If there's one thing anime fans hate, it's filler. Sometimes it can be a great addition to a series, bringing more development to the characters, adding some interesting and new storylines for the audience to enjoy. However, there can be too much of a good thing.
Many anime series tend to pile on a lot of filler, slowing down the main plot or even bringing it to a halt. Because of this, most fans can't stand when a series throws in a filler arc, and many try to skip these episodes. Filler can really drag down a show, sometimes causing it to lose its momentum and popularity. Filler isn't always bad, but it can make or break an anime series.
10 Fans Get Bored With The Many Filler Arcs In Inuyasha
Inuyasha is one of the most popular shonen anime around, even years after its conclusion. Despite that, it's infamous among fans for its filler. Only a small percentage of episodes in the series count as pure filler. However, many others only have a tiny bit of plot included in them. There are entire arcs dedicated to this filler, often centering around fruitless efforts to defeat Naraku or Inuyasha's unresolved feelings towards Kikyo. While the series is legendary and beloved by anime fans everywhere, many still find the filler very exhausting.
9 Avatar: The Last Airbender's Filler Episodes Are Some Of The Worst Of The Series
Avatar: The Last Airbender hardly has any filler at all. Most episodes stay completely plot-driven, keeping the story very straightforward for fans. However, what little filler is present in Avatar is some of the most hated, often having very pointless or boring storylines that go nowhere. The most infamous example is "The Great Divide," in which Aang attempts to mend the relationship between two feuding tribes. To this day, it's considered one of the worst episodes of the series, and many feel it could easily have been removed without changing a thing about the plot.
8 The Filler In Sailor Moon Are Some Of The Best And Worst Episodes
Many still hold the '90s Sailor Moon near and dear to their hearts, but it's no secret that the adaptation changed many things about the original story. One of the biggest changes came in the form of filler that added needless drama and pointless plotlines. The filler strayed far from the original vision of Sailor Moon, and a lot of fans criticize the '90s series for them. However, the filler in Sailor Moon isn't all bad, and in some cases, it's a great addition. Thanks to the filler, characters had more personality than ever, giving fans much more reason to care about each of the Sailor Senshi.
7 Naruto's Filler Make It Hard To Finish
Naruto is one of the most popular anime series of all time. With a grand total of 720 episodes between both series, it's a daunting task trying to watch it all as it is. But when factoring in the numerous filler episodes and arcs, some find it hardly worth it to even try.
There are 89 filler episodes in the original series and 210 in Naruto Shippuden, so trying to get through them all is a very tall order for even the most loyal of fans. Some filler is great, adding amazing development to otherwise ignored characters and is just downright fun. Despite that, most episodes are boring and monotonous for fans.
6 Black Butler Has Infamously Bad Filler
Black Butler is amazing when it sticks to the original material. During its run, it skyrocketed into popularity and it seemed like there was no stopping its success. Unfortunately, that all changed as the first season wrapped up as it strayed further from the manga's plot. However, it wasn't until the second season rolled around that fans had all but given up on the series. Black Butler II is nothing but filler, with characters never seen in the manga that no one seemed to like and a trainwreck of a plotline. After this disastrous season, Black Butler has since stuck closely to the original story, likely for good.
5 Yu-Gi-Oh! Has Filler Arcs That Occur In The Middle Of Another Arc
Admittedly, a lot of the filler in the original Yu-Gi-Oh! series is pretty good. Despite that, there is just as much bad filler that unfortunately tends to stick out like a sore thumb. Yu-Gi-Oh! filler can sometimes feel like a completely different show, especially with their added characters and new worlds that don't match the initial plot. Oddly enough, the filler often occurs right in the middle of an important story arc. One of the most infamous examples is the Virtual World arc that takes place inside the Battle City arc. Battle City is one of the most beloved arcs of the series, and the addition of this needless filler ended up dragging it down.
4 Shugo Chara's Filler Goes On Beyond The Conclusion Of The Original Story
Shugo Chara was very popular during its original run, but even back then, fans had a major problem with the amount of filler in the anime series. There were entire seasons dedicated to nothing but filler, adding on new anime-only characters while fan favorites disappeared from the plot altogether. Like many other anime before it, Shugo Chara was unfortunate enough to catch up to the manga before the story ended, so, just like other anime, it made up its own stories to kill time.
However, it took this a step further, continuing the anime even after the manga's story was over with a new arc and a new protagonist. It's unclear why exactly the anime continued on with this anime-only character replacing Amu, but few remember this season or the new generation of characters.
3 Boruto's Filler Gives It A Bad Start
Naruto fans were disappointed when Boruto: Naruto Next Generations first came out. It didn't cover anything from the manga, making up its own new storyline instead. Because of this, an overwhelming portion of Boruto is filler that centers around the kids and their family lives.
While it's honestly kind of nice to see the original characters enjoying the peace they created, many find these early episodes boring compared to the action they're used to from the first series. Luckily, Boruto has been gaining some momentum lately, finally following the plot of the manga more closely.
2 Rurouni Kenshin's Filler Is So Bad That It Got Cancelled
It's surprising that such a beloved series has such infamous filler, but few others can rival Rurouni Kenshin when it comes to disappointing filler arcs. The entirety of Season 3 is nothing but filler and bad filler at that. Each episode is just a pointless mini-plot with no effect on the main story at all. In fact, the main story itself is abandoned altogether in place of this hodge-podge of episodes. Season 3 of Rurouni Kenshin is so bad, it actually got the entire series canceled. While many anime have some awful filler, few can say they ultimately ruined their series.
1 The Endless Eight Of Haruhi Suzumiya Caused Many To Drop The Series
No one could have expected what The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya had in store for its fans in Season 2. Endless Eight is one of the most infamous filler arcs in any anime ever, with many still cringing at its mere mention to this day. It's essentially the same episode over and over, with very minor differences thrown in with every iteration. The premise of the arc is that Haruhi and the gang are stuck repeating the same summer vacation over and over again, and it's up to Kyon to figure out how to break this cycle. It's a fine enough story, and it wouldn't be so bad if it weren't dragged out for eight whole episodes, but because fans were forced to sit through this slog, many gave up on the series and never looked back.