All filler episodes are not created equal, especially in a series like Naruto, almost half of which is made up of filler arcs and one-off episodes.
While most fans can probably agree that filler episodes in general can by and large be completely skipped in order to get back to the main plot, there are some that have left their mark on fans as episodes that are fun and definitely worth the watch. On the other hand, there are episodes that are considered so bad among fans that they shouldn’t even be acknowledged as a part of Naruto anime canon.
10 Most Beloved: Blaze Away, Byakugan! This is My Ninja Way!
The fact that this episode in particular is a filler, and not canon, is actually somewhat sad. Hinata is not spotlighted very often in the series, and fans don’t spend a lot of time getting to see her as she works to get stronger.
In this filler arc, viewers see her as she works with Neji to master a new defensive technique with her Byakugan and later, while on a mission, can be seen to use the technique for the first time, showing how far she’s come since the Chunin Exams.
9 Most Hated: The Appearance of Strange Visitors
This is another episode full of gags that doesn’t really have any bearing on the plot, and it makes Naruto look rather dumb. In the episode, two people infiltrate the village posing as Might Guy and Rock Lee.
It’s obvious to everyone except Naruto that they aren’t the real deal, and Tsunade gives them a series of ridiculous missions to teach them a lesson about their impersonation. Naruto joins them, thinking that it’s just training, and he literally never finds out the truth.
8 Most Beloved: Run! The Curry of Life!
This is a Rock Lee focused episode in which he is knocked unconscious during a mission and given The Curry of Life to revive him. Unfortunately, a bottle of wine was knocked into the curry before he eats it, which naturally puts him in his Drunken Fist taijutsu style.
It’s another opportunity to see Rock Lee in this state, which is well-loved by fans of Naruto who recognize the wink to kung fu in the style.
7 Most Hated: Hoshikage: The Buried Truth
This episode is a part of a larger filler arc, as several of these episodes are, but while the arc itself is fairly interesting, this episode feels like it’s filler for the filler.
The episode features characters explaining the background of what’s happening in the Star Guard Arc, and it is told mostly through characters talking and in flashback, with most of the Konoha ninjas in the episode barely involved. This makes it rather difficult to get into or care about.
6 Most Beloved: Laughing Shino
Shino doesn’t get a lot of screen time in the series, and viewers rarely even see his mouth, thanks to the large collar of his coat. So this spotlight episode gives viewers a chance to spend time with the character and to see him act a little out of character.
Thanks to a certain poison, he ends up unable to control his laughter, forcing Naruto to attend a funeral as his stand-in on a mission. It’s a silly episode, but one full of jokes, making it easy to like.
5 Most Hated: Ino Screams! Chubby Passion!
This is an episode that hasn’t aged particularly well and, indeed, wasn’t particularly funny when it premiered. Ino is tasked to stand in for a princess that she resembles, just because the princess happens to have gained some weight and is seen as unfit to be out in public.
The body discrimination issues alone in this episode make it worth skipping, and Ino doesn’t come across as a particularly likable protagonist, thanks to her own prejudices against people who aren’t thin.
4 Most Beloved: Gotta See! Gotta Know! Kakashi-Sensei’s True Face!
Kakashi is one of the most mysterious characters in Naruto, right down to the fact that viewers never see him without a mask on, even in flashbacks to when he’s still a Genin. This episode centers on that mask and Team 7’s burning desire to know what he looks like under it.
It’s an episode full of gags, with the team working together to bring to fruition plans to try to get Kakashi to take his mask off. The perfect punchline of the episode makes every second worth it.
3 Most Hated: Special Report: Live from the Forest of Death!
The Chunin Exams Arc is considered one of the best arcs in the entire series. So much plot advancement happens at this point in the story, particularly as the characters enter the Forest of Death, the second challenge of the Exams.
So this one-off filler episode starring Konohamaru and his hapless friends is a completely unwelcome diversion from the coming intensity of the plot. The characters essentially pretend to be putting on a news program about the Chunin Exam, giving viewers a lot of information they already know.
2 Most Beloved: Genjutsu Or Reality?
While several characters throughout Naruto use genjutsu, it isn’t terribly well-explored until viewers reach Naruto Shippuden, in which several characters regularly use it. So outside of Itachi’s few attacks, “Genjutsu or Reality?” is one of the few times it’s used in a large setting.
The characters find that the entirety of Konoha has been torn down, but they realize that they’re actually just trapped in a genjutsu. They spend the episode trying to figure out a way out.
1 Most Hated: The Top Five Ninja Battles!
Everyone hates a clip show, and when an anime has as many filler episodes as Naruto, an episode like this feels especially egregious. In the episode, Naruto and Sasuke host a special episode in which they celebrate the fact that the Naruto anime has been on the air for four years.
They count down the top five best battles of the Sasuke Recovery Mission, which is extra-strange, as the episode comes more than 70 episodes after the conclusion of that arc, making it seem incredibly irrelevant.