As a part of the Big Three ofShonen Jump,Narutohas been setting the standards for other anime/manga series. Many people consider it to be the quintessential anime series because of its incredible story and action scenes. One of the biggest issues with theNarutoanime is the obnoxious amount of fillers.
RELATED:Naruto: Techniques You Didn’t Know Kakashi Could Use
The series is known for putting out filler content to prolong the story. This was mainly done to keep a certain gap between the manga and the anime. While many of the filler episodes were of extremely poor quality, there are a handful of others that offer the viewers a solid experience.
Updated on Jul 07, 2025, by Suzail Ahmad:Naruto might have ended a long time ago, but its fanbase keeps on growing with every passing day. It already has a sequel, and in the last few months, many spinoffs about different Naruto characters have also been released. However, nothing quite compares to the original series. The Naruto anime has many high-quality arcs that can be enjoyed repeatedly. Aside from the canon material, there are certain filler episodes that offer both action and laughter. With that in mind, the list has been updated with thebest Naruto filler episodes.
11The Appearance of Strange Visitors (Episode 161)
One thing that separates Naruto from the rest of the characters is his ability to be unbelievably stupid. Only Naruto would fall for a poor disguise and fail to see through it. In this particular episode, Naruto sought out Rock Lee and Might Guy as he believed that they could help him.
Unbeknownst to him, the real Guy and Lee were away on a mission. During his search, Naruto came across two men, who had dressed up Lee and Guy in an attempt to steal the secrets of the village. While the rest of the village easily saw through their disguise, Naruto believed that they were the real deal.
10Laughing Shino (Episode 186)
Shino is one of themembers of Konoha 11, and he is known for maintaining a serious look at all times. For the majority of the series, Shino kept to himself and hardly interacted with anyone else. So, this episode came as a blessing for all his fans, who wanted to see him break his character.
RELATED:Naruto: Strongest Clans In The Series
In this episode, Naruto and Shino were sent to a village to help a man to inherit his father’s wealth. The two remain extremely cautious and try everything to help the man. In order to protect the man, Shino eats his food to check for poison. He does not find any toxic substances, but he starts to laugh uncontrollably. This leads to Naruto stepping in and taking the center stage.
9Viva Dojo Challenge! Youth Is All About Passion! (Episode 193)
As the name suggests, the episode is quite bizarre and hilarious. When Naruto returns to the village, he comes across a poster for a dojo. Unaware that Lee owned the dojo, Naruto decides to go to the location, where the taijutsu expert slams him into the wall.
After Lee realizes his mistake, he tells Naruto the reason behind opening the dojo. Naruto declines Lee’s request and leaves the dojo, only to bump into Might Guy. Naruto is unaware of the fact that he is with the fake Guy. The young ninja drags the imposter to Lee’s dojo, and he ends up being badly beaten. As the episode goes on, it only gets more confusing and funnier.
8A Past to Be Erased (Episode 215)
It is episode 215 of the originalNarutoanime and the final episode of the Menma Memory Search Mission, which is one of thebest Naruto filler arcs. The episode focuses on Menma and his past. After being injured by the bandits, Menma reveals that he used to be one of them. Surprised by the revelation, Naruto still decides to give Menma a chance because of the latter’s determination.
Menma tells the Hidden Leaf ninjas about his boss’s plan to flood the entire town. Sadly, Menma is left with no other option but to sacrifice his life to save the people. The episode brings an end to a good filler arc and offers more development for the main characters.
7Kakashi Shows His Face (Episode 469)
For a long time, Kakashi’s face tantalized the audience, as he kept his face hidden with a mask for the majority of the series. The mask covered his mouth, and nose, while the headband covered his left eye. In this particular episode, Naruto talks to Sakura and Sasuke about getting a higher-ranked mission.
Eventually, Naruto comes up with the idea of seeing Kakashi without a mask, and surprisingly, Sasuke was interested in the plan. The three young ninjas then begin their journey to find a picture of Kakashi maskless and suffice to say, the episode offers great laughs, which definitely makes it worth watching.
6The Mask That Hides The Heart (Episode 349)
It is not a secret that Kakashi’s life has been filled with many sad moments. Kakashi suffered a great deal of trauma in the Third Great Ninja War, and it turned him into a recluse.Kakashi had nightmares about Rin’s death, which caused him to be holed up in his house even more.
RELATED:Smartest Shonen Anime Villains, Ranked
The episode focused on Kakashi’s mental health after the deaths of two of his closest friends, Obito and Rin. After Minato was appointed the Hokage, he tried to send Kakashi on a mission, but the young ninja struggled to stay focused and ended up being saved by Might Guy. Guy then informed Minato of the incident, and he asked Kakashi to join the Anbu. Since Kakashi had tried all the other ways of getting over his past, he decided to give Minato’s idea a shot and ended up joining the Anbu.
5Minato’s Death (Episode 350)
Following his appointmentas the Hokage of the Hidden Leaf, Minato got to work immediately. In his mind, Minato thought that he would have a long and peaceful reign as the Hokage, but there were threats lurking in the dark, and he was completely unaware of them.
On the night when Naruto was born, Minato was extremely happy, and he wanted to spend time with his family. Unfortunately for Minato, Obito decided to invade the Hidden Leaf and unleash the Nine-Tails, which resulted in the deaths of Kushina, Minato, and many other villagers. The death of his teacher shook Kakashi to his very core, and Danzo took advantage of the situation by convincing him to join the Root.
4The Rogue Ninja: Orochimaru (Episode 352)
The episode focused onHiruzen’s relationship with his former pupil, Orochimaru. After finding out about Orochimaru’s unethical experiments, Hiruzen knew that he had to take action. The episode explored the relationship between a teacher and a student. It exquisitely highlighted how much Hiruzen loved his student.
RELATED:Naruto: Characters That Are Irredeemable
On his way to the border, Orochimaru was attacked by Kakashi, but the latter could not do much against the member of the Legendary Sannin.
3A Lesson Learned: Iron Fist Of Love (Part I, Episode 153)
It is a filler episode from Part I, in which Naruto goes after Rokusuke. While trying to find Rokusuke, Naruto’s group comes across the Kurosuki Family. The group ambushed the Kurosuki Family members and managed to free the old man.
To everyone’s shock, Rock Lee meets an old friend, Karashi, who is working with the Kurosuki family. Lee tries to convince Karashi to return to his old ways, but the latter chooses to stay with his new group. Toward the end of the episode, Naruto’s group tries to chase Raiga.
2Power Episode Final (Episode 295)
It is the final episode of the Power arc, which is a highly-rated filler arc. It takes place right before Naruto joins the fray inthe Fourth Great Ninja War. In this episode, Naruto is pushed to the extreme by the mutated Nine-Tails clone.
With the pressure building, Naruto starts to consider the Nine-Tails' offer, but thankfully, Minato’s voice guided him to do the right thing. Naruto eventually manages to overcome his confidence issues and defeats the opponent, thus bringing an end to all the chaos.
