As for fillings, Naruto is one of the first anime series that comes to mind. Naruto Uzumaki's journey from outcast to becoming the greatest ninja in the world was legendary, but was often punctuated by too much filler that was poorly written and poorly placed. While these fillers expand the world Narutothey still disrupted the viewers' overall viewing experience.
Naruto isn't the only anime infamous for excessive filler. There are a lot of anime that have terrible fillers so bad they are Naruto it seems restrained in comparison. Most of these anime are long running shonen that rely on fillers to not only drag out their stories but also buy time for the source material.
Top 10 anime with more than 100 episodes that will take you a whole year to finish
There are plenty of amazing anime series over 100 episodes long to keep your attention for the rest of 2026
The Prince of Tennis
This list would not be complete without a mention The Prince of Tennis. It is a long-running sports anime that revolves around the brilliant tennis player Ryoma Echizen, who defeats one opponent after another with his overpowering attacks. Nowadays, the series could pass as a fantasy anime due to how over the top and impossible some of the techniques have become.
Like most long-running shonen, The Prince of Tennis she relies on fillers to stretch her matches, practices and tournaments. One episode features the same scene replayed over and over again, with slow motion and unnecessary commentary. While there's some fun filler at times, many episodes feel like they've turned a five-minute rally into a full-on marathon.
The Prince of Tennis
- Release date
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2001–2005
- Network
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TV Tokyo, TV Osaka, TV Aichi, TVh, TVQ, TSC
- directors
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Takayuki Hamana
The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya
The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya it's only on this list because of the infamous “Endless Eight” storyline, which most fans consider filler, even though it's not filler in the traditional sense, as it contributes to the main plot in a very drawn-out way.
For context, the Endless Eight arc consists of episodes that are nearly identical, with very little variation between them. It ran for eight episodes where the characters do the same thing over and over again with little tweaks here and there. Keeping track of them all is an exhausting task, almost like a mental punishment for the fans.
detective conan (case closed)
Amount of fillers in Naruto it pales in comparison to the amount of filler in Detective Conan. It has over 500 filler episodes that slow down the main story with stand-alone cases, comedic slice-of-life stories, character arcs, and more.
It's mixed, but fans often find them repetitive and tiresome due to the lack of meaningful impact on the main storyline involving the Black Organization and Shinichi Kudo. If you're not a fan of detective stories, watching 500 filler episodes is a commitment that many fans aren't ready for.
One piece
Fillers are an inevitable part One piece audience experience. While there are good and fun ones, they can't make up for long stretches of episodes that add little to the main story.
In a single episode One piecefans usually get less than half of the actual adaptation due to the amount of filler mixed into the story. This includes recaps, OPs and EDs, and other unnecessary elements that disrupt the flow of the main plot.
fortunately One piece it's going seasonal not just to avoid filler, fix pacing, and improve animation. If Naruto followed this approach, it might reduce the number of unnecessary fillers.
Dragon Ball Z
As much as we love Son Goku and his crew, Dragon Ball Z features fillers that are hard to skip because of their poor placement. Most of them take place between fights where Goku, Vegeta and other Earth warriors are taking long looks at the villains. Not to mention that their ultimate moves and signature attacks usually take more time than necessary to charge up to drag out the fight.
While the majority NarutoFiller elements offer something new to the audience, fillers in Dragon Ball Z usually add nothing to the world. There are some comedic fillers worth watching, such as the episode where Goku and Piccolo take driving lessons, but fans usually find themselves watching Goku power up for 10 episodes straight with little to no progression.
Boruto: Naruto Next Generations
Boruto he has big shoes to fill after success Naruto, but that didn't stop the series from using unnecessary filler to test the patience of longtime fans. Unsurprisingly, many fans felt like they'd aged a decade and were waiting for something meaningful to happen in it Boruto anime due to the amount of original content that is more frustrating than fun to watch.
Fortunately, fans can simply turn the pages Boruto manga to avoid filler. There is little or no irrelevant content in the manga, making it easier for the reader to catch up on the main story in no time. Instead of being put off by forgettable arcs, repetitive missions, and forgettable villains, readers can enjoy the story as it was meant to be in the manga.
Bleach
Just like NarutoBleach is notorious for filler episodes that usually kill the momentum of the main story, especially in its most intense arcs. Just when you thought Ichigo Kurosaki was about to make a breakthrough, the next episode switches to a bright and sunny beach setting where nothing important to the main story is happening.
Bleach has a reported total of 163 fillings, almost double the number Narutofillings. Between these irrelevant episodes, the Bount Arc overstayed its welcome by containing 28 episodes. Worse, this arc boasts nothing but forgettable villains who will never matter in the series again.
