Data · updated weekly

The Anime Filler Index

Which anime has the most filler? We counted, episode by episode: 1,723 filler episodes across 21 major series (7,181 episodes checked in total). Fullmetal Alchemist leads the index at 52.9% filler, roughly 10 hours of skippable television.

1,723filler episodes counted

≈ 660 hof skippable TV

21series tracked

#	Series	Episodes	Filler	Filler %	≈ Hours saved	Recaps
1	Fullmetal Alchemist	51	27	52.9%	10
2	Detective Conan	1,205	548	45.5%	210
3	Ranma 1/2 (classic)	161	71	44.1%	27	2
4	Rurouni Kenshin (1996)	98	42	42.9%	16
5	Naruto	1,013	414	40.9%	159	5
6	Bleach	406	162	39.9%	62	2
7	Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters	224	88	39.3%	34	2
8	Yu-Gi-Oh! GX	180	39	21.7%	15
9	Inuyasha	241	40	16.6%	15
10	Sailor Moon (90s)	200	25	12.5%	10	1
11	Fairy Tail	353	37	10.5%	14
12	Dragon Ball	756	76	10.1%	29
13	Black Clover	170	17	10%	7	4
14	One Piece	1,167	97	8.3%	37	7
15	Gintama	328	24	7.3%	9	2
16	K-On!	39	2	5.1%	1
17	Clannad	47	2	4.3%	1	1
18	My Hero Academia	196	5	2.6%	2
19	Hunter × Hunter	210	5	2.4%	2	2
20	Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood	64	1	1.6%	0	1
21	That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime	72	1	1.4%	0

Hours saved are estimated at 23 minutes per episode. Every series name links to its watch-order guide, where the tracker marks each filler episode individually so you can skip straight past them.

Methodology

Filler means episodes (usually anime-original) that do not adapt the source material and can be skipped without losing the plot. Canon-vs-filler classification comes from the MyAnimeList community record via the Jikan API, refreshed weekly by the same pipeline that keeps our episode trackers current, so this table never drifts from the per-episode flags on the guides it links to. Series without community filler data (or without any filler at all) are not listed; the index grows as data lands.

Counting note: percentages are filler episodes divided by all tracked episodes for that franchise's guide, which can span multiple series entries (sequels, continuations) on one page. Sequels in one continuity aggregate; parallel retellings of the same source do not: Fullmetal Alchemist (2003) and Brotherhood are listed separately, because averaging two alternate adaptations produces a number that describes neither.

One honest caveat on the 2003 series topping this table: its flagged episodes are a deliberate anime-original storyline (the show intentionally diverges into its own ending), not skippable side content. By the strict does-it-adapt-the-source definition it counts as filler; by the can-I-skip-it definition it is the show. Both things are true, and the per-episode list lets you decide which definition you are watching by.

Frequently asked questions

Which anime has the most filler?

Fullmetal Alchemist, with 27 filler episodes out of 51 tracked (52.9%). Detective Conan is close behind at 45.5%.

Is it safe to skip filler?

Almost always yes: filler exists so broadcasts would not overtake the manga, and it rarely touches the main plot. A handful of filler arcs are fan favorites anyway; our per-series guides call those out where they matter.

How do I actually skip it?

Open any series above: its guide lists every episode with a Filler badge, and the tracker's hide-filler toggle collapses them so your watchlist only shows canon.