One Piece is a story that's been coming together for decades. In order to keep the anime from outpacing the manga, and also making room for interesting "what if?" scenarios filler arcs are pretty plentiful in One Piece's animated adaptation. These filler arcs range from simple episodic adventures to content that adds context for the anime's many movies.
What makes One Piece special among anime is its massive overarching story that progresses slowly but surely, as its main character Luffy grows. Luffy's relationships with himself and his crew are what holds the plot together so they should work in filler arcs that don't add to the overall story as well, and according to IMDb, they often do.
Updated February 16, 2023 by Mark Sammut: One Piece crossed the 1000th episode mark in 2022, and the vast majority of that content is canon. Rather than frequently stop the story dead to head out on a side adventure, Toei has generally opted to slowly adapt the source material to ensure the anime does not catch up to the manga. While not without its negatives, this decision has limited One Piece's need to rely on filler. When one of these sagas shows up, they tend to be short and sweet. Over roughly the last three years, there has been only a single One Piece filler arc, but how does it rank compared to older storylines?
An Overview Of One Piece Filler Content
With roughly a thousand episodes (and counting) to sit through, One Piece's sheer size makes the anime a daunting task for people to take on. Eiichiro Oda's manga is a true epic; a series that spans decades and tells a grand tale of ambition, adventure, and resilience. Through the Straw Hats' travels, they experience plenty of highs and lows; tears are shed and laughs are had.
Since there is so much canon content to go through, the filler arcs can feel like they just add to the bloat without contributing enough to justify their existence. Consequently, newcomers to the series might prefer to just skip over the filler material altogether. In order to make that process easier, here is a breakdown of all the filler arcs in the anime along with their respective episodes. Recaps and the Boss Luffy Historical Special episodes will also be included.
Individual One Piece filler episodes have not been included in the table. However, the following episodes are filler: 98-99, 102, 336, 492, 542, 590, and 907 (which will be released on December 26, 2021).
Filler Arc | Episodes |
|---|---|
Warship Island | 54-61¹ |
Post-Alabasta | 131-135 |
Goat Island | 136-138 |
Ruluka Island | 139-143 |
G-8 | 196-206 |
Ocean's Dream | 220-224 |
Foxy's Return | 225-226 |
Recap | 279-283 |
Boss Luffy Historical Special | 291-292; 303 |
Straw Hats In Water 7 | 317-319² |
Ice Hunter | 326-335 |
Spa Island | 382-384 |
Boss Luffy Historical Special | 406-407 |
Little East Blue | 426-429 |
Recap | 457-458 |
Z's Ambition | 575-578 |
Caesar Retrieval | 626-628 |
Silver Mine | 747-750 |
Marine Rookie | 780-782 |
Cidre Guild | 895-896 |
Uta's Past | 1029-1030 |
¹ Final episode transitions into canon content.
² Final episode is based on manga panels, albeit stretched out in the anime.
18 Boss Luffy Historical Specials – 5.9
- Episodes: 291-292, 303, 406-407
The Boss Luffy Historical Specials are a unique type of One Piece filler since they don't even pretend to be canon. Debuting in the 2005 special episode called "End-Of-Year Special Project! The Detective Memoirs of Chief Straw Hat Luffy" before showing up sporadically in the main series, these storylines teleport the Straw Hats into Edo period Japan. These episodes are extremely jarring as they really do come out of nowhere, so a number of people might feel tempted to just skip them over since they stop the anime's pacing dead in its tracks.
Skipping out on these interludes does not lessen the One Piece experience in any way, however, they are mildly entertaining distractions in their own right. When they first aired, it was neat to see Luffy and company in a historical Japanese setting. Nowadays, these episodes can't even claim to have that going for them since the Wano arc scratches that itch in a far more satisfying way.
The Boss Luffy Historical Specials are at least more entertaining than the Chopper Man side stories (episode 336 and a small part of episode 279).
17 Cidre Guild Arc – 6
- Episodes: 895-896
This filler arc follows a standard formula that's been the norm for One Piece since it started. The crew's ship needs something, so they stop at a mysterious island and end up having to defend themselves while there. This is the lowest-rated filler arc on IMDb with an average score of 6, which is strange because it doesn't do anything blatantly wrong.
The reasoning behind this poor rating is most likely because of its placement. The Straw Hat Crew ends up in this predicament between the Whole Cake Island and Wano arcs. These two arcs have been built up since the beginning of the time skip so breaking up their pacing probably didn't sit well with fans.
16 Little East Blue – 6.5
- Episodes: 426-429
Little East Blue serves as a nostalgia check as well as a reminder of all the progression the crew has made. It doesn't have much to show as a filler arc, but it does lead directly into the events of the film One Piece: Strong World. The crew finds an island that's essentially a recreation of their home, East Blue. They enjoy themselves until they're confronted by a group of pirates who they have to defeat.
The nostalgia factor led to a lot of fans ranking this arc highly as a filler arc. Watching the Straw Hats indulge themselves in their favorite things after being away from home for so long was a treat for sure.
15 Silver Mine Arc – 6.5
- Episodes: 747-750
The Silver Mine arc does a few interesting things. During the arc, viewers get the necessary information for the One Piece: Gold film, and nice character moments featuring Bartolomeo. Bartolomeo is only really seen in the Dressrosa arc in the manga, but he's also one of the funniest and most beloved characters in the franchise, so it is nice to see more of him.
Luffy and Bartolomeo get swept up in chaos and end up having to work in a silver mine and fight their way out to escape. The plot is pretty standard but the character moments are what make it worth the time spent.
14 Ice Hunter Arc – 6.6
- Episodes: 326-335
Compared to other long-running shounen series like Naruto and Bleach, One Piece's filler arcs tend to be short. At least, fans do not have to sit through multiple months of pointless fluff. The Ice Hunter arc is a rare exception, as the saga lasts for an agonizing ten episodes.
The story centers around a group of bounty hunters, the Accino family, who steal the Thousand Sunny's flag. Naturally, this leads to a chase, a couple of fights, and a lot of humor. If this arc was about half as long, it would fare much better; as is, it is a slog to get through.
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12 Foxy's Return Arc – 6.6
- Episodes: 225-226
It isn't difficult to understand why Foxy returning would warrant low ratings from fans. Foxy is cunning sneaky and overall evil so seeing him again wasn't exactly what fans had in mind. Not only did he reappear, but he had his own little side story as if fans were supposed to root for him.
This arc has one of the most time-filler atmospheres of all the storylines in One Piece. The reasoning for this is mostly because it doesn't really serve to help viewers learn anything. One Piece's massive world is alive and can operate without the main characters, so good filler arcs usually show this side of the world. Foxy's Return arc doesn't do this in any meaningful way.
11 Goat Island Arc – 6.6
- Episodes: 136-138
Following the Alabasta arc, One Piece set off on a string of filler episodes stretching across multiple storylines. Stuck in the middle between the Post-Alabasta and Ruluka Island arcs, the Goat Island episodes tend to get overshadowed. While not the most memorable story in the series, this arc works well as a three-episode diversion with a fun new character in Zenny.
Zenny's banter with the Straw Hats is genuinely amusing, as is the character's backstory. The Goat Island arc might not be world-changing, but it is a fine way to spend an hour.
10 Caesar Retrieval Arc – 6.8
- Episodes: 626-628
Caesar is one of the most important side characters in all of One Piece who becomes the center of attention for multiple arcs because of his connection to Vegapunk and his scientific knowledge. After the events of Dressrosa, the Straw Hats continue escorting Caesar since he's their captive and leverage against Doflamingo and Kaido.
This arc shows off the relationship between Law and the Straw Hats even more as it's been developing since Punk Hazard, Caesar's original arc. Other than that, it's a pretty standard filler with funny moments.
9 Post-Alabasta Arc – 6.8
- Episodes: 131-135
After the events of Alabasta, the Straw Hats sail towards their next destination. During this journey, they tell stories about themselves and adventures they went on before their time as Straw Hats. It's a weird choice in terms of pacing, as well as execution.
A lot of the stories are told awkwardly between the crew and have no actual bearing on the overall story. One Piece doesn't waste time with unnecessary exposition so these episodes stand out as strange among others in the series. This is what makes it obvious filler that exists to do nothing but fill time until the next arc.
8 Spa Island Arc – 6.9
- Episodes: 382-384
After the Halloween-themed chaos of the Thriller Bark arc, the Straw Hats earned the right to enjoy a day in the sun. The Spa Island arc involves the Foxy pirates, a mysterious notebook, and a lot of goofing off. The story leaves a lot to be desired, as do the new characters introduced. Foxy is also a rather polarizing figure, as he is a non-threatening antagonist whose comedy high jinks tend to be very hit-and-miss.
For all its flaws, Spa Island does at least boast great animation. One Piece had made the jump to HD by this point, so at least this filler story looks visually pleasing.
7 Z's Ambition Arc – 6.9
- Episodes: 575-578
Used to set up One Piece Film: Z, the Z's Ambition arc is mostly worth watching only if someone plans to sit through the movie. Otherwise, it's largely a forgettable piece that doesn't fit that well within the canon timeline. Set after the Fish-Man Island arc, Z's Ambition has the distinction of being the first post-time skip filler storyline, so the animation is at least pretty great.
The Straw Hats end up in the Maubeugemour Sea, an area with strange weather conditions. This location is a fascinating concept, although Z's Ambition does not really push the idea as far as it probably could.
6 Warship Island Arc – 6.9
- Episodes: 54-61
Warship Island is the first filler arc of One Piece. This might be the reason it ranks higher than a lot of others. The arc focuses on rescuing a girl named Apis and helping her return a dragon to its home island while avoiding the Marines.
Luffy and company go on this adventure between the end of the East Blue Saga and before they head to the Grand Line. The timing for this arc was a little anticlimactic since it was supposed to lead into the next major chapter of the series. Its messages and characters were interesting though, so it wasn't a complete miss.
Episode 61 starts out as filler but transitions to canon content towards the end.
5 Ruluka Island Arc – 7
- Episodes: 139-143
Ruluka Island has some of the higher average scores on IMDb, most likely because of the story it tells. The Straw Hats end up on an island while fleeing Marines like usual. The residents live under fear of their leader who takes all their money to build a tower.
The arc stands out slightly because it carries the feel of early One Piece stories where Luffy and the gang show off their unwavering will against evil. Luffy's morals are simple, but he won't let anyone trample over them or the well-being of the people around him. The arc has a lot of cool moments where characters show how strong they've gotten since joining the crew which adds to the sense of progression in a filler arc.
4 Ocean's Dream Arc – 7
- Episodes: 220-224
Once One Piece hit its 200th episode mark, the anime went through an underwhelming stretch of storylines; the Davy Back Fight is one of the worst canon arcs, and it is followed up by two filler stories in Ocean's Dream and Foxy's Return. Out of those three, Ocean's Dream is the easiest to sit through, although that's not saying too much. The Straw Hats' memories are wiped, reverting them to how they were prior to joining the crew.
Filled with flashbacks and opting for a mostly laid back atmosphere, Ocean's Dream serves as a nice showcase of how far the heroes have come since their debuts. However, these types of stories can get a touch boring, and Ocean's Dream is no exception.
3 Marine Rookie Arc – 7
- Episodes: 780-782
The Marine Rookie arc is what One Piece filler arcs should be more like. The arc's premise is par for the course when it comes to how it starts, but what it does through its story is what makes it special. Luffy's actions lead to the crew being in trouble like normal, so the crew has to invade a Marine base and disguise themselves as Marines to find food.
What makes this arc more interesting than most is that fans get a closer look at the inner workings of the Marines and how they train their members. Showing details like this in filler arcs is a great way to make them more engaging and give viewers a reason to want to watch them, besides just filling time until the next arc.
2 G-8 Arc – 7.3
- Episodes: 196-206
The G 8 arc is almost universally accepted as the best filler arc of One Piece. G-8 follows the same structure as almost every other filler arc from the series, however, what it does differently is that the story is also shown from the side of the Marines. The Marines have followed questionable forms of justice, as shown by Smoker's change of heart during the series.
The Marine in charge of the base the Straw Hats invade has similar questions and a change of heart that slowly occurs through the arc. Characters also have defining moments during these episodes, showing that the writing for this story went above and beyond, embodying what makes One Piece so interesting.
1 Uta's Past – 7.4
- Episodes: 1029-1030
Ever since the timeskip, One Piece filler arcs have felt rarer than before, although that has more to do with the expanding length of the canon sagas rather than the show picking up an aversion to non-official stories. The anime still uses filler as a buffer between its main chapters, but they tend to be relatively short when compared to earlier entries like G-8 and Warship Island. On the one hand, this means fans do not have to wait long to get back in the meat of things; conversely, modern filler arcs do not have time to amount to anything memorable.
Uta's Past is something of an exception. A precursor to One Piece Film Red, the two-part arc is an extended flashback that establishes Luffy's childhood friendship with the eponymous character, who also happens to be Shanks' daughter. The captain of the Red Hair Pirates also features prominently in both episodes, which is always a net positive.
Despite being linked to a non-canon movie, Uta's Past feels surprisingly significant. The arc shows Luffy and Shanks' early meeting; in fact, the story goes further back into Luffy's past than ever before. The episodes also do a great job of introducing Uta, who is a force of personality capable of rivaling the Straw Hat captain in drive and hard-headedness. While One Piece Film Red can be enjoyed as a standalone experience, Uta's Past adds nuance to the core relationships explored by the feature. If someone is planning to watch the movie, they should put aside 40 minutes to watch this One Piece filler arc.