The Naruto series is notorious among the anime industry for its incessant filler episodes and unnecessary flashbacks. The Great War arc is infamous for being plagued with filler content, as flashbacks and backstories took over the entire narrative. While the fanbase voiced several concerns over the amount of filler content being thrown their way, the series had no other choice but to stretch the arc with non-canon content so that the anime adaptation wouldn’t catch up to the manga.
A few filler episodes here and there is a normal occurrence for most anime. However, Naruto takes it a bit too far by incorporating an entire filler arc in the middle of the war. The arc focused on the events of the second Chunin exams that took place during the timeskip between part 1 and Shippuden. While viewers are advised to skip through the filler content entirely, this arc has some weight to it, piquing the interest of many as it is a loose rendition of the first Chunin exams.
The Purpose of the Filler Chunin Exams Arc
The Chunin exams arc was incorporated in the midst of the Fourth Great Ninja War for several reasons. One reason was to stretch out the war arc and create a gap between the manga and the anime adaptation, ensuring the episodes don’t catch up to the manga. However, the series could have featured any sort of filler content within these episodes, meaning the filler Chunin exams are tied to the war arc in some way.
The filler begins in the form of Tsunade’s flashback to the time Naruto was away from the village and the rest of Konoha 11 honing their skills. The timing of the filler is consistent with Naruto reuniting with the rest of Konoha 11 during the war, with Tsunade remembering the time when they were inspired by Naruto’s willpower. Fans obviously disagree that a filler was never needed in the first place, but a thought out filler arc still triumphs over inconsistent backstories of characters that have no role in the series.
Character Development for Konoha 11
While Konoha 11 enjoyed most of the spotlight during part 1 of Naruto, their screen time eventually died out in Shippuden. Members of Team Guy, Team 8, and Team 10 were barely given any screen time as more significant events took precedence. Therefore, much of their character development had been lost to the overarching plot and the Akatsuki taking center stage.
The arc served as a way for Konoha 11 to experience some character development before the series’ conclusion. It also presented a chance for fans of Konoha 11 to see their favorite characters enjoying the spotlight once more. Almost all members of Konoha 11 went through considerable growth during these Chunin exams, with the focus primarily on Sakura’s growth without Sasuke and Naruto. Her relationship with Ino also improved, something the series had never shed light on previously.
The Arc Gave Backstories to Other Characters
A few characters in the series that made an appearance once or twice received a compelling backstory within the arc. The most prominent character was Fu, the Jinchuriki of the Seven-Tails. Fu only made an appearance once during the initial parts of Shippuden, and her only screen time depicted her lifeless body after Kakuzu and Hidan defeated her. The Chunin exams shed light on Fu’s character and her backstory, making her death all the more sorrowful and compelling.
Gaara also received plenty of screen time during the arc, as one of the subplots of the arc centered around an assassination attempt on him by the Hidden Sand’s council. It gave considerable insight on how Gaara had changed as a person and how much he had grown. Ajisai was another interesting character from the Hidden Rain Village, who later teamed up with Tenten and got to experience life outside the gloom and despair of the Hidden Rain. However, she was later killed and ended up being used as one of the vessels for the Six Paths of Pain.
Final Verdict
While filler episodes are surely the bane of every Naruto fan’s existence, this filler arc is novel and has much more to offer than other regular flashbacks. The arc presented an entire tournament arc with subplots and fleshed-out characters, something quite uncommon in regular filler episodes. However, the conclusion of the arc was quite anti-climactic, with almost everyone promoted without the final test of the exams taking place. With that logic, the original Chunin exams arc should have witnessed similar results.
Overall, the arc is definitely worth watching for fans of Konoha 11, as these Chunin exams offer adequate screen time and character development for all of them. Those interested in the backstories of a few characters can also find the contents of this arc to be quite interesting. Given the anti-climactic nature of the arc’s ending, however, most fans would be disappointed by its conclusion. Suffice to say, the arc is considerably better than regular filler content. Though the fact remains that the entire arc is still filler, meaning it has little to no implications for the actual events in the series and can be safely skipped.