Some anime have more filler than others. This means there are episodes which aren't part of the main story or manga that are added to fill in time. So, which series is the biggest filler offender?
Anime and filler episodes are nothing new. It is a well known fact that there are multiple anime series that are filled with extra content to elongate the watch and run time. Some anime are worse off than others, but which series do you have to skip the most useless content?
When thinking of anime and filler, most would think of Naruto, since the show is known for its vast amount of filler, but there are bigger offenders in the filler department which could shock you.
Filler episodes are non-canon episodes added to an anime or TV series that do not advance the main plot or develop central characters. They're often used to give the source material, like a manga, time to get ahead or to extend the series' runtime without affecting the main storyline.
The Most Famous Anime With Many Filler Episodes
There are some shows known for their filler content. Bleach, one of the "big three" anime of the early 2000s, has entire filler arcs, while Naruto is known for its long list of skippable episodes as well. But neither of these series has the highest amount of filler episodes.
Many of the anime on this filler list are from the 90s and early 2000s, which is when anime weren't released in seasons like today, but instead on a weekly basis without breaks, meaning that these series often had to take breaks and add-in filler to give the source material time to create enough of a puffer.
Trigun – 65% Filler
The show with the most filler episodes of all. Trigun has a total of 26 episodes, with 17 of those being filler, veering off from the main plot. For some perspective, that is 65% of the series being filler. This large amount of filler can be attributed to the manga going on hiatus for a while after its original publishing magazine shut down.
Therefore, most fans and even the mangaka himself have dubbed even the filler episodes of Trigun as canon, though they never appear in the official manga.
Sailor Moon – 49% Filler
Another older anime from the 90s on our list is Sailor Moon. While this is a cult classic and probably your start with anime, the series has a total of 98 filler episodes, while the total of episodes is 200. This distribution lands the series at an almost 50/50 split in terms of canon and filler.
Bleach – 45% Filler
Bleach also has a large amount of filler. Of 366 episodes, the show has 164 amounts of filler. During its original run, the series had caught up to the manga on a few occasions, which meant that the anime studio had to come up with filler episodes before they could continue with the main plot of the story.
Detective Conant – 45% Filler
Detective Conan is one of the longest running anime in the world, with an episode count rivaling that of One Piece. Detective Conan might not have the highest percentage of filler episodes, it is the series with the most amount of filler overall. But with over 1000 episodes, it isn't hard to have a lot of filler as well, right?
As of writing this article, Detective Conan has a total of 1113 episodes with 505 reported filler episodes, meaning the series sits at a 45% filler list.
Naruto & Naruto Shippuden – 41% Filler
Naruto and Shippuden feature the same amount of filler episodes. Shippuden marked the start of a new journey for Naruto as a grown up adolescent, while Naruto followed him as a younger boy just starting out on his journey as a ninja.
Naruto has a total of 220 episodes with 90 being filler, while Shippuden has a total of 500 episodes with 204 fillers. If we combine the two series we get a total of 770 episodes and 294 filler episodes, meaning Naruto overall has a total of 38%.
One Piece – 9% Filler
Now, one anime you might not have thought to be this low on the list is none other than One Piece. With 1093 episodes and counting, the series has only amassed a total of 95 filler episodes according to Anime Filler List. This means that the series only has about 9% filler, which is pretty insane.
One of the main reasons why this anime might have fewer filler episodes than others can be attributed to the horrible pacing of the anime, which is why Netflix is also remaking the anime from scratch.
Top 10 Anime With The Most Filler
With some of your favorite anime getting exposed, which are the shows with the most amount of filler? Well we've already told you the number one spot, but there are some other anime in the top 10 that could surprise you.
| Anime | Number of Episodes | Number of Filler | Filler Percentage |
| Trigun | 26 | 17 | 65% |
| Black Butler | 46 | 29 | 63% |
| Hayate the Combat Butler | 35 | 21 | 60% |
| To Love Ru | 39 | 21 | 55% |
| Sailor Moon | 200 | 98 | 49% |
| Hellsing | 13 | 6 | 46% |
| Bleach | 366 | 164 | 45% |
| Ranma ½ | 161 | 72 | 45% |
| Detective Conant | 1113 | 505 | 45% |
| Rosario + Vampire | 26 | 11 | 42% |
Some of these anime have high filler counts, due to their small amount of episode numbers. Black Butler is also slated to get a new anime, so hopefully we get to see fewer filler episode in that reboot of the iconic series.