With so many filler episodes, watching One Piece can seem daunting. But which ones are worth the watch?
One Piece is a mammoth of an anime. With over 1000 episodes, it can be pretty daunting task to begin viewing the series. Like any long-running anime, however, the story has filler episodes and arcs that pad the overall length, and One Piece has over 100 of them. That’s about 10% of the whole series.
A filler is an episode or arc in which nothing happens to affect the long-term story. There is no character development, no returning characters outside the main cast, and it is usually considered non-canon. Fillers occur when the anime’s story has come close to or caught up with the manga, so the studio needs to stall time to wait for further chapters to be published. These episodes can’t progress the plot because they are not written by the mangaka, and therefore do not know where the story is heading.
Which One Piece Episodes Are Filler?
With so many episodes that make up One Piece, it is difficult to determine who is the filler and who is not. Some episodes take place in cannon arcs, while others are entire fill arcs themselves. Here is a list of each fill episode of the One Piece anime in April 2022.
One Piece Filler Episodes:
- 50-51: The stories of Usopp and Sanji’s escapades in Loguetown.
- 93: Sanji and Chopper go off to find supplies in the harsh desert of Alabasta.
- 98-99: The Straw Hats run into trouble as they attempt to save Alabasta.
- 102: The crew begins hallucinating as they trek their way through Alabasta’s desert.
- 213-216: An extension of the Davy Back fight in the “Long Ring Long Land” Arc.
- 279-283: A series of flashbacks the crew has during the “Enies Lobby” Arc, detailing their journey to joining Luffy.
- 291-292: The introduction of Boss Luffy, a story of the One Piece characters set in an alternate timeline, 19th century Japan.
- 303: Boss Luffy is accused of stealing the ancient cherry tree just before the village’s annual festival.
- 317-319: A series of crew-centered episodes that occur in the “Post-Enies Lobby” Arc.
- 336: A special where the adorable hero, Chopperman must save his favorite radio station from an evil villain.
- 406-407: Boss Luffy returns again, this time to compete in the Great Portable Shrine Race with his friends.
- 418-420: The stories of where the other Straw Hats landed after their encounter with Kuma.
- 453-456: A check-in on the lost Straw Hats, and how they are doing in their new environments.
- 457-458: Retrospective episodes that occur as the Marines prepare for war.
- 492: Crossover special with characters from Toriko.
- 497-499: An extension of Luffy’s post Summit War flashback.
- 506: The scattered crew of the Straw Hats learn of Ace’s fate.
- 542: Another crossover special with Toriko.
- 590: A crossover with both Toriko and Dragon Ball Z.
- 737: The tale of Sabo’s journey to joining the Revolutionary Army.
- 775: The Straw Hats attempt to heal Zunesha after the encounter with Jack and the Beast Pirates.
- 907: A special adaptation of Eiichiro Oda’s precursor work to One Piece, Romance Dawn, to celebrate the 20th Anniversary of the series.
- 54-61: “Warship Island” arc: The Straw Hats try to help a young girl and her dragon escape the Marines.
- 131-135: “Post-Alabasta: arc: A group of one off character episodes taking place after the Alabasta Arc.
- 136-138: “Goat Island” arc. The crew must race the Marines in finding an old man’s hidden treasure.
- 139-143: “Ruluka Island” arc. The Straw Hats get trapped in the Rainbow Mist, a place which warps space and time.
- 196-206: “G-8” arc. The crew decends from Skypeia and lands directly in a heavily fortified Marine base.
- 220-224: “Ocean’s Dream” arc. The Straw Hats wake on a strange island with no memories of their time on the crew.
- 225-226: “Foxy’s Return” arc. Luffy and company re-encounter the Foxy Pirates.
- 326-335: “Ice Hunter” arc. The crew loses there Jolly Roger to bounty hunters, and must work with other pirates to get it back.
- 382-384: “Spa Island” arc. The Straw Hats decide to rest on the Island of Relaxation, but not everything is as it seems.
- 426-429: “Little East Blue” arc. A setup story for One Piece Film: Strong World.
- 575-578: “Z’s Ambition” arc. A setup story for One Piece Film: Z.
- 626-628: “Caesar Retrieval” arc. The Straw Hats and their new ally must take back their prisoner, Ceasar Clown, from a mysterious enemy.
- 747-750: “Silver Mine” arc. A setup story for One Piece Film: Gold.
- 780-782: “Marine Rookie” arc. The Straw Hats must sneak into a Marine base to replenish their food supplies.
- 895-896: “Cidre Guild” arc. A setup story to the film One Piece: Stampede.
Does One Piece Have More Filler Episodes Than Other Anime?
One Piece has been on the market since 1999, so it has gyuy fillers for more than 20 years of operation. But how does it compare to other long-lived anime? Looking at the other members of the “Big 3” Shonen Jump, Naruto and Bleach, One Piece seems to have done a good job of keeping fills to a minimum.
Of the 366 episodes listed in the original Bleach run, there were about 164 fills – almost 45% of the series. Naruto and Naruto: Shippuden, on the other hand, have 205 fills in their 500 episodes, which is about 41% of the film. One Piece clearly reduces the number of fillings compared to other large glossy rows and keeps the main design forward without the need to distract much.
Which One Piece Fillers Are Worth Watching?
The “G-8” bow is a perfect example of what made One Piece so famous, because each of the straw hats will shine in its own way. It’s fast one of the funniest bows, with many pieces like Condoriano’s mix and Luffy’s special squid balloon shelter. Not to mention the chief villain from Vice Admiral Jonathan, it’s a pleasure to watch him use his wisdom and patience to try to capture the chaotic crew that infiltrated his base.
One Piece Movie: Strong World is still a good watch because it will soon become one of, perhaps even the best, One Piece movie. It’s a shocking story with a good main villain and incredible action. As the first One Piece film written by Eiichiro Oda himself, the quality is unrivaled. But before that, it’s important to check out the main series “Little East Blue” Arch. It’s a fun introduction to the film and provides wonderful nostalgic moments as the East Blue crew immerses themselves in the affairs of home.
Episode 590: “History’s Strongest Collaboration vs. Glutton of the Sea”
One Piece Episode 590 is a crossover of Toriko and Dragon Ball Z. There’s a big tournament, a fight between the three main characters for meat and a final combined attack to defeat the villain. If a child dreams of his number of events, pure joy. This is the second episode in two parts – the first episode is Toriko Episode 99 entitled “Run, the strongest team! Toriko, Luffy and Goku!”
One Piece Special 3: “Protect! The Last Great Performance”
Even though it’s not technically a One Piece filler, it’s still worth mentioning because it’s hilarious. Straw hats accidentally get involved, and chaos ensues as the pirates try their hand at acting.
None of these fillings have affected the story, but when it comes to a series like One Piece, it’s hard not to enjoy the adventures of straw pirates forever.
One Piece is available for Crunchyroll streaming.