Hot take: skipping the filler episodes actually ruins the pacing for me

I know everyone says skip the filler, but during my Naruto rewatch last month I decided to watch all of them for once. Turns out those slow episodes gave me breathing room between the intense arcs. By the time I hit the Sasuke retrieval stuff, I actually cared more about the side characters. The fights hit harder too because I wasn't burnt out. Has anyone else tried watching filler on purpose and ended up liking it more?

2 comments

2 Comments

jennyp191mo ago

Right? People act like filler is the devil but it's literally just extra screentime with the characters you already like. Sounds more like a bonus to me.

eva9081mo ago

Filler gets so much hate but it really does make the payoff better. I did the same thing with One Piece and those long G-8 episodes made me actually care about the marines as characters. By the time the big Marineford battle rolled around, I was way more invested in the chaos because I understood the world better. Plus filler episodes usually have more relaxed comedy and character interactions that the main plot rushes past. The pacing feels more natural when you let the story breathe a little.