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Soul Eater Watch Order
Soul Eater spans 2 entries: the 51-episode 2008 series and the 12-episode 2014 spinoff Soul Eater NOT!, plus the non-canon Late Night Show bonus shorts for completionists. Watch the 2008 series first; NOT! is set a year earlier but only works after the main show.
Soul Eater Watch Order: complete list
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Why this order?
Release order is story order here, and it is mercifully short: the 51-episode 2008 series is the entire required core, with the 12-episode Soul Eater NOT! as an optional side dish. Bones adapted Atsushi Ohkubo's manga closely for roughly its first 35 episodes, drifted visibly from around episode 30, then split away entirely after episode 38 into a fully anime-original final arc. Unlike Fullmetal Alchemist 2003, this split never got a Brotherhood-style faithful redo: the manga's real final arc has simply never been animated. If you want the true ending, pick the manga up around chapter 36, or restart from chapter 1, since smaller changes accumulate well before the split.
That split also explains the scary-looking filler stat. MAL flags 14 of the 51 episodes as Filler, but most of those are episodes 39 to 51, and they are not skippable padding: they are the anime's only ending. The flags mean 'not manga canon', not 'safe to skip'. The genuinely optional episodes are the two Excalibur gag stories (17 and 32), both fan-favorite comedy anyway, and the lone recap, episode 37.
Soul Eater NOT! is a spinoff set one year before the main series, following the academy's non-elite class in a slice-of-life register that shares almost nothing with the main show's tone. Despite the earlier timeline, watch it after: its appeal leans on cameos from a cast you already know, it would badly misrepresent the franchise to a newcomer, and it lightly spoils the main series' status quo. Its finale is also an anime-original resolution, invented while the NOT! manga was still running.
Two modern traps round things out. First, Fire Force: Ohkubo's other series ended in April 2026 by revealing itself as a canonical universe-prequel to Soul Eater, complete with main-cast cameos. That is a fun fact, not homework; it is a separate 73-episode franchise and entirely optional. Second, the 'Soul Eater remake premieres April 1, 2027' date circulating on social media is unsourced April Fools bait. The only official activity is the 20th-anniversary account's 'Next Is' teaser from April 23, 2026, which confirms nothing and dates nothing.
How many episodes is Soul Eater?
Soul Eater has 63 episodes across the 2 series entries tracked in this guide. 13 of them are marked filler, leaving 50 canon episodes, and 1 recap episode is flagged too.
See how Soul Eater compares on the Anime Filler Index →
- Soul Eater 51 episodes 2008-2009
- Soul Eater NOT! 12 episodes 2014
Timeline 2008-2014
Every entry by release year: rows that share a year are a cluster, and the long droughts are called out on the rail.
- 2008 Soul Eater
- 6-year gap
- 2014 NOT!
Where to play it today
- As of mid-2026 the 2008 series streams on Crunchyroll in the US (sub and dub), with digital purchase on Amazon, Apple TV and Fandango at Home; it is no longer on Netflix US
- Soul Eater NOT! currently has no US subscription stream, only digital purchase on Amazon and Apple TV; availability shifts, so check JustWatch
- When searching, skip The Soul Eater (2024), an unrelated French horror film that clutters streaming results
Availability changes often and varies by region - links search each platform for Soul Eater.
Frequently asked questions
How many Soul Eater series are there?
Two TV series: the 51-episode 2008 Soul Eater by Bones and the 12-episode 2014 spinoff Soul Eater NOT!, plus the Late Night Show, a set of 51 short non-canon bonus segments from the 2008 broadcast. There are no movies and no story OVAs.
Where should I start watching Soul Eater?
Episode 1 of the 2008 series. Release order is also story order: the 51-episode series first, then Soul Eater NOT! if you want more, then the Late Night Show shorts for completionists only.
Can I skip the Soul Eater filler episodes?
Mostly no. MAL flags 14 episodes as Filler, but episodes 39-51 are the anime's own ending, not skippable padding; the flags mean 'not manga canon'. The only truly optional episodes are the Excalibur gag stories in episodes 17 and 32 and the recap in episode 37.
Is the Soul Eater anime ending manga-canon?
No. The anime leaves the manga after episode 38 and closes on an anime-original final arc, and unlike Fullmetal Alchemist there is no Brotherhood-style faithful re-adaptation. For the manga's real ending, read from around chapter 36, or restart from chapter 1 to catch the smaller changes.
Should I watch Soul Eater NOT! first, since it is set earlier?
No. NOT! takes place one year before the main series, but it is a low-stakes slice-of-life spinoff whose appeal depends on recognizing the cameoing main cast, and it lightly spoils the main show's status quo. Watch it after Soul Eater, or skip it.
Do I need to watch Fire Force before Soul Eater?
No. Fire Force, by the same author, ended in April 2026 by revealing itself as a canonical universe-prequel to Soul Eater, but it is a separate 73-episode franchise. Treat it as optional related-universe viewing, not required homework in either direction.
Is a Soul Eater remake coming on April 1, 2027?
No such date has been announced; it is an unsourced social-media claim that follows an April Fools pattern. The only official activity is a 'Next Is' teaser posted by the 20th-anniversary account on April 23, 2026, which confirms no project, no studio and no date.
How many episodes is Soul Eater?
Soul Eater has 63 episodes across the 2 series entries tracked in this guide. 13 of them are marked filler, leaving 50 canon episodes, and 1 recap episode is flagged too.
Last verified · Sources: en.wikipedia.org, myanimelist.net, animenewsnetwork.com, justwatch.com
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