Naruto and filler have gone hand in hand since its debut in Japan on October 3, 2002. With 220 episodes, it is hard to distinguish what is canon to the manga and filler. Filtering Naruto episodes is more difficult when a huge portion of them have a mixture of canon and filler. Here is a guide of Naruto arcs and episodes segmented between canon, filler, and a mixture of both.
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Naruto follows the story of a young ninja shunned by others. As he strives to become Hokage, he faces broken bonds, new friendships, and personal growth. Below is a breakdown of episodes that are considered “Canon” or “Filler.”
All Naruto Canon Episodes
| Episodes | Arc/Episodes Title |
| 1-19 | The Land of Waves Arc |
| 20-67 | The Chunin Exams |
| 68-80 | Konoha Crush Arc |
| 81-100 | Search for Tsunade Arc |
| 107-135 | Sasuke Recovery Mission |
Naruto Filler Episodes
| Episodes | Arc/Episode Titles |
| 26 | “Special Report: Live from the Forest of Death” |
| 97 | “Kidnapped! Naruto’s Hot Spring Adventure!” |
| 101 | “Gotta See! Gotta Know! Kakashi Sensei’s True Face!” |
| 102-106 | Land of Tea Escort Mission |
| 136-141 | Land of Rice Fields Investigation Mission |
| 142-147 | Mizuki Tracking Mission |
| 152-157 | Kurosuki Family Removal Mission |
| 158 | “Follow My Lead! The Great Survival Challenge” |
| 159-160 | Gosunkugi Capture Mission |
| 161 | “The Appearance of Strange Visitors” |
| 162-167 | Cursed Warrior Extermination Mission |
| 168 | “Mix it, Stretch it, Boil it Up! Burn Copper Pot, Burn!” |
| 169-173 | Kaima Capture Mission |
| 174 | “Impossible! Celebrity Ninja Art: Money Style Jutsu!” |
| 175-176 | Buried Gold Excavation Mission |
| 177 | “Please, Mr. Postman!” |
| 178-183 | Star Guard Mission |
| 184 | “Kiba’s Long Day!” |
| 185 | “A Legend from the Hidden Leaf: The Onbaa!” |
| 186 | “Laughing Shino” |
| 187-191 | Peddlers Escort Mission |
| 192 | “Ino Screams! Chubby Paradise” |
| 193 | “Viva Dojo Challenge! Youth Is All About Passion!” |
| 194 | “The Mysterious Curse of the Haunted Castle” |
| 195-196 | Third Great Beast |
| 197-201 | Konoha Plans Recapture Mission |
| 202 | “The Top 5 Ninja Battles” |
| 203-207 | Yakumo Kurama Rescue Mission |
| 208 | “The Weight of the Prized Artifact!” |
| 209-212 | Gantetsu Escort Mission |
| 213-215 | Menma Memory Search Mission |
| 216-220 | Sunagakure Support Mission |
Naruto Mixed Canon Episodes
| Episodes | Episode Titles |
| 7 | “The Assassin of the Mist!” |
| 9 | “Kakashi: Sharingan Warrior!” |
| 14 | “The Number One Hyperactive, Knucklehead Ninja Joins the Fight!” |
| 15 | “Zero Visibility: The Sharingan Shatters” |
| 16 | “The Broken Seal” |
| 18 | “The Weapons Known as Shinobi” |
| 19 | “The Demon in the Snow” |
| 20 | “A New Chapter Begins: The Chūnin Exam!” |
| 21 | “Identify Yourself: Powerful New Rivals” |
| 23 | “Genin Takedown! All Nine Rookies Face Off!” |
| 24 | “Start Your Engines: The Chūnin Exam Begins!” |
| 27 | “The Chūnin Exam Stage 2: The Forest of Death” |
| 28 | “Eat or be Eaten: Panic in the Forest” |
| 29 | “Naruto’s Counterattack: Never Give In!” |
| 30 | “The Sharingan Revived: Dragon-Flame Jutsu!” |
| 37 | “Surviving the Cut! The Rookie Nine Together Again!” |
| 38 | “Narrowing the Field: Sudden Death Elimination!” |
| 39 | “Bushy Brow’s Jealousy: Lions Barrage Unleashed!” |
| 40 | “Kakashi and Orochimaru: Face-to-Face!” |
| 41 | “Kunoichi Rumble: The Rivals Get Serious!” |
| 43 | “Killer Kunoichi and a Shaky Shikamaru” |
| 44 | “Akamaru Unleashed! Who’s Top Dog Now?” |
| 45 | “Surprise Attack! Naruto’s Secret Weapon!” |
| 46 | “Byakugan Battle: Hinata Grows Bold!” |
| 47 | “A Failure Stands Tall!” |
| 49 | “Lee’s Hidden Strength: Forbidden Secret Jutsu!” |
| 52 | “Ebisu Returns: Naruto’s Toughest Training Yet!” |
| 53 | “Long Time No See: Jiraiya Returns!” |
| 54 | “The Summoning Jutsu: Wisdom of the Toad Sage!” |
| 55 | “A Feeling of Yearning, A Flower Full of Hope” |
| 56 | “Live or Die: Risk it All to Win it All!” |
| 57 | “He Flies! He Jumps! He Lurks! Chief Toad Appears!” |
| 58 | “Hospital Besieged: The Evil Hand Revealed!” |
| 59 | “The Final Rounds: Rush to the Battle Arena!” |
| 60 | “Byakugan vs. Shadow Clone” |
| 63 | “Hit it or Quit it: The Final Rounds Get Complicated!” |
| 66 | “Bushy Brow’s Jutsu: Sasuke Style!” |
| 69 | “Village in Distress: A New A-Ranked Mission!” |
| 70 | “A Shirker’s Call to Action: A Layabout No More!” |
| 71 | “An Unrivaled Match: Hokage Battle Royale!” |
| 72 | “A Mistake from the Past: A Face Revealed!” |
| 74 | “Astonishing Truth! Gaara’s Identity Emerges!” |
| 83 | “Jiraiya: Naruto’s Potential Disaster!” |
| 98 | “Tsunade’s Warning: Ninja No More!” |
| 99 | “The Will of Fire Still Burns!” |
| 100 | “Sensei and Student: The Bond of the Shinobi” |
| 112 | “Squad Mutiny: Everything Falls Apart!” |
| 113 | “Full Throttle Power! Choji, Ablaze!” |
| 114 | “Good-bye Old Friend…! I’ll Always Believe in You!” |
| 126 | “Showdown: Gaara vs. Kimimaro!” |
| 127 | “Vengeful Strike! The Bracken Dance” |
| 130 | “Father and Son, the Broken Crest” |
| 131 | “The Secrets of the Mangekyo Sharingan!” |
| 141 | “Sakura’s Determination” |
| 142 | “The Three Villains from the Maximum Security Prison” |
| 220 | “Departure” |
Airing from 2007 to 2017 Naruto Shippuden sees Naruto return to hidden leaf village after training with Jiraiya for two and a half years. See Naruto’s growth after the time skip and over the course of 500 hundred episodes.
Like Naruto Part 1, filler arcs are mixed throughout Naruto Shippuden from the very first episode. Because of this, mixed canon/filler episodes are more integrated and harder to skip due to this. Below is a list of canon and filler arcs for Naruto Shippuden.
*Filler arcs that contain canon episodes
**Canon arcs that contain filler episodes
Canon
| Episodes | Arcs |
| 1-32 (221- 252) | Kazekage Rescue |
| 33-53 (253-252) | Long-Awaited Reunion |
| 54-71(274-291)* | Guardian Shinobi Twelve(filler)* |
| 72-88(292-308) | Immortal Devastators: Hidan And Kakuzu |
| 89-90(309-310) | Three-Tails’ Appearance(filler)* |
| 113-143(333-363) | Master’s Prophecy and Vengeance |
| 152-175(372-395) | Two Saviors** |
| 197-221(417-441) | The Five Kage Summit |
| 222(442) | “The Five Kage’s Decision” |
| 243-275(463-495) | Nine-Tails Taming and Karmic Encounters** |
| 276-289(496-509) | The Seven Ninja Swordsmen** |
| 296-320(516-540) | The Great Ninja War: Assailants From Afar** |
| 321-348(541-568) | The Great Ninja War: Sasuke and Itachi** |
| 362-372(582-592) | The Great Ninja War: Team 7 Returns |
| 373-393(593-613) | The Great Ninja War: Obito Uchiha** |
| 414-431(634-651) | Infinite Tsukuyomi: The Invocation** |
| 451-458(671-678) | Itachi’s Story:Daylight/Midnight |
| 459-469(679-689) | The Origins of Ninshu: The Two Souls, Indra And Ashura* |
| 470-479(690-699) | Naruto and Sasuke |
| 484-488(704-708) | Sasuke Shinden:Book of Sunrise |
| 489-493(709-713) | Shikamaru Hiden: A Cloud Drifting in Silent Darkness |
| 494-500(714-720) | The Perfect Day For a Wedding |
Filler
| Episodes | Arcs |
| 57-71(277-291) | Guardian Shinobi Twelve (filler) |
| 89-112(309-332) | Three-Tails’ Appearance (filler) |
| 144-151(364-371) | Six-Tails Unleashed (filler) |
| 170-171(390-391) | Big Adventure! The Quest for the Fourth Hokage’s Legacy |
| 176-196(396-416) | Past Arc: The Locus of the Leaf(filler) |
| 223-242(442-462) | Paradise Life On A Boat(filler) |
| 257-260(477-480) | Nine-Tails Taming and Karmic Encounters (filler) |
| 271(591) | Road to Sakura |
| 279-281(499-501) | The Seven Ninja Swordsmen(filler) |
| 284-289(504-509) | The Seven Ninja Swordsmen(filler) |
| 290-295(510-515) | Power |
| 303-320(323-540) | The Great Ninja War: Assailants From Afar(filler) |
| 347-348(567-568) | The Great Ninja War: Sasuke and Itachi(filler) |
| 349-361(569-581) | Kakashi: Shadow of the Anbu Black Ops |
| 376-377(596-597) | The Great Ninja War: Obito Uchiha(filler) |
| 388-390(608-610) | The Great Ninja War: Obito Uchiha(filler) |
| 394-413(614-633) | In Naruto’s Footsteps: The Friend’s Path (filler) |
| 416-417(636-637) | Infinite Tsukuyomi: The Invocation |
| 422-423(642-643) | Infinite Tsukuyomi: The Invocation |
| 427-431(647-651) | Infinite Tsukuyomi: The Invocation |
| 432-450(652-670) | Jiraiya Shinobi Handbook: The Tale if Naruto The Hero |
| 464-468(684-688) | The Origins of Ninshu: The Two Souls, Indra And Ashura(filler) |
| 480-483(700-703) | Nostalgic Days |
Why you should watch some filler arcs in Naruto
Every canon arc in Naruto contains episodes that are filler in part, as listed above. As such, these arcs can be watched or skipped. Many filler arcs incorporate parts of the canon into its stories. Though, if you feel inclined to skip episodes like that, then do so.
Even though some episodes that are tied to filler arcs are canon, skipping them shouldn’t be a problem. Naruto effectively ends with the Sasuke Recovery Mission on episode 135. If you decide to skip the filler episodes, it cuts your episode watch from 220 to 129.
Where to Watch Naruto
Compared to the past, Naruto is an easily accessible anime to watch. If you want to watch Naruto for free, YouTube, Tubi, and Pluto TV offer the show with Japanese dubbing. Crunchyroll has all 720 episodes available if you subscribe to their premium tier.
