Naruto Shippuden Canon Episode Guide: The Verified Skip List

Cut the pure filler and Naruto's 720 episodes become 427. Stick to strict manga canon and it's 306. Either way you're saving well over a hundred hours without missing a single panel of Kishimoto's story. This guide uses verified per-episode classifications — the same dataset behind our anime filler database — not the half-remembered ranges floating around forums (several of which will make you skip the Chunin Exam finals; more on that below).

The Short Version

Series	Episodes	Manga canon	Mixed	Filler	Filler %
Naruto (2002)	220	74	56	90	41%
Naruto Shippuden	500	232	64	203	41%

"Mixed" episodes adapt real manga material with anime padding around it — you watch those, you just know some scenes are stretched. Pure filler you can skip entirely.

Naruto (2002): What to Watch

Manga canon episodes:

1-6, 8, 10-13, 17, 22, 25, 31-36, 42, 48, 50-51, 61-62, 64-65, 67-68, 73, 75-82, 84-96, 107-111, 115-125, 128-129, 132-135

Mixed canon/filler (watch these — real story with padding):

7, 9, 14-16, 18-21, 23-24, 27-30, 37-41, 43-47, 49, 52-60, 63, 66, 69-72, 74, 83, 98-100, 112-114, 126-127, 130-131, 141-142, 220

Pure filler (skip):

26, 97, 101-106, 136-140, 143-219

Two traps worth calling out. First, the infamous end-of-series filler ocean is 136–219, not 136 to the end — episodes 141–142 sit inside that block and carry real material, and episode 220 is a mixed episode that bridges into Shippuden. Second, plenty of copy-pasted lists online mark stretches like 26–44 or 57–71 as filler. They are not — that range contains the Chunin Exam finals and the Sasuke retrieval build-up, the best arcs in the original series. Skip lists without sources cost you the good parts.

Naruto Shippuden: What to Watch

Manga canon episodes:

20-23, 26-27, 29-44, 46-48, 51-53, 55, 72-88, 114, 116-126, 129-143, 152-169, 172-175, 197-212, 214-222, 243-253, 255-256, 261-270, 272-278, 282-283, 297-302, 321-323, 325-326, 329, 332-337, 339-345, 363-375, 378-384, 387, 391-393, 414, 418, 420-421, 424-425, 459, 463, 470, 473-477, 484-500

Mixed canon/filler (watch):

1-19, 24-25, 45, 49-50, 54, 56, 89-90, 113, 115, 127-128, 213, 254, 296, 324, 327-328, 330-331, 338, 346, 362, 385-386, 415, 419, 426, 451-458, 460-462, 469, 471-472, 478-479

Pure filler (skip):

57-71, 91-112, 144-151, 170-171, 176-196, 223-242, 257-260, 271, 279-281, 284-295, 303-320, 347-361, 376-377, 388-390, 394-413, 416-417, 422-423, 427-450, 464-468, 480-483

Notes that save headaches: the first 19 episodes of Shippuden are "mixed," not filler — they adapt the Kazekage Rescue arc with padding, so watch them. Episode 28 is anime-canon (an original episode supervised into continuity — watchable, skippable). And 451–458 adapts Itachi Shinden, a canon novel — it's classified mixed, and it's some of the best material in late Shippuden.

The Fillers Actually Worth Watching

Skipping everything above is the efficient run. But two filler blocks have genuine fan followings:

• The Kakashi ANBU arc (349–361) — the one filler arc people defend in every thread, and for good reason: it fills in Kakashi's darkest years with real emotional weight and some of the better animation in late Shippuden.
• The Power arc (290–295) — a self-contained six-parter made for the anime's 500th-episode milestone era, with standout sakuga moments.

Treat them as optional side content after your canon run, not interruptions during it.

How to Actually Run This

1. Keep this page (or the full filler database covering 12 series) open in a tab.
2. Watch canon + mixed, skip pure filler. When a filler block starts, jump to the next canon number — the story will connect cleanly, because that's the definition of filler.
3. Crunchyroll carries both series in most regions; see our where to watch guide for alternatives.
4. For which fillers are least painful if you'd rather not skip at all, our Naruto filler deep-dive ranks them.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many canon episodes are in Naruto Shippuden?

232 manga-canon episodes out of 500, plus 64 mixed episodes that adapt canon material with padding. Watching canon + mixed = 296 episodes.

Can I skip the first episodes of Shippuden?

No — episodes 1–19 are mixed, not filler. They adapt the Kazekage Rescue arc. Start at episode 1.

What is the longest filler stretch?

In the original series, 143–219 (with 141–142 canon-relevant just before it). In Shippuden, 394–413 and 427–450 are the big late-series blocks.

Are any Naruto fillers worth watching?

The Kakashi ANBU arc (Shippuden 349–361) is the consensus pick. The Power arc (290–295) is a solid second.

Is Boruto filler too?

Boruto is a different case — most of it is anime-canon (original stories made under the author's supervision) rather than classic filler. See the Boruto section of our filler database.

Episode classifications verified against community consensus (animefillerlist.com) and cross-checked with the manga on July 19, 2026. Spot an error? Tell us — corrections ship the same week.