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Filler arcs are a tradition that has been passed down for generations on end ever since anime was conceptualized and that includes Boruto. Right from popular, age-old anime like Dragon Ball, One Piece, and Bleach to more recent ones like Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba, this is a popular mechanism deployed by anime production houses for several reasons, primary amongst which is the lack of existing manga material.
Boruto is no exception to the norm. In fact, readers will be shocked to learn that as of date, Boruto has as many as 182 filler episodes. A very high number indeed! Yet, despite the lack of original material, unlike most anime, this series has done a decent job in its filler department.
Read on as we rank the Boruto filler arcs that fans love more than canon.
Disclaimer: This article purely reflects the author's opinions, which are subjective. It also contains spoilers from the Boruto series.
From arc to arc: Fillers abound in Boruto
10. Cho-Cho Arc
Occupying the final position on this list and ranging from episodes 67–69, the eighth arc of Boruto revolves around Cho-Cho Akimichi, a Team Ten member and daughter of Choja Akimichi.
Fans have a love-hate relationship with this arc in particular. Despite being brief and entertaining in some ways, this arc adds nothing to the main plot. This arc is entirely filler despite the fact that most of the Boruto anime arcs are still somewhat regarded as canon. Fans can comfortably pass this one up without missing any crucial information for upcoming storylines.
9. Konohamaru’s Love Arc
Spanning episodes 116–119 and the thirteenth arc within Boruto, this arc occupies the penultimate position on the list. The arc reveals a new side of Konohamaru as he is forced to acknowledge how lonely he was. This all changes when he unexpectedly encounters the enigmatic girl, Lemon.
Earlier, he had joked that his Ninja Way was his lover. Fans pondered whether their relationship could genuinely progress after learning that she was a part of an old rite in her village during the story's development.
As the arc draws to a close, fans are disappointed to learn that there was seemingly no way for the romance between the two to blossom further. Lemon is forced to unleash the memory-draining demon, Soma. While Konohamaru fights back and unleashes his arsenal of jutsus upon it, it proves to be too powerful for the young Jounin.
Lemon manages to re-absorb the demon but in doing so is wiped out of all her memories, including those of the time she spent with Konohamaru. Although, while fans do not get to witness anything further, hope still remains that Konohamaru will eventually find the one.
8. Kawaki & Himawari Academy Arc
This arc actually pits the older brother against his younger sister. Ranging from episodes 261–273 and occupying the twenty-third arc of Boruto, fans genuinely enjoy this arc as it strikes a balance between humor and gravity with the slice-of-life academy material, but with Kae's menace looming over everything.
Kawaki and Hima both experience a great deal of growth during this arc. Finally, fans also appreciate that, in contrast to blending into the background, the other pupils, except Kae, also have their own tales.
7. Genin Mission Arc
Revolving around the newly-formed Team Seven’s first mission, occupying the fifth arc of Boruto and ranging from episodes 40–42, Team Seven faces off against a gang of thieves seeking the title to a bridge. After the village chief passed away and left his daughter in charge of the deed, a new chief was chosen. The girl is subsequently taken hostage and used as collateral in a transaction to obtain the deed in return for her release. As Team 7 heads to save her, Konohamaru debuts his Rasengan for the first time in the series.
Fans are reminded of the original Team Seven’s first C-rank mission revolving around the bridge builder as well, with waves of nostalgia hitting them hard.
6. Chunin Re-Eexamination Arc
The Chunin Re-Examination Arc was enjoyed by a majority of the fandom. While not technically part of the manga, it was a much-needed addition to the anime after the previous Chunin Exams were canceled due to the Otsutsuki Invasion.
Much like the Genin Mission Arc, fans reminisce about the original Chunin Exams Arc of Naruto as the actual examination follows a pretty similar pattern to the original, i.e., a written exam followed by a trip into the Forest of Death, concluding with an actual battle amongst the remaining combatants. While there are no interruptions in this particular exam (unlike the last one), the arc sets the ball rolling in terms of the growth of the newer generation shinobis.
5. Mujina Bandits Arc
While the arc in its entirety is not a filler, it does contain certain episodes that qualify as one. Ranging from episodes 141–156 and being the sixteenth arc of the series, this arc is quite fundamental in that it sets up Kara, the rogue organization led by Jigen, and serves as the pretext for the Kara Actuation Arc that follows shortly.
Assigned as a bodyguard to Tento, the heir to the Land of Fire, the two start things off on a rough note as Boruto immediately takes a disliking to the boy owing to his snobbish demeanor. Yet, despite their differences, the two bond over their mutual love and admiration for Naruto and Sasuke, with Boruto even volunteering to teach Tento some basic jutsus for self-protection.
Things go south when Shojoji shows up and succeeds in kidnapping the young heir. But Boruto manages to locate the bandit leader and defeats him with a well-placed Rasengan. Yet, before delivering the final blow, a mysterious mark appears on Boruto’s palm and rapidly spreads all over his arm, a mark that Shojoji recognizes as belonging to a certain organization. He shrugs it off and proceeds to finish off Shojoji but is himself left dazed by the events.
4. Crossing Time!
While not explicitly classified as a filler arc, the Timeslip Arc (the fifteenth arc of Boruto) follows the adventures of Sasuke and Boruto as they travel back to the past in pursuit of Urashiki. Crossing Time!, the final episode of this arc, draws it to a conclusion.
Serving as an epilogue than a final episode of the arc, Sasuke uses his Sharingan to erase anyone's memory who recognized Boruto and Sasuke after they had said goodbye to everyone they knew in the past. They eventually make it back to the present, where they are finally able to wrap up the investigation into Urashiki. This episode is significant because, after witnessing his father's struggles firsthand, Boruto is able to connect with his father on a deeper level.
3. Kara’s Footprints
Much like the previous entry on this list, this episode is regarded as the opening of the Kara Actuation Arc and serves as a prologue to what is to come.
Sai and Sasuke are the first characters to appear in the Kara Actuation Arc as they look into Kara's hideout. The arc focuses on one of Kara's adherents named Garashi Tono, who became so committed to the group that he was prepared to sacrifice his own life for its sake.
Additionally, it concentrates on what Konoha has already discovered about the Kara group and, in general, gives us a glimpse at the older generation characters, building momentum for the events to follow.
2. A Joint Mission with the Sand
A part of Kara Actuation Arc and the next standalone episode in the series, "Windfall" sees Team Ten teaming up with the Land of the Wind.
The gang eventually makes their way to the Land of Wind where they encounter Shinki's team, having passed by the restaurant where Deepa, a member of the Kara clan, kills everyone. Despite having two different squads of ninja take on Deepa, the entire group—including genin prodigy Shinki—is ultimately vanquished. This further sets Kara up as a dangerous entity, much like the Akatsuki of the older generation.
1. Great Sea Battle of Kirigakure Arc
This arc is not a part of the manga, whereas it definitely should have been. Spanning episodes 228– 255 and covering the twenty-second arc of the series, this arc displays some of the harsher aspects of a shinobi’s life.
The arc steadily starts portraying Boruto as a lone wolf who would rather take down his opponents personally instead of depending on his friends. This, of course, goes against the very nature of his father, who prefers to assist others in battle.
The climax of the arc is reached in Episode 245, titled Funamushi's Tenacity. Boruto receives a shock as he witnesses the death of one of his closest friends. Vowing revenge on the perpetrator, Boruto becomes a different person altogether until Sarada and Mitsuki are finally able to knock some sense back into him.
This arc is regarded by the entire fandom as a turning point for Boruto. Introduced to the reality of being a ninja, Boruto begins introspecting upon what truly matters.
In conclusion
Many of these filler arcs are regarded by fans as quality content that should have been included in the manga as they establish some of the most pivotal moments in the main story.
