With the relatively new seasonal release structure, filler episodes are less frequent in anime these days. However, One Piece still has the never-ending weekly release schedule, which means lots of filler episodes within the 1000+ episode library.
The One Piece anime first aired in 1999 and has 1100 episodes at the time of writing. Not every episode or arc is canonical to the manga and can theoretically be skipped without missing any key details to the plot of the story.
How Many Episodes of One Piece Are Filler?
Of the 1100 One Piece episodes, 104 are filler, leaving 91% of the series canonical to the manga. During the early days of the anime, more filler episodes released to keep the anime from catching up with the manga. This also meant entire filler arcs would air between the main arcs. After the time skip, such episodes in One Piece have become less frequent. When they do show up they usually are not more than a few episodes in a row.
Should All Filler Episodes Be Skipped?
Not every filler episode should be skipped. It is rare when a fan will suggest not skipping them, but even on a re-watch, One Piece has some that are worth the time. A fan favorite — and certainly one of mine — is the G-8 arc, consisting of episodes 196-206. This filler arc is unique in showing both the Straw Hats’ and Marines’ points of view. It’s lighthearted and goofy, showing just how lovable the crew is.
There are two other filler episodes that everyone should watch at least once. Episodes 1029 and 1030 show the backstory of how Luffy and Uta met. This gives a lot of emotional context for the One Piece movie Film Red. Even on their own, though, these episodes are a fun watch as they go farther back into Luffy’s childhood and his relationship with Shanks.
But to this day I wish that the Foxy Pirate Arc was filler and could be skipped.
For more One Piece content, check out the release date for the next manga chapter.
