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.

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

Naruto Filler Episodes

Naruto Mixed Canon Episodes

Naruto Shippuden

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

Filler

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.