Black Clover Filler List: Every Episode to Skip (and the Few Worth Watching)

Season 2 premieres October 3, 2026 on Crunchyroll, five years after the original run ended. This guide uses that gap to give a full four-way classification, tell you which filler episodes actually earn their runtime, show the arithmetic instead of just asserting a total, and answer the two questions viewers ask right before a season 2 rewatch: where the movie fits, and what manga chapter picks up the story.

This page classifies episodes the way Anime Filler List does, cross-checked against Wikipedia's episode list for the total count, air dates, and titles. It is not an official Studio Pierrot or Shueisha ruling — no such ruling exists for any anime. Where a catch-up detail is genuinely disputed between sources, that disagreement is stated rather than resolved by guessing.

The four-way classification

Those four counts sum to 170 with no gaps or overlaps, which is worth checking yourself against the ranges above — a lot of filler lists lose an episode or two in the arithmetic.

Mixed canon/filler episodes are not filler. Anime Filler List's own methodology treats "mixed" as episodes that blend real manga-chapter material with original scenes, not as optional content. Skipping episode 30 or 69 the way you'd skip pure filler risks missing manga-canon beats.

How much time do you actually save?

Using the standard 24-minute average episode runtime (opening and ending included):

• Skip only pure filler: 18 episodes × 24 minutes = 432 minutes — 7 hours and 12 minutes.
• Also skip anime-canon episodes: 18 + 21 = 39 episodes × 24 minutes = 936 minutes — 15 hours and 36 minutes.

The second number is bigger for a reason: anime-canon episodes are original material, not adaptations of a specific manga chapter, so a manga-purist route can treat them the same as filler. The tradeoff is that a few of Black Clover's anime-canon stretches (episodes 136-141, for example) exist to smooth pacing around manga-canon arcs, so cutting them can make later scenes feel like they skip a step. Pure-filler-only is the safer default; skip anime-canon too only if minimizing runtime matters more than continuity polish to you.

Which filler episodes are worth watching, arc by arc

Not all 18 filler episodes are equal. Using their real titles from Wikipedia's episode list:

• Episode 29, "Path" — a single-episode detour early in the Eye of the Midnight Sun: Royal Capital Invasion Arc. Low stakes, easy skip.
• Episode 66, "The Eye of the Midnight Sun's Secret" — despite the plot-sounding title, this is classified pure filler, not an Eye of the Midnight Sun reveal. Skip it without worrying you're missing lore.
• Episode 68, "Battle to the Death?! Yami vs. Jack" — a non-canon fight between two popular Black Bull captains and rivals. If you're watching for character moments rather than manga fidelity, this is the strongest pure-filler pick on the list: a genuine Yami-and-Jack showdown that the manga never drew.
• Episode 82, "Petit Clover! The Nightmarish Charmy SP!" — a "Petit Clover" chibi comedy short, Black Clover's recurring gag format. Skip for plot, watch only if you want the comedy tone.
• Episodes 123-125, "Nero Reminisces... Part One," "Part Two," and "Return" — an anime-original expansion of Nero's backstory right before the Elf Reincarnation Arc. This is the one filler block worth considering even on a manga-first watch: Nero's history gets comparatively little screen time in the manga at this point in the story, so these three episodes add characterization the source material doesn't spend a chapter on.
• Episode 131, "A New Resolve" — a single transitional episode. Skip.
• Episodes 134-135, "Those Who Have Been Gathered" and "The One Who Has My Heart, My Mind, and Soul" — a two-part original detour. Skip unless you want extra material with the supporting cast.
• Episodes 142-149 (eight episodes) — the single largest filler block on the list, an anime-original arc involving a devil-worshipping cult, unconnected to the manga's Spade Kingdom material. At 24 minutes each, this block alone is 192 minutes (3 hours 12 minutes) of the 432-minute total. It's a self-contained side story: skip it for a manga-story-first route, or watch it as a standalone detour if you want a complete anime-original arc rather than isolated episodes.

The practical shortlist: if you only watch one filler stretch, make it episodes 123-125 for Nero's backstory. If you only watch one single filler episode for fun rather than plot, make it episode 68.

Where does the movie fit?

Black Clover: Sword of the Wizard King released June 16, 2023, in Japanese theaters and simultaneously on Netflix internationally, with an original story not adapted from the manga. According to Wikipedia, it takes place during the six-month gap between the Elf Reincarnation Arc and the Heart Kingdom Joint Struggle Arc — roughly between episodes 157 and 158. If you're rewatching in order, that's the natural place to slot it in; watching it after all 170 episodes also works and avoids interrupting the final stretch before the Spade Kingdom conflict.

Where does the manga continue after episode 170?

This is the one place sources disagree, so both claims are on the record: ComicBook.com states readers should resume at chapter 170, matching the episode number directly. But Controller and Cape's chapter finder and several other catch-up guides place the resume point at chapter 270, noting that episode 170 adapts material through roughly chapters 268-270 — the manga had already pulled well ahead of the anime's episode count by that point in serialization.

Chapter 270 is the better-supported number here: an anime that runs 170 episodes over manga chapters that started at issue 1 does not stay at 1:1 pacing for 170 chapters once faster arcs, recaps, and filler are factored in, and the multiple chapter-finder sources agree with each other independently. Treat chapter 170 as the minority claim, and start at chapter 270 if you want the least overlap with what you've already watched.

The manga itself has finished: it ran in Weekly Shonen Jump until August 2023, moved to the quarterly Jump Giga for its final arc, and concluded around May 2026 at 38 volumes, with its last chapters landing in the 390-392 range on MangaUpdates. So picking up at chapter 270 does not mean joining an ongoing story — it means catching up to a complete ending, whenever you're ready to read that far.

Where can you watch it, and what about season 2?

As listed on JustWatch on September 28, 2026, the original 170-episode run streams on Crunchyroll (the first 25 episodes free with ads) and Netflix in the US, with Hulu carrying only seasons 2 through 4 rather than the full run — so Crunchyroll or Netflix are the reliable choices if you want season 1 from episode 1.

Season 2 is confirmed for October 3, 2026 on Crunchyroll, per Crunchyroll's own announcement. Studio Pierrot returns, with Ayataka Tanemura — director of Sword of the Wizard King — taking over as series director. No episodes of season 2 have aired as of this writing, so there is no filler classification for it yet; this page will get one once there's material to classify. For the rest of the current release calendar, the site's anime release-date schedule tracks confirmed premiere dates across the season.

A simple catch-up route

1. Watch all manga-canon and mixed canon/filler episodes — that's 124 + 7 = 131 episodes with no gaps.
2. Watch anime-canon episodes too, unless you're optimizing purely for runtime.
3. Skip the 18 pure-filler episodes listed above, except episodes 123-125 if you want the extra Nero characterization.
4. Slot the movie in around episode 157-158, or watch it after episode 170.
5. Continue with manga chapter 270 once you've finished the anime.

This site's filler-guide hub applies the same four-way method to other long-running series, so the categories carry over even though the exact episode numbers don't. For classification of other franchises using the identical method, see the One Piece filler list, the Bleach filler list, and the Naruto Shippuden canon episode guide. If you're planning a full rewatch before season 2, the site's watch-order hub and legal streaming guide cover viewing order and regional availability questions this page doesn't.

Continue the story in print

Since the anime hasn't reached the manga's final arc, readers who want to see how Black Clover actually ends have to go to the source. If you'd rather own the physical volumes than read digitally, current Black Clover manga box sets and volumes on Amazon are one way to start building toward chapter 270 and beyond, once you've checked the exact volumes included, the seller, and the current price yourself.

Affiliate disclosure: PrimeTimeAnime may earn from qualifying Amazon purchases. The episode classification and skip guidance above do not depend on a purchase.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many filler episodes does Black Clover have?

18 pure-filler episodes across 170 total, using Anime Filler List's classification: episodes 29, 66, 68, 82, 123-125, 131, 134-135, and 142-149. A separate 7 episodes are mixed canon/filler and should not be skipped, and 21 more are anime-original "anime canon" episodes, which are optional but distinct from pure filler.

How much time do you save skipping Black Clover filler?

432 minutes — 7 hours and 12 minutes — skipping only the 18 pure-filler episodes at 24 minutes each. Skipping the 21 anime-canon episodes as well raises the total to 936 minutes, or 15 hours and 36 minutes.

Is Black Clover: Sword of the Wizard King canon?

It's an anime-original story not adapted from the manga, but it takes place within the anime's own timeline — during the six-month gap between the Elf Reincarnation Arc and the Heart Kingdom Joint Struggle Arc, roughly between episodes 157 and 158.

What manga chapter should I start at after episode 170?

Most sources point to chapter 270, since episode 170 adapts material through roughly chapters 268-270. One source states chapter 170 instead; the two disagree, and chapter 270 has more independent support.

Is the Black Clover manga finished?

Yes. It ran in Weekly Shonen Jump until August 2023, moved to the quarterly Jump Giga for its final arc, and concluded around May 2026 at 38 volumes, with its last chapters in the 390-392 range.

When does Black Clover season 2 premiere?

October 3, 2026, on Crunchyroll, with Studio Pierrot returning and Ayataka Tanemura directing. No season 2 episodes have aired yet, so no filler classification exists for it.

Are episodes 123-125 worth watching even though they're filler?

They're the one filler stretch this guide recommends keeping on a manga-first watch: an anime-original expansion of Nero's backstory that adds characterization the manga doesn't spend as much time on at this point in the story.