Filler, love it or hate it?

[CatMarieS]

Filler is when an anime deviates from the manga and adds an entirely new scene or episode. Back on the Planet Namek message boards, debates would rage for days on the legitimacy of filler, whether it was canon, or whether it was even likable. So what does everyone think? Is filler good or bad?

I have mixed feelings myself. Clearly filler has done nothing but bog shows like Rurouni Kenshin and Inuyasha down, but it also adds extra moments with our favorite characters. Unfortunately, when it comes to debates and vs matches, things get hairy when people insist that filler isn't canon. So what, dear forum denziens, is the final verdict?

[Balboa]

I have mixed feelings on filler. While I can enjoy a filler episode every once and awhile I can't stand it when they over do it in series' such as Naruto and InuYasha. Its fun here and there, just not 10+ episodes in a row.:p

[-Kin-]

I despise fillers. A few fillers once in a while are alright I guess, but most time they just hurt the series. I mean, just look at Naruto! It's been straight fillers for, what, almost a year now? It's absurd.

[Michael]

Filler can be funny, but most of the time it just seems tedious. The current filler arcs in Naruto are a good example for me - God, most of them I've found to be very very boring with the exception of a few arcs.

[Rubbersoul]

I tend to love fillers, but I can understand the disdain for them.

[LT Stormwalker]

It depends on how it's handled. Some can be fun some can suck.

[Rukida]

I got the whole lot of the Naruto fillers 'coz Kabuto was in one of them XD.

[CatMarieS]

I tend to love fillers, but I can understand the disdain for them.
In general, the original manga is fine the way it is, and extra stories tend to be inferior to the original material, slow an already long story down, and sometimes add absolutely nothing to the story. Also, many people disagree as to whether it is canon or not. So if I said that Tienshinhan could beat Krillin because he almost killed cell, you could argue that that incident was only filler, and therefore Tien would never stand a change against Krillin.

[AmyIshida]

Fillers are fine if you don't have too much of it. They are usually comedy and it's great that way. When you start sticking tons of fillers in a long series or sticking in filler arcs, it gets a bit annoying. ^^;; Such as Inuyasha since if they took out the fillers, they could've done a lot more to the actual plot in the anime. Although, if the reason was because the anime was coming out faster then the manga plot then it's kind of reasonable. ^^;;

[Ch*yeuk]

The only anime I have watched that I know have fillers in them is Prince of Tennis. And the fillers are what made the show more successfull, in my opinion. They are hilairious...

[Nikora]

I usually dont tend to mind fillers; unless they got completly overboard, Naruto, mentioned several times in this thread is a prime example, ive stopped watching it completly while the fillers are on and starting to loose my interest in the show.
Bleach is another show that is showing fillers, however im quite enjoying them, aparently the creators are getting help from Tite Kubo (author), which is why they are quite well done. So it really all depends on how the creators go about it...

[CatMarieS]

Fillers are fine if you don't have too much of it. They are usually comedy and it's great that way. When you start sticking tons of fillers in a long series or sticking in filler arcs, it gets a bit annoying. ^^;; Such as Inuyasha since if they took out the fillers, they could've done a lot more to the actual plot in the anime. Although, if the reason was because the anime was coming out faster then the manga plot then it's kind of reasonable. ^^;;

Well, it annoys me especially in Inuyasha because it gets to the point that there is no plot and it's boring. I used to like Inuyasha, but both the anime and manga became so repititious that I gave it up.

[DeathScytheHC]

I have to agree with -Kin- a few fillers are ok now and then, but a seson and a half of pure fillers? You gotta be kidding me!!!
That was why we never got to see the ending of Rurouni Kenshin on TV

[tenshiforgotten]

Fillers in the middle of an important battle, or arc is HORRID. You wait a week for this great moment and you get a filler. CRAP. But, if it's at the beginning or ending of a season, or at a moment where something has been settled it's nice. Prince of Tennis fillers are hillarious, when it's not in the middle of a match. --; They have to have point though. Randomly entering someone (say a Yuki Fan Club Member - Fruits Basket) really kind of annoys me. Hanajima is good, because she's a main minor character (oxymoron!) but whatever floats your boat I guess.

Sometimes you need fillers because the actual plotline is getting to hot and heavy to watch every week. You need a break. But othertimes, it feels like they're just entering them to waste time. --;

[Rabid_Ant]

I enjoy a few fillers, but a few, not a whole years worth of them. Naruto and DBZ lost my interest because of fights that took 6-10 episodes just to finish one battle.

[Rabid_Ant]

And I completely agree with you there, I do NOT want to recap a person's entire life story five times in one battle.

[Anjolina]

Well fillers are ok as long as they don't change the plot or an important part of it in the story. :)

[vanityvile]

Filler filler filler, hate it completely. You guys have already mentioned the big titles, the KINGS of filler: Naruto, DBZ, and Inuyasha. If I had to assassinate one of these, I would take out Inuyasha with much hatred in my black little heart. Inuyasha has become background noise in my opinion.

[KittyBlue]

Hum.. I'm not really sure.. it's true that there's some animes that should just be left alone.. because sometimes the filler can really just kind of ruin them.. But I have to admit that if it's in a fav anime of mine and if it's actually scenes with my fav character.. I'll probably like it! :D

[Kagura]

Well I think the longer the anime the more fillers you're going to have to contend with, case in point Inu Yasha.

[Krystal Nacht Anonymous]

I'm not too fond of fillers, personally. They just seem like they're put there to waste my time.

[creamy]

i also think fillers are ok as long as it is some of time not continues as in naruto. it can get boring sometimes and annoying

[Kyaa the Catlord]

It really depends on the filler. Sometimes they can help flesh out the characters or slow down the action when it is getting out of hand. Some "filler" is necessary, shows do not translate directly from print to film without any deviation from the original work and if they did, they'd be horrid.

[Lokizzo]

Fillers are fine I suppose, however I despise them when they introduce new characters into the permanent story, or develop parts of the existing characters to the point that they are no longer true to the image presented in the manga, even if they do show the same events.

[Slyck]

Ok im going to throw my two cents in. Yeah, all the main culperates have been mentioned (especially naruto. God I hate those crappy fillers with a vengance). But I had to drag this out:

<Filler is when an anime deviates from the manga and adds an entirely new scene or episode>

That would make most of the Full metal alchemist anime filler. But FMA is fantastic. And filler isnt. Anyone who has read the manga knows there are VERY big changes made. But they work perfectlly.

And someone also mentioned Bleach. While I hate the fact we havent got to the vizard eps yet, this bound story isnt too shabby

[SaSuNaRu]

I just have to say one thing:

Money save me no jutsu!!


*shivers*

[lolitaiori]

GAH! FILLERS!!! NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!! Just kidding. As long as there aren't too many *cough "Naruto" cough* I'll be okay.

[tsukasa]

The last 3 episodes of .Hack//Sign.
Though not technically fillers (because they take place at the end of the series) are great and very funny. Plus it was nice to see all the characters from the games and Anime together.

[*Aka*]

Fillers are ok, if there are few and far between, but if there are a lot of fillers in a row (naruto) it gets annoying.

[Meowchi]

I hate fillers with a passion, but I have come to accept the fact that they are unavoidable. So I can deal with them now as a necessary evil. :)

[evilmingdoctor]

not exactly lovable - i s'pose they can be quaint sometimes, but other thn tht - no, no; bleach can be annoying for fillers when ure eager to get to the next bit of the story

[thatthat]

HATE FILLERS!!! :( :( :(
i have stop reading/watching naruto and bleach because of it and when heard of it never picked up inuyasha too. they are pointless and stupid. if the anime has caught up with the manga then they should just stop airing the show for a bit untill more manga is out. i'm glad at lease one piece has ok fillers.

[AjisainoHime]

I HATE FILLERS! -kicks in wall- but if its a good filler then i can deal with it but if they are bad then i just have the need to skip the episode. I believe Full Moon wo Sagashite and a couple other animes would be awesome if they didn't do fillers.

[Alphonse Elric]

some fillers i can't stand.. but then again they can always make the story better...

[Sukeny]

I'm not really sure. Fillers can be nice to have, but they have to be put into the right spot. Otherwise fillers can be pretty entertaining.

[QueenSerenity]

Some filler episodes are okay... really it just depends how often and if it's throughout the entire series. I never even finished Kenshin because it seemed like everlasting fillers. I love every last episode of Sailor Moon but I never can get anyone to sit through like 15 filler episodes with me to get to the good parts. To me it just hurts the anime because nobody will ever watch them to the end when there are too many fillers..

[ManateeGirl]

well, fillers can be good, if they are done right, but stuff like naruto just pisses me off <_<

[vainya]

It all depends on what you like about the anime. If you like story then fillers probably aren't that bad but if you like action then they suck. For an example, I liked the whole season of fillers for Naruto because I felt they progressed the story but when I talked to my friend about the same season he hated it because there wasn't enough action

[ShiftyAngel]

Fillers are OK. Sometimes they have really funny stuff in them, but I read the Bleach manga, and the fillers they have now are just stalling for the manga, and the newest arc is really cool.
But the bleach fillers have really weird animation that varies from episode to episode, so that is kinda lame.

[Meroko Yui]

some fillers are ok... but others just dilute the show, like Inuyasha.

[Tsuri]

I think it depends truthfully, sometimes the stories are really cute and good, though still I do wish they'd put more of the actual story in there... >.<

[kianah]

like most of those (that i can tell) that have posted, my feelings on filler is mixed.
On one hand, having the chance to see a different story or a different side of the current story can be interesting; and will sometimes even offer more information and insight to the characters and their situation.
On the other hand, filler sometimes does throw me off balance, and I can't get back to the original storyline easily.

i s'pose that it really depends not only on the content of the filler, but also the content of the major story arc, and the the timing of the filler (where in the major story arc it's placed).

[Jacku]

I don't mind filler episodes but I don't want to watch a whole arc.

[AnimeDudde]

Depends, most of them suck. Like in DragonballZ, filler = just stand there and stare at each other for 20 minutes. If it has a good story, then its fine :P

In the case of Inu Yasha, canon and filler both feel the same, so it doesnt matter much there ... >.>

[SakuraFairy]

If its onto the original story i don't mind too much, coz if its a favourite series it just means more right? But when they change the storyline and leave out things, Oh god I just want to pummel them!!

[Miako]

Fillers are good...sometimes. In some cases they give the chance for more background about the characters to arise. And more details about past battles and such. And sometimes fillers are just stupid and pointless and your like wtf.

[AnimeDudde]

Fillers are good...sometimes. In some cases they give the chance for more background about the characters to arise. And more details about past battles and such. And sometimes fillers are just stupid and pointless and your like wtf.

and sometimes there so good your like "OMG WATCH!" LOL

[Riri_chan]

i dont mind filler but to much isnt good cuz at some times to much filler makes it fell like nothing news gunna happen that all the irrelevan stuff going on.

[Miako]

and sometimes there so good your like "OMG WATCH!" LOL

HAHAHAHAHA. That's forever gonna be funny.

[AnimeDudde]

HAHAHAHAHA. That's forever gonna be funny.

quoted for truth :D

[SakuraFairy]

Or like episodes that aren't really nescessary, just funny, like the full metal episode devoted to the flame alchemist, roy mustang

[MangaAddict]

I have mixed feelings about fillers. They do provide good comic relief at times and help you get to know characters better, but sometimes they just clutter the series with nonsense. Maybe one here and there is okay, but not when there's a huge chunk of fillers.

[Riri_chan]

Or like episodes that aren't really nescessary, just funny, like the full metal episode devoted to the flame alchemist, roy mustang
Haha yha i like Roy too :D

[Animegl]

Sometimes I like fillers cause they are funny sometimes, but it dependes on the series

[dreamcatcher]

http://C:\Documents and Settings\Ponce\My Documents\My Pictures\2005_0305Image

[SakuraFairy]

Haha yha i like Roy too :D

did you see that episode? about warehouse 13?

[Kurama]

Some fillers can be good like the Roy Mustang episode from Fullmetal Alchemist or the Naruto episode where they tried to take off Kakashi's mask those were both really funny. However when fillers get there own arc's like how Naruto and Bleach currently have its lame.

[baka101]

Depends. I really liked the fillers in Kenshin. Some of the show's really good moments were in those. Fillers are nice in between epic story arcs, especially the ones that show some of their life outside of adventuring. As long as theres not too many, and they don't interupt the flow of story, then there fine in my opinion.

[Frofro]

I usually love filler episodes. Most shows have great ones. I especially love the ones in Prince of Tennis. Sorry to say, but just tennis matches get boring after a while, so it's nice to have those filler and chibi epsodes in there.

[dreamcatcher]

I don't usually mind fillers but sometimes they can be annoying. Its like " Ok now, on with the story!"

[SakuraFairy]

I don't usually mind fillers but sometimes they can be annoying. Its like " Ok now, on with the story!"


as long as its surplus footage of a series i like, then awesome, just extra watching time with your fav characters! I hate when a series ends, even if there was really no-where else for it to go.

[dreamcatcher]

as long as its surplus footage of a series i like, then awesome, just extra watching time with your fav characters! I hate when a series ends, even if there was really no-where else for it to go.

yeah, sometimes I like a series and it's characters so much that I don't care if it takes fillers to let me see more of them

[SakuraFairy]

yeah, sometimes I like a series and it's characters so much that I don't care if it takes fillers to let me see more of them


yay!!! oh i wish the oringinal people would read fanfiction suggestions and make lots of later alternative suggested endings and interesting surplus episodes...

[dreamcatcher]

yay!!! oh i wish the oringinal people would read fanfiction suggestions and make lots of later alternative suggested endings and interesting surplus episodes...


Yeah! that would be so cool. I've read alot of good fanfics that I think would be cool if they animated them or something

[SakuraFairy]

Yeah! that would be so cool. I've read alot of good fanfics that I think would be cool if they animated them or something


yeah, only if done by the makers, i hate seeing crappily drawn fan fics that look nothing like them whatsoever. The surplus episodes wouldn't nesscessarily need to interconnect, just be availiable individualy

[dreamcatcher]

yeah, only if done by the makers, i hate seeing crappily drawn fan fics that look nothing like them whatsoever. The surplus episodes wouldn't nesscessarily need to interconnect, just be availiable individualy

took the words right out of my mouth

[chibikodo]

Fillers are the bane of my existence... since they usually are deviations from manga adaptations, and I enjoy watching anime that follow the manga storyline... unless the anime adaption is completely different, which then makes the anime enjoyable and unpredicatable.

The only fillers I enjoy watching are for The Prince of Tennis.. and even then, I only like the chibi episodes or the cracked episodes. If it's completely insane, then it's all good.

[elisegrey]

Normally I'd go with hate hate hate. But!

I've just heard about the filler episode of Bleach, in which Soi Fong gives Yoruichi a valentines. I almost exploded with squee. :D

[alucard666]

i'm all for fillers they let you learn more about the chacters, but it gets to a point where it's just ridiculous. naruto is the best example whats it at now like 50 episodes of fillers, come on. i like naruto it's one of my favorite shows but i would like to see the actual story line.

[ZeKarmiSama]

I don't like fillers most of the time. Well, cute/humorous deviations are good once in a while, but sometimes it's just argh!

Out of all extra filler I hate the extra story arcs on the Yugioh anime the most. I mean, the Noa thing and um, what's the name of the really weird pink-haired guy? were really dull... and there's an unnecessary amount of wasted time on Kaiba... I swear, he is the most static character short of a video game NPC... Yugi could probably save his him until the cows come home and he'd still be an ungrateful snot.

[Ishi]

Some fillers dont bother me to bad, but to many is too many. I won't say I hate them because I've seen some that are really funny. I've also seen some too that are just plain stupid. So a filler every once in a great while, no prob. Something like five fillers in a row, or one that leaves you thinking, "Why do I watch this again?" Those fillers I could do quite well without.

[nikitia]

good filler ~ back story on characters that are interesting
bad filler~ recap crap

[YamPuff]

It all depends on the filler. For example, Hunter x Hunter has some of the best filler you will ever see in your life. The Batlleship arc. Pure filler. And if you just watched the anime you would never have even guessed, it fit so seamlessly into the show. In fact the filler in Hunter x Hunter made it better than the manga.

In Sailor Moon, filler episodes gave life to minor characters like Sailor Saturn and the Sailor Starlights as well as one of the best filler arcs ever, at the start of Sailor Stars. On the other hand filler viciously killed SuperS.