Naruto perfectly shows how filler can help (and hurt) a franchise

Naruto is synonymous with FillerBut it also shows why filler isn't necessarily a bad thing. The anime premiered in 2002, long before seasonal releases became the norm for successful shows. The weekly magazine format was initially popularized by Dragon BallAnd it dominated for decades. Some series like One piece (which has surprisingly little filler) still use it. A weekly release anime eventually catches up with the source material, and Filler prevents resulting gaps in airtime to keep fans satisfied and ready to return. In the pre-streaming age of network programming, this was especially important.

Naruto And Naruto Shippuden are respectively 40.9% and 40.6% filler. Fans often default to assuming that because filler is not adapting the source, it is not worth watching without a convincing argument. Naruto is interesting precisely because it shows how filler can make an adaptation temporarily unwatchable, But also give depth the source material lacks. At its best, filler can undermine and overturn the idea of ​​"canon".

The case for Narutos filler

Fillers can bring unexpected dimensions to its source

Narutos most interesting filler arc is easily Shipudens ANBU arc (episodes #349-361). Fans often forget how the manga format itself can limit stories. The manga and anime industries are different. Mangaka are pressured to keep the stories focused and to maintain a dramatic pulse, keeping readers connected to the core characters.

There is also the overarching pressure of audience rankings with each chapter. The reader must like a chapter; The comments and rating of individual chapters guide the story of a manga. There is no divine word from the author that establishes "canon" before any influence.

The manga format means that the author's true intentions are sometimes distorted - for example, Jojo's Strange Adventure Mangaka Hirohiko Araki is prevented from "canonizing" women. Filler gives the adaptation freedom to pick up the manga's slack. No longer constrained by the need to adapt the source material faithfully, characters or locations that are not prioritized can be given time.

for NarutoThe ANBU arc gives deep insight into Kakashi and Itachi. Because they must Processing, and because the filler is remarkably well done, it hardly feels like filler. For Itachi, it provides depth and reinforces the viewer's emotional investment in him. This makes it so that when Obito (canonically) reveals Itachi's true past and motivations to Sasuke, All of Sasuke and Itachi's interactions get even more scientific. Their relationship feels less like a description of Itachi by Sasuke and more than one of Itachi And Sasuke.

Naruto Has a bit of problematic world-building, since it's so character-driven. Focusing on basic characters and centering on Konoha's perspective, in combination with the aforementioned constraints of manga, Leads to the underdevelopment of the world and its inhabitants outside Konoha. This is especially problematic when ShipudenThe plot is based on Jinchuriki from other countries being targeted by Akatsuki.

NarutoThe filler shows that the world outside Konoha's underdevelopment in the source material does not mean that they are not there in his world. actually, It shows they can be imagined. For example, the three-part jinchuriki arc Naruto Shippuden a Great service, establishing a material and emotional consequence of Akatsuki's presence and antagonism early on.

Meanwhile, Naruto Shippuden's "Paradise on the Ship" (episodes 223-242) accomplishes this differently, giving characters like Guy and Yamato a much-needed spotlight. The filler, like the characters themselves, tackles the difficult way of temporarily setting sail far away from Konoha and its comforts.

on the contrary, Narutos Land of Tea and Land of Rice Fields arcs show how filler can make such a journey all the more believable. While Naruto is largely set in Konoha, Naruto Shipudens drama is worldwide; The early efforts at world-building make for a gentle transition as the scope of Naruto Ruptures beyond Konoha's borders.

NarutoS fillers can also be terrible

Fillers can just as easily be disruptive and mind-numbing

Source and filler material always jeopardize narrative momentum. However, manga are somewhat insulated from this risk because of their constraints. Just as filler is able to expand on source material, It also gains the ability to become disruptively disruptive. Unbound by an established script, filler can get away with a lot. Inevitably, this means that a lot of them don't help convey the story being adapted.

Naruto Shippuden's Infinite Tsukuyomi filler (episodes #427-450) blends seamlessly with the initial dream sequences of the source material. unfortunately, It does not show the same restraint. In 23 episodes, only four dreams of the characters are explored. Although Tenten, Tsunade and Killer Bee's dreams have nice bright spots, they are underwhelming. Tsunade's dream also lasts far too long, and the welcome to go through Jiraiya's book. Karin's Dream, in contrast, is an amazing development for an underappreciated character.

Shipudens laborious flashback arcs are infamous, too. However, even good flashback fillers can be Ruined by filler is subject to the availability of the source material. Set in the time jump between Naruto And naruto shippuden, The Chunin Exam filler is a great watch on its own. Not such a great watch during the climax of the Fourth Great Ninja War, though.

Naruto Show how canon is deceiving

Naruto Tear aside the idea that filler is expendable

The canon/filler binary is uncertain and unstable. Filler arcs actually become continuous with the source material, weaving their additions into the "canon". Narutos anime adaptations have partially forged their identity through the charm (and annoyance) of their filler. The viral tweet below illustrates how the adaptation's unique features, like the soundtrack, are intimately related to Naruto As a franchise, Naruto as a CharacterAnd filler's presence - for better or worse.

Filler isn't just a way to kill time until the "real" story returns. actually, It establishes a secondary canon combining source And Filler. The story is no longer just the mangaka's. It expands to include the voices and contributions of countless more: writers, animators, directors, and so on. Filler is not the unfortunate, antibiotic barrier to canonical authenticity. It is nothing more or less than the addition of history to history, as the constraints of one medium navigate those of another. To adapt is to adapt.

The differences between Narutos manga and anime - whether in medium, narrative, intent or presentation - are what make it possible to distinguish them and, in turn, to speak of an excess Naruto Franchise. Sometimes the story the adaptation adds is amazing; Other times, not so much. Canon arcs can suffer from the same problems as filler can. They can drag, boring and captivating. The big question is not necessarily about canonical and non-canonical storytelling. It's about good and bad storytelling.

Although it is not rare to say that a filler Shouldn't Be skipped because it is Goodit Is Rare to say that source material Should Be skipped because it is Bad. That's not said by anyone Should Skip source material. It's just to make the point that Filler is reflexively (and unfairly) dismissed.

One of the coolest things about Narutos filler is that you get to build The own Canon. Consider One redditor's detailed Naruto Shippuden Filler list. It can't just describe what fillers to skip and to watch. It actually goes on to limit the cases that one might want to watch. Deidara fans get the "Aesthetics of an Artist" filler; For mecha fans, "Mecha Naruto". Outside of "hop" and "watch", some fillers (like "white zetsu's trap") only get an ambiguous "it's alright", leaving the viewer room to decide.

Adaptations with filler provide something that strict adaptations cannot, by their very nature. Naruto Shows how filler, once created, is just as inseparable from the franchise's canonical identity as the source material. At a time when seasonal releases of individual arcs dominate and strict adaptations are considered better by default, Naruto Shows that religious adherence to source material is not the only way—or even the best or "true" way—to adapt a work.