Summary
While theNarutoseries chronicles the journey of Naruto Uzumaki as he becomes the Hokage of the Hidden Leaf Village, his adventures come with both victories and losses for him and his comrades. Unfortunately, the rather expansive nature of his story’s cast means the length of his story may not be enough to cover the details of all his adventures, especially those that help cement his relationships with his friends. Thankfully, as with other anime which were adaptations of ongoing manga,Narutohad its fair share of filler episodes.
In both the originalNarutoanime and itsNaruto Shippudensequel, filler episodes may even expand to filler arcs that serve as opportunities for anime writers to try creating more meaningful stories with the rest of theNarutocast. Despite the bad rep filler arcs usually get,Narutowas spot on with character development through specific fillers.
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Character/s Of Focus
Tenten
When the aftermath of Pain’s Assault left the Hidden Leaf with a shortage of weapons,Deploy! Team Tentendepicts Tsunade assigning Neji Hyuga, Naruto Uzumaki, and Tenten on a mission to retrieve a shipment of shuriken and kunai from a weapon maker named Io. Unfortunately, the team also had to go along with Io’s inventive antics as well as thugs Gameru and Kusune who stole some of Io’s weapons. When Naruto and Neji’s skills proved useless against the duo’s new armaments, Io asks Tenten to use his newest weapon Jidanda, which took the form of a rather massive spiked ball and chain.
It’s only thanks to Tenten’s quick thinking and using explosives to maneuver the spiked ball that the two thugs were defeated. While thisfiller episode only featured Tenten’s fights within a minute or so, this still showcased the kunoichi’s prowess as Konoha’s weapons expert. Not only that, Tenten also shined in the episode for saving Io after being the only one to overcome the traps in the room where he was imprisoned.
NarutoEpisode 158
Konohamaru Sarutobi
With the lack of missions in Konoha amid the aftermath of the Chunin Exams, Naruto Uzumaki and his peers among the Hidden Leaf’s genin are assigned to lead Academy Student squads in a survival exercise. Taking place in “Follow My Lead! The Great Survival Challenge,” an overly-enthusiastic Naruto clashes with his mentees Moegi Kazamatsuri, Udon Ise, and especiallyKonohamaru Sarutobi.
Unfortunately, Naruto’s overconfidence soon reveals his lack of any effective survival knowledge. However, a heart-to-heart does settle their difference and renews their confidence. The story reaches its climax when a large rock falls on Naruto and the kids help despite the protagonist’s protests, and other ninja come in the nick of time to save them from a landslide. Konohamaru calling out Naruto on his carelessness (albeit in an annoying manner) and stepping up where Naruto couldn’t are already shown here. This further solidifies Konohamaru as Naruto’s protege, especially in the Pain Arc wherea young Konohamaru steps up to one of the Six Pathsduring their assault in Konoha.
NarutoEpisode 142 to 147
Iruka Umino
DespiteNarutohaving its fair share of teacherswhose influence shaped the lives of Naruto Uzumaki and his peers throughout the years, it’s likely Iruka Umino who had the most impact on the youngster’s growth. The first episode of Naruto already saw Iruka risking his life for his rather mischievous pupil after Mizuki lures him into stealing a Scroll of Sealing. It’s also Iruka who gave Naruto his own forehead protector after encouraging him to pursue his studies.
This is why theMizuki Tracking Missionholds some emotional importance as a filler arc. Here, Naruto tries tracking Mizuki who had just escaped from prison in the hopes of finding information about Sasuke. The youngster eventually teams up with Iruka, who gets his own rematch with his former friend. Naruto gets a chance to pay back his mentor, wherein he takes a large shuriken to the back much in the same way Iruka did for him in the past. When Mizuki vows to kill both of them after his capture, Iruka pridefully says that Naruto will grow to be much stronger than them.
NarutoEpisodes 136 to 141
Sakura Haruno
It took the manga and anime time to develop the laidback Jiraiya’s eventual mentoring of Naruto, while the villainOrochimaru managed to tempt Sasuke Uchiha with power in the Sasuke Recovery Mission. AlthoughShippudenshows Hokage Tsunade training Sakura Haruno, it’s theLand of Rice Fields Investigation Missionwhere Sakura gets this much-needed justification. Here, Naruto and Sakura attempt to find Sasuke on their own and stumble upon Jiraiya, who is on a mission to gather information about the missing nin.
This brings them to the Land of Rice Fields, where they learn from fights with the Fuma Clan that the latter are just many of the clans Orochimaru brainwashed for subjugation and stealing their Forbidden Techniques. This filler arc doesn’t offer much in terms of the overall story, but Sakura realizes how “useless” she was in the preceding events when she couldn’t do as much to protect her new charges in this mission. Back in Konoha, Sakura requests Tsunade take her in as an apprentice to become a medical-nin after Shikamaru suggested more medics should be in squads.
NarutoEpisodes 148 to 151
Hinata Hyuga, Team 8
When Naruto Uzumaki was caught spying on Tsunade handing out missions in the hopes of getting out to look for Sasuke Uchiha, he was assigned toHinata Hyuga’s Team 8who also suggested using the legendary bikochu beetle’s scent to find the missing nin. ThisBikochu Search Missioncame with caveats: getting assigned to the quiet (and for him, slightly creepy) Shino Aburame, hilarious clashes with the hot-headed Kiba Inuzuka, and him being made to promise not to pester the Hokage about Sasuke if they fail.
While Naruto and his team prevail, he loses sight of Sasuke’s forehead protector and even farts in front of the beetle, practically missing their opportunity. However, Hinata Hyuga steals the spotlight by showing more of her fighting prowess beyond her meek nature and losses in the Chunin Exams. While she’s kidnapped by the Kamizuru Clan in their search for the beetle, she manages to escape. Not only that, she rescues her team by using her own technique: the Protecting Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms. Such was the impact of this filler arc technique that this became a staple move in both the anime and theNarutogames.
NarutoEpisode 216 to 220
Gaara
Among characters in theNarutofranchise,Gaara was perhaps one of its most frightening villains. Once engulfed with full bloodlust under the influence of the One-Tails, it took a beating from a fellow Jinchuriki like Naruto Uzumaki to help Gaara realize his potential for good. In the story, Gaara and the Sand Siblings repay Naruto’s help by helping him in the Sasuke Retrieval Mission. However, Gaara gets more room for character development in theSunagakure Support Missionwhere he asks Konoha for aid in saving his friend Matsuri.
It’s revealed that Matsuri is one of Gaara’s students in the Hidden Sand, and Gaara teaches defense instead of offense due to her reluctance to hurt others. Thanks to Naruto’s help, they stop a nefarious scheme involving the use of Shukaku to resurrect a powerful villain. More importantly, Gaara shows his perseverance in using his sand without the One-Tails. Gaara shows a much calmer demeanor here and is more determined to protect the people he cares about.
WhileKonohamaru Sarutobi already got his fair share of character developmentin the major story arcs of theNarutoseries, his transition as Boruto Uzumaki’s eventual mentor in theBorutosequel received a much-needed foundation inNaruto’s Favorite Pupil. In this filler episode before the Fourth Great Ninja War, an older Konohamaru is seen unhappy with the meager tasks assigned to him and his teammates for the war effort when he’s already been training a new technique.
Seeking advice, Shikamaru tells Konohamaru to decide who is the “king” he must protect. When Shikamaru intervenes in a fight between Temari and an angry Konohamaru who heard her insult Naruto, the Sand Kunoichi is impressed to see Konohamaru already master the Rasengan. In the end, Konohamaru’s teammate Moegi reminds him that it’s their duty as genin to protect the seniors and the children of the village. This in turn makes Konohamaru realize that the Hidden Leaf itself is the “king” he must protect, vowing to fight Naruto for the title of Hokage.
Neji and Hinata Hyuga
While the Hyuga Clan’s harsh branch system protectedthe Byakugan, it also facilitated resentment between family members. Its current generation showcases this, where the prodigious Neji Hyuga of the branch house showed animosity towards having to protect the meek Hinata Hyuga of the main house. It’s thanks to Neji’s match with Naruto Uzumaki that the latter encouraged Neji to see his fate beyond that of being a mere servant.
Events ofNaruto Shippudenwould see Neji and Hinata become closer as cousins, andThe Heart’s Eyefiller reveals this goes further back. As Hinata protects a recovering Neji from the White Zetsu Army in the Fourth Great Ninja War, she tells her cousin this is returning the favor for protecting her all these years. She said Naruto and Sakura told her about a time in their childhood when Neji accompanied them on a mission to recover an eyesight-healing plant so a recovering Hinata could see a fireworks display. While the mission fails and Hinata doesn’t see the fireworks, Hinata tells Neji how much she appreciated his effort even back then and is glad to have finally gotten the chance to thank him now.
Kakashi Hatake
Generational cycles become one of the strongest themes in theNarutoseries, where new generations attempt to repair the mistakes of the past. Afterthe deaths of his teammatesupon which he received a Sharingan and had to kill a friend to prevent the village’s destruction, Kakashi Hatake joins Konoha’s elite Anbu with an even colder demeanor than he began with. After the horrific events of the Uchiha Clan Massacre, the Third Hokage relieved Kakashi of his Anbu duties and reassigned him as a Team Captain.
InJonin Leader, a younger Kakashi attempts to teach new genin teams based on what he learned from the Fourth Hokage and his own experience, particularly on the value of teamwork. Of note in this episode is how the Third Hokage still senses a “darkness” in Kakashi’s heart, and other people concerned about Kakashi’s initial harsh way of training. When Kakashi’s former students thank him for his bell test, Hiruzen reveals Kakashi’s next students would be Team 7: Naruto, Sakura, and Sasuke. This episode highlights a more somber Kakashi compared to his initial laidback endeavor in the first episodes ofNaruto, putting into perspective their mentor who was also struggling with a dark past.
Shisui Uchiha, Itachi Uchiha
It’s the arrival of Itachi Uchiha as part of the Anbu that put Kakashi’s Anbu Arc: The Shinobi That Lives in the Darkness in universal acclaim among theNarutofandom. More specific to this isCoup D’Etat, an episode-specific to Itachi and his close friend Shisui Uchiha’s efforts in attempting to stop hostilities between the clan and the Hidden Leaf. WhileShisui’s combat prowesshad prompted Hiruzen to allow him to try acting independently, the villainous Danzo Shimura stopped Shisui’s plan of using his Mangekyo Sharingan to dissuade the Uchiha clan head.
After Danzo steals one of Shisui’s eyes, the Uchiha meets with Itachi one last time to give him his other eye while making his friend promise to do whatever it takes to protect the village and the clan name. Shisui commits suicide in front of Itachi, unlocking the latter’s own Mangekyo Sharingan. It’s here when Itachi contemplates his next course of action, eventually leading to the events of the Uchiha Clan Massacre.
Naruto
A popular shonen anime based on Masashi Kishimoto’s manga, Naruto follows its eponymous shinobi’s journey as he goes from his town’s outsider to its hero.
