Like many long-running anime series, One Piece has its fair share of filler episodes. These filler episodes are often non-canonical and only included to lengthen the series and/or flesh out specific story arcs/lines. With the release of the manga-adapted, live-action series on Netflix, the One Piece anime series has seen an increasing number of viewers in August 2023 (live-action series finale).
The One Piece anime series, which premiered on October 20, 1999, has over 1,100 already aired episodes. As much as the series welcomes new audiences, watching over 1,000 episodes can be overwhelming. However, skipping non-canon episodes can get viewers through the series quickly. Looking to skip the non-canonical episodes without missing out on One Piece’s main story? Here’s a comprehensive One Piece filler list to avoid.
Apis & The Warship Island Story Arc — Episodes 54–61
One Piece episode 53 ends with Luffy and the Straw Hats leaving Loguetown and proclaiming why they are going to the Grand Line. One Piece episodes 54 to 61 are filler episodes as the story arc introduced does not affect the main storyline. In episode 54, the Straw Hats rescue a young girl, Apis, found drifting on the sea on a stormy night. Apis is running away from the Marines, although she doesn’t immediately reveal the truth to the Straw Hats.
The story arc centers around the legendary Warship Island. The crew encounters a dragon hidden in a cave. Although new characters are introduced in the episodes, they are not significant to the One Piece canon as they do not appear in the future in the storyline. By the end of episode 61, the Straw Hats enter the Grand Line by sailing through the Reverse Mountain. This puts them back on their journey at the end of episode 53.
The Post-Alabasta Story Arc — Episodes 131–135
The aforementioned story arc takes place after the Alabasta story. Episodes 131 to 135 are the first 5 episodes of One Piece season 5. The episodes are glaringly filler episodes as they do not significantly affect the storyline of the series. In a grander sense, each of these 5 episodes focuses on different members of the Straw Hats.
Although it is set up as an origin story, trying to explain the character’s background, it fails to flesh out any of the stories adequately. Except for Chopper’s background story explored in episode 131, audiences can eventually easily pick up on each member’s background story.
The Goat Island & Ruluka Story Arc — Episodes 136–143
To be honest, the entire One Piece season 5 are filler episodes. To save time, audiences can skip season 5 without fear or worry as the storylines are non-canonical. In the Goat Island story arc(episodes 136–138), the Straw Hats encounter Zenny, an old man, and his goats. The Straw Hats later befriend Zenny and work together to fight the Marines. The Goat Island story arc ends in episode 138, with the Straw Hats leaving the island.
In the Ruluka story arc (episodes 139–143), the Straw Hats are escaping a new set of Marines. The Straw Hats encounter a new character, Henzo, a scientist and a dictator forcing the island’s citizens to pay high taxes to fund his research. The story centers around the Rainbow Mist and its treasures. Skipping season 5 puts audiences right when the Straw Hats find a map to Skypiea Island in the premiere episode of One Piece season 6.
The Ocean’s Dream & The Foxy’s Return Story Arc — Episodes 220–228
The next batch of filler episodes in One Piece are in season 7. The Ocean’s Dream and Foxy’s Return comprise the last 9 episodes of season 7. In the Ocean’s Dream story arc (episodes 220–224), the Straw Hats crew, except for Nico Robin, lose their memory. With no recollection of being a team, chaos ensues on their ship, Going Merry. They later slowly regain their memory and figure things out. The Ocean’s Dream story arc is an unnecessary detour in the storyline that audiences can do without.
In the Foxy’s Return story arc (episodes 225–228), Foxy and two of his crew members are reintroduced. By episode 225, audiences have already met the Foxy Pirate Crew in the Long Ring Long Land Island story arc (episodes 207–219). Helping Foxy and his crew find their ship does little to the general canon story. It is an additional 4 episodes that audiences can feel less guilty about skipping.
The Ice Hunter Story Arc — Episodes 326–336
The last 11 episodes of One Piece season 9 form another batch of filler episodes in the anime series. However, unlike the other story arc mentioned, the Ice Hunter story arc centers around bounty hunters, an over-discussed subject throughout One Piece. Besides Johnny and Yosaku, who audiences know as bounty hunters, the Accino Family (a family of bounty hunters) helps throw more light on One Piece bounty hunters. Other than that, The Hunter story arc does not tie in with the overall One Piece canon.
The Spa Island Story Arc — Episodes 382–384
The first 3 episodes of One Piece season 11 are also filler episodes. These episodes form a story arc centered around The Spa Island. What’s an anime series without a few spa episodes? One Piece spa episodes are covered from episodes 382 to 384. As the name suggests, the Straw Hats arrive at an island for recreational time. Although a few new and old characters are introduced in the episodes, the Spa Island arc has no significance in the One Piece canon.
The Little East Blue Story Arc — Episodes 426–429
The Little East Blue story arc falls within One Piece season 13. The storyline introduces audiences interested in the One Piece movie, One Piece Film: Strong World. Just as the movie is created like a prequel/origin story, the Little East Blue story arc also takes audiences back to a replica of East Blue Island. All 4 episodes can be skipped without affecting the main storyline.
The Z’s Ambition Story Arc — Episodes 575–578
The Z’s Ambition storyline is the last 4 episodes of One Piece season 15. The story arc is also set as a predecessor to another movie, One Piece Film: Z. Like the Little East Blue story arc, the Z’s ambition arc is only necessary for audiences looking to watch the Z movie. If the One Piece anime series is the primary focus, audiences can freely skip the Z’s Ambition arc.
The Caesar Retrieval Story Arc — Episodes 626–628
The Caesar Retrieval story arc occurs in the last 3 episodes of One Piece season 16. The storyline focused on one of One Piece’s minor villains, Caesar Clown. It centers around Caesar Clown’s kidnapping and capture. Although it connects the villain to certain Straw Hats crew members, it still has no significance in the canon.
The Silver Mine Story Arc — Episodes 747–750
One Piece season 18 begins with 4 filler episodes known as the Silver Mine. In the storyline, the Silver Mine Alliance kidnaps Luffy in the silver mine. Luffy is kidnapped alongside Bartolomeo, and they work together to escape. The filler episodes best serve as a predecessor for the movie One Piece Film: Gold. Other than that, it’s an easily skippable story arc in the One Piece anime series.
The Marine Rookie Story Arc — Episodes 780–782
The last 3 episodes of One Piece season 18 are also filler episodes that are better skipped. Besides maybe being a fun detour episode, the Marine Rookie storyline is, at best, silly. Luffy somehow manages to waste the Straw Hats’ food supplies. To restock, the crew has to break into a Marine base as disguised officers. The Marine Rookie story arc has zero importance to the One Piece canon.
The Cidre Guild Story Arc — Episodes 895–896
With 197 episodes, One Piece season 20 has the highest number of episodes in the series. Surprisingly, with that number of episodes, the season only has a few filler episodes. The Cidre Guild story is the first filler episode to avoid. The two episodes center around Luffy’s encounter with the Cidre Guild bounty hunters. These 2 episodes are better suited as predecessor episodes for auditions looking to watch the movie One Piece: Stampede.
The Uta’s Past Story Arc — Episodes 1029–1030
These 2 episodes revolve around the eponymous character, Uta. It reveals the history and connection between Luffy and Shanks’ daughter, Uta. The Uta’s Past storyline is also set as a predecessor to another One Piece movie, One Piece Film: Red. Skipping these 2 episodes does nothing to the main storyline. Between these listed filler episodes exist a few others that audiences may consider as fillers. However, these are the main filler episodes in the One Piece anime series. In addition to these One Piece filler episodes, these facts about Monkey D. Luffy will help audiences better understand the anime series.
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