Hey guys! I have been debating watching Naruto for ages (like literally a year), but I am already stuck on episode six. After hearing so many bitter comments about filler episodes and other things I wonder if Naruto is still worth watching.
Filler Episodes, also known as non-cannon work. According to Anime Filler List, there are 91 filler episodes out of the total 220 episodes in the original Naruto Series. That comes out to be around 41% filler. Most all of the filler episodes happen after the first 100 episodes. Naruto Shippuden also has an impressive number of fillers. According to Anime Filler List, 188 out of the 441 reported episodes contain a large amount of filler, which is 43% of the series.
Now that the facts are here, I have a question for all of you: Is it worth it? I have heard an incredible amount of distain for these episodes, as well as some praise for certain arcs that succeeded in entertaining the audience and developing certain characters. Personally, I tend to not care about fillers very much as long as they don’t affects the overall feel of the anime.
Personally, I find the various filler memes online to be pretty funny, although I wonder how much filler hate really influences those.
Another problem I have heard about this series is the apparent drop in animation quality. I don’t think I can add too much to this since I have not watched very much of the series. From the gifs I have seen floating around the internet, there does seem to be some bizarre and half-assed animation occurring, especially in Shippuden. The use of CGI in anime these days is something that doesn’t necessarily take away from the anime. I don’t usually mind CGI but the gifs I have seen greatly stray from the animation style of Naruto, and that is what pisses me off.
Copious amounts of flashbacks also seem to piss off people a fair amount. I’ve watched about only 6 episodes and the amount of flashbacks in that period of time has indeed been a little it annoying. Flashbacks only truly piss me off when they take up time that could be better spent in an episode, or if we have already seen the same flashback way too many times. If the flashbacks serve a purpose, like they do in the series Concrete Revolutio, then I enjoy them, as they can deepen a plot and characters.
Well here are my quick notes/thoughts about Naruto. I will probably end up watching this eventually but we shall see… Share your thoughts!
SLOANER ANIME 
For me, the best way to get into Naruto was just ignore the linear path the show charts out for you.
I started viewing at the Tsunade retrieval arc. It was easy enough to follow along. Naruto is so full of flashbacks and recaps and filler arcs that recap, that you REALLY won’t miss much.
Personally, I’ve never finished the Zabuza arc all the way through. I watched the Chunin exams well after I “finished” the first series…all in all, if there’s an element you find interesting, if there’s a character you want to know more about? Find out where that element excels and watch those episodes first, as you probably have some understanding of the basics.
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Thank you! I’ll keep all that in mind when I finally get to watching 🙂
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I dunno. I liked the original Naruto, without fillers. I feel that the first series of canon content – was well planned out. Then I felt they were just making it up as they go.
I recommend just the first bit till the departure of a certain main character. I treat the rest much like I treat Bleach after ~episode 63. “They are totally making it up as they go.” [They literally are, it is part of the creative process, but it is after those points for both series that story telling quality decreases – but all imo, you could risk it and find you love it… xD]
Best of luck~~~
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I’ve watched only 14 episodes but it’s soooo slow and they talk too much so I don’t like it. My friend who watched this said I should just skip to the Chunin exam so I did what he said I should. I found an episode that is titled “Chunin exam begins” or something like that but in the episode, the Chunin exam didn’t even start yet. I felt like I was trolled so imma just drop this anime here…
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If you’re worried about the fillers, just read the manga. Or you can watch the anime and just skip the fillers. I personally don’t mind fillers, as some of them are good that I almost wish they were part of the canon story. I think it’s worth it to watch Naruto. Besides, everyone of us have different tastes. Watch it first and form your own opinions whether you personally like it or not. Don’t depend too much on other people’s opinions because what they like or dislike may not be the same as you.
Speaking of fillers, not all of them are crap in the same way that not all canon episodes are awesome. I think it’s fairer to judge an episode based on quality rather than whether it has the label canon or filler. Anyway, it’s your decision but Naruto is quite good, especially after the timeskip and during the war.
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