10 Best Naruto Shippuden Filler Arcs

Naruto Shippuden has some of the highest filler percentages in all of anime. Out of its 500 episodes, 203 episodes are completely filler. This means that about 41% of the anime isn’t directly adapted from the manga. But despite this high filler percentage, not all of these episodes should be skipped. Sure, Naruto has its fair share of fillers that add nothing to the story and ruin the watch experience. But hidden between the big battles and emotional moments are some filler arcs that actually deserve your attention.

These bonus arcs pack intense ninja action, funny moments, and character backstories that don’t make their way to the main plot, like the secrets of the tailed beasts or the mysterious childhoods of prodigies like Itachi and Kakashi. So while most Naruto fans may skip filler arcs faster than Naruto gobbles down bowls of ramen, it’s clear not all Naruto Shippuden fillers deserve the cold shoulder. These ten filler arcs prove that skipping isn’t always the right move. So, before automatically hitting “next episode,” give these episodes a chance to become your next unexpected favorite.

Twelve Guardian Ninja Arc (Episodes 57-71)

This arc introduces us to Sora, an angry young monk with wind abilities who struggles to fit in – much like Naruto himself. What starts as a rivalry between the two turns into friendship as stolen tombs, zombies, and forbidden lightning techniques threaten to destroy Konoha. But the big shocker comes when we learn that Sora’s supposedly dead father, Kazuma, is the mastermind behind everything. To make things even more complicated, Sora carries leftover chakra from the Nine-Tails.

For a filler story, these fifteen episodes deliver genuine emotional moments alongside action-packed fights, including a battle against Fūka, who steals powers through deadly kisses. It also gives more insight into Asuma’s mysterious past, making his main storyline scenes hit harder later on. While not essential to the plot, this filler arc mixes entertaining fights with character growth in ways that make every episode worth your time.

Three-Tails’ Appearance Arc (Episodes 91-112)

This filler arc throws us into total chaos with Konoha’s ninjas, Orochimaru’s forces, and the Akatsuki all fighting to capture the powerful Three-Tailed beast. Orochimaru sends Guren, a skilled fighter with the unique crystal-style jutsu, along with Yūkimaru to control the beast. While Tsunade dispatched multiple teams, including Naruto, Kakashi, and Yamato to stop them. Things take a wild turn when Naruto and Guren get swallowed by the massive turtle beast itself, forcing mortal enemies to team up inside its strange stomach dimension.

Throughout this 22-episode arc, we get treated to Guren’s beautiful yet deadly crystal-style jutsu and her bond with the orphaned Yūkimaru. Though the story feels stretched at times, with this being the series’ longest filler arc, it’s interesting to note that the Three-Tails recognizes Naruto from this arc later on in the story. On top of that, the arc concludes with Akatsuki capturing the Three-Tails, which is accurate to the manga even though it canonically happens much earlier.

Six-Tails Unleashed Arc (Episodes 144-151)

This filler arc follows soap bubble-master Utakata and his student Hotaru as they get caught in a dangerous situation when a forbidden jutsu sealed inside her attracts unwanted attention. The Tsuchigumo Clan wants to rip the jutsu from her body while well-meaning Leaf ninjas try to help in their own way. The whole mess turns into a touching story about mentorship and trust as Utakata fights his own demons, trying to keep Hotaru safe from those who would exploit her power.

Though it doesn’t impact the main storyline, this arc offers some really emotional moments and a tragic ending as Pain captures Utakata for the Akatsuki. Seeing Utakata’s full backstory makes his eventual fate in the main storyline hit much harder. And reminds us that while we don’t meet all of the tailed-beast hosts in the main storyline, every single one of them had their own lives that were stolen by the Akatsuki.

Past Arc: The Locus of Konoha (Episodes 176-196)

After Pain wrecks the Hidden Leaf Village, the characters reminisce about the good old days. Iruka recalls teaching the troublemaking young Naruto, Kakashi remembers Team 7’s early days, and even Gaara shares stories about when he first met the Leaf ninjas. These episodes show how Naruto went from being the village outcast to slowly winning people over.

Looking back at all these old memories reminds viewers how far these beloved characters have come. Sure, some episodes feel unnecessary, but others, like Iruka’s struggles as a teacher or Kakashi reflecting on leading Team 7, hit you right in the feels. So, while this nostalgic filler arc doesn’t push the main story forward, it does give viewers a nice breather after the intense Pain arc.

Paradise Life on a Boat Arc (Episodes 223-242)

Naruto’s boat trip takes an extended detour when Tsunade makes them take the long route to keep him hidden from the Akatsuki. What should’ve been a quick trip turns into twenty episodes filled with sea monsters, ghost ships, pirates, and even a Naruto impersonator causing trouble. Meanwhile, the Konoha 11 receive spotlight episodes showing their training and growth before the big war kicks off.

This filler arc is one of the longer filler stretches in Naruto Shippuden and even feels slightly disconnected from the main plot. However, it does have its fun moments, comedic side stories, and some cool action. While most of it can be skipped, fans who enjoy Naruto’s goofier side and care about the supporting cast’s development might find this detour worth sailing through.

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Power Arc (Episodes 290-295)

The Power Arc is a six-episode filler arc created to celebrate Naruto reaching its 500th episode milestone. It follows Team Kakashi on a mission to investigate a village completely destroyed by Kabuto’s resurrection experiments, unleashing horrors on innocent people. The team discovers an ancient weapon powering up that could wreck everything if not stopped quickly, while Naruto faces his toughest opponents yet as he races to protect survivors before the whole place goes boom.

This mini-arc feels more like watching a big-budget movie than regular TV episodes. The story gets way darker than usual filler episodes with actual zombie horror and disturbing human experiments. Though brief, this arc provides a cinematic experience with some of the most visually impressive fight scenes, making it totally worth watching just to see what Naruto looks like with a serious animation budget.

Kakashi’s Anbu Arc: The Shinobi That Lives in the Darkness (Episodes 349-361)

This arc dives into Kakashi’s darker days as he transforms into an emotionless assassin after losing Rin. During these episodes, we watch him take on deadly missions and meet characters like Orochimaru, Danzo, and even a young Itachi while discovering Konoha’s hidden secrets. His mental health visibly deteriorates as each mission strips away more of his humanity, turning him into someone who carries out orders without question or hesitation.

Many fans agree that this is Naruto’s best filler arc because it actually matters to the main story and fills in important gaps. The tone in this arc is way darker than regular Naruto Shippuden episodes, with more blood, violence, political games, and moral grey areas. And the fights? They’re much more realistic and brutal compared to the flashy jutsu battles we usually see, showing a completely different side of the ninja world.

In Naruto’s Footsteps: The Friends’ Paths Arc (Episodes 394-413)

Remember the excitement of the original Chunin Exams? This arc brings that same energy back, but with a twist – it happens after Sasuke has already left the village, and Naruto is away training with Jiraiya. The spotlight finally shines on Konoha 11 as we get to see these supporting characters grow and develop without the main characters around. The exam is held jointly by Konoha and Sunagakure with a secondary motive of luring the Akatsuki out. And this creates a really interesting backdrop of political tension as Gaara deals with people who don’t accept him as the new Kazekage.

What makes this filler arc a must-watch is how characters who often get overshadowed in the main story finally shine. We see Rock Lee connect with Shira, another ninja who can’t use ninjutsu, while Tenten struggles with feeling inadequate, and Ino masters her clan’s mind techniques. By the end, many of them earn their promotions, and you can’t help but feel proud seeing how far they’ve come from the kids we met in the original Naruto series.

Jiraiya Shinobi Handbook: The Tale of Naruto the Hero (Episodes 432-450)

This filler arc takes us into Tsunade’s Infinite Tsukuyomi dream, where she reads a book by Jiraiya. It reveals a totally different Naruto universe: one where Naruto’s parents never died, and he gets to grow up with them in a happy family. The Uchiha clan massacre never happened either, so Sasuke’s family is alive and well, and Itachi is seen as a great hero instead of a villain. This alternate universe basically shows the perfect version of Konoha, where all its horrible tragedies never happened.

What makes this arc so special is how it hits you right in the feels while still being fun to watch. Seeing Naruto interact with his parents is heartwarming yet heartbreaking because we now know exactly what he lost in the canon story. Even though they’re “just filler,” these episodes really make you think just how much our circumstances shape who we become.

Itachi Shinden Book: Light and Darkness (Episodes 451-458)

While based on the Itachi Shinden novels, this arc is still considered filler since it’s not part of the main manga. Despite this, it is essential to the story and should not be skipped if you want to understand what turned a child prodigy into the most feared clan killer in shinobi history. This arc shows us Itachi Uchiha’s life – growing up during a terrible war, his role in the Uchiha Clan Massacre, and eventual membership in the Akatsuki. 

We get a deep look at how torn up Itachi was from the inside, hating violence after seeing war, his deep love for his brother Sasuke, and being forced to choose between his family and village. The arc also focuses on Itachi’s bond with his cousin Shisui, whose death explains many of his later decisions and motivations. We also get to see Itachi meet people like Kisame and Pain before they became his Akatsuki partners, which adds a background to relationships we already knew about.