwood. Trigun Stampede made a very contreversial move to not introduce the fan-favourite character Milly Thompson and introduced a completely new character Roberto De Niro.
The Villain of Trigun Stampede stands out more than the orignal Trigun. Orignal Trigun anime does not focuses on It’s villain but stampede does this thing better it gives proper time to villain which makes him more creepy. If you want Full Comparision Between Trigun and Trigun Stampede Comment us.
FAQs
What are Anime Fillers?
Anime fillers are episodes or arcs within an anime series that are not based on the original source material, such as the manga or light novel. These fillers are created to prolong the anime’s runtime or give the manga more time to progress.
Are Fillers Considered As Canon?
Anime fillers are generally not considered canon because they deviate from the original story created by the manga or light novel. However, some fillers may contain elements that align with the main storyline or are later incorporated into the canon material.
Do anime fillers affect the overall story?
Anime fillers usually have little to no impact on the overall story or character development. They are designed to be self-contained and can often be skipped without missing crucial plot points. However, some fillers may provide additional background information or character interactions.
Can I skip anime fillers without missing important plot points?
In most cases, fillers can be skipped without missing crucial plot points of the main story. If you prefer to focus on the core narrative, you can consult filler guides or online resources that provide a list of episodes to skip in order to follow the main storyline more closely.
Can anime fillers ever be considered better than the main story?
While fillers are generally regarded as separate from the main story and often receive mixed reviews, there are instances where fans appreciate certain filler arcs or episodes more than the main storyline. It ultimately comes down to personal preference and enjoyment.
